I think because of the massive amount of attention that is given to this album's so called "historical significance" that sometimes not enough attention is given to the music itself. I hope to correct that imbalance with this review which focuses entirely on the album's 13 tracks.
01. "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - The album starts off with this brilliant Paul McCartney rocker (he wrote it, sang lead, and even played the lead guitar part) which really sets the mood (and the "concept") for the entire album. I love how the song intersperses pretty heavy rock with the somewhat ridiculous horn sections. The imagination displayed in this music is really overwhelming. I can imagine people who have grown up listening to the drab obvious music of "rock bands" like Nickelback being very confused by what's going on in this music as they've never really been introduced to imagination or creativity in music before. But if they can get over that initial confusion, I think they will begin to understand the possibilities of what music can be.
02. "With a Little Help from my Friends" - The perfect song for Ringo Starr to sing. John Lennon & Paul McCartney wrote this song together specifically for Ringo to sing which I think makes the great lyrics all that much greater (think of them in that context.)
03. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - One of the bands most famous songs. This is a great one to listen to in mono (you have to get The Beatles in Mono Box Set) because it sounds so much different in mono than it does in stereo. There's a lot more effect on the vocal in mono!
04. "Getting Better" - This may just be the song I most commonly think of when I think of the Sgt. Pepper album. I'm not quite sure why that's the case, but it is! To me this song defines the spirit of the album very well.
05. "Fixing a Hole" - I love this kind of more subtle psychedelia. And yes, this is a very psychedelic song. And how about those lyrics? Anyone who doesn't think McCartney could write lyrics should pay close attention to these.
06. "She's Leaving Home" - This song is very interesting to hear in mono because it's actually sped up (and thus pitched up) in the mono mix. It has a lot more energy that way. Definitely worth a listen!
07. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" - I think my favorite part of this song is the cut up tape section where it sounds like sort of insane random carnival music.
08. "Within You Without You" - Speaking of "far out" how about we go all the way to India? Some people don't like this song because it doesn't fit with their preconceived notions of what music is supposed to sound like. To me this song is brilliant because of that very reason. We shouldn't limit ourselves.
09. "When I'm 64" - Some people don't seem to get how "tongue in cheek" this song is. McCartney loved to mess around with different musical styles in this way. In fact I think Ween sort of ripped off their whole shtick from Paul McCartney. Listen to McCartney's "fruity" songs (as George Harrison called them sometimes) from the perspective of Ween doing them and I think maybe they'll click.
10. "Lovely Rita" - In an album filled with stand-out tracks, this one is probably somewhat forgettable in comparison. Of course it's still a great song.
11. "Good Morning Good Morning" - There's some interesting time changes in this one. I also love the Jimi Hendrix style guitar leads by Paul McCartney.
12. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" - This song, of course, ties together the whole album by linking us back to the first song. It gives the impression that everything we've been hearing (even though it's all of these wildly different styles) has been a part of one big performance by this fictional band.
13. "A Day in the Life" - The greatest song ever.
01. "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - The album starts off with this brilliant Paul McCartney rocker (he wrote it, sang lead, and even played the lead guitar part) which really sets the mood (and the "concept") for the entire album. I love how the song intersperses pretty heavy rock with the somewhat ridiculous horn sections. The imagination displayed in this music is really overwhelming. I can imagine people who have grown up listening to the drab obvious music of "rock bands" like Nickelback being very confused by what's going on in this music as they've never really been introduced to imagination or creativity in music before. But if they can get over that initial confusion, I think they will begin to understand the possibilities of what music can be.
02. "With a Little Help from my Friends" - The perfect song for Ringo Starr to sing. John Lennon & Paul McCartney wrote this song together specifically for Ringo to sing which I think makes the great lyrics all that much greater (think of them in that context.)
03. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - One of the bands most famous songs. This is a great one to listen to in mono (you have to get The Beatles in Mono Box Set) because it sounds so much different in mono than it does in stereo. There's a lot more effect on the vocal in mono!
04. "Getting Better" - This may just be the song I most commonly think of when I think of the Sgt. Pepper album. I'm not quite sure why that's the case, but it is! To me this song defines the spirit of the album very well.
05. "Fixing a Hole" - I love this kind of more subtle psychedelia. And yes, this is a very psychedelic song. And how about those lyrics? Anyone who doesn't think McCartney could write lyrics should pay close attention to these.
06. "She's Leaving Home" - This song is very interesting to hear in mono because it's actually sped up (and thus pitched up) in the mono mix. It has a lot more energy that way. Definitely worth a listen!
07. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" - I think my favorite part of this song is the cut up tape section where it sounds like sort of insane random carnival music.
08. "Within You Without You" - Speaking of "far out" how about we go all the way to India? Some people don't like this song because it doesn't fit with their preconceived notions of what music is supposed to sound like. To me this song is brilliant because of that very reason. We shouldn't limit ourselves.
09. "When I'm 64" - Some people don't seem to get how "tongue in cheek" this song is. McCartney loved to mess around with different musical styles in this way. In fact I think Ween sort of ripped off their whole shtick from Paul McCartney. Listen to McCartney's "fruity" songs (as George Harrison called them sometimes) from the perspective of Ween doing them and I think maybe they'll click.
10. "Lovely Rita" - In an album filled with stand-out tracks, this one is probably somewhat forgettable in comparison. Of course it's still a great song.
11. "Good Morning Good Morning" - There's some interesting time changes in this one. I also love the Jimi Hendrix style guitar leads by Paul McCartney.
12. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" - This song, of course, ties together the whole album by linking us back to the first song. It gives the impression that everything we've been hearing (even though it's all of these wildly different styles) has been a part of one big performance by this fictional band.
13. "A Day in the Life" - The greatest song ever.
About the Author:
Buy The Beatles Mono Box Set in order to hear the original mono mix of Sgt. Pepper's. The Beatles In Stereo includes all of The Beatles albums in remastered stereo.
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