Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Reviews

• Essential

  
  By A13H2JJ3GEMJN1 on 2000-11-26
  One of three LP/CDs by the Beatles among my all-time top ten, along with "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver". Though not my personal favorite, this recording is essential in any collection of pop/rock recordings. It has been, since its release, a standard by which others are measured. It also marks the high-water mark of the Beatles creativity as a band. After "Sgt. Pepper..." came a directionless time during which the "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Yellow Submarine" records were released, followed by the period the band's breakdown, as chronicled in the "White Album", "Let It Be" and "Abbey Road". Though these latter efforts contained plenty of great music, it was clear that the Beatles were increasingly unable to function together as a unit. Individual tracks almost always spotlighted one of the band members while the others worked essentially as a backing group.

  During a recent TV special, it wa said that, during the time the Beatles were in the studio making "Sgt. Pepper...", there was a lot of doubt about what they would come out with and many fans were giving up on them. As someone who was around at the time, I certainly don't remember much of that. Of course, the Beatles always had a few doubters and detractors, but most of us were looking forward to their next record. Stories of how much time and effort were going into it only fueled our anticipation. It was like the release of the fourth Harry Potter book when "Sgt. Pepper..." finally came out. Some stores opened early and huge numbers were sold the first day of it's release. I bought a copy that day like many others. Nor was I disappointed. Since then, I have spent many hours listening to "Sgt. Pepper..." and I expect I'll spend many more.

  To appreciate the significance of "Sgt. Pepper..." you have to understand the pivotal place of the Beatles in the culture of the time. Quite simply, they changed everything. Before the Beatles, the primary medium of pop/rock music was the 45 rpm single. The Beatles released a flood of good quality songs, many original, so that "albums" became more than just a couple of hit singles packaged with a bunch of throwaway tracks. All of the tracks were good and people began to buy albums because it was the best way to get all the music. "Sgt. Pepper..." took this a step further by making the album a more unified whole. It elevated pop/rock music to the level of art, implying an expressiveness and timelessness beyond anything rock had previously aspired to. But the impact of the Beatles went far beyond music. It entered into fashion, modes of behavior, and popular attitudes in a variety of areas. We were even fed a constant stream of news reports about what the Beatles were doing from day to day or week to week. London became, for a time, THE cultural center of the world.

  "Sgt. Pepper..." itself has a timeless quality. Songs such as With A Little Help From My Friends, Getting Better, Within You Without You, When I'm Sixty-four and others have themes that people can relate to just as well today as when they were first released. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and A Day In The Life, while perhaps mored dated lyrically, are among the most interesting pieces in other respects.

  For those of us who were around and listening when "Sgt. Pepper..." came out, it is more than just a record or CD. It marks the peak of a time of incredible energy and change. The decline and dissolution of the Beatles is something many of us still feel in a very personal way. Even today, we mourn the end of the Beatles and the death of John Lennon. Those events represent the passing and final end of something we treasured.

  "Sgt. Pepper..." is a great record by a great band. Even more, it is a central landmark of its period and of its genre. If you think you like rock music, but you don't have a copy of "Sgt. Pepper...", sorry but you've missed it. Get a copy. You can't really appreciate the Beatles without it. Definitely a favorite of mine, and I expect it will be a favorite of yours, too.
  
  

• A Magical World Never Bettered: V 2.0

  
  By A1X4JO8EJ1U5BR on 2000-01-14
  This whole album is a masterpiece. Nothing has been done before or since that can equal this one. Of course its been said a zillion times, but its really true. I bought it in Christmas back a few years ago (1997), and as I listened to it, it got better and better. For me, The Beatles (at first) took some time getting used too. Then they got stronger and stronger. On this record, they do almost the impossible. They create an entire magical fantasy. Its delishisouly (spelling?) sweet. The First Concept Album was indeed the finest. Everything works well with the concept. The album sleeve works better with the music than any I have seen. They help endear us to this wonderful world The Beatles are taking us too. At first I thought it was a bunch of hype, and the reason I bought it was because I was rapidly sinking (regressing, some of the younger people I know say) into the older music. I wanted Sgt Pepper cause everyone talked about it and had never heard it. This record will never be equalled, I fear. I wish it would, because I would love to do some more exploring. They took us on a Magical Mystery Tour on this one. Ironic, they did exactly that on this record, and though it was a concept album I don't think it was their intention, and then they made a concept movie with this in mind, and they didn't do that well (for The Beatles). If you want a record like no other, go out and buy this right now. Another great record that came out the same year is The Doors (debut). If it weren't for this, that would easily be the best for that year. But Sgt Pepper has surpassed all others. The Beatles never were able to do it again. They did get it in isolated moments, but never for the whole record like on this. No one else has ever come close. This deserves all the acclaim it gets.

  As far as personal favorites go, however, I still enjoy the White Album the most. Rubber Soul and Revolver are good also (Rubber Soul is better than Revolver, tho' Revolver is more of a break thru). YOu could see the dircetion they were going with a few of the songs off Help! Some of that material is on level with Rubber Soul. Abbey Road, which I didn't care much for now, I really enjoy now. Sgt Pepper, however, is the cultural milestone to end all cultural milestones.
  
  

• Hyperboles Galore!

  
  By A3FVAWZNKW9GX on 2002-08-26
  When thinking of music I really dig, I always wind back with Beatles tunes as part of my list. So do you. That's why you are reading my review. Maybe we can bicker about the finer points of Beatlology, but we both dig the Fab Four's music as a whole.
  
  You probably like the Beatles, but don't know which album to get. That's what you hope the reviews will do for you. You've compared prices elsewhere, and see this is the place to buy it. Which CD?
  
  There's "The Beatles 1" CD, the one with the #1 hits. A good value for a lot of songs. No bad, but, for the Beatles and a few other bands, getting the original album is a better choice. The songs are best heard in context, in an odd way, like a Pink Floyd album. Besides, on "Sgt. Pepper," the songs are all incredible. A bit funky, but intensely enjoyable. A compilation won't meet the need.
  
  I can't debate which album is the best one to buy. Too messy of a conversation. That's like arguing whether John or Paul wrote better songs. It gets you nowhere, and what you need is a Beatles album.
  
  Why "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? There are 13 good reasons. The first is the title song, and the last is "Day in the Life." The 11 songs in between are equally classic. You know them already.
  
