The oft-overlooked Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request has been reissued to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Reissued as a fantastic boxset, which includes the album on both mono and stereo CDs and vinyl, it is a chance for fans to rediscover an album that until recently critics had derided – yet the years have reappraised as a more holistic, nuanced album that has stood the test of time.
Released in 1967, it seems that year the Rolling Stones had a lot to distract them: drug arrests, ill health, a split with their long-time manager Andrew Loog Oldham and the need to produce themselves for the first time – little wonder that Their Satanic Majesties Request has been viewed by some as below the usual standards of a Rolling Stones release.
Yet, fast forward 50 years and Their Satanic Majesties Request is sonically pristine and the reissue allows the tracks to shine brightly, offering up a chance for the album to be rediscovered.
There are some standout gems: Citadel, She’s A Rainbow and 2,000 Light Years From Home (a love ballad, nonetheless) show the Rolling Stones in a different light.
The past half century has given Their Satanic Majesties Request another chance – one that’s worth seeking out.