Back in 1967, all pop and rock bands were trying to figure out how to respond to The Beatles’ iconic concept album Sgt Pepper. The Rolling Stones, best known as the prototypical blues rock band of the day, answered with Their Satanic Majesties Request. It was their first self-produced album, and the tormented genius Brian Jones took the helm to create the most psychedelic album that the Stones ever released, complete with the vintage “fake” 3d cover.
This remastered set includes both mono and stereo versions of the album, and while some sounds a bit dated, much holds up well. “Sing This All Together” and “Citadel” have aged a bit in the wake of the demise of Flower Power, but “She’s A Rainbow” keeps its infectious groove and the added sonic touches work well. Best of all is the space cadet special “2000 Light Years From Home” which was ignored at the time, but sounds almost prophetic these days in terms of sound and message. Mick Jagger never sounded so hiply understated, and it works amazingly well as he finally changes gears towards the end.
The album was, complete with Bill Wyman singing a tune, definitely a one-off, as Jones departed not too long after and was replaced with the bluesier Mick Taylor, while Jagger and Richards went back to their comfort zones, making this album all the more intriguing in retrospect 50 years after its initial release.