  I could emote of the wonders of each song. Today, "Lovely Rita" is my favorite on "Sgt. Pepper" but tomorrow "When I'm 64" might be the one. Depends on the moment. But each song is completely different than the previous, meriting much value for this album.
  
  And I haven't the room to get into it, but the pop-art of the album (take a close look at it) is fascinating. Big controversy back in its day about the cast of characters who are featured. Can you name them all?
  
  I fully recommend "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
  
  Anthony Trendl
  editor, HungarianBookstore.com
  
  

• The greatest album since the big bang

  
  By A17CBR5I9SHTOE on 2006-09-01
  I feel like a monumental jackass reviewing this album: should I review the Q'uran and Coka Cola Classic next? Is there any more fundamentally unassailable album in the history of music? Is anything more impervious to criticism?
  
  I just feel like recording the joy [I am not exagerating] I'm feeling right now as my 11-year-old daughter is discovering this album. She is spurning Christina Aguilera and I don't know what other one-dimensional rot for the complex, multi-layered, polyphonic wonders of the peak album of the most musical foursome of all time. This feels like a great victory for me. Parenthood hath its rewards.
  
  Just had to type that out.
  
  

• Sgt. Pepper's Remedy Cures the Ills of Post-Modernity

  
  By A3P1BRDX0OLQFL on 1999-12-01
  Under the influence of "liberating" mind-expanding drugs such as marijuana and LSD, the Beatles pioneered forms of encoding in their music beginning with the albums Rubber Soul (1965) and Revolver(1966), which subverted the happy realm of love ballads and R&B covers in which they had been confined in the night clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg and later in the stadiums of America. The Beatles' efforts to transcend and subvert the confines of the industry and audience that had catapulted them to demigod-hood and then spurned them when they acknowledged their status ("we're more popular than Jesus"), and from which they retreated by refusing to tour soon after Rubber Soul came out, culminated in the towering pop classic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). In many circles, Sgt. Pepper's remains the most exalted pop album in history, and rightly so. It is a classic depiction of numerous facets and facades of fragmentary post-modern life, particularly life in England (Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane were originally slated for the album but didn't make the cut), and offers various modes of escape from its confines. Its front cover depicting a collage of human icons of twentieth-century Western mass culture indicates the album's intent of describing the pervasive influence of the British-American mass media on individual human life (an issue that the Beatles struggled with after their enormous success). The repackaging of the group as the medicinal jug band "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" with its leader "Billy Shears" underscores the playful and escapist mood of the album on one level whilst also emphasizing the album's curative powers for the "lonely hearts" out there in the imaginary audience. In their guise as "Sgt. Pepper's Band," the Beatles offer many homegrown remedies for the illnesses of post-modernity: through drugs (("I get high")("With a Little Help from My Friends"), psychedelic-induced poetic imagination ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (LSD)), meditation and daydreaming ("Fixing a Hole"), running away from home and family ("She's Leaving Home"), false optimism ("It's Getting Better"), the circus ("For the Benefit of Mr. Kite"), retirement planning and vaudeville ("When I'm Sixty Four"), transcendental Asian mysticism ("Within You Without You"), and casual sex ("Lovely Rita Meter Maid"). Indeed, the entire album may be read as an acid trip, a journey into the subconscious dreamscape or fantasy world, followed by a jolting return to reality. After taking us through a magical drug-laden dreamland of musical and lyrical modes of escape from life's dull, depressing realities, the album ends with a cruel awakening or "come-down" to the conditions of post-modern existence ("Good Morning"), offering no clear answers ("I've got nothing to say but it's OK"). Following the Sgt. Pepper's "Reprise," which exits us from the "show," the album caps off with "A Day in the Life," which describes the alienation of the modern worker ant in mass urban society. While John Lennon's three verses use real newspaper stories to capture the psychological distancing and numbing of the alienated British subject from the endless barrage of episodic events projected by the nationalistic mass media of the British press and film industries ("the English army had just won the war"), Paul McCartney sums up the urban experience in one breathy verse, sung to a thumping beat: "Woke up, fell out of bed Dragged a comb across my head Found my way downstairs and drank a cup And looking up, I noticed I was late (pant pant pant pant) Found my coat, and grabbed my hat Made the bus in seconds flat Found my way upstairs and had a smoke And somebody spoke and I went into a dream..." In this verse, the worker makes his way dazedly through the horizontal and vertical matrices of the modern urban workday, aided by the socially acceptable pep drug of caffeine in coffee or tea (another symbol of British imperialism), which elevates his heartbeat and increases his breathing rate. Once he has made his way to his temporary destination on the bus, he can then relax and fall back into a dream state with the aid of "a smoke," but not for long. Lennon's final echoing call "I'd love to turn you on," recalls the message of former Harvard psychology professor Timothy Leary, whose pioneering experimentation with the drug LSD in the 1960s led him to urge his contemporaries to "tune in, turn on, and drop out" of mass society.

  AF
  
  

• The Most Extraordinary Album Ever Created.
  By on 2000-07-26
  This album is, hands down, the most influential and amazing rock creation of all time. Aside from being a landmark record in rock, the first of its type, each tune demonstrates brilliance of its own. The first track, Sgt. Pepper, is an amazing true rock composition, with blaring guitar and a powerful use of vocals. The second track, With a Little Help..., is, as well as being a known TV theme song, an extraordinary musical piece. The following song, Lennon's Lucy in the Sky, is the first of its time. With overdubs, mixtures of different takes, heavy echo, and cut tapes, it truly demonstrates master production, as well as true musical genius. It's Getting Better and Fixing a Hole are both McCartney songs, and so, demonstrate his musical prowess. The powerful tunes, coupled with the amazing effects, demonstrate true Beatles brilliance. She's Leaving Home and Mr. Kite both use the background orchestra to its full capacity. Along with the sheer beauty of the tunes and and the stream-like flowingness of the orchestra, both have creative lyrics, one serious, the other one humorous. The next track, Harrison's sole contribution to the album, is a beautiful piece of music. Within You, Without You, has great lyrics, but the true power is in the music. The sitar, or whatever instrument it may be, creates this song and exalts it as one of rock's most amazing tune. When I'm Sixty-Four, one of this album's most known songs, although the lyrics are not amazing, demonstrates true human feeling and brilliant musical imagination. The next tracks, Lovely Rita and Good Morning Good Morning, are powercharged rock songs with powerful tunes. The twelfth track, Sgt. Pepper Reprise, brings us out of the Sgt. Pepper stance and back to the real world with it's insanely powerful starting guitar. Finally, the record is summed up into one song: A Day in the Life. The Magnum Opus of individual Beatles songs concludes the Magnum Opus of Beatles records. Divided into three parts, and a finale, this song, co-written by Lennon and McCartney, shows The Beatles at their highest. Lennon's main parts of the song, based on real newspaper articles, describe England at the time. McCartney's middle piece shows a London individual's normal day. The finale, ending with the crashing piano note, marks the end of the song -- but not the track. This is marked by a high-pitched note put there only to annoy your dog, and Beatles chatter cut and put back together to make gibberish. This song demonstrates the most musical genius of any rock group, creating a piece which can be listened to over and over. This album is an amazing album, and the 755 hours in which it was recorded were the most creative and brilliant hours in rock history. The Beatles at their height, this album is recommended to everybody.
  
