Depending in which country you live, (but let’s not be picky) the most famous album of all time was unleashed on the world by The Beatles. Of course, it was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album had everything, beginning with the music – 13 stellar tracks flowing from one to another with no breaks (except to turn the ‘record’ over). The iconic cover photo announcing their arrival, the lyrics on the back cover (a first), cutouts, and a final chord for the ages. It affected Jimi Hendrix so much that he learned the title track and performed it that weekend in a London club where Paul was in the audience. Johnny Rivers wrote Summer Rain, which include the line “Everybody kept on playing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. She’s Leaving Home made parents cry (and fans, too). And what was that strange sounding song that opened side two – Within You Without You? George was bold enough to write and record it and The Beatles were bold enough to include it on the disc. It only single handedly opened up the entire Western World to a ‘new’ Eastern World sound and culture that is still being felt today. And what about A Day In The Life. It was John and Paul at the height of creativity. By 1965, John & Paul were pretty much writing their own songs with each helping the other to make them better. But not this one. This was a 50/50 effort, John’s melody and lyrics from the day’s headlines, Paul’s middle and the orchestral crescendos in the middle and end of the song. It was the two greatest songwriters of all time collaborating again and it was breathtaking. I am listening to the album right now. Go ahead, have a listen. Oh, the memories!
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Maybe the most important album ever, along with “Revolver” and “Rubber Soul”! One thing though: Johnny Rivers recorded “Summer Rain”, But Jimi Hendrix wrote it. Just another example of how much influence it had on him. Also, I recall that in an interview Pete Townshend said that the first time he heard the Sgt Pepper’s album, he was “devastated”. But, it inspired him to write “Tommy”, and Roger Waters attempt to make “his own” Sgt. Peppers resulted in “Dark Side of the Moon”
i listen often to this great album…until the remasters of 2009 i had never heard pepper in mono only…oh my god….now i really understand why the fabs were pissed about the stereo release ,as that is amazing in its own right…but my friends MONO wins by a mile….still the recording that changed the way albums are recorded…….
The very first time I heard Sargeant Pepper was at a friends house in 1967. He played it and refrained from showing me the cover . I had to guess who it was and failed at that. What a surprise it was to know it was The Beatles. They never let up with surprises . So many years later it still rings in my mind.A splendid time is still guaranteed for all.
I was a few days shy from turning 12 when ‘Pepper’ was released. I remember first hearing the LP at my girlfriend’s house. Her older brother had just purchased it and as we listened we followed along with the lyrics printed on the back cover. It was an audio-visual experience. There was so much to see just by looking at Peter Blake’s iconic cover. Initially, we were surprised by how they looked. The mop tops were wearing mustaches and longer hair. Their clothes and music oozed psychedelia and we were transfixed by it all. It was so different then anything we were listening to and we loved it. Hmmm … we were listening to the Beatles but they were now identified as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and Ringo was Billy Shears! Now , that was different.
Listening to ‘Pepper’ today is just as wonderful. It’s as new & fresh as it was in June of 1967. It is a timeless wonder and a true testament to their endless talent!
I remember my mom having the “red” and “blue” album growing up (I was born in ’71). When I was old enough to run the turntable, I perused my folks vinyl. I liked to look at the Sgt. Pepper cover. I also put the “blue” 1967-70 on all the time and played “A Day in the life” over and over. I finally realized that song was on the record “with the neat cover”. I was blown away from the guitar riff at the start of the album to the much longer run-out of “A day in the life” on the second side. Still resonates with me…
My favorite Beatles single is “Penny Lane”/”Strawberry Fields”. These 2 songs were intended for ‘Pepper’. If they HAD been on the album would 2 songs not have been included? Which 2? WOW!!
Like many families, we got our first color TV in the mid-60s. For me, that’s what hearing “Sgt. Pepper” was like … it transformed a black-and-white world into color. I’m glad that the Beatles didn’t take Brian Epstein’s advice about using plain paper bags for the packaging.
My favourite album of ALL TIMES….I never tire of listening to these songs. The influence of this Beatle album has been so enormous on everyone in music.
One of the first albums I bought when I got my first record player. I just fell in love with the colorful cover, and loved each and every note of every song, with Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds being my absolute favorite!
