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| Ten Thousand Motels |
COMING IN COLOR
Revisiting the Rolling Stones' flawed masterpiece
Francis Joseph Smith
March 6
Maidison Avenue magazine .org
http://maisonneuve.org/index.php?&page_id=12&article_id=2135
Opinions have long been divided over the merits of the Rolling Stones’ 1967 psychedelic semi-masterpiece, Their Satanic Majesties Request. Upon first listen, I thought it was a worthless affair; there was far too much sitar. But the same fascination with failure that inspired me to buy the album in the first place also forced me to spin it a few more times. It's a patchy record with some overly indulgent bits. I don't think it holds as much water as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (also released in '67), but the tracks that do stand out, stand out well.
Looking back (which may be difficult for those of us who weren't even a zygote then), 1967 was a fecund strawberry field of psychedelic ballyhoo. The aforementioned Sgt. Pepper's kicked up a wake of contenders for the Beatles' throne. Their Satanic Majesties Request glorified the overindulgence of the period: the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, recorded in 1967 (but not released until the band broke up in 1968), is another relic from the time. There were also the Monkees. In 1967, the Prefab Four released Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (featuring the gloriously dippy "Star Collector") and, a year later, jumped feet-first into the movie scene with the release of the Jack Nicholson-penned Head, which simultaneously began and ended their Hollywood careers.
This willingness to experiment is the one thing the Stones nailed with Their Satanic Majesties Request, far and away the oddest album in their catalogue. While it lacks the cohesiveness of Exile on Main Street (a poorly reviewed album in 1972 but a landmark of excess and alienation for succeeding generations of musicians and music hacks) or the urgency of Beggars Banquet (1968), each track on Satanic Majesties attempts to broaden the band’s bluesy rock roots.
The album was an unstructured experiment for Brian Jones, the Stones’ reigning multi-instrumentalist and amateur ethnomusicologist. The arrangements only really worked when the band took the time to fashion some structure around the song. “Sing This All Together” is an inauspicious beginning to the album—the equivalent of the Beatles’ famous “All You Need Is Love” TV performance, broadcast live via satellite to 350 million people in 1967. (During the televised sing-a-long-cum-love-in, a foreboding Jagger can be seen gloomily sharing the room with the Beatles in their feel-good prime.)
Weird sound bites, lunk-headed imagery and the weeniest piano line ever prevent “She’s a Rainbow” from being a pop gem. Jagger croons, “She comes in colours everywhere / She combs her hair / She’s like a rainbow / Coming colours in the air.” In a world where “Start Me Up” is now used to endorse Microsoft, one can only assume that “She’s a Rainbow” would be perfect for a K-Y Jelly advertisement.
Conversely, “2000 Man” echoes the narrative structure of a Wes Anderson movie, heading off in one direction and then changing course as soon as you think you’ve got it pegged. Guided by Voices may have perfected the art of creating a collage of melodies with Bee Thousand (1994), but the Stones had them beat by twenty-odd years. And danger permeates “2000 Light Years from Home,” which begins with a collusion of Mellotron noodlings that builds into a haunting exploration of the furthest reaches of a Jack Kirby-inspired universe. It's one of the few songs on the album that lives up to the pretence of the 3-D cover.
While the cover art on Sgt. Pepper's blended pop cultural and historical icons with the Beatles—already icons in their own right—Satanic Majesties’ cover depicts the Stones as the freakiest Sea Monkeys in the tank. (Despite this, Sgt. Pepper inspired more parody covers than Satanic Majesties.) The Stones are certainly colourfully represented—in a Vincent Price circa Hilarious House of Frightenstein kinda way—but if this is what they thought the hippies and hipsters of 1967 would dig, then it is hard to say if they were being condescending or if they were just dangerously out-of-sync. It also raises the question—did Their Satanic Majesties Request suffer from too many drugs or not enough?