  
• What Would You Think About a Reviewer Who...
  By A2AOZQ3WTNVVOK on 2002-05-18
  ...said anything other than great things about this CD? This review is going to be totally boring because I am going to go on and on about how great the CD is. So, if you want to know whether you should buy it, the answer is yes. You don't have to read anything else or any other reviews.

  Now, if you want to know which songs are the best or worst, listen to the CD! I like every one of them. This CD is one of those where every single song could have been released and it would have gone top 40, even though the styles run from pure pop ("Fixing a Hole" and "With a Little Help from My Friends) to a big band rock sound (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - OF COURSE!), to psychedelic pop (Within You, Without You - a song with the only flaw of being TOO DARN SHORT!!!).

  Some of the songs are absolutely up-beat and peppy, like "Good Morning, Good Morning," and "Getting Better," and "Lucy and the Sky with Diamonds." The enthusiasm and excitement takes me back to the fun bands of the 60's jumping around on stage like a bunch of maniacs. That was the fun part of the 60's. There were some occasional tinges of darkness (She's Leaving Home, and somehow "A Day in the Life" seems a little sinister), yet somehow all this stuff fits together in one tight little beautiful package that contains some incredibly artistic music that broke a lot of ground for rock music, and for all other music too.

  This CD will be one of those that will be a classic in the style of the "1812 Overture." People will be referring to it in the next century and beyond!
  
  

• The Bible of Concept Albums
  By A36RS7KTNOBROF on 2000-05-22
  Sgt.Pepper is the Bible of Concept albums.Every group tries a record like this one,but doesn't come close.Paul got his idea by listening to the Beach Boys,"Pet Sounds." There's not one single from Sgt.Pepper that was a hit on the radio,but were still talking about "Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" after 33years. The record starts by telling us about this new band,Sgt.Pepper,then Ringo,as Billy Shears,sings "A Little Help from my friends." This is fantastic.Having Ringo singing the first song off the record,and he's great.The Beatles worked as a team on this album,even though its Pauls baby. John Lennon's songs are the best,but they were experiments. I've read in John's last interview how they always spent more time on Pauls songs then his. When Elton John remade "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," and John Lennon co-produced,and sang backup,he was very happy with the recording,and it was a number one hit for Elton. "Getting Better" is my favorite song from the CD,and its used as some TV Ad,what a crime.In a couple of years,Paul will be able to sing,"When I'm 64" and he will be. How fast time flies.George Harrison's,"Within you and Without you"finally showcases George's great songwriting and singing. The last song on the record is a classic.John's "A Day in the Life." Just a simple song,about nothing.This was the first time people thought there was a sign that Paul was dead .Even the inside cover when Paul has his back toward the picture. This album was made after the Beatles didn't have to worry about touring anymore.They could take there time in the studio,and make the greatest rock album ever.Also,without George Martin,The Beatles could never have come up with this classic.He is the 5th Beatle.
  
  
• Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band missing!
  By A25GY72DB0CICH on 2005-12-10
  In my opinion, this was the worst mastering I have ever heard of a classic album. Especially a Beatles album. Vocals and instruments faded in and out or are missing altogether. Doesn't anyone listen to these before they are sold to the public? The poor mixing and production were no where close to the vinyl original in what I consider a blasphemy. I know this album by heart and as a long time musician I am sorely dissapointed.
  
  
• I'd Love to Turn You On.
  By A2WN6UJP3KUDRH on 2001-11-18
  Is there anyone alive who doesn't know this album? Probably not, but I'll throw my opinion into the mix anyway.

  This album hit the shops after what, for The Beatles, had been an extended absence from the New Release LP wall (10 months). The press was aflurry with rumors that they were drying up creatively. Then came SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. The press shut up.

  This was originally going to be a concept album concerning the childhood experiences of the group. This started with "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" (released as a single prior to the LP) and was to continue from there. Paul McCartney came up with the idea of pretending to be another band with a "mad name" and came up with the title. After recording the first two cuts and the reprise near the end, they abandoned the idea. Even so, this is credited with being rock's first Concept Album. Oh, well.

  Concpt or not, it is simply great. Lennon and McCartney both turn in very solid work as composers (the greatest in the lot being "A Day in the Life", possibly my favorite Beatles song) and George Martin had the opportunity to stretch as a producer. Notable by his near-absence as a composer (after three tracks on REVOLVER) is George Harrison. He was apparently getting more into Indian meditation. He would give us some of his best work later on.

  Of course, the playing and singing are super, as always. But listen to John Lennon's voice on "A Day in the Life". It is haunting and, great producer though he is, I do not believe the credit goes exclusively to Mr. Martin. It still, almost 35 years later, makes the hair on my neck stand up.

  This was the first Studio Album the Beatles made after deciding to stop touring. Freed from the obligation to try to duplicate their recorded sound live, they were able to experiment and grow as studio musicians and eventually, as producers themselves.

  And it had only been four and a half years since "Love Me Do".
  
  

• How can this be overrated???
  By on 1999-10-10
  Overrated? Are you serious? Sgt. Pepper opened up so many closed doors in rock music that had never been fathomed of opening. Here is a song by song analysis of the most influential album of all time, but not the greatest!

  1.Sgt. PepperLHCB- Great rocker with mix of use of barritones and tubas. Only the Beatles could pull of a song with that instrumentation.

  2. With a Little Help...- Ringo's best, not as annoying as Yellow Sub and lyrically better than Octupuss's Garden. I know Lennon/McCartney wrote it, but Ring sings it perfectly.

