In 1967, The Rolling Stones released an album that sold 4,300,000 copies. But Mick Jagger says it was ruined by drugs
After their 1967 Redlands drug bust, the Rolling Stones made *Their Satanic Majesties Request* amid drug use and a chaotic studio process. Mick Jagger later said the band’s behaviour and focus suffered, and that he was not proud of the album as a whole.
Bassist Bill Wyman recalled that band members and their entourages arrived unpredictably, while producer Andrew Loog Oldham eventually resigned. Jagger said they deliberately alienated Oldham and that he had probably started taking too many drugs; the album nevertheless had interesting moments and sold 4.3 million copies, according to the headline.
In short
- Jagger blamed drug use for the album’s erratic creation.
- The band’s chaotic sessions helped drive producer Andrew Loog Oldham away.
- Jagger later regretted the album as a whole.
Explained simply
The Rolling Stones are a British rock band whose best-known members include singer Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards and bassist Bill Wyman. In the 1960s they became one of the biggest groups in popular music, working with manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham as their sound and public image developed.
Their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request followed a period of intense public attention, including a drug bust at Richards’s home, Redlands. The album was made in unsettled studio conditions, with band members and visitors coming and going; Oldham, who had helped guide their earlier work, left during the process.
The record matters as an unusual point in the band’s history, made while they were experimenting with a more elaborate sound. Jagger later criticised the way the group worked and said he was not proud of the album overall, though he also acknowledged that it had interesting moments.
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