The Stones' take on the zeitgeist has always been a little off. One could imagine that their newfound love of product endorsement speaks volumes—not about the Stones as sell-outs, but about the corporate world's own ambiguous morality. It's worth mentioning another instance of the Stones misjudging the cultural winds; that of their concert at the Altamont Raceway Park, where their slapdash security team—a batch of Hells Angels—stabbed an audience member to death. I mention this incident not to dwell on the obvious horror, as detailed in the film Gimme Shelter, but to point out that the Stones approached the Altamont festival as if it were another Woodstock and missed the point entirely. Perhaps the Altamont incident—with its four dead, bad drugs, permit issues, etc.—did represent the violent upheaval of the era more accurately than the druggy escapism of Woodstock, but that's an essay for another time.
Taken as a whole, Satanic Majesties’ flaws only serve to highlight its successes. Perhaps if Mick, Keef and the increasingly addled Brian—already spiralling toward his 1969 death—were able to focus on Their Satanic Majesties Request rather than fighting drug charges, they might have pulled it all together. Amongst a stew of songs like “Citadel” and “Sing This All Together (See What Happens)” (a rehash of the album’s tepid opener)—songs so misguided that they make you question whatever logic informed their inclusion—“2000 Man” and “2000 Light Years From Home” offer a glimpse of what could have been had Satanic Majesties not succumbed to its own bloated weight. Their next album, the Brian Jones swan-song Beggars Banquet, kicked off with “Sympathy for the Devil.” I’ve often wondered if that wasn’t a subtle request for clemency during a period of excess that was yet to peak.
Francis Joseph Smith reports on unpopular and underground culture from behind the sofa. His column appears every two weeks. Read more recent columns by Francis Joseph Smith.
Maisonneuve Magazine. |
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| Break The Spell |
I always liked the album, thought it would be better if the 5th song, Sing This Altogether See What Happens) was replaced by We Love You and Dandeloin, they fit this album perfectly. Citadel has a great riff, and 2000 Light Years From Home is one of their darkest songs. It took 22 years for any of these songs to make it to the stage. |
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| keefjunkie |
I love the whole thing. Sing This Together(See What Happens) is my favorite. |
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| Break The Spell |
quote:
keefjunkie wrote:
I love the whole thing. Sing This Together(See What Happens) is my favorite.
"Where's that joint"---thats my favorite part of the song. |
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| nankerphelge |
Listening to Satanic Majesties has been proven to induce both sleep and urinary incontinence:
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| Honky Tonk Man |
I certainly don't detest the album, but it's never been one of my favourites. I agree with Break The Spell. For me, the album would certainly be more palatable if they'd of included Dandelion and We Love You instead of the WASTE of vinyl, which is Sing This Song Together (See What Happens). |
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| Ramrod |
I always really liked the album too. It is a unique album and that sort of individuality is rare. The songs and arrangements are interesting to me still, but I have to agree that the inclusion of 'Dandelion' and 'We love you' with the removal of 'Sing this all together' part 2 would have made it a stronger album.
And just my fantasy - If 'Child of the moon' had been finished and ready to release at this time then the inclusion of that one as well would have seen the album's status rated much higher. |
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| Honky Tonk Man |
quote:
Ramrod wrote:
And just my fantasy - If 'Child of the moon' had been finished and ready to release at this time then the inclusion of that one as well would have seen the album's status rated much higher.
It's a good fantasy!
Child Of The Moon is defiantly a psychedelic number and would've fitted quite nicely on Satanic Majesties. It doesn't quite fit as the b-side of Jumpin' Jack Flash in my opinion
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| Egbert |
I like the album - wouldn't rank it in my Stones top 10 but it's a fun occasional listen. The two songs that don't cut it for me are In Another Land (reminds me of Spinal Tap's stab at psychedelica) and On With the Show.