  3.Lucy in the Sky..- In my opinion this is the most overrated track the Beatles ever did, I enjoy it a lot, but I don't see what the fuss is about. It does give a great "psychedelic" feel to it though, still a classic but not Lennon's best.

  4.Getting Better- I love the lyrics on this one,"Me used to be angry young man", I love it, Awesome Lennon backing vocals, currently being thrashed by Philips TV commercials. Great guitar work too.

  5. Fixing a Hole- Perhaps the best middle eight on Sgt. Pepper.."And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right..." The second in a Macca trilogy

  6. She's Leaving Home- Macca's at his best on this album as far as songwriting goes. Entrancing harp work intro. as well, georgeous song!

  7. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite- GREAT ATMOSPHERIC SONG! Never has a song been able to create such an atmosphere as this, the lyrics were taken from a circus poster. Underrated song, especially it's phenominal ending. Bravo John!

  8. Within You without You- I must say I skip over this track because I never could get into George's experimental tracks, but it was something new at the time and I respect that.

  9. When I'm 64- My fav of Macca's on this album. Simple lyrics and unorthodox instrumentation, I love it. Wonderful tune

  10. Lovely Rita- Fantastic Piano work, very difficult to play. Macca showing off his other side on this song by telling us his sexual urges of women in his past. This and Kite are highly underrated.

  11. Good Morning, Good Morning- Kick as# guitar in this song, and Ringo's drumming is so clear and precise.

  12.Sgt. Pepper Reprise- Great little rocker to lead into the best song on the album and by The Beatles period!

  13. A Day in the Life- The Beatles with this song alone proved they were musicians to be reckoned with. Such a haunting piece of music that no one could recreate Lennon's vocals. I love how they got over wanting to hold your hand to wanting to turn you on. "And when all the fun and games are over with, A Day in the Life still sounds like the end of the world!"

  There ya go, anybody disagree with me??? Still the greatest album of all time is The White Album but that's a different review. Sgt. Pepper's is a near perfect album. Dark Side of the Moon, Pet Sounds, and Led Zeppelin IV can't touch this album!!!
  
  

• Maybe not the best album ever, but certainly the best cover!
  By ATBMXD4DJSUBE on 2000-12-28
  How good is Sgt. Pepper? Well, let's see. It contains arguably the best Beatles song ("A Day In The Life"), plus 3 other essential songs ("Lucy in the Sky," "Sgt. Pepper," and "A Little Help From My Friends"). It contains several good second-tier tunes ("Fixing a Hole," "When I'm 64," and "Benefit of Mr. Kite," which happens to be a favorite of mine). It contains some (what I would deem) competent filler material, including "Getting Better" and "Lovely Rita Meter Maid." Then there is George Harrison's pretentious and unlistenable sitar odyssey, "Within Me Without You" or whatever it's called. Don't get me wrong, I love Harrison as a songwriter -- "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" are two of the Beatles' top 10 songs, very likely -- but this one is self-indulgent claptrap. I must admit I never responded to the Eastern-mysticism side of George, and I laughed when, on a radio interview, Ravi Shankar commented that he thought George played the sitar quite badly.

  The bottom line is that Sgt. Pepper is, musically, quite uneven. I'm giving it 5 stars anyway because of its colossal importance in rock music, and the presence of the 4 classics. And the album cover is unquestionably the best one that ever was, ever will be, ever could be.

  Let's not go too far in bashing the musical content of Sgt. Pepper, though. There seems to be a fashionable anti-Pepper sentiment among Beatles fans these days (perhaps it was always there?). A number of people like to say that "Revolver" or "Rubber Soul" is far better than Pepper, which they dismiss as a bloated, over-produced vanity project that uses now-dated "avant garde" mixing and recording techniques to inflate middling songs beyond their merits.

  There is some validity to this criticism. But let's not go nuts. The fact that there is an anti-Pepper backlash indicates the album must have had a considerable impact in the first place. But what is that impact? What distinguished this from the other efforts? If you want to look at it in a positive sense, you can say that this album showed a new self-awareness by the Beatles, a determination to step up to the pantheon of artists and be judged not as a clever little pop band, but as musicians and composers of the first rank. Along for the ride came producing techniques that, far from being dated, perfectly crystallized and immortalized the "psychedelic" sound that we associate with the '60s, and introduced an element of antic imagination and structural ambition to a musical form in danger of being entombed in four-bar-blues progressions and verse/chorus/bridge repetitions.

  From a more cynical standpoint, you could argue that Sgt. Pepper was not, musically, one jot more advanced or interesting than "Rubber Soul" or "Revolver" or even "A Hard Day's Night." That the Beatles did not learn self-confidence here, but merely self-promotion. That this was the ominous moment where style overtook substance as the most important element in pop music.

  I'm struck by some comments John Lennon made, recorded in the Beatles bio by Hunter Davies. "We're a con as well. We know we're conning them, because we know people want to be conned. They've given us the freedom to con them. Let's stick that in there, we say, that'll start them puzzling. I'm sure all artists do, when they realize it's a con... People think the Beatles know what's going on. We don't. We're just doing it. People want to know what the inner meaning of 'Mr. Kite' was. There wasn't any. I just did it. I shoved a lot of words together then shoved some noise on. I just did it. I didn't dig that song when I wrote it. I didn't believe in it when I was doing it. But nobody will believe it. They don't want to. They want it to be important."

  There it is, straight from the horse's mouth, the great debunker Lennon himself debunking the so-called greatest album of all time. (Contrarian that he was, I imagine he'd have said something different if the album had been critically reviled.)

  But 33 years later, the music is still there and we are still listening to it, for whatever reason. "Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees, and marmalade skies..." Love it or hate is, Sgt. Pepper is definitely too big to ignore.
  
  

• The catalog and this album had better start Getting Better
  By A37P63VA9MPXA5 on 2000-01-05
  First, I am a huge Beatles' fan. If I were to name my all-time favorite bands, the Beatles are on top. That would explain the mixed feelings I have with reviewing any or all of their CDS. For where the music gets five stars (save for the Yellow Submarine album) the sound quality only gets a marginal three stars at best!

  Thus, I rate this based on the original vinyl, not the atrocious CD released in 1987.

  One of the reviewers raved about the mono mix. Yes! By all means give us the mono mix! It has elements not on the stereo: Fixing A Hole has the complete fade-out, Sgt. Pepper (reprise) has a Paul vocal overdub, She's Leaving Home is at a faster speed (taking the soap opera heaviness out of it).

