The Rolling Stones – ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request’
The Rolling Stones had always cut their teeth as one of the grimiest rock bands ever. Despite playing second fiddle to The Beatles throughout the 1960s, the songwriting team of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were offering up something different than what ‘The Fab Four’ could produce, making songs full of menace like ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’ and ‘Satisfaction’. As the dawn of psychedelic rock began in the late ‘60s, the Stones tried their hand at the modern sound on Their Satanic Majesties Request.
From the word go, the Stones are sinking their teeth deep into pop rock sounds, with ‘Sing This All Together’ sounding like it could have come from a bubble gum pop act rather than anything remotely like the Stones. The song does have its fair share of interesting moments though, having a smooth sound that makes the listener feel like strolling their way through a sunny city. Having already tried their hand at the traditional British Invasion music, this is a definite course change right out of the gate.
The album even features an extension of the song later on, with the reprise continuing for seven more minutes. Whereas the first act of the tune may have been a slightly sweeter take on rock ‘n’ roll, this is a much more wicked affair. As the signature Stones menace creeps in again, most of this jam feels right at home in a psychedelic horror movie, before giving way to the hidden track ‘Cosmic Christmas’. While the song might be a lot to take in by Stones’ standards, it captures the same sensation that listeners got from something like ‘Goin Home’ off of Aftermath, as the band spend an extended jam sinking themselves into the world of psychedelia.
Since the band is taking new chances, some of the most interesting parts of this album come when the rest of the band members are able to add their own stamp to these songs. Passing the mic over to bassist Bill Wyman, ‘In Another Land’ is one of the most straight-ahead psychedelic songs of this era from the Stones, featuring occasional backing vocals from Steve Marriott and Ronnie Wood that give the tune a certain jam-band quality.
And while Keith Richards might be known as one of the masters of writing guitar riffs, his work on this album is far more expansive. Rather than sit on a riff, ‘Keef’ takes the opportunity to experiment with different styles of rock guitar, adding different textures and filling out the sound differently than on Between the Buttons.
That also doesn’t stop the old habits from creeping in, with ‘The Lantern’ being a folksy take on the emerging psychedelic movement. Outside of the tolling bell at the top of the tune, the feel of the song is identifiable as more typical sounding Rolling Stones, from the insistent beat to the signature slide guitar licks that would later become customary to their arsenal.
If there is one secret weapon behind the band, it’s Brian Jones. Having already made an impression with his contributions to Buttons, Jones is a musical dynamo throughout this record, playing every instrument that will suit the song. While he might play something that fits the track on guitar, his use of saxophone on ‘Sing This All Together’ and harp on ‘On With The Show’ bring a baroque pop feeling to the entire project.
The real showcase of everyone’s talents is ‘She’s A Rainbow’. Opening with a music-box-esque piano part, the string arrangements are some of the most tasteful of the Stones’ career, engineered by future Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. While Mick Jagger’s vocals are known for being rough around the edges, there isn’t a shade of cynicism throughout this song, as he marvels at how his lover moves in colours and is shell-shocked by the way she combs her hair.
While there are deep psychedelic undercurrents to songs like ‘In Another Land’ and ‘Citadel’, the Stones never lose their bluesy flair throughout the project. As much as a song like ‘2000 Man’ may be indebted to how many outlandish parts they can put on the final track, the core tune about a man being fed up with his family and friends who don’t understand him hits as hard as anything that went before.
Other tracks like ‘2000 Light Years From Home’ offer a similar sentiment, following the life of a man travelling through space and the loneliness that comes with the miles between him and his friends. Although the degrees of distance might differ, the lyrics’ downtrodden tone isn’t that far away from the old bluesmen that the Stones were inspired by, trading in those lonesome trains for light years.
While many exciting moments are scattered throughout Their Satanic Majesties Request, a few hiccups keep it from being among the Stones’ finest moments. In truth, these clumsy blemishes underpin the album as a band ‘experimenting’ and hamstringing the blues tenets beneath it all in the process.
Despite having some of the cleanest production they would have during their ‘60s run, listeners can hear them not feeling that comfortable in their skin. Since the rest of the rock scene was in a state of transition, it’s fitting that The Rolling Stones were just as interested to see where their sound would go if they tried something new. The band might have had some fresh ideas brought to the table here, but this feels like a mere warm-up.
