Their Satanic Majesties Request

 

This 1967 album from the Rolling Stones is usually interpreted as a failed attempt to emulate Sgt. Pepper’s from the Beatles but nothing is less true. They made the album near the end of the 60's when experimenting was the norm like many artists did at that time. The first 60's Stones album with same tracklisting and design in both the UK and USA. The previous albums from the 60's differ in tracklisting, album covers and also album titles just like they used to do with the early Beatles albums.

Group foto on the album cover

The title of the album is based on text written in british passports: "Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty..." and the album cover is inspired by the well known Sgt. Pepper cover created by Peter Blake. 2 singles were released of this album "She's A Rainbow" and "In Another Land". Also an exclusive single has been released in the same style "We Love You/Dandelion".  The album was recorded while Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones were going in and out of court (and jail) facing drug charges.

Inner side of the album cover

In Their Satanic Majesties Request they used the most varied instrumentation and also numerous occasional guests, such as Lennon and McCartney, who contribute to the “Sing This All Together” choir ("Open your head and let the images arrive"). Also the future bassist of Led Zeppelin, John Paul Jones, in charge of the string arrangements of the beautiful “She's a Rainbow” is present, which is preceded by the insane “Sing This All Together (See What Happens)”, tribal version extended from the first topic. On the other hand both the "Citadel" and "In Another Land" deserve their own paragraph. Two real psychedelic songs and "In Another Land" is also the only piece of the entire repertoire composed and vocalized by bassist Bill Wyman.

Both can be grouped in the same line of "The Lantern", "Gomper" and the space "2000 Light Years From Home" (with mellotron), At the end the group once again insists on imperial exoticism by including the traditional Paraguayan song “Pájaro Campana” as a basis for "On With The Show".

The album is the ultimate flower power album from the Stones.

Album cover

Their Satanic Majesties Request

Sing This All Together / Citadel / In Another Land / 2000 Man / Sing This All Together (See What Happens) / She's a Rainbow / The Lantern / Gomper / 2000 Light Years from Home / On with the Show