Their Satanic Majesties Request…the more I listen to this album the more I like it. It wasn’t up to their normal standards but it is nice to know the St0nes stretched themselves and tried something different. They would later dip into reggae and disco but this was an album worth of change that never happened again.
This psychedelic period was coming off of one of their best stretches which I think they produced some of their best music with songs like Ruby Tuesday.
Mick Jagger got the idea for this while in jail on drug charges from the famous Redland’s bust.
On this track, their lead guitarist, Brian Jones, played a Mellotron, an early synthesizer. Jones played a number of unusual instruments in his time with the band, which lasted from their founding in 1962 until 1969, when he was fired after a number of clashes with the rest of the Stones.
Brian Jones has been over rated and underrated but his subtle touch on songs was missed.
Just weeks after leaving the band… Jones drowned in his swimming pool.
After Brian was gone it was noticeable in the Stones. He was a great utility guy who could play about any instrument. Mick Taylor replaced him and that lead to the Stones golden period. In my opinion, Taylor was the best guitar player the Stones ever had in the band. He was a huge part of their sound. When he left there was a hole in the sound that never came back.
From Songfacts
Space exploration was big at the time, and was probably an influence on this song. Pink Floyd was making music with a similar sound.
The psychedelic sound reflected the times. It was the summer of love (1967).
The Stones played this on their Steel Wheels tour in 1989. A show in Atlantic City was broadcast with this song shot in 3D, which viewers could see using those goofy glasses.
Various echo effects and drum sounds were added in overdubbing.
The ’90s psychedelic group The Brian Jonestown Massacre recorded a tribute to the Stones’ psychedelic period (and this song) called Their Satanic Majesties’ Second Request.
2000 Light Years From Home
Sun turnin’ ’round with graceful motion
We’re setting off with soft explosion
Bound for a star with fiery oceans
It’s so very lonely
You’re a hundred light years from home
Freezing red deserts turn to dark
Energy here in every part
It’s so very lonely
You’re six hundred light years from home
It’s so very lonely
You’re a thousand light years from home
It’s so very lonely
You’re a thousand light years from home
Bell flight fourteen you now can land
See you on Aldebaran
Safe on the green desert sand
It’s so very lonely
You’re 2000 light years from home
It’s so very lonely
You’re 2000 light years from home
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Aldebaran is considered to be the fourteenth-brightest star in the night sky and it is located in the constellation Taurus.
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My guess is that Brian Jones was bipolar. Musical genius, definitely.
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Yes I agree with that and the drugs amplified it….and I think he showed some characteristics of a Sociopath…not dangerous (except to himself) but he seemed to lack a conscious at times.
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doesn’t rank well when compared to the albums before and after it- but not a total bomb. some good songs on it including this one IMO
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I have to give them credit for going way outside their box…which they don’t do much but yea…they just were not a band that transitioned well to this. …I do like it better than Dirty Work! lol
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a pretty good song… they weren’t on par with the Beatles, but like you say, it was great they were willing to expand their sound and try new things rather than get stuck in a musical box… probably a big part of why they’re still kicking 50+ years later
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This is the most they ever ventured out and it was nice to hear. I have to wonder if the bust would not have happened…that would have given them more time on it…if that would have helped…but change is not the Stones strong suit.
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I can actually say I like hearing this song now, which was not the case for the first few decades after it came out..even though I’ve always liked a lot of music from the psychedelic era. They performed it when I saw them at Glastonbury, which I loved.
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I wanted to hear something off of this album but the two times I saw them they didn’t cover anything…but I did get to see the debut of Far Away Eyes.
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That would be a fun debut to hear!
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That mellotron is super cool – I still haven’t spent much time with pre-Beggars Stones.
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I loved the 65-66 era in singles..the albums weren’t bad but not comparable to the Beatles… to me but… some great pop songs.
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The title of this album freaked me out when I was a kid. Than I when I bought Crue’s Shout at the Devil in 1983 I was good with it. lol
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Lol…yea they found out for a while that the devil sold records…sympathy for the devil used to bother me lol
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I guess from this album I only know “She’s a Rainbow,” which I’ve always dug, and “2000 Light Years From Home,” which was more of an acquired taste. Listening to it now, it does sound a bit like early Pink Floyd! I should probably check out the rest of the album.
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You might know 2000 Man…. they loved 2000 on this album.
Yes it’s out there and I’m glad they tried something new.
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I don’t know if ever heard this album before. Crazy.
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It’s ok but mediocre attempt of Sgt Peppers…. not in the Stones wheelhouse…a few good songs though.
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That might be why I’ve never heard it before.
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It’s a cool spacey tune.
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On LSD this would double its effects, from someone that’s been there but under less arduous conditions and music.
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Interesting song. Have never heard it before, but as a fan of psychedelic music, I like it.
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I liked the album more than I did when I first heard it. They went out of the box on this one.
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I am amazed at how the Stones sound has changed over time.
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This was when they were ill advised to compete with the Beatles…but it’s different and I like it.
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