Everybody gives the Rolling Stones shit because Their Satanic Majesties Request wasn’t that great of an album – it was too muddy and foggy, and – worst of all – the songwriting wasn’t really up to snuff.
And that has always been my biggest problem with it : the songwriting. I mean, Between The Buttons wasn’t really a typical Stones album, either – it stole liberally from both Dylan and The Kinks – but it remains one of my all-time favorites
So while psychedelia really wasn’t their strength, they did record about an album’s worth of great psychedelic songs during that period.
So imagine that instead of all of those formless jams and songs about gompers, the Rolling Stones had released an album (or EP) with this tracklisting:
- 2000 Light Years From Home
- Dandelion
- Citadel
- Child of the Moon
- The Lantern
- 2000 Man
- She’s A Rainbow
- We Love You
Pretty killer, right? (I was tempted to stick “Please Go Home” in here, but 1) it was too much of Bo Diddley homage, and 2) it was on the U.K. Between The Buttons.