Oh no, I have an irresistible urge to get and listen to "Their Satanic Majesties" The Rolling Stones

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But why? Continuing a thread thread of listening to albums/records that are commonly received / perceived to be terrible...

This one, supposedly rehearsed and committed to make their then erstwile manager/producer to run to the hills (Andrew Loog Oldham), which did indeed happen. The lead single being actually a Bill Wyman 'solo' track (indicated as such, particularly, on the mono version of the original LP). Their experiment in psychedelia, supposedly a massive failure and they never returned to making experimental music...

So, was this the point where they began to jump t' shark? Did they not record anything after that with any level of consistency (allowing for Let it bleed up to Exile on Main Street as being the point where they were above the shark and hadn't landed with the bump yet?)

Well, I don't know. Perhaps I should disregard all that and listen to it with the ears of the 21st Century.

Make your observations, please. I shall return when I've heared it.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 07:54 (nineteen years ago)

its my favourite stones album

― anthony easton (anthony), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 07:58 (nineteen years ago)

Harsh, Anthony. Harsh.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 08:02 (nineteen years ago)

There weren't any singles from Satanic Majesties, at least not in Britain (We Love You and Dandelion aren't on the original LP). You're thinking of In Another Land, which I think is the only Wyman composition (and Wyman lead vocal) to appear on any Stones album.

Let It Bleed not experimental????

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 08:05 (nineteen years ago)

Sorry, I did not say "in the US" which I was going to.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 08:22 (nineteen years ago)

it's my favorite stones album, too. once upon a time it was the only one i liked.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 09:16 (nineteen years ago)

Not sure it's my favorite, but it's up there.

Perhaps I should disregard all that and listen to it with the ears of the 21st Century.

Yes, do.

― Marmotdeth (marmotwolof), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 09:25 (nineteen years ago)

2.000 Light Years From Home/In Another Land was a single.

Excellent album btw. Doesn't sound one bit like The Rolling Stones, which doesn't matter as long as it sounds like The Beatles instead. :)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 09:33 (nineteen years ago)

I've just lost the irresistile urge.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 09:38 (nineteen years ago)

You've lost a "b" there, that's for sure.

IT WASN'T A SINGLE IN BRITAIN
(xpost)

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 09:48 (nineteen years ago)

most definitely my favorite stones album.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 11:11 (nineteen years ago)

"where's that joint"

― pisces (piscesx), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 11:17 (nineteen years ago)

It's good. But Between The Buttons is my favourite - a much stranger record than TSMR.

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 11:20 (nineteen years ago)

Certainly Between the Buttons is strange ... a mix of music hall/vaudeville and social comment (plus taking the piss out of Brian Jones). Satanic Majesties is fun in a "I used to listen to it sometimes" way, but then I happen to think that Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed (my favourite album ever), Exile on Main Street, and Sticky Fingers are the best things the Stones ever did, and probably anyone else ever did in the course of four consecutive albums (except maybe Dylan, but he usually only managed three, although he did it twice: Bringing it all back home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blond on Blond, then Blood on the Tracks (also my favourite album ever), Desire and Street Legal). Sure each has some weak patches and did Exile really need to be a double, but hey, it still makes me dance (and that's not a pretty sight).

― andyjack (andyjack), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 11:41 (nineteen years ago)

i count 6 in a row from dylan. from freewheelin' to b.o.b. but that's just me.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 12:00 (nineteen years ago)

I rather like the Wyman song.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 12:06 (nineteen years ago)

you know, when i think about it, the stones are nowhere near the top of the list as far as my fave bands go. but when i REALLY think about it, they have to be my fave singles band of all time. i hardly ever want to play one of their albums, but they have, at least(maybe), 50 singles that i love to death. so, maybe they should go higher on my list of faves. cuz that's a lot of songs! 50, could that be right? i don't feel like counting. but i know it's a lot.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 12:10 (nineteen years ago)

at least half the songs on this record are totally fucking awesome, and the others are at least "interesting" to listen to and often funny and fun. great album!

― ...122 hours of beer (part 2) (teenagequiet), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 16:48 (nineteen years ago)

"In Another Land" is one of the worst songs on the album. That and "Gomper." Otherwise, you've got:

Sing This All Together
Citadel
2000 Man
She's a Rainbow
The Lantern
2000 Light Years from Home
On with the Show

...which is a killer set of songs.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 16:56 (nineteen years ago)

"In Another Land" is one of the worst songs on the album

I thought you enjoyed songs by second-tier sidemen, Tim ;)

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

I like this album - it gets a little lost and meanders a bit (isn't there a reprise of Sing This All Together that goes on for like 10 minutes or something?) but the cover alone is awesome! Also She's a Rainbow and 2,000 Light Years From Home are aces. I like Citadel and In Another Land too...

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 17:09 (nineteen years ago)

George Harrison never wrote cheesey psychedelic songs!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

"The Lantern" is underrated.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)

"In Another Land" is one of the worst songs on the album. That and "Gomper." Otherwise, you've got:
Sing This All Together
Citadel
2000 Man
She's a Rainbow
The Lantern
2000 Light Years from Home
On with the Show

...which is a killer set of songs.

OTM. I got a first-press German copy of this for cheap last summer, and I had to digitize it because I was playing it too much.. Especially good in the summertime.

― trees (treesessplode), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 18:46 (nineteen years ago)

allowing for Let it bleed up to Exile on Main Street as being the point where they were above the shark and hadn't landed with the bump yet?

no, every single note through 1972 is solid gold. even the imperfections are perfect.

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 18:56 (nineteen years ago)

Oh no, I have an irresistible urge to get and listen to "Their Satanic Majesties" The Rolling Stones

But why?

