How Good Is Sgt Pepper?

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:03 pm

Interesting article in the latest Mojo magazine about the making and circumstances of the Beatles Sgt Pepper album. Often cited as the masterpiece or all masterpieces, album of forever etc etc, top of the NME greatest 100 albums of all time in 1974 completely absent from the same publications list 20 odd years later. I must admit I havent played it in a long time, and on taking a listen the first thing that struck me was Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane not being on it, my mind always just seems to attach those songs to the album, and Im still kinda shocked they didnt include them.

Its still a great album obviously, beautifully produced and engineered, and actually quite spacious, its not dense or layered at all, its more the choice of instruments and the sounds achieved that make it so wonderful to listen to, like the wonderous backing vocals on "Lovely Rita" which Id always regarded as fluff but is actually a great song, trivial lyric but great song, "Getting Better" is great too, though I think I like the more traditional version on the anthology than the bizarre mix on Pepper with the squawking horns, "Sixty Four" I can do without but its still brilliantly done, "Within You, Without You" I love, and the others , "Day in Life" etc are all classics.

So , not my favourite Beatles record, but I can see how it was a mindblower at the time, more because of the production, instrumentation and experimentation than any stellar leap in the level of songwriting or anything. However if you included "Fields" and "Penny Lane" then I think you could make a good case for being the best album ever.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With A Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
She's Leaving Home
Penny Lane
Within You Without You
Getting Better
Lovely Rita
Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!
Strawberry Fields Forever
Good Morning Good Morning
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
A Day In The Life

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 4:20 pm

.... and of course even the album cover is hard to beat.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:19 pm

I enjoy 'Pepper but I just can't seem to concentrate on it when I play it. The familiarity of the songs means that I have little to discover so my mind just seems to drift. The extracts used on the Love album did , however, leap out at me meaning , I presume , my sonic expectations just do not accept the current CD edition.

In 1987 , I seem to remember, the 20th anniversary fell on a Sunday. I remember lying in and playing the vinyl edition in full, having to hop out of bed to turn over the disc. In '97 I was so heartily sick of the 30th anniversary hoopla that I gave it a miss. Come this June maybe there will be a remastered edition. I can play the CD - and not have to get out of bed. Progress.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:31 pm

johnfoyle wrote:Come this June maybe there will be a remastered edition. I can play the CD - and not have to get out of bed. Progress.

But you have get up to program the tracklist in the right LP order... unless you can do so by remote.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 5:40 pm

But you have get up to program the tracklist in the right LP order... unless you can do so by remote.

My specially built rack system is designed to be within reach of slumbering position ; it's all part of my ongoing campaign to be an exceptionally self satisfied git.

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:52 am

I grew up with the Beatles and apart from individual songs such as A Hard Days Night (best opening chord ever put to vinyl), Ticket to Ride, Help, Love Me Do and so on, the first of their albums to leave a deep, lasting impression on me was Rubber Soul.

Sgt Peppers was a great album, but the album that had me more excited than any other, and the release that I anticipated more than any other (to this day, in fact) was the White album. If that had been condensed into a single album, it would have blown everything else away from then to this moment in time... a flawed masterpiece if ever there was one.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:13 am

I've got a lot of time for Sgt. Pepper. I know it is more fashionable to dig Revolver or Rubber Soul (and I play both far more frequently), but there's just something special about Pepper. I was born the day this was released in the US, but I feel like they really caught the sparkle of the times in the grooves in a way that doesn't sound terribly dated today. There's an energy to Sgt. Pepper that rewards repeated listenings even 40 years later.

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:50 am

Those of us in clinical physiology/medical devices hate the overuse of the word "Gold Standard". Everything seems to be, at some time, by some floating standard, the "Gold" Standard.

Sgt Pepper's is the gold standard reference that other pop/rock albums strive for. Brilliantly constructed studio albums where every fractal of every song contributes to the overall mosaic of a perfect listening experience. Fresh with time, better over time. Here are a few in that leaque for me. Not intended to be anything other than an "off-the-cuff" list of Sgt Peppers candidates.

Neil Young - Harvest
Who - Who's Next
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
Los Lobos - Kiko and the Lavender Moon
Richard Thompson - Rumour and Sigh
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Genesis - Trick of the Tail
Crosby Stills Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes debut album
Weather Report - Heavy Weather

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:10 am

Mr Average, I am glad to see that you have not included Dark Side of the Moon or any Queen albums (for some weird reason they always top the greatest albums of all time lists).

I would agree with most (not sure about Trick of the Tail - wasn't a fan of post Gabriel Genesis, and I am pretty sure this was the first such album?), and I would add to your list The Clash's London Calling, Hendrix's Electric Ladyland and possibly King Crimson's Court of the Crimson King (Fripp brought something so new and refreshing).

Mr. Average · Post by **Mr. Average** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:49 am

Cut "London Calling" by about 5 songs and it's on my list. Too many brilliant songs for one lp's worth of tunes. Too few for two lp's worth of tunes. And then Sandanista, which was too many, period.

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:22 pm

Best....album....ever!

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:19 am