THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST (London NPS-2. Dec. 9th 1967)
It's often said to 'polarise opinion' among Stones bods, this album.
It doesn't, though. Most fans are in agreement that the album is fairly weak, but the original edition, in it's 3d cover, has become a bit of an icon and is extremely collectable.
The cover image, created by Michael Cooper (famously at a cost exceeding $50,000!! In 1967!! Now THAT'S serious dough!!!) was reportedly captured using a new, state-of-the-art '3d' camera. I'm no expert, but I think any camera capable of taking 3 photos could have handled it, as it's basically 3 photos stuck on top of each other.
Back then, though, in the winter of the summer of love, that would just be so far out man. So far out.
You'll have noticed that this isn't a review of the music on this album, but rather of the gramophone record itself. I've tried on several occasions to write an essay about the music, but can't.
I just don't care enough for it. Mick Jagger, talking about the atmosphere it was recorded in, has said that music had become a secondary consideration throughout 1967 and that it is remarkable that any LP was produced at all. Mick is also reluctant to dismiss the album completely, claiming it reflects 'the spirit of the time'.
All spot on, of course. Maybe music wasn't eluding them, but boy, songwriting was. Jagger/Richard gems are very thin on the ground here. The album is essentially a jam session with 4 or 5 songs through it. There are times it sounds excrutiatingly close to an open audition for "Hair" or "Godspell".
And that AINT the way god planned it.
Anyroad; to it's scarcity and dizzying prices: (last mint condition, mono, 3d cover UK edition of 'Majesties' to sell on eBay went for £140. ($275-ish) It's worth remembering this LP had advance orders in excess of 100, 000. The Stones were the biggest turn in the world by 1967, after all.
So, that's 100,000 copies before the record shops even opened. The crippling cost of turning out the 3d cover meant that Decca and London wouldn't be prepared to keep it up for long, and it's a fairly safe bet that no 3d cover copies were being shipped by 1969. Remember, though, that this album did very healthy business (rubbish or not, it was The Stones....) during that first brief spell.
You could easily be talking about quarter of a million copies.
Yet....I've only ever seen two 3d covers. The US one I managed to buy for myself last week ($50, if you must know) and a mint UK one at Glasgow VIP record fair in 1996, clearly marked '£65. No Offers.' by the dealer.
Which pretty much has it doubling in value in the last decade or so. Sounds rare to me.
**Other/related: 'Their Satanic Majesties Request' was the first Rolling Stones LP to be issued with the same tracklisting worldwide. It is the only Stones LP with the producer credited as 'The Rolling Stones'. It was the last Stones LP to be offered in stereo and mono by London Records in the USA. It marked the end of the Stones' relationship with Andrew Loog Oldham. And probably with Brian Jones, too. Although Brian officially left the band in mid 1968, he effectively left during the recording of this album, claiming he felt alienated by the direction the band were taking. This despite his (Jones') hours of work on it, seemingly free of constraint and with carte-blanche to improvise in the absence of a solid, song driven 'agenda' from Jagger and Richards to follow.
Brian's probably the only one TSMR did any favours.....
It's still pretty poor, mind.
I'd get hunting now. You'll be looking at 300 quid next year.........
