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The Rolling Stones’ Psychedelic 1967 Photo Shoot & Michael Cooper’s Vision
Inspired by the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album by The Beatles’ varied psychedelia, The Rolling Stones began a similarly hallucinogenic musical voyage in 1967. Righ after (the also psych) Between the Buttons, as a result the Stones released Their Satanic Majesties Request, an album that received mixed reviews at first but has subsequently grown to be regarded as an important component of their body of work through the years before going back to their roots with Beggars Banquet in 1968 . If the album cover seems a lot like the Sgt. Pepper cover, that’s because the Stones sought Sgt. Pepper photographer Michael Cooper to replicate the effect for their release because they were so taken with the Beatles’ album images.
In the whirlwind of 1967’s psychedelic revolution, The Rolling Stones were eager to match The Beatles’ visual and musical experimentation. For the cover of Their Satanic Majesties Request, they turned to photographer Michael Cooper—the same creative force behind the iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band artwork. Entranced by Cooper’s style, the Stones wanted a similarly trippy effect. But Cooper didn’t just settle for mimicry. He envisioned something even bolder: a three-dimensional photo that would bring the band’s hallucinogenic era to life with striking, immersive imagery.
The Stones Take Control of the Shoot
To make the vision a reality, Cooper needed specific tools and a special camera only available at Mount Vernon Studios in New York City. The Stones secured studio time on September 13 and 14, 1967, but there was a catch—they had to manage every aspect of the production themselves. From selecting the elaborate costumes to arranging the whimsical, surreal props, the band dove fully into the creative process, shaping an unforgettable image that captured the surreal, experimental spirit of the album and era.
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