  What makes this so frustrating is the fac that the mono remaster was in the works for the 30th anniversary, complete with Parlophone picture disc, gatefold cardboard jacket, Sgt. Pepper cutout sheet, psychedelic album jacket. Then true to EMI, their record of dissapointing Beatles' fans continued: the project was scuttled!

  Though the CD has the inner groove sound effects restored, and a booklet chock full of photos, sessionagraphy, and liner notes, the sound of this CD is simply awful. George Harrison himself complained with the mix of the horns in the title track upon its release.

  The Beatles have one of the finest catalogs in Rock, they also have one of the worst sounding catalogs in Rock!

  George Martin felt that fans should hear the mono mix. EMI take note! Do the Beatles right! Listen to the fans and remaster the catalog!
  
  

• I read the news today, oh boy.
  By A2P49WD75WHAG5 on 2002-03-03
  Thirty-five years after its momentous June 1967 release, no one has been able to give THE definitive interpretation on what has been declared as the greatest album of all time. It should stay that way, as it takes away the mystery of life. And with a universally recognizable album cover, it's definitely a period piece and shows which personages made personal impact on the Beatles: Monroe, Brando, Mae West, Laurel and Hardy, Lenny Bruce, Oscar Wilde, W.C. Fields, Aleister Crowley, Sir Robert Peel, and even a former Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe. Gandhi would've been a welcome presence had it not been for EMI's concern of offending India. Universal is the key to making monumental albums, of which Sgt Peppers is of the highest calibre. It's in my personal Top Five.

  Paul's sterling vocals are at their best in the rollicking title track. Ringo's sole vocal is on "With A Little Help From My Friends" transcends universally, especially with "What would you say if I sang out of tune/Would you stand up and walk out on me?" The answer would be "no" during the Summer of Love. What about in today's conformist climate? With its advocacy of love at first sight, it is a truly romantic tune.

  With the descriptive psychedelic imagery in "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," small wonder people thought that it was a code for LSD. As it was, it was taken from a picture drawing by young Julian Lennon.

  "Getting Better" is an inspiring tune if people take it to heart. Who hasn't been kept down by parents or high school teachers? With the new scene and a woman, things have to be "getting better all the time," right?

  "Fixing A Hole" to "keep one's mind from wandering" seems a bit contradictory in this neo-Enlightenment period, for the purpose was to expand one's mind. But then I remembered that it was for "where the rain gets in," i.e. negative thoughts or shallow, unfulfilling people and ideas. And it is disturbing that those same people don't seem to realize "why they can't get past my door." That makes sense. Of course, it's OK for your mind to wander if it's going to the room that's been painted "in a colourful way."

  The opening harp and the string section entwines "She's Leaving Home" with a lover's touch. Like the previous two songs, self discovery was key to young people in the 1960's.

  The circumstances behind "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite," taken from a 1843 circus poster of John Lennon's is just one of those unique, serendipitous events that couldn't work for any other group. The hurdy-gurdy-like special effects that take place after "Henry the horse dances the waltz." I wonder how many Generation Y-ers, who take special sounds for granted in today's music, have any appreciation of what George Martin, their producer, had to do in order to get the audio trickery and fantastic sounds that permeate through this song and others.

  "Within You Without You," with George's ethereal vocals, sitars and tablas, is a wonderful addition to the album, and it shows how spiritually ahead George was compared to the other Beatles.

  The simplistic, totally disarming, and charming "When I'm Sixty-Four" with its clarinet, is a sharp contrast to the complex instrumentation of the other songs. Another universal tune, and one that doesn't need deep mental digging.

  "Good Morning Good Morning" benefits from having the overdubbed brass section and a sterling guitar solo by John in the middle of the song. The animal sounds make for a bizarre ending, but I think I heard a chicken, cat, dog, horse, lion, elephant.

  I don't know how to explain the effect "A Day In The Life" has on me. There are the two verses of the man who blew his mind out in a car and the film of the English army winning the war, the swirling strings simulating a trip, the bouncing piano that leads to the third stanza, another swirling trip, and then that piano chord crashing with its awesome finality. I am left depressed yet awed, and left swimming in a well deep of introspection after that piano chord.

  With that, I hope you will enjoy the show too. I sure did.
  
  

• Pretentious tripe
  By on 2003-03-15
  I am a big fan of progressive rock. What I don't understand is how people can rip Yes, King Crimson, etc to pieces and how they can be barred from entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yet, this pile of pop-garbage is hailed as the greatest thing since sliced bread. This album stands as a monument to the self-righteous, bloated image of the horrible baby-boomer demographic. How can people say this is visionary music, and in the same breath deride a true genius like Robert Fripp? Face it, the Beatles are nothing more nor less than the 1960's N'Sync. And why are all Beatles cd priced so high? Because they know they can fool the conumer into buying this tripe. This disc makes a good coaster and nothing more. Don't waste your money. Thank you for reading this.
  
  
• Dated (except for the price )
  By A3BQV6VP0ZY4J5 on 2001-08-12
  So ....

  Here's my , track by track , pass / fail analysis .

  1. Title Track - Upbeat kick-off . Fairly good . [pass]

  2. With A Little Help From My Friends - Ringo's song . The usual poor singing . Usually covered much better ( Joe Cocker etc .. ) . This version nothing special . [fail]

  3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Imaginative lyric over a repetitive verse/chorus pop tune . The song fails to sustain through the later choruses . John later claimed it had nothing at all to do with LSD etc ....... either way .... yawn . [fail]

  4. Getting Better - By Beatles standards , a pretty ordinary/dull song . [fail]

  5. Fixing A Hole - Another nothing-special track . [fail]

  6. She's Leaving Home - A sentimental ballad wraps a simple rejection/separation concept . Fine , but doesn't bear repeat listening . [fail]

  7. ...Mr. Kite - Silly lyrics ride a 'funfair' soundtrack . Again , really just the one idea . Dull in repetition .[fail]

  8. Within You Without You - Crap , compared to George's later efforts ( especially 'Dark Horse' )[fail]

  9. When I'm 64 - Crap .[fail]

  10. Lovely Rita... - Clever . Would have made a great single . [pass]

  11. Good Morning... - Nice driving tight rock sound . [pass]

  12. The Reprise - Great sound on this track . [pass]

  13. A Day In The Life - More 'human condition' stuff from the can-be-rather-boring Mr. Lennon . Leads to a pompous resurrection of some orchestral experimentation from the 1920s . Embarrassing .[fail]

  So , my totals are , 4 passes and 9 fails . Hence , only one star I'm afraid .
  
