Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the Beatles. Released on 1 June 1967, it was an immediate commercial and critical success, spending 27 weeks at the top of the albums chart in the United Kingdom and 15 weeks at number one in the United States. Time magazine declared it "a historic departure in the progress of music" and the New Statesman praised its elevation of pop to the level of fine art. It won four Grammy Awards in 1968, including Album of the Year, the first rock LP to receive this honour. gt. Pepper is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the use of extended form in popular music while continuing the artistic maturation seen on the Beatles' preceding releases. It has been described as one of the first art rock LPs, aiding the development of progressive rock, and credited with marking the beginning of the Album Era. An important work of British psychedelia, the album incorporates a range of stylistic influences, including vaudeville, circus, music hall, avant-garde, and Western and Indian classical music. In 2003, the Library of Congress placed Sgt. Pepper in the National Recording Registry, honouring the work as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". That same year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number one in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

George Martin once said, that his biggest regret ever was not to include Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane (Single 13 Febuary 1967) on Sgt. Pepper, and I most certainly agree, that it was a big mistake not having those two great songs on the album. I can easily think of one song, they could had left of instead: "Within You Without You" is a throw away indian-style song by Harisson, that I always skip. If the before mentioned double A-side single had been included on the album, it might had been my favorite Beatles-albums of all. Again McCartney was in top-form, and it was his ideas that let to Sgt.Pepper, the album, and he had some fine songs on the album, but....imo the VERY best of the best this time was again from Lennon (Strawberry, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and a few weeks later, All You Need Is Love (another of my absolute favorite Beatles-songs)) but actually the two very best songs on the album was this time really co-written by Lennon/McCartney (With A Little Help From My Friends and A Day In The Life). In every way, an astonishing album, and if only Strawberry/Penny Lane had been included as well!!
sgt

I read somewhere, that one of the main differences between Paul and John could be pointed out this way: On Penny Lane, Paul sang exactly note for note the trompet-solo he wanted on the song, whereas Lennon just said to Martin regarding “Being For the Benefit Of Mr. Kite”, that he wanted a cirkus-sound, and left it to Martin to create. That’s one of the reasons why I’m more a McCartney-fan, than Lennon-fan. Without Paul, I don’t think it would had been just as magical.

For me, “All You Need Is Love” is the pinnacle of everything The Beatles did. The absolute best moment of their career.

Is it your favorite Beatles-album? Not long after the release of Sgt. Pepper Beatles released a single (All You Need Is Love/Baby You're A Rich Man) 7 July 1967.

Useless/full information:

On June 4, 1967, Brian Epstein introduced Jimi Hendrix at the Saville Theater in London.
Paul and George, who attended the concert were startled by Henrix doing a cover of "Sgt. Pepper", since the album had only been released on June 1.

Surely, The Beatles was not aware of it, but Penny Lane was named after James Lane, a british eighteenth-century slave trader who was fiercly opposed to abolitionist legislation.

Album Ranking:

1. Revolver

2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band

3. Rubber Soul

4. A Hard Days Night

5. Help

6. Please Please Me

7. Beatles For Sale

8. With The Beatles

Niels' Ultimate Beatles Playlist:

1. I Saw Her Standing

2. Love Me Do

3. Please Please Me

4. She Loves You

5. All My Loving

6. I Want To Hold You Hand

7. A Hard Days Night

8. I Should Had Known Better

9. If I Fell

10. And I Love Her

11. Can't Buy Me Love

12. Anytime At All

13. Things We Said Today

14. I Feel Fine

15. Eight Days A Week

16. She's A Woman

17. Every Little Thing She Does

18. Help

19. The Night Before

20. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

21. You're Gonna Loose That Girl

22. Ticket To Ride

23. I've Just Seen A Face

24. Yesterday

25.We Can Work It Out

26. Day Tripper

27. Drive My Car

28.Norwegian Wood

29.Michelle

30.Girl

31.I'm Looking Through You

32. In My Life

33. Paperback Writer

34. Taxman

35. Eleanor Rigby

36. Here, There And Everywhere

37. Yellow Submarine

38. For No One

39. Got To Get You Into My Life

40. Strawberry Fields Forever

41. Penny Lane

42. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

43. With A Little Help From My Friends

44. Fixing A Hole

45. She's Leaving Home

46. A Day In The Life

47. All You Need Is Love

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on May 9, 2016 at 8:55pm

First, I'm not taking Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane or All You Need Is Love because they appear on the next album in my box set. They will appear on my playlist, just not until we get to the next album.

I know this is considered the masterpiece for the Beatles. I read the text that says how this changed and/or invented the art of making an album. I'll agree with all of that, but as a whole, the album just doesn't do much for me. Maybe that would be different if my musical youth would have occurred when Sgt. Pepper's was released. But it didn't, and I just don't see what folks like about songs like Getting Better and Fixing A Hole. But it is what it is, and people like what they like. I do like When I'm Sixty-Four and Lovely Rita, but I'll leave those two off of my playlist. And A Day In The Life is a great, great song.

Running Album Ranking:

1. Rubber Soul

2. Revolver

3. Help!

4. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

5. A Hard Days Night

6. Please Please Me

7. Beatles For Sale

8. With The Beatles

RJ's Ultimate Beatles Playlist:

1. I Saw Her Standing There

2. Please Please Me