Their Satanic Majesties Request Song By Song Thread

First time seeing that album cover. Love it

 

I'll take some crap for this, but this is and has always been my favourite track on the album. There's just something about the rocking psych vibe that has always completely hooked me in. Note: those very cool sax (and flute?) phrases Jones plays get almost completely buried in the mono mix, making the stereo preferable, at least on this occasion.

Little story ... I think it's fair to say Citadel has always been a 'Stones "deep cut", or for many years almost completely unknown. I didn't know anyone who'd ever heard it for decades...that's why I was surprised as hell when attending a live set by the Scandinavian band Atomic Swing in Sapporo in 1994 or so, when they came back to the stage for a single encore, I was about knocked over when the guitarist started the opening riff to Citadel! They did a fantastic cover of it, but I was just saying "wow" over and over in my mind just at the fact they knew it and played it. Very, very cool moment. No, more than that -- it just slayed.

 

It's great album with the influence of the Stones late 60's sound. Mick Taylor even makes a guest appearance.

 

No, it's the biggest knock on their earlier material. Namely, the lack of a producer who knew what he was doing. Not that Satanic sounds bad, necessarily...just nowhere near as good as it could have. Between The Buttons sounds even worse, in my opinion. And regarding Nicky Hopkins. I think he was becoming almost as important in the studio, as any member of the band at this stage.

 

The problem with Between the Buttons was that they kept overdubbing and getting farther from the original tapes. Most of the tracks on Satanic Majesties sound okay to me, but any credit should go to "engineer" Glyn Johns.

 

I can't really add anything about Citadel that hasn't already been said. Great track!! And Keith introduces us as to why he would later be crowned the "riffmeister" !!

 

Citadel is pretty close to being my favourite track on the LP too, although I rank all of side 1 except the last as well as The Lantern as too tight to separate in that regard.

I particularly like the combination drum-and-guitar (or maybe it's a somewhat fuzzed-up bass?) hit that leads into the verses.

 

I think Citadel is a track that has been under appreciated from every angle for decades. I remember listening to TMSR with a core 'Stones fan back in 1974 who dismissed the album as junk (as well as most everything that came before) because it wasn't the rough, decadent BB through Exile 'Stones he loved. A narrow-minded view IMO.

 

Are you talking about the glockenspiel note?

 

I'd love to know if the vocal sessions for TSMR were thrown into the dumpster outside Olympic Studios when the studio premises were being cleaned out in the '90s......
The "We Love You" and "Sing This All Together" vocal sessions would be very interesting to listen to......
It's a shame George wasn't in the studio singing along with John and Paul when "WLY" was recorded (and Ringo could have joined in with an exotic North African drum or something to make the ultimate supergroup recording of '67).

 

Yeah, maybe that's it.
Whatever it is , I don't like it .

 

In Another Land:

And now we have the third track, and the first officially released song to be solely written by a non-Glimmer Twin, one William George Perks.
If Bill getting a song on the album doesn't prove Mick and Keith were trippin balls when doing this record, nothing will.
It starts with a harpsichord by Nicky mothaf***in Hopkins, and then at :10, Bill comes in delivering a very trippy vocal delivery, the vocal effects oddly working with his deadpan vocal delivery. The full band comes in at :45, with Mick's voice very prominent in the mix, and also Steve Marriott and I believe Ronnie Lane are on this track, doing backing vocals and acoustic guitar in Steve's case. There's also some really cool drumming throughout the chorus, Charlie really lays it on yet still remains tasteful and restrained. There's also an organ throughout the verses, and I can't say for sure who's playing it. Apparently it's either Brian, Nicky, or Bill (I've even read Stu, but I seriously can't see Stu going anywhere near a song like this). I would put money on the former two, given that the organ colors the track, something that would be more akin to Brian or Nicky, whereas when Bill played organ, it was usually more rhythmic, serving sort of the same role he would serve on bass. I also like the blowing of wind throughout the verses that gives it that dreamy otherworldly quality. At 2:53 the song stops and Bill's snoring is caught on tape as a result of Mick and Keith recording him as a joke, and yeah, this part really isn't necessary but at least it's removed in the single edit.
Overall I think this song is awesome, absolutely love it, the second best Bill-penned tune after Downtown Suzie. So do I like Bill's solo albums?
...
F*** that noise.

