The Engineer Behind the ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request’ 50th Anniversary Stereo Mix—and the Backwards Tape Controversy

The 2017 50th anniversary box set of Their Satanic Majesties Requests came with a brand-new stereo mix by veteran engineer Bob Clearmountain. He was the obvious choice: Clearmountain had worked with the Stones on numerous projects and was a master of their 1960s psychedelic sound. But his approach to the album’s backward tapes sparked real debate among fans.

The biggest head-scratcher? Clearmountain reversed the backwards tapes so they played forward. In the original 1967 mix, secret backward passages (like the hidden message on Citadel and the swirl of *Sing This All