6/6/06

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 18:58 (nineteen years ago)

a conscious reply to "sgt pepper," a stylistic diversion and
long considered a dissapointment...i guess it all depends on
which ears are doing the listening. for me the album is a stone
cold classic, in the same angelic leagues as "pepper" or any other
album released in 67. try to imagine how out-there it would have
been for a best-selling british band to release a neverending jam like "sing it all together" -- condemned at the time as
amateurish and self-indulgent although, of course, it sounds
absolutely brilliant today.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 21:25 (nineteen years ago)

"The Lantern" is underrated.

no, "in another land" is underrated. "the lantern" is well-regarded. at least here.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 01:43 (nineteen years ago)

2K Light Years From Home = mellotron madness and absolutely classic

This is one of the best examples of the value of listening to an album removed from the hype/expectations of the day.

― timmy tannin (pompous), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 02:40 (nineteen years ago)

not big on the stoneds but i luv this album

― Q('.'Q) (eman), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 02:45 (nineteen years ago)

allowing for Let it bleed up to Exile on Main Street as being the point where they were above the shark and hadn't landed with the bump yet?
no, every single note through 1972 is solid gold. even the imperfections are perfect.
-- nicky lo-fi (ilmforsur...) (webmail), Yesterday 7:56 PM. (later) (link)

That's sort of what I meant. I'd say the 'landing' was 1974 or thereabouts, but that's drifting away from the subject and the whole shark metaphor has now jts itself.

halfway through now.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 06:47 (nineteen years ago)

COol album. Great production. Great drum sounds. Citadel rox.

― Tronid K (tronidk), Wednesday, 7 June 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

Right, just finished first listen.

It sounds shag all like the Beatles... until the last track, "On with the show" which was much like "Something happened to me" in being a sort of "Goodbye" end of album track, bit silly, that's it.

In general, indeed a great (ok, enjoyable) album.

The "Sing this all together (see what happens)" has echoes of "European Son", "What's the New Mary Jane" and "Augm" Can. All but the Can track they would have heared most likely, but this presumably would be where they got the most flak.

Albums were very expensive in those days, so to get 7 mins plus of arsing around must have seemed snide at the time.

Bill's track is great, but has definitely dated the most.

There are at least three stone classics right there. They still do 2,000 light years from home, live, right?

I still say it's a shame that they left the psyche period behind them totally from this point on. But, heck, there's enough of it from them to satisfy.

CLASSIC!!!

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 8 June 2006 07:32 (nineteen years ago)

Now, "Jamming with Edward", on the other hand...

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:29 (nineteen years ago)

Yay, Mark! I basically agree with Scott and like BTB better, but yo, carry the lantern light . . .

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:35 (nineteen years ago)

"Flags are flying dollar bills."

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:36 (nineteen years ago)

I wouldl like to have this album, again. I used to like it a lot. I think it is Genesis P. Orridge's favourite too.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 8 June 2006 09:51 (nineteen years ago)

The stereo mix of "The Lantern" enables you to cut out the rhythm section entirely, which only improves an already terrific song.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 8 June 2006 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

"Citadel" = rock and/or roll.

Tack on "Dandelion" and "We Love You" as bonus tracks, and you've got a pretty damn fine album.

― Dan Heilman (The Deacon), Thursday, 8 June 2006 14:25 (nineteen years ago)

i count 6 in a row from dylan. from freewheelin' to b.o.b.

not john wesley harding?!?!?

but yeah, satanic majesties more than justifies itself. it's not my favorite stones album any more than sgt. pepper is my favorite beatles album, but the best songs are great and unlike anything else they did. also, can you still buy it with the 3-D plastic photo on the front?

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:00 (nineteen years ago)

Hadn't heard this in decades when a friend played it for me several weeks ago, insisting that it was the greatest thing ever ever ever. Though it is possible that we were both extremely stoned, I swear it was indeed awesome; but then he lent me the disk and when I played it a couple days later I was like, what is this bullshit? Seems to be one of those rare 180-degree turnaround items that sounds terrific when I'm under the influence, otherwise crap. Still like "2000 Light Years" and "Dandelion" regardless, though.

― xero (xero), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:11 (nineteen years ago)

Damm, now I have to go find my BJM cds again.

― Rufus 3000 (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 8 June 2006 15:30 (nineteen years ago)

"They still do 2,000 light years from home, live, right?"

I don't think they had ever done ANYTHING from Satanic Majesties and when I saw them in '90 or whenever that tour was and they started into "2000 Light Years from Home," I was all, "Whoa."

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 8 June 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

The massive guitar riffage on "Citadel" is my fave part of the record, but I think I OD'd on this one years ago. I'm more likely to spin Between the Buttons, which is just as fucked (in its own way).

Speaking of adding bonus tracks (like the "We Love You"/"Dandilion" single), I would also add "Child of the Moon", a fantastic chunk of psych rock.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Thursday, 8 June 2006 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

They still do 2,000 light years from home, live, right?

i think they've done that and "she's like a rainbow" from time to time. there was an interesting page i googled once upon a time with quotes from jagger and richards about the album at varying times (it's great-->it could've been better-->it blows!-->it was a joke!)

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Thursday, 8 June 2006 23:50 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

Oh, hello this thread...

So, this album is definitely in my 100 'desert island' list, and there are a bunch of links for an 8CD "sessions" set of mostly instrumental takes...

There's definitely an ability for a deluxe edition based on single-only's, unreleased tracks, and 'interesting' pre-finished versions, like they did with Exile.

But that's not going to happen, is it?

― Mark G, Tuesday, 26 October 2010 10:52 (fourteen years ago)

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