How the Rolling Stones Reversed the Cymbal on 'She's a Rainbow'

That backward cymbal crash that opens and punctuates “She’s a Rainbow” is a straight-up tape reversal trick, not some plugin or outboard gimmick. Engineer Glyn Johns (or possibly his brother Andy, depending on which session) recorded a single loud cymbal hit onto a separate track, then physically flipped the tape reel so the sound played in reverse — the attack becomes a swell, the decay becomes a backwards buildup.

It’s the same technique the Beatles used all over Revolver, but the Stones were late to the game. The whole Their Satanic Majesties Request album was their attempt at psychedelic studio wizardry, and this song is one of the few places where the experimentation actually landed. The reversed cymbal gives it that dreamy, disorienting lift, and it’s all just tape manipulation — no special processing trick beyond flipping the reel.