Brian Jonestown Massacre
Their Satanic Majesties 2nd Request
Originally released in 1996 now reissued again on 'a' records, Anton Newcombes own record label with different artwork. Truth in advertising: the Brian Jonestown Massacre's album does, as promised, spring forth from the Rolling Stones' long-underrated 1967 masterpiece 'Their Satanic Majesties Request', copping not only Mick and Keith's leering bad-boy attitude but also their their rock-and-roll-circus spirit. Opening with the brilliant 'All Around You (Intro),' a tongue-in-cheek guide to the mind-altering journey ahead, the record is a kaleidoscopic, drug-fueled freakout - like the Stones' namesake album, 'Second Request' is painted by Eastern drones and psychedelic tangents, each track bubbling with dozens of sound effects including sitars, mellotrons, farfisas, didgeridoos, tablas, congas, and glockenspiels. Travelling through the past, darkly, the Massacre arrives on the other side unscathed; their music is too rich to be merely retro, and too knowing to be merely slavish - the Stones themselves haven't made a record this strong or entertaining in years.