Also I think the Stones were listening more to Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and not Sgt. Pepper when they thought this stuff up. |
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| pdog |
Some great tracks on Satanic. The 2002 remaster helped me rediscover how cool this album was/is. Citadel has a killer fuzzed out 60's riff, it's perfect. That song is whatopened the door to garage and psychedelic rock for me. It's easy in hindsight for us to say, add this song or remove that song. I just used a blank CD-r and added those extra songs and listen that way. Nothing was removed. This album is perfect in it's own way. It's not a great stones record. It is IMO a great record. It stands alone b/c they never did anything like it before or after, so it doesn't fit into their catalog that well. It's really cool and you see a side of them that, like the article says, if they weren't so busy with bullshit, who knows how much more they could've done. |
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| exile |
cant say I have listened too it in about 15 years. I didnt like it much then. I thought Bill song "in another land" was interesting to listen too, but interesting only.
I always and still like" 2000 Light Years from Home" |
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| Bruno Stone |
I know they did it later but Child Of The Moon would fit fine there too. |
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| Break The Spell |
I went and relistened to tat album last night, and there are many underrated things on there. I still feel "Sing This altogether (See what Happens)" should be taken off (sorry Keefjunkie) for We Love You and Dandeloin, the great summer 67 single and b-side. And yes, Child Of The Moon would have also been great for this album if they had it done by the end of 67. Bill's vocals are pretty good on "In Another Land", I wonder if the glimmer twins ever considered letting Bill sing lead again?? I wonder what that music is playing at the end of In Another Land, sounds like somebody jamming on a slide guitar or something. Anybody else ever notice that?? Its at the part of the snoring. |
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| theanchorman |
Complete crap...
The only cool thing to come from Satanic Majesties was the song 2000 Man which spanwed a cool KISS cover...
Who would have thought in 1967 that the Stones would write a folky, acoustic song which Ace Frehley would use to shoot rockets out of his guitar during his solo spot 12 years later during Kiss shows.... |
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| Break The Spell |
quote:
theanchorman wrote:
Complete crap...
The only cool thing to come from Satanic Majesties was the song 2000 Man which spanwed a cool KISS cover...
Who would have thought in 1967 that the Stones would write a folky, acoustic song which Ace Frehley would use to shoot rockets out of his guitar during his solo spot 12 years later during Kiss shows....
Satanic Majesties > Any Ki$$ Song |
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| corgi37 |
You fools! All of you. What about Gomper and The Lantern??? Citadel is one cool mofo of a song. Controlled feedback, and excellent riff. The production on this record is rather good. Goodby Andrew, hello the Glimmer Twins.
But really, its a fucking crock. Jagger's voice was still shitty. He didnt get good until Beggars.
I got a 3-d LP. For sale. $1,000. First in, best dressed. |
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| Break The Spell |
I got a 3-d LP. For sale. $1,000. First in, best dressed.
[/quote]
Is that what an original version of the 3-d lp is worth these days?? I know my mom has a copy of it at her place. I'll have to call and see how good of shape its in. The maze in the artwork is a rather nice touch. |
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| FPM C10 |
I like the album myself. There are some stinkbombs on it, but fewer than, say, ABB.
The original artwork for the inside cover - the maze - is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. When we burn it down we need to make sure we rescue that first. |
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| Nellcote |
Listen to it when it came out, still listen to it today.
When the 1st cd's came out in the 80's, I picked up a German import cd of it, the best sound.
It was on London or Decca.
The Satanic bootleg series, what is there about a gazillion discs, is Wicked Pissa.
I always wanted the choir belting out.. "Why Don't We Sing This Song All Together" at the end.... |
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| Gazza |
Its awful. Seriously.
Apart from the pair of "2000" songs and "Shes a rainbow". Three very good songs (in fact, "2000 Light years" is great)
The rest is cliched, forced, bandwagon-jumping crap. The Stones trying to be something they're not. And showing it.
Nothing against that type of music per se, but coming from the Stones - on this album anyway, as some of their other psychedelic/trippy stuff is good - it just reeks of something that they never were before or since - phoniness.
the fantastic 'Child of the Moon' doesnt really belong on it, either, in all fairness. 'We Love You' may have been one of their weaker singles, but had they stuck it on this album it would have stood out so much it would be compared to 'Paint It Black'.