I had a recording from a radio broadcast aired in February 1967 by Murray the K of the entire album. Being a guitar player , I had learned mst of the album by the time it was released in June. I was privileged
to have enjoyed the record at least 4 months before most. It was a crude cassette recording but I could not
stop playing it over and over. Hard to believe it has been 45 years, and people will still believe it to be
great in 100 years from now.
Oh, my gosh, the memories! My friends, my brother (not a Beatles’s fan at the time) and myself literally wore out 2 copies of Sgt. Pepper during the summer of ’67. We were totally blown away with the concept of this album as well as the music and the lyrics. We gathered daily, smoked a little weed, and let the Beatles take us to a place we’d never been before. It was indeed a magical time in our lives. And since my brother, and some of those friends are deceased, the memories of that summer are even more cherished and will live on forever in my heart. How do I thank these four lads from Liverpool? I wish I knew how. They have given me so, so much!
Thank you John, Paul, George, and Ringo. I will love you always.
To whom it may concern:I still have my Sgt. Pepper LP and everything that came with it. I went to Music City, Southside Plz. came home and played it on my GE record player over and over. I can’t believe Paul will be 70 on 6/18!!! I can’t believe I’m 59 either. It makes me sad we’re getting old. I wish I was 12 again. Beatle Forever!!!!
The summer of 1967 was a great one for popular music. The Beatles and the Beach Boys both had ground-breaking albums out (“Sgt. Pepper” released in June 1967, and “Pet Sounds,” released in Fall 1966, respectively.) The local radio station, Big WAYS, took advantage of the rivalry and created a “Beatles vs. Beach Boys” contest. If you were the lucky 3rd caller, you were supposed to predict who would be “knocking at the door:” the Beatles or the Beach Boys. If you guessed correctly, you won an album from the group that was ‘at the door.’
My best friend and neighbor played the game and won, by correctly guessing that the Beatles were at the door. The prize was a copy of “Sgt. Pepper” – but she had already bought a copy for herself. She generously gave me the copy she won. I instantly fell in love with the album, and played it incessantly all summer long. I learned as many songs as I could on my guitar, and sang along with all of them. I basically memorized the entire album, and to this day, I hear the songs from that album in the correct key in my brain.
Sadly, my friend who gave me the album died suddenly from an illness at the end of January this year. I went to her memorial service, and told the story of the Beatles album that I would not have owned if not for her generosity. Rest in peace, Marguerite. You gave me a gift that continues to enrich my life.
I was about 15 and my father worked for a radio station so I got a promo copy before almost anypne in DC…BLEW ME AWAY and still does. My Fav LP
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band by the Beatles is truly not just the greatest Beatles album of all time. It is the greatest Rock and Roll album of all time. It ushered in the Summer of Love back in 1967. It is a great album to have and own. I have it on both vinyl and on compact disc. I would love to go to a garage sale and find the Apple version. This was the Beatles masterpiece. I have had a few debates about what was the greatest Beatles album of all time. In my opinion Sergeant Pepper was surely the greatest Beatles album of them all. This is rock and roll history right here. It won countless grammies including Album of The Year. It was at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Album charts for almost twenty weeks. This is the rock album of all great rock albums that made history. The Beatles had lots of competition from the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, the Doors, the Byrds, the Monkees, the Beach Boys, The Who, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin and of course the Rolling Stones with Their Santanic Majesties Request. Let’s not forget Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention had a take off on this great album called “We’re Only In It For the Money”.
I HAVE TO share this w/you! In 1989 I obtained my first personal license plate: DAYNLFE — in HONOR of John and his incredible songwriting skills!! I still have it today … on my brand new black 370Z Roadster convertible!! And … I will NEVER give it up!!! I also have another personalized plate on my 1978 280Z: NWERMAN … again, in HONOR of John! I miss him
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! To me, his 2 greatest songs were: IMAGINE & A DAY IN THE LIFE! I’m fully aware of Paul’s part of that song … BUT … John was their heart/soul … and … the primary reason The Beatles are the GREATEST band of ALL-TIME!!!
Gosh, is it really 45 years ago already that this fantastic album was recorded??? Funny, despite its somewhