Their Satanic Majesties Request - 50th Anniversary

Wow. Re-doing a wild Stones album from all those years ago? Their Satanic Majesties Request—a powerful name for a recording back then. Another major anniversary encouraged them to reproduce this in 2017. Carry me back to the psychedelic years. This one-off trippy disc from the Stones has been bashed and trashed from most fans. I’ve always loved it.The original 3-dimensional cover, here recreated in great detail in this new package, was a real expensive tour de force from Mick and the boys. Most original copies of that fancy cover have not weathered well. So here you can get it again, all new. It features The Beatles images hidden in the flowers.How do the vinyl discs and CDs (actually SACD hybrid discs) stand up in these new versions? The original vinyl didn’t have much depth to it, lots of muffled instruments, the entire recording didn’t breathe—but we didn’t know better back then. The CD was reissued as an SACD in 2002, and it was good, just not good enough. So what could you really do with the Stones using today’s audio technology?I love the sound of these 2017 remastered discs. You can absolutely hear the difference, and there was a lot going on in those recordings. A lot of it sounds like you’re right there with them now, in the studio while they’re performing. Listen to "Sing This All Together," which starts the disc, you can clearly hear the spread of voices, much clearer than before. The percussion throughout previously had no definition, but now listen to cymbals, bells and all sound likes it’s in your room. Charlie’s cymbals were muffled, completely lacking their attack before. They fixed it. Remember that until recently, most Stones discs easily were some of the muddiest recordings known to man, especially considering that the Stones are the kings and deserve much better. Recent releases on SACD over the last decade or so have vastly improved the Stones sound on their classics.These Satanic discs, to me, are a great improvement over the past available vinyl and SACD from 2002. Bass has greater roundness and punch to it. Mick’s voice and his position in the soundstage is way more lifelike. Hear Keith's acoustic guitar like never before. The previous vinyl and SACD were horrendous messes. Here, echo, spread of instruments or voices bleeding from speaker to speaker—hell, you can hear what it must have truly sounded like in the control room back then.What happened to the Stones, many asked when this was first released. The raucous bluesy guitars, were replaced by spacey effects. To this day, many folks hate this stuff. I enjoyed it back then, and still do. It produced songs that regularly show up in Stones shows. And you have to admit that "2000 Light Years from Home," "She’s a Rainbow" and "Sing This Altogether" are terrific tunes.The comparison then or now to Sergeant Peppers is just ludicrous. Even if the Stones had inhaled some of the same fairy dust, they never tried to be The Beatles, just making a somewhat competitive attempt. It’s not the same. The Beatles 2017 remixed Pepper sounds incredible.If you don’t try to typecast the Stones, this disc stands well on its own. Yes, it was produced during a time of great turmoil in the band, lots of egos and forces at play. So, don’t judge it as a Mick & Keef disc, but it is a quality disc. Very, very different, extremely imaginative. Yeah, ok, some of it is a little wild and out of control: The jam on "Sing this All Together See What Happens" is easily as crazy as The Beatles "Revolution #9." Bill Wyman’s song, which I do like, is not the top track. But, whatever….This disc, from the outrageous packaging, front cover, maze, and the outer space song rave ups, c’mon, this is a stellar achievement and very different from anything they’ve ever done. And they redid it all for you this year. And it truly sounds wonderful. Way cool.

I have only played the mono vinyl, so far, not the stereo. . The vinyls have Decca Labels, not exact repro's of the originals, but close. This is a big, fold out box, not individual albums. Correct inner sleeves, but they're just paper so I replaced them with MoFi rice paper sleeves. The CD's are hybrid SACD/CD's. I played the mono on my SACD/CD player; it defaulted to the SACD layer, which is normal function on my player, but I was able to switch to the CD layer, but they have no SACD logo on the disc. . The mono vinyl is the actual mono mix, not the 'T2' foldover. It has the three bells at the beginning of Gomper. I know there's some digital element to these vinyls, but the sound if great. I've had London and Decca mono copies (and stereo copies) of this album most of my life, so I didn't have to do a direct comparison. The lenticular seems slightly different from the originals, but it's still very nice. The vinyl feels like a 180, and seems to be a very good pressing. I haven't listened to the stereo yet,. If I find any defect, I will update. I can also answer any questions. I've been collecting copies of this album most of my life, here and there, not like some obsession. If you hear, on the vinyl, a thumping sound during the intro to 'On With the Show', it's actually in the recording, it's not a vinyl defect.

One day I was listening to TSMR in my office. A co-worker popped in."What are you listening to?" she said with a look on her face like she just stepped in dog crap.I replied, "The Rolling Stones on drugs."The Rolling Stones attempt to revise history with this deluxe edition of one of their most polarizing albums. Recorded under the most trying circumstances that included drug busts, jail time, and the beginning of the unraveling of Brian Jones' relationship with his band mates, Their Satanic Majesties Request is at it's best an experiment that doesn't live up to its potential. If the band had been able to give the music their full attention, could it have been a brilliant masterpiece of psychedelic blues and R&B? At times, it does rise to that challenge, other times, its just meanders.Instead of yet another review of TSMR musically, I'll focus on the new packaging. As described, the package includes both mono and stereo versions in both vinyl and SACD dual-sided CD. Both feature reproductions of the original Decca LP labels, although the stereo LP doesn't have the "front side" and "back side" designations for sides A and B respectively. That is a collector's detail that should have been included. The vinyl is heavyweight audiophile pressings. The album has been released in SACD format in stereo, and this is the first time the mono version has been released in SACD. (The mono version has been released in 2016 as part of The Rolling Stones In Mono (Remastered 2016).) I can't review the SACD version without an SACD player, but I have heard the mono mix and there is a difference in the bass levels. Mick Jagger has been quoted as saying that he prefers TSMR's mono mix. But the stereo mix is just a good, especially listening with headphones. I like this new remaster, both the stereo and mono mixes. The music pops out much more than any other CD remastering I've heard.The packaging is beautiful. As shown in the photos, the package includes the original lenticular 3D cover photo. The vinyl LPs are accessible from the package without opening up the gatefold, as in a regular double LP package. Opening the gatefold reveals the same spread as the original gatefold sleeve. There is another opening that flips up to reveal the two CDs and a booklet. The booklet contains an essay that tries really really hard to reposition TSMR as a complete masterpiece. It does reveal some insight in to the recordings and the instrumentation, but trying to rescue a song like Gomper from the dustbin of psychedelia is too large a task. While the author lauds the band for its experimentation, unfortunately a lot of TSMR is experimentation for its own sake. The package certainly has some heft to it and is about a half inch thick. Each album is hand-numbered.I give this release five stars for the excellent packaging and the reasonable price. Musically, well..... I still think this is one of the worse albums in the band's catalog, an effort that could have been so much better if it had received the right attention. Yes, there is She's A Rainbow, Citadel, 2000 Man, 2000 Light Years From Home, and even Bill Wyman's In Another Land is interesting. But there is no amount of shine you can put on a turd like Gomper.

Really great. Good pressing on thick vinyl. Plus all the extras, I'm very happy with this purchase.