Their Satanic Majesties Request Song By Song Thread

ok, now i have a moment.
Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned the beatles ... As you say everyone was dabbling in psychedelia and progressive ideas ... rubber soul inspired pet sounds, which in turn inspired sgt pepper. zappa was inspired to mock the beatles and the whole flower power movement with we're only in it for the money. there's a good chance the who sell out was in some way inspired by the idea of sgt pepper, and perhaps a mockery in a subtle way also. hendrix had just blown everyone's mind with are you experienced, and i think axis-bold as love ....
why is it suddenly taboo to suggest that the stones were in on that also?
i never stated that the stones aped sgt pepper. the albums are completely different in structure, tone and style. All i said was (in my opinion, not rolling stone magazines, nme's or anybody else's) "the stones were trying too hard to be something they weren't" and they "seemed to feel a need to step right out of their comfort zone" . With their previous album between the buttons (one of my favourites) they had moved gently and naturally into other areas. The U.S. release (my favourite version) has the sublime Ruby Tuesday, Yesterday's Papers and several other tracks mildly removed from some of their earlier work. Suddenly with tsmr we have full blown psychedlia, whether inspired by the beatles, zappa, floyd, procul harum, hendrix or sesame street, it is a complete departure from anything they had done before and to the best of my knowledge they never touched the form again. The stones loved to experiment with things. "lets go full blown garage band" - exile on main street. "lets see if we can make an isaac hayes record" (for want of a better example) black and blue. "lets see if we can do disco" several songs across some girls and emotional rescue .. the stones were often stepping into fields not of their sowing and very successful at it. you mentioned sympathy for the devil off beggars banquet, i personally don't hear psychedlia (but that is just me). Personally i hear some afro-rhythms and quasi-gospel backing vocals (again, that's just me, not saying it's fact). Street fighting man (again to my ears) is almost proto-punk in its attitude and sound. I don't really hear the stones diving back into psychedlia. Perhaps that is because they got a caning from the media, because the media (not me) said tsmr was aping sgt pepper. So, no, i do not think the stones were aping the beatles. I think as i said the moronic media had put misdirected and ill-informed pressure on the band indirectly by the constant comparisons, which frankly i never understood, because the stones came directly from the blues and chuck berry and the beatles came from 50's pop music (in my opinion).
Now the album isn't a waste of time at all, and i'm sorry if that was inferred by my statement. i just think it felt a little uncomfortable. the stones were a great band and jagger and richards were really starting to come into their own as song writers, so of course it has some good songs. she's a rainbow being my personal favourite. It's just to me it isn't a great album. i dare anyone to honestly say that tsmr is better than let it bleed, beggars banquet, sticky fingers, exile on main street or even some girls and tattoo you ... obviously it is all subjective, but i just can't see how any stones fan would think that.
Peace

 

Great thread! Glad to see this psych classic getting the attention it deserves.

 

here we go again
I completely, honestly feel TSMR is the greatest album the Stones ever made.
I'm a first gen fan who feels something was lost when Brian left.
Majesties is as close as we got to Brian fully realizing his vision within the band.
as a first gen fan who feels this way, the albums you mention wouldn't be until after the top 3 at least. I'd personally rate Aftermath and Buttons somewhere around 2 and 3. Banquet might get an almighty 4, SF 5....and so on...

 

You obviously missed that i said buttons was one of my faves lol

 

He is with his wife at least!

 

To save money and cut out the middleman?

 

...and a random computer

 

Nah the artworks appalling.

 

Great idea but if you are asleep you would miss it!

 

And......he was retained in 1972 on the Milestones LP no doubt due to his excellent spruiking! "Beatles or Stones, the pick of the stall!"

 

One that Mick has sampled if so. Nice observation.

 

I agree with the sadness in COTM but must listen agains to rainbow.

 

Just check others Faces!

 

I heard this, is it true they do not appear in it????? I thought it wss the song with just dancers?

 

Do you have a quote of this? I thought he was initially against the psych direction of SMR. Stanley Booth said that Brian had advised Hendrix to not go the psych route to follow up Axis Bold As Love.

 

Food for thought: Might Dandelion have been an interesting inhabitant on Flowers?

 

I believe Flowers was released before Dandelion.

 

YEEESSSS! Give this man a Kingdom.

 

Did that worry you pre your Beefheart appreciation?

 

Yes you are right but people are debating that Dandelion (Due to when it was recorded) could have fit on Buttons perhaps better than TSMR. I thought i would throw up a left field alternative (and see if it gains traction) thinking the track could have first been used in June 67' just as easily as August 67' to catch the emerging psychedelic's of the summer just as was attempted via the album title And cover art anyway.

 

Spot on and killer avatar!

 

They could have held the Flowers release back to add Dandelion.

 

The opening chords sound like they are played backwards. Think Hi Ho Silver Lining Introduction.

 

There is a quote somewhere that backs up Brian being into "progressive" music like Gomper - maybe a contemporaneous interview around the time of Satanic's release? But damn if I can find it. Nevertheless world music clearly interested him and after the release of Satanic in 1968 he recorded the Joujouku musicians of Morocco for an album that wasn't released until 1971. I have seen quotes of him not being in favor of the back to basics Beggars' Banquet direction - he put sitar and tamboura on Street Fighting Man!

 

John i will check my promo edit as i know for a fact it is shorter, A side may well be also. Love your 3 favourite songs, mine too but i would slip 2000 Man in at 3.