  

• Rock's worst mistake
  By on 2000-10-06
  The idea of this being the greatest album of all time! It's a joke! Before heaving yourself onto the "Sgt. Pepper's" bandwagon, consider investigating some other, substantial music. If it's art you're searching for, consider Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue," a brilliant, more popular album that is light-years ahead of this corny, pompous horse dung. If you're in search of "rock as art," consider Led Zeppelin, a band whose best albums make this seem like the stuff of a middle school talent show. So please, before polluting my monitor with phrases like "the best album ever" and "the finest rock in history," find out what's out there. You just might be blown away.
  
  
• An Overhyped Masterpiece.
  By A38U2M9OAEJAXJ on 2003-02-12
  The above title is sure to raise some eyebrows, and others may even conclude that I'm "bashing" this 1967 album. But that simply isn't so. Is "Sgt. Pepper" a classic? Yes, of course. Is it the best album by the Beatles? I don't think so. Here is an album that is so often equated with words like "perfection" and "masterpiece" that few even bother to examine "Sgt. Pepper" critically and in relation to the group's other releases. In my ever-humble opinion, 1966's "Revolver" shows the Beatles at its absolute peak, and it's the more experimental and envelope-pushing record. Still, there are plenty of kicks to be had on this winning release, such as the stomping title track with its background orchestra. George Harrison gives us a welcome Eastern slant with the use of the sitar in "Within You Without You," while Lennon and McCartney collaborate fully on the incredible "A Day in the Life." And though Elton John took "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" to No. 1 in the 1970s, his version pales in comparison to the original that surfaces here. McCartney gives us the still-glittering gem "When I'm Sixty Four," while Ringo Starr lends his voice on the timeless "With a Little Help From My Friends." As with virtually all Beatles releases, "Sgt. Pepper" is a classic that's ageless, even if I'm slightly partial towards their other work.
  
  
• A Wonderful Album
  By A3QY2OUQ8W28DZ on 2001-07-02
  I am only 15 years old, and obviously I was not alive to witness the Beatles together as a group. But, now in 2001, more than 30 years after the breakup of the Beatles, I find myself sharing musical interests with my father and loving Beatles albums, this one especially. A great album like this one will beat a Backstreet Boys or Eminem album anyday, which most teenagers my age listen to.

  This cd opens like a real "Sgt. Pepper" concert and gives the rest of the cd a sort of concert feeling, ending where it started on the reprise of Sgt. Pepper. In between these tracks are great, revolutionary songs, all very catchy but at the same time clever and introspective. My favorite songs are "With a Little Help from my Friends (the song on this album I find myself humming the most often), "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", a very psychadelic and mystical story (the songs title has nothing to do with LSD - it was inspired by a drawing by Julian Lennon), "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", a great, clever song with strange, twisting sounds and "When I'm Sixty-Four", a very sweet love song sung by Paul Mccartney of growing old with his love. The only song I can complain about in between the two Sgt. Pepper tracks is "Within You, Without You", a sitar song written by George Harrison, which although very experimental with a sitar, I find very boring and unappealing. This album ends on a great note with "A Day in the Life" a brilliant masterpiece with different parts written by Paul Mccartney and John Lennon, respectively. Overall, the best of all the Beatles' cds, which is not a feat to be laughed at. Worth every single penny.
  
  

• Fixing a Hole in the World
  By A1D663YD036KNH on 2001-11-13
  The Beatles' best album? Probably not. That honor is reserved for "Revolver" or "Rubber Soul". Most eclectic? Nope, that would be the "White Album". Most elaborately produced? Try "Abbey Road". Most famous record? Most influential? Bingo! That's "Sgt. Pepper". Not only the most influential entry in the Beatles' catalog, but also the most far-reaching and well known recording of the entire rock-era.

  Volumes have been written about the phenomenom of "Sgt. Pepper" and the social impact it bestowed upon its release in June 1967. The psychedelic sound collages of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" and "A Day in the Life" served not only as a soundtrack for the Summer of Love, but also influenced an entire generation of "serious" rock musicians. For better, or in many cases, for worse, rock was forever changed by "Sgt. Pepper". Superb musicianship and production became all the rage. Lyrics, which were actually printed on "Pepper's" jacket, were suddenly taken seriously. Critics took note and the bar was raised as countless artists attempted to create their own "Sgt. Pepper" -style masterpieces. Of course, many of these imitations were downright laughable, but nevertheless, a new genre known as "progressive" rock was born in the aftermath of "Sgt. Pepper".

  Ironically, when discussing "Pepper", the album's great songs almost get lost in the shuffle. The title song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "A Day in the Life" are permanently ingrained in the heads of rock fans everywhere. However, for me, lesser-known jewels such as "Fixing a Hole" and "Lovely Rita" are more enjoyable. They're lighter and more fun to listen to than their better know counterparts. The charging herd of animals which blasts through the tailend of "Good Morning, Good Morning" is one of the most humorous moments in Beatledom. The perfect seque of a chicken clucking into the opening notes of "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)" is a touch of genius. Ditto the gibberish tagged on the end of the album which, on vinyl, went on eternally. For me, these are the special touches which make "Sgt.Pepper" a unique listening experience. Overall, "Pepper" is truly a joyous musical journey --one which, like many Beatle records, occurred at the right time and the right place. It's almost as if the Beatles could read the collective mind of the world, giving people exactly what they needed, while uniting millions in the process. Boy, could the world use the Beatles now.
  