I suppose the best thing to come out of was that they realised afterwards they'd lost direction badly, decided to get back to the sort of music that had made them great to begin with and got Jimmy Miller in to produce what turned out to be the greatest single of their entire career and then to follow it with a sequence of jaw droppingly great albums that made them untouchable. |
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| Kilroy |
THe thing I like about this album other than the few songs everyone has already mentioned, is the Beatles Pics hidden on the cover of the first releasse, I think it was dropped later.
[Edited by Kilroy] |
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| Riffhard |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
Its awful. Seriously.
Apart from the pair of "2000" songs and "Shes a rainbow". Three very good songs (in fact, "2000 Light years" is great)
The rest is cliched, forced, bandwagon-jumping crap. The Stones trying to be something they're not. And showing it.
Nothing against that type of music per se, but coming from the Stones - on this album anyway, as some of their other psychedelic/trippy stuff is good - it just reeks of something that they never were before or since - phoniness.
the fantastic 'Child of the Moon' doesnt really belong on it, either, in all fairness. 'We Love You' may have been one of their weaker singles, but had they stuck it on this album it would have stood out so much it would be compared to 'Paint It Black'.
I suppose the best thing to come out of was that they realised afterwards they'd lost direction badly, decided to get back to the sort of music that had made them great to begin with and got Jimmy Miller in to produce what turned out to be the greatest single of their entire career and then to follow it with a sequence of jaw droppingly great albums that made them untouchable.
Here,here! We are simpatico tonight Gazza! I gotta say that Gomper has always given me a case of embarrassing shudders and denile that I'm Stones fan whenever a non fan hears it. I have denied the Stones three times before the cock crowed at every listen to this palbum.
Riffy |
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| rasputin56 |
it just reeks of something that they never were before or since - phoniness.
Just a look at the album cover'll tell ya that. I agree that 2000 LY is the best of the lot and is it's only redeeming value. |
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| CraigP |
This album is a revolution to my life and way of of thinking.
The songs, production (or lack of it), track order-pristine. You don't need drugs to trip off of this album-It's that deep. |
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| keefjunkie |
quote:
CraigP wrote:
This album is a revolution to my life and way of of thinking.
The songs, production (or lack of it), track order-pristine. You don't need drugs to trip off of this album-It's that deep.
Word. |
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| glencar |
Well, it's not my fave but it's 'light years' better than that piece of doo doo that we call Sgt. pepper. |
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| Honky Tonk Man |
quote:
glencar wrote:
Well, it's not my fave but it's 'light years' better than that piece of doo doo that we call Sgt. pepper.
Hmmm... I don't know. There are probably about 3 or 4 songs I like on both albums. Still, as TERRIBLE as Sing This Song Altogether (See What Happens) is, at least Satanic doesn’t have anything as sickening as When I'm 64 or With A Little Help From My Friends. |
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| glencar |
Or that horrible Lovely Rita(apologies to my sister with that name!). I never understood the hype for that album. TSMR isn't great but Sgt. Pepper reeks. |
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| Honky Tonk Man |
quote:
glencar wrote:
Or that horrible Lovely Rita(apologies to my sister with that name!). I never understood the hype for that album. TSMR isn't great but Sgt. Pepper reeks.
Sgt Pepper has actually slipped down the lists in the "Greats albums"" polls in recent years. Primarily because people are beginning to realise that it's dated poorly and is far too whimsical. It's a horrid record in many respects. Aside from A Day In The Life, its importance is based on its non-musical aspects. For example, the iconic artwork, the fact that it was the first LP to lyrics printed on the sleeve and indeed its cultural significance. People look back fondly on the 60's as a time of change and revolution and to many, Sgt Pepper's represents that. The reason being, because that record cover is probably the most recognizable of all time. |
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| theanchorman |
quote:
Break The Spell wrote:
Satanic Majesties > Any Ki$$ Song
Take the blinders off, sheep... |
