"Cosmic Christmas" was the provisional title of the third album of The Rolling Stones in 1967 published in December, after: "Between the buttons", whose inspired and beautiful cover did not honor its content; and the compilation “Flowers” released in United States of America in June by London Records.
And it was precisely the limited success of “Between the buttons” that led the group to experiment and get carried away by psychedelia, creating a misunderstood masterpiece: "Their Satanic Majesties Request" (TSMR); darkened and bad compared with "Sgt.Peppe'rs Lonely Hearts Club Band".
An album completely opposite to its traditional sound, where the abundance of unconventional instruments, sound effects and string arrangements, present us with an unusual, unexpected work but with great classics such as: "She's A Rainbow" or "2000 lights years from home". Following the album's release, the Rolling Stones abandoned this psychedelic style for a stripped-down return to their roots in Rock and blues music.
The recording sessions for TSMR began on February 9 at Olimpic Studios in London until the 24th of the same month, with the first shots of "In Another Land" under the title of "Bill's tune" & "2000 lights years from home" as "loose woman", and other topics that did not come to anything like: "Blues 1 & 3"; "Dust My Broom"; "Title 5, 9 & 10" and, "Troubled in mind" with Brian Jones recording at the same time his “A degree of murder” soundtrack.
The new sessions at the Olympic studios did not take place until May 17. After the March / April European tour that ended on the 17th in Athens, Greece; a few days later in Germany ocurred the premier of “A a degree of murder”, with Anita Pallenberg as protagonist. This time they started working on "She's A rainbow", under the title: "Flowers in your bonnet” ; and "We love you" under the title of "Old King Cole", other themes that did not reach anything either: "Telstar" & "Manhole Cover"
Before Brian leaving to California,mid-June, to present in concert to: The Jimi Hendrix Experience" at the Monterey International Pop Festival and later Mick and Keith with Keith Moon and Eric Clapton, among other guests, participated in the TV special "Our World" with the Beatles with "All You Need Is Love";The Rolling Stones left engravings: "Citadel" and "Dandelion". But it was during the month of July when the album took shape, where the rest of the songs that were part of it were recorded.
After finishing the last session on the 22nd, the sound engineers: Glyn Johns and Eddie Kramer made a first acetate Bit.ly/RS67cm with an alternative order and only eight songs instead of the ten that the album contains, apparently designed to be, at that time, a double EP, in line with what the Beatles would do later with MMT. This double EP was like that:
Side A: (Mono & Stereo - 8:06)
1.Sing This All Together. (3:47 & 3:46)
2.The Lantern. (4:19) (Alternate unreleased version)
Side B: (Mono - 8:31 / Stereo - 8:32)
3.We Love You. (4:20 & 4:21)
4.She´s A Rainbow. (4:11 & 4:10)
Side C: (Mono - 9:02 / Stereo - 8:41)
5.Dandelion. (3:52 & 3:32) (With alternate ending)
6.Gomper. (5:10 & 5:08)
Side D: (Mono - 8:40 / Stereo 8:34)
7.Sing This All Together. (7:57 & 7:54).
(See What Happens)
8.Cosmic Christmas. (0:42 & 0:39)
...but the problems with justice modified the plans and two of the themes were anticipated in single: "We love You / Dandelion", each with its promotional films recorded on July 30 and 31.
A new acetate, already in LP form, was made on September 15, with the final order of the songs, after finalizing the last arrangements on "2000 lights years from home"; the new album title was "Their Satanic Majesties Request"; taken from the phrase: “Her Britannic Majesty requests and requires. ..”; text that appears inside a British passport. The album was released in South Africa and the Philippines as "The Stones Are Rolling", because of the word "Satan" in the title.
In this new and final version, "Cosmic Christmas" became to a hidden coda (following "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)"), Wyman says in a slowed-down voice: "We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!'" The work was terminated.
The original cover, showed a photograph of Jagger naked on a cross, but was scrapped by Decca for being "in bad taste". In it´s placed appeared this beautiful and , popular photo, shown in the first editions with the three-dimensional technique.The original cover design called for the lenticular image by Michael Cooper to take up the entire front cover,but finding this to be prohibitively expensive it was decided to reduce the size of the photo and surround it with the blue-and-white graphic design.and On the back cover,a painting by Tony Meeuwissen depicting the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, and Air). In the inner-cover there is a labyrinth, but no exit,.so do not try to solve it
Ok.., friends, that´s all, for this year.., the next more and best, I think. Happy Xmas, happy New Year and God bless us to all.