 

"Citadel" is so filthy and raw, sounds like a garage rock recording. I think it's my favorite Stones track. It kind of helps that it was mixed so poorly, the drums just kinda boom and smash while the guitars wail and Mick is shouting over it to be heard, extremely raw even for the stones. This album is so rich with choruses, "2000 Man" "In Another Land" and "The Lantern" have amazing choruses. A direct opposite of pepper! same album my ass!

 

"Sing This All Together" does sound a little dis genuine and hokey from a lyric stand point, since the stones were never really about "flower power" and "peace and love" as heavy as other bands were at the time. But, it doesn't really matter to me, the instrumental is so rich and textured, it sounds like im at a goofy campfire or something. I dont listen to Satanic Majesties for lyrics, for me its about the sound scapes they accomplished, and they accomplished quite a bit. There ARE brilliant lyrics on this album lets not be forgotten:
(Sing This All Together): "Pictures of us through the steamy haze, Picture of us painted in our place"
(Citadel): Flags are flying, "dollar bills, Round the heights of concrete hills, You can see the pinnacles"
(2000 Man): "You know, my wife still respects me Even though I really misuse her, I am having an affair With the random computer."

Just to name a few!

 

It's hard to think of Wyman as a premier songwriter, but "much to my surprise" In Another Land really works. At least on this album. Probably more for the dreamlike production as anything.

Jagger shoulda taken the vocal however.

 

I love In Another Land! Bill's vocal works perfectly for me. But the chorus is what makes the song and rises it up to another level! Mick's vocal on the chorus and Charlie's drumming are superb!!

 

Here's an early take:

 

In Another Land is when you really know that you are listening to a weird album. Good song Billy.
And yes, Downtown Suzie should have been an official release, bumping off Dear Doctor or Country Honk.

 

I came in late to this thread. Their Satanic... is possibly mi second favorite Stones album (after Buttons). "In Another Land" is a very good song that fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the album, and I'm glad Bill Wyman got away with it.
What I always say of this album is that is far more focused than what some people usually think to be a self-indulgent druggy waste of vinyl. Druggy? Sure it was, but a hell of an album, and not chaotic at all to my ears. (I'm not a big Stones fan, could it be that the reason why I love it so much?).

 

I always felt it was the right song at the wrong time, because I think it could fit perfectly on Beggars Banquet but it was written during Let It Bleed.

 

In stereo Bill's voice is straight in one channel and vibrato'ed to death in the other outstanding song. If only his solo albums were this good.

 

Yup, love "In Another Land" from Bill and his voice adds another texture to this album of treasures. Love the way Mick comes in on this one also.

 

I'm not a fan of In Another Land, but whenever I listen to the album I think that it is almost a good song. There's just something about it that irks me.

 

Suddenly I'm on a cloud eating a marshmallow. Hard to believe Bill never did drugs if he came up with this one.

The backing vocals during the chorus are great.

 

To speak analytically song by song I think is somewhat out of sync for this album or psychedelia in general. The key to psychedelia is sustaining a mood which is distinct from normal reality. So I would rate the songs on TSMR more on that factor then on standard song structure type factors.

So Sing This All Together is OK for mood even though I would in a different context criticize it for a lack of focus or a hook. As the opener STAT creates a mood precisely from the lack of real focus in terms of harmonic progression or distinct melody. Gustav Holst in The Planets did a similar thing in the final movement Neptune The Mystic. Floating unfocused bits of melodies and soft harmonies definitely create a different mood than any previous Stones album.

Citadel is less psychedelic than science fiction and these are the two poles that the album revolves around rather inconsistently until the closer. The citadel here seems less Orwellian and more like a big chaotic city mixed with medieval castle imagery where people create their own citadel to protect themselves. The mood from the opener is shattered here I think, only to reappear in the next song.