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.

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.

Recuerdo la impresión que me causó éste album cuando saliò a la venta en 1967.50 años después me vuelve a sorprender con su portada original y su foto 3D, pero ésta edición no se abre en dos sino en cuatro!Claro que lo mejor es cuando escuchas los LP’s o los CD’s remezclados y remasterizados, una experiencia auditiva excepcional.

Just received my copy today and right away was disappointed with it in one aspect the 3D cover is a let down! it's not nearly as clear as the original release. The detail is poor, The Beatles faces which you could see clearly in the original you can barely make them out in this 50th anniversary edition.From what i have read the original artwork for the 3D cover was destroyed! So for me this a huge let down as i bought it looking forward to getting the 3D cover again. Had i knew the 3D cover was like this i would not have bought it. As far as the rest of it is concerned it's great!

Pubblicato nel dicembre del 1967 in piena epopea psichedelica, questo "Their Satanic Majesties Request" rimane uno degli album più affascinanti e controversi dell'intera discografia degli Stones. Un disco per certi versi sopravvalutato, per altri sottovalutato, sicuramente un album che mostra i Rolling Stones con un assetto musicale inconsueto e che rimarrà un esperimento isolato della loro produzione. Esempio emblematico a mio avviso il brano "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)", un viaggio scritto e suonato con abbondante uso di droghe di ogni tipo e la curiosa "2000 Light Years From Home" con ampio uso di Mellotron, quasi floydiana. Un album quindi privo di quei brani che hanno poi fatto la fortuna degli Stones dal vivo, le canzoni travolgenti, gli inni ormai immortali della storia del rock, ma non per questo un disco da ignorare. Personalmente proprio per la sua originalità e unicità lo ritengo uno degli album più affascinanti della band.La ristampa 2017 è una chicca per i collezionisti perché presentata in una splendida confezione numerata (in realtà la mia copia è la n. 454 ma non è riportato il numero totale reale delle copie stampate....), la copertina originale con l'immadine 3D lenticolare è stata finalmente riprodotta com'era sul disco dell'epoca, poi sostituita da una semplice foto nelle edizioni successive per ragioni legate all'elevato costo di stampa.All'interno si trovano:- SACD hybrid con l'album in mono - Traccia DSD a 24 bits – 192 kHz (Super Audio CD che può essere letto anche su lettori standard)- SACD hybrid con l'album in stereo - Traccia DSD a 24 bits – 192 kHz (Super Audio CD che può essere letto anche su lettori standard)- LP con l'album in mono- LP con l'album in stereo- LibrettoCuriosamente rispetto alla moda attuale di inserire un bluray audio la Universal ha preferito utilizzare ancora il formato SACD, ormai in gran parte in disuso per il mondo del rock. C'è da dire che tutta la produzione ABKCO degli Stones è stata stampata su SACD all'epoca del lancio del formato, mentre le versioni SACD degli album più recenti sono state in parte pubblicate per il solo mercato giapponese.Il remaster 2017 ovviamente ci aiuta a scoprire l'album con maggiore chiarezza e suoni meno confusi, soprattutto sulla traccia SACD. Ho provato a confrontare una precedente edizione CD con la nuova in alta risoluzione e le differenze sono notevoli, soprattutto per dinamica. Chiaramente stiamo parlando di un album registrato nel 1967... Molto ben stampate anche le 2 versioni vinile audiophile, silenziose e dinamiche.Personalmente questa nuova edizione mi è piaciuta molto, peccato solo che non sia stato inserito un coupon per scaricare l'album in alta qualità.

中身はストーンズの歴史の中でもキワモノだが、妙なアクがあり、定期的に話題に上る1枚。レンチキュラーのジャケはまずまずの出来でしょう。オリジナルと比べるとプリントが少し暗めに仕上がっている気がします。音源的にはともかくモノラル盤のCD、アナログ盤の物体的な価値でコレクター欲をそそる一品。

Magnifico