Their Satanic Majesties Request is the sixth British and eighth American studio album by the Rolling Stones, released in December 1967 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. Recording sessions saw the band experimenting widely with a psychedelic sound in the studio, incorporating elements such as unconventional instruments, sound effects, string arrangements, and African rhythms. The album’s title is a play on the “Her Britannic Majesty requests and requires …” text that appears inside a British passport. It is the first Stones album to feature the same track listings in both its UK and US versions.
Upon its release, Satanic Majesties received mixed reactions from critics and members of the group itself. The album was criticised as being derivative of the contemporaneous work of the Beatles, particularly their June 1967 release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with the similarities extending to the LP’s lenticular cover. In subsequent decades, however, it has gradually risen in critical reputation. Following the album’s release, the Rolling Stones abandoned their psychedelic style for a stripped-down return to their roots in blues music.