  

• It Was 20 Years Ago Today...
  By A3FZGQPFOESL7J on 2003-01-20
  This album epitomizes what rock music can be -- art that is also fun. After giving up the fast-paced life of moptop popstars, touring, and all that goes with that whirlwind lifestyle, the band concentrated their efforts fully on the creation of this great album. The production is stellar, and when you realize that this was crafted by four guys in their mid-20's (and a producer who wasn't much older) utilizing 4-track technology, it is truly mindblowing.
  Of course, this album is heavily colored by its time: the Summer of Love, hippies, swinging London, soft drugs, Haight-Ashbury, and war protests. It is particularly colored by a very English hall sense of tradition, mixed with cutting edge rock innovations, sprinkled over with hints of near eastern mystism and psychedelic imagery. The polite Anglo expressions and nuances of Lovely Rita, With A Little Help from My Friends, Good Morning Good Morning, and Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite make this a thoroughly English experience. The Beatles, along with James Bond, made England seem like the coolest place on the planet in the 60's.
  Over time, its still the production and recording advances and experimentation that make this so interesting, maybe even moreso than the songs themselves. Of course, there is no doubt the songs are great, but listen to the ALBUM, not just the songs. When you do, you hear great little things like Paul using timpani mallets to strike the wires inside the piano to make the notes, rather than playing the keyboard, at the end of Getting Better; the snatches of carnival sounds cut up and reassembled into a collage of sound that creates the canvas against which Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite builds; the echo-y "live" feel of the Sgt. Pepper's tracks; and the grand orgy of chaos on A Day In the Life. Listen close during that endless last chord and you can hear someone fidgeting in a squeaky chair.
  Brilliant album. The songs may not be quite as strong as Revolver, but there is no denying the influence this album has had on rock music. 100 years from now they will still be pointing to this album as a turning point. Awesome.
  
  
• 33 years ago today Sgt Pepper taught many bands to play..."
  By AV15YW5FSVHAX on 2000-06-27
  To add value to this review I'll do my best to avoid repeating all that has already been said in the thousand reviews of Sgt. Pepper and try to explain why you should include this album into your collection.

  When Pepper was released, June 1, 1967, I can witness that it was the most artistic of all the Beatles albums at the time and that it changed the concept of "album" making in the 60's. This album allowed pop-music to develop as art rather than a teen-age fashionable rhythm for radio listening. The recording of Sgt Pepper began in December 1966 and was finished on April 3, 1967. The album's production cost was $100.000. A superb effort compared to today's mega album productions that take over 1 or 2 years to be recorded and require over a million dollars to be finished.

  Pepper belongs to the "studio years" period of Beatles, which started with the "Revolver" album. The group would concentrate in making music and growing as musicians, instead of writing tunes in vans, hotels, and airports between tours, TV shows and movies. The Beatles grew tremendously as composers and musicians especially during the 67-68 period and George Martin's contributions became more important than ever to the group's music. The album shows a huge improvement in production, sound, arrangements, and recording. The concepts introduced by Sgt. Pepper influenced changed the second half of the 60's music.

  I think we all know the story that the album started with Paul McCartney's idea of pretending that the Beatles were another band instead of the "fab-four" (i.e. Sgt. Pepper's band) and tried to persuade the rest of the group to play along with this game. In addition, Paul was also fascinated and influenced by the "Pet Sounds" album of the Beach Boys and went into the studio trying to outperform this album. Paul's motivations initially found echo on John Lennon, who was willing to experiment or do anything to find some excitement since the Beatles had stopped touring. As a result, there are many collaboration between Paul and John -like in the old days- in song writing and production, plus some putting together unfinished songs the both had at the time.

  The album introduces several new concepts into the Beatles music like eliminating the pause between songs and connecting beginnings with ends; the active use of strings, orchestras, keyboards, and studio effects to produce different atmospheres; the much heavier sound of the electric guitars; the longer duration of the compositions; and Paul's bass playing which can be distinguished as a main instrument. Paul started experimenting with a true left hand and more contemporary Rickenbacker bass in many passages of this album this album, leaving behind (for a while) his classic violin shaped Hofner bass -a right hand converted instrument. We have to mention George Harrison's contribuition, who in addition to playing his usual role within the Beatles introduces one of his best indo-pop music composition that also represents a departure from the Beatles music. George brings indo musicians for this recording. After Pepper, you will find that the individualistic efforts of the group's members increases in their next albums. Last but not least, this album includes the song lyrics -first time to do so by the group- plus a poster, cut and paste material for fans and collectors. I am thinking of the original vinyl L.P edition.

  Sgt. Pepper not only maintained the critics busy for years, but was also welcomed by almost every artist of the 60's. Jimmi Hendrix saluted the Beatles by playing the beginning of Sgt. Pepper during one of his concerts (actually before the Isle of White Festival). And the underground and progressive Frank Zappa took some ideas to produce some of his material (from parody to true influence). I recall that the super group Pink Floyd had asked and obtained permission to sit and watch the Beatles working at the EMI studio. Not to mention the Stones, who also sat down and watched the Beatles record and play during several sessions after Sgt. Pepper. It was obvious that even music competitors and rivals -also friends- praised the album.

  I don't know and will not get into the irrelevant argument if this is the "best" Beatles album, the greatest LP of the 60's, or who's favorite. All I will say is that after having heard almost every album produced in the 60's, if you collect or enjoy modern music or are curious about this decade's sound you have to listen and include Sgt. Pepper in your collection. You can't get exactly experience the same feeling nor emotion that was lived by those who heard this album for the first time when released. Today we have already heard all of the sounds that evolved from this decade plus all of the improvements made to it. But trust me, we can re-write the opening lyrics and say that "33 years ago today, Sgt Pepper's taught many groups to play..." If not, why are we still listening, discussing and copying all of this stuff? Let's enjoy not argue. My best to music lovers.
  
  

• One Of My Favorite Albums EVER! :-)
  By A3MHO6BUB3NO06 on 2002-04-07
  This was one of the first Beatle albums I ever owned. And I think it's gotta be one of my absolute favorites out of all my collection. It's trippy, it's joyful, it's a PERFECT reflection of the era in which it was written! And it doesn't get much better than that infamous chord at the end of "A Day In The Life"! Truly one for the books! :-)
  
  
• Sgt pepper = 4 musical genius' at their absolute peak
  By A3K8D6WV3NAPWE on 2002-12-29
  Some people feel the need to revise the stature this album holds in the pantheon of rock,not me! Every song is strong from the hard rock of the title track/opener to the childlike whimsy of Lucy,64,fixing a hole to the classic finale a day in the life. Not a weak link in the entire set,sure within you may drag on a bit but if your not averse to indian music it shouldn't be a problem. This is simply one of the greatest rock albums ever and no collection is complete without it.
  
  
• Timeless...
  By A3BQNANK1UXGMQ on 2000-07-20
  First off, I am considerably younger than the majority of the reviewers of this album. I was born almost 15 years after its release. While I will obviously never be able to understand the full cultural impact of the Beatles because I wasn't there, the album still has something about it that separates it from all others.

