Comments on: uReview: The Rolling Stones “Their Satanic Majesties Request”

By: Len Liechti

Len Liechti — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:00:12 +0000

This uneven album is not the Stones’ finest moment, it must be said, but at least back in those days they were still trying to progress and experiment, unlike the last forty years in which their style has hardly changed. (The worst thing that ever happened to the Stones was Ronnie Wood, who whilst a good reliable sideman offers absolutely zip creativity. Did they really need a second Keef?) The Stones were never imaginative enough to produce really good psych, especially after they started to sideline Brian Jones who was the only really creative musician in the outfit. “We Love You” stands as their psych high spot, mainly because of Jonesey’s majestic Mellotron. Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed were fine albums but became the template for the next forty years, as they pretty rapidly ran out of ideas. I’d take this over Exile On Main St. anytime.

By: vinylhead

vinylhead — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:47:43 +0000

Okay ,Okay its the Stones yes but to even use or say beatles with them is nuts!!! beatles hit right on the mark for taking you on a trip and SP,MMT,WA,ABBY, come on,,, no one did it better as for this album they tried!!!! drop a hit then get back to me ,,,,happy trails

By: ron

ron — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:52:25 +0000

The Stones worst failure. A great example of the Stones trying to catch up to the Beatle’s Sgt. Pepper album. The Beatles were always 2,000 light years ahead: pun intended The reviews in 1967 showed the previous statement to be correct. The total album had only 1 good song worthy of being released. The album was a futile and pathetic. I’m a Stone’s fan but it was a humbling attempt to go psychedelic. Mick and company should have stayed with rock music (Street Fighting Man, Exile on Man Street) etc. I’m just thankful the Stones didn’t try to get it right. A dismal failure. Case closed.

By: heyday2day

heyday2day — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:03:10 +0000

The main problem with this album is that it is by the Stones. If it had been released by a lesser known band or even an obscure one then it might enjoy revered status that many obscure albums do today. If I can forget that it’s the Stones then I can enjoy it for what it is, but if not….. The backlash that this album spurs in alot of Stones fans, I think, is more due to that fact that for the first time it was clear that the Stones were chasing and following rather than leading. That’s something that alpha dogs aren’t supposed to do. As a psychedelic period piece it’s not bad, as a part of the Stones 64-74 discography, it’s a clunker. If that makes any sense

By: jason

jason — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:29:16 +0000

Wow, Jean Erica, good review. We should turn over our jobs to you.

By: Jean Erica

Jean Erica — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:34:22 +0000

This is a truly classic work of art. Okay so the cover art is derivative but despite the psychedelic Beatles-influenced touches here and there, the songwriting and performances are so vastly different than Sgt. Peppers and its genre and/or Piper At the Gates of Dawn and its ilk. 2000 Man sounds more like the KInks than the Beatles or Pink Floyd. Citadel & She’s A Rainbow don’t sound like anybody else and are timeless masterpieces. 2000 Light Years From Home transcends its psychedelic blues arrangement/progression magnificently; and, while they may fall short of classic status, The Lantern, Gomper and On With the Show are excellent songs/performances that transcend psychedelia or any other particular ‘movement’. Even on the track(s) that Lennon & McCartney actually appear in the flesh, Sing This All Together and ‘We Love You’ (non-LP single), while the latter does tip its hat to the Fabs, the song stands on its own merits and offers a darker edge and more cynical take to its psychedelia, while the former is pure Stones, and like many of the tracks on the album, clearly recorded lyrically and arrangement-wise with tongues firmly placed in cheeks. I even really like Wyman’s ‘In Another Land’ though it admittedly doesn’t really transcend its influences until Jagger’s vocals kick in like a drunken party crasher at an LSD “be-in”, it’s still an unexpectedly fine slice of vintage psychedelic self-indulgence from the plodding Wyman of all people. Brian Jones is arguably at his best here of any of his Stones’ multi-instrumental work and you’ve got Nicky Hopkins and John Paul Jones on board to boot offering all sorts of ear candy. What more could you possibly ask for? To me this sounds like the warm-up act for Beggars Banquet, which still stands IMHO as the greatest of all Stones records (with Let It Bleed a close second) rather than some misstep or ‘of its time’ relic. Go listen again all ye naysayers and confess thy sins!

By: Skronk

Skronk — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:57:46 +0000

A case can be made that this album is one of the most important in rock history. The 60’s turned to the proto-70’s because of this over the top pseudo-failure. I love it.

By: Al-Di-La

Al-Di-La — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:12:46 +0000

I can’t believe there is any debate on this. Stinkbomb? Rubbish? It’s a classic.

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:59:11 +0000

An amazing album. The arrangements and Mellotron are off the hook on this record. The actual songwriting might be a little patchy in places, but if a couple of the weaker tracks had been swapped out for We Love You and Dandelion this thing woulda been a powerhouse.

The band went back to basics after Satanic Majesties, but a large part of me wishes they hadn’t. Satanic Majesties gets knocked for being an example of the Stones’ crass opportunism, but you can’t tell me that “Salt of the Earth” off Beggars’ Banquet isn’t 100 times more hollow than any of the goofy psych stuff to be found on this LP. Even though it’s a total anomaly in the history of the band, it’s a totally crucial record, especially for us Brian Jones fanatics.

By: emmett

emmett — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:23:17 +0000

Better than virtually every other band’s best album. If this was a band no one had ever heard of before, it’d be the ulitmate crate-digging find of all time. That being said, it sucks. Four stars (out of five)