Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, oh boy.
 

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Track Listing

1. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" – 2:04
2. "With a Little Help from My Friends" – 2:46
3. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" – 3:30
4. "Getting Better" – 2:49
5. "Fixing a Hole" – 2:38
6. "She's Leaving Home" – 3:37
7. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" – 2:37
8. "Within You Without You" (George Harrison) – 5:07
9. "When I'm Sixty-Four" – 2:37
10. "Lovely Rita" – 2:44
11. "Good Morning Good Morning" – 2:43
12. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)" – 1:20
13. "A Day in the Life" – 5:33

On June 1st, 1967, the mop tops had forever shed their squeaky clean image and now journeyed into the realm of psychedelia. The media dubs the summer of 1967 “The Summer Of Love.” The whole thing was probably exaggerated, but regardless, The Beatles officially ushered it in, with the release of this record.

One of my favorite features of this album is a thing I call the “Sgt. Pepper Beat.” It’s not really a “beat”, at times it is, but you’ll notice this whole album has the same upbeat mood, even if the song has an orchestra, or if it has only a few instruments like Fixing A Hole, it still has this mood or beat that’s hard to put a finger on, it’s not like the previous upbeat Beatles, of I Saw Her Standing There, it’s more free, more like it’s floating. Places where I found this
1. “With A Little Help From My Friends”: YouTube - The Beatles - With a little help from my friends
2. “Fixing A Hole”: YouTube - The Beatles - Fixing a Hole
3. “Getting Better”: YouTube - The Beatles - Getting Better

Those three songs are the best example of the beat and mood I’m talking about. In the other songs it’s more subtle, but nevertheless there. It’s one of the things that makes this album simply lovely.

The album opens with a crowd, probably the quietest crowd any of The Beatles have had in the last five years. It’s a fake crowd, Paul came up with the concept of an album that went on tour by itself, so they wouldn’t have to. He got the idea from Elvis, who at the time had his golden Cadillac on tour, and people paid money to see it. He came up with the idea that The Beatles weren’t actually The Beatles and were this fictitious band. This theme was abandoned by the third song, but was reintroduced with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise). During this album, pay attention to Ringo’s drumming:

-Al Kooper

To me, there aren’t really any weak spots on this album. The song I like the least is When I’m 64, but other people really like that song, and I like it too, but you have to be in a certain mood for it. This album has one of my favorite songs of all time: A Day In The Life.

Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane and Hello Goodbye were recorded during the same sessions Sgt. Pepper’s was. It’s a shame they aren’t on the album. Their additions would have usurped Revolver as my favorite Beatles album. This is an essential album in rock history, and a must-listen.

Paul wrote When I'm 64 years ago, probably why you don't like it.

Good review, and "When I'm Sixty Four" is one of the best things Paul ever wrote. The structure is ingenious, the ideas as usual well ahead of their time. And they are some of Paul's better lyrics, too.

Yeah in his teens if I remember correctly.

I think when he was 19, 20 years old.

I'm going to be cliche and say A Day in the Life is my favorite song off of this. Good review.

I definitely know what you mean by the Sgt. Pepper beat... I can hear it in those songs.

And my favourite song off the album is probably With a Little Help from My Friends. It takes on a different meaning when you consider that Ringo is singing it... and I guess it's just special to me. First Beatles song I learned on bass as well. And A Day in the Life and Lovely Rita are probably my other favourites.

St. Peppers is my favorite Beatles album, and With A Little Help from My Friends is my favorite Beatles song ever (beside Octopuses Garden)

But yeah, really great review

I take it you're a Ringo fan.

It figures, Octopuses Garden is probably my least favorite song on Abbey Road.

It was written in the Beatles' Cavern Club days by Paul (so early 60s), BUT clearly it underwent many changes and the arrangements and lyrics were all substantially modified and perfected before being recorded for Sgt Pepper, to the point that it's hard to believe it was ever in the form of an early Beatles' number. To add to that, numerous experimental ideas were thrown in (for example not even singing the first quater of the first bridge such that it was only implied, which always felt weirdly disorientating), the use of clarinet, and the general comedy of the bells. On the contrary, it sounds manifestly like a later Paul number rather than something that came earlier. And is one of the cleverest later songs he did.

I think the main offender as far as Ringo songs go has to be 'Don't Pass Me By' on the White Album. It's just so mediocre... at least Octopus' Garden has that intro.

oh yeah and what is it they're singing at the beginning of 'With A Little Help...'? I always thought it sounded like 'give me cheese'...

Do 'Magical Mystery Tour' next please Mr. Moore, I demand it! 'There's a fog upon L.A...'

They are introducing a guy, Billy Shears, the "singer" of the band. Many conspiracy theorists see connections to the supposed death of Paul McCartney to that, since the supposed guy replacing him was a guy named William. Worked as a police officer in Canada, won a Paul look-a-like contest. This connects to a line in She Came In Through The Bathroom Window on Abbey Road, "And so I quit the police department, and got myself a steady job." Anyway, I'm rambling.

"So let me introduce to you, the one and only Billy Shears, of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band........Biiiiilllllyyy Sheeeeaarrrrs"

The Paul dying thing is possibly the most stupid thing of all time.

The fact that originally Strawberry Fields along with Penny Lane was slated to be included on the album only would have added to it's legendary status. The British Press had proclaimed the Beatles official void of ideas because it had been awhile since anything had come from them, but all was reveled upon their Historic short films of Strawberry Fields along with Penny Lane which debuted on Ed Sullivan. I believe that he said the Beatles can not be with us this evening due to them working on a new album, but they have sent us a couple of new songs to play! In my opinion Sgt. Pepper is the greatest pop album of all time.