Their Satanic Majesties' Second RequestE

The Artist

The Brian Jonestown Massacre is the long-running project of Anton Newcombe, who formed the band in San Francisco in the early 1990s around a constantly shifting cast of players. The name fuses Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones with the Jonestown tragedy, a mix of reverence and provocation that fits the band. Their sound draws on 1960s psychedelia, garage rock, folk and shoegaze drone, recorded with a deliberately vintage, homemade feel. Newcombe's prolific output and volatile reputation later became the subject of the documentary Dig!. This album arrived early in their run, during a famously productive stretch in which the band issued three full-lengths in a single year.

The Album

Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request was released in 1996, with Newcombe steering the recording himself on a modest budget. Its title openly answers the Rolling Stones' 1967 psychedelic detour, and the album leans fully into that era's sound. Sitars, droning tones, hand percussion and thick reverb dominate, giving the record a hazy, devotional atmosphere. It was largely ignored by the mainstream at the time but has since become a cult favorite among neo-psychedelia fans. Thematically, it drifts between romantic longing, spiritual searching and the dissolving of time and self.

Listen For

Bookends. "All Around You - Intro" and "All Around You - Outro" frame the album, with "(Around You) Everywhere" echoing the idea mid-record. Notice how the motif makes the album feel like one continuous trip.

Eastern instrumentation. "In India You" puts sitar-style drones front and center. Listen for how the drone replaces a traditional chord progression as the song's foundation.

Open homage. "Donovan Said" names a 1960s folk-psych icon outright. Consider how closely the song channels that era versus reinterpreting it.

Washed-out production. Vocals are often buried under reverb and layered guitars rather than sitting on top of the mix. Pay attention to how this makes Newcombe feel like one instrument among many.

Recurring "baby" cluster. "Baby (Prepraise)," "Bad Baby" and "(Baby) Love Of My Life" sit close together in the back half. Listen for how the love-song theme shifts in tone across the three.