  Everything heard in any music today and anything I grew up listening to owes EVRYTHING to the Beatles, and this is where they really pushed the envelope. The amazing thing about the Beatles was that they remained on the cutting edge throughout their entire career. The only group that comes close to that nowadays is Radiohead.

  With Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles single handedly reinvented rock n' roll. They took the best simple musicianship and songwriting skills and combined them with what "you couldn't do" on a rock album. Nothing since its release has changed music more.

  Although I am young, I recognize a classic when I hear one, and when it comes to rock n' roll, this is THE classic among classics.
  
  

• Re-master! Please!
  By A3JD8FDS3CO3GH on 2000-07-15
  Please Capitol, take a cue from the success of the Yellow Submarine Songtrack and John Lennon's remastered Imagine and re-release Sgt. Pepper and the entire Beatles catalog remastered! Please give Sgt. Pepper the Pet Sounds treatment with stereo and mono versions on the same CD and extensive liner notes like Pet Sounds has. And how about a Sgt. Pepper Sessions box set? The stuff on Beatles Anthology 2 was very nice, but there has got to be more in the EMI vaults than that. If The Beach Boys deserve it, then certainly the greatest rock band ever deserves it also. The old 1988 release just isn't going to do it anymore. This great work of art deserves better.

  As, for the album itself, what can I say? It's one of the best albums of all time. If I thought otherwise, I (and tons and tons of other music fans) wouldn't be clamoring for a remastered version.
  
  

• The Most Important Album in Rock History
  By A3B2J0ZYHJA7RN on 1999-11-23
  Sgt Pepper was the turning point in music as we know. Rock ceased to be a popular fad and became an art form all because of this record. The lyrics of Lennon and McCartney are enchanted, and the concept of the album was unprecedented at the time. BRILLIANT!
  
  
• You have to read a review of this?
  By A3VRE7KPKLR452 on 2000-10-02
  If you have to read a review of this CD, you have little faith in the Beatles. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearst Club Band is one the all time best pieces of music from anywhere. Impossible to not dig and impossible to get tired of. But be prepared, you can't listen to one song at a time, you must listen to the whole CD together for the full effect. Brilliant!

  This was the 1st Beatles CD I owned. And I bought it only because I had finally learned who wrote the song that had been stuck in my head since I was a tot. That song was "When I'm 64". Buying that CD just to get that song out of my head, unexpectedly openned a flood gate to the Beatles and eventually a new world of thinking. And to a whole new world of music. If someone asked me "What is music?" I would have to answer "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band!" Its definatley one of the CDs I'd want with me if I were stranded on a desert island. This CD doses out a wide range of emotions that you can feel...it may just be the first interactive piece of music... because you enjoy it body and soul. Enjoy!
  
  

• The Landmark
  By A1GN8UJIZLCA59 on 2001-01-05
  The Beatles set the bar with Revolver and Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys jumped over it with Pet Sounds. The Beatles, especially Paul McCartney, were astounded by the album and it helped spur them to their greatest musical achievement. While alot of people don't consider Sgt. Pepper's as the band's best album, I think the White Album is their best, the ground breaking and influential nature of it can never be denied. Up to that point, no one thought that a pop album push the boundaries and be a cultural statement. By creating an alter ego and using a unifying concept of attending a show by the band, the album broke all the rules. There was not a hit single from the album and the songs merged into one another without distinction. Even the packaging of the album broke all the rules. Usually albums were slapped together with little or no thought to the packaging. The band spend upwards of $100,000. on the album's artwork. The album's cover stands as pop culture icon on its own and a true piece of art. It was also the first album ever to contain a reprint of song lyrics. The songs themselves have almost become irrelevant to the mystique and aura of Sgt. Peppers, but "With A Little Help From Friends", "Getting Better", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Lovely Rita" and most notably "A Day In The Life" are classics.
  
  
• Beyond indescribable
  By on 2002-01-21
  Here it is. The one, the only, the undefeatable:
  SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

  This album is almost indescribable. It is and will remain the best collection of music that shall ever be heard by the human race. From the first distant sounds of a gathering crowd to the final, almost grotesque burst of distorted noise, this album remains nearly perfect. The "Sgt Pepper" overture is simple, yet complex, a rock and roll festival. "With a Little Help From My Friends" is and will always remain a happy, simple classic sung by the immediately recognizable Ringo. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a painting of a wonderful, utopia, a colorful fairyland. "Getting Better" is a straightforward and honest song about admitting one's wrongdoings and struggling to make up for it. "Fixing a Hole" is wistful, almost dreamy, about home decorating. "She's Leaving Home" is the most beautiful and at the same time, depressing ballad in the world. A girl, misunderstood and apparently unappreciated by her family, slips out one morning, unnoticed, to freedom, but causes great pain at home. "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a swirling unharmonious cacophony of noises and images of a fairground or circus. "Within You Without You" remains the most solid piece of religious body of music to appear on a Beatles record, a five-minute chant of sitars, peace and love. "When I'm Sixty Four" is straightforward and loving, hoping that young couples now will remain married until the end. "Lovely Rita" is jangling, bouncy, happy, lovely. "Good Morning Good Morning", burdened with barnyard noises and guitar riffs that all mesh together amid a chorus of "good morning, good morning, yah, good morning, good morning, yah" The conclusion "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" wraps up the album and brings back memories, past circuses and Indian religion, to the beginnign of the concert, as Sgt Pepper's band waves a farewell to the audience.
  Then, as the final cheers are subdued,
  thus begins A Day In The Life.
  The most extraordinary song ever to be recorded, "A Day in the Life" is psychedelic, yet simple, a tornado of noise rising from nothing, from a black, empty nothingness to a hurricane of sounds, thoughts, emotions, images, all pounding, unstoppable, to the end of the world, until the very last sound in the swirling storm of music has penetrated the ear. Then, as the end of the world draws near, it suddenly booms one loud blast of triumph, as if to tell the world that is has thrived at least once. To end this swirling mess, a final blast is exerted from the tornado, to trail out, into silence. And as the experience comes to a close, as the adventure is dying, it waits in the silence, gaining power for one last stab aas greatness, but, wounded, it achieves only a blast of grotesque noise, disgusting, chilling, and dies out completely.
  
  

• Abbey Road
• Magical Mystery Tour
• Revolver [UK]
• Rubber Soul
• The Beatles (The White Album)