Their Satanic Majesties Request - Release and Reception

Release and Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	stereo version
Allmusic	mono version
Robert Christgau	(B+) link
Rolling Stone	link

Released in December 1967, Their Satanic Majesties Request reached #3 in the UK and #2 in the US (easily going gold), but its commercial performance declined rapidly. It was soon viewed as a pretentious, poorly conceived attempt to outdo The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (released in June 1967), often explained by drug trials and excesses in contemporary musical fashion, although John Lennon and Paul McCartney did provide backing vocals on "Sing This All Together".

The production, in particular, came in for harsh criticism from Jon Landau in the fifth issue of Rolling Stone, and the Stones turned to Jimmy Miller to produce their subsequent albums, on which the Stones would return to the hard driving blues that earned them fame early in their career. In an April 1968 album review, Richard Corliss of the New York Times was also critical of the production value stating "...their imagination seems to have dried up when it comes to some of the arrangements. While still better than their previous ones, the arrangements are often ragged, fashionably monotonous and off-key." Despite this he gave the album an overall positive review, going as far as calling it a better concept album than Of Cabbages and Kings, The Beat Goes On and even Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In a 1970 Rolling Stone interview, Lennon commented on the album: "Satanic Majesties is Pepper. "We Love You"...that's "All You Need Is Love".

Richie Unterberger of Allmusic wrote:

Without a doubt, no Rolling Stones album - and, indeed, very few rock albums from any era - split critical opinion as much as the Rolling Stones' psychedelic outing. Many dismiss the record as sub-Sgt. Pepper posturing; others confess, if only in private, to a fascination with the album's inventive arrangements, which incorporated some African rhythms, Mellotrons, and full orchestration. Never before or since did the Stones take so many chances in the studio. In 1968, the Stones would go back to the basics, and never wander down these paths again, making this all the more of a fascinating anomaly in the group's discography.

The album was released in South Africa and the Philippines as The Stones Are Rolling because of the word "Satanic" in the title. Starting with this release, non-compilation albums from the band would be released in uniform editions across international markets.

The Bill Wyman-composed "In Another Land" was released as a single, with the artist credit listed as Bill Wyman, rather than the Rolling Stones. (The B-Side, "The Lantern", was credited to the Rolling Stones.)

Most album configurations contain the hidden track "Cosmic Christmas" (running time 0:35) following "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)" (running time 7:58).

There are only two songs from the album which the Stones performed live, "2000 Light Years from Home" (1989–90 world tour), and "She's a Rainbow" (1997–98 Bridges to Babylon Tour).

In August 2002, Their Satanic Majesties Request was reissued in a new remastered CD, LP and DSD by ABKCO Records. In May 2011, the album was reissued on SHM-SACD.