The Rolling Stones
Their Satanic Majesty's Request - Decca 1967
Tracks: 1. Sing This All Together / 2. Citadel / 3. In Another Land / 4. 2000 Man / 5. Sing This All Together / 6. She's a Rainbow / 7. The Lantern / 8. Gomper / 9. 2000 Light Years from Home / 10. On With the Show
Comments:
"Their Satanic Majesty's Request" from 1967 is by far the most experimental album The Rolling Stones has released. The album is heavily influenced by the psychedelic trends that characterized the progressive rock music and to some extent the actual popmusik at the time. In the same period The Beatles worked on "Sgt. Pepper ”and Magical Mystery Tour” and the Stones will of course wanted to maintain the position as the Beatles' biggest challenger.
"Their Satanic Majesty's Request" is often blamed for being a messy album, where the group had flown too far away from its roots in the blues and rock’n roll. Personally, I think it's an exciting album with lots of imagination, creative songwriting and with great variation in instrumentation.
Not everything has succeeded completely; far from it. But even somewhat sketchy numbers like "Citadel", The Lantern "and" Gomper "contain really nice passages; both instrumentally and melodically.
Also the two intro / outro songs "Sing this All Together" and "On with the Show" show both humor and melodic substance; They tend to, however, go fall somewhat apart underways.
The great highlight is the perfect "She's a Rainbow", which is one of the most beautiful songs the group ever released. Pianist Nicky Hopkins contributes with beautiful piano playing, on this classic and he plays an overall major role on "TSMR".
"2000 Man" is classic Rolling Stones; a nice number that could easily fit in with "Between the Buttons".
"2000 Light Years From Home" is the most succesful of the psychedelic numbers and a song with great durability.
Finally, there is Bill Wyman's "In Another Land", which is quite cute, but perhaps also the song which I feel the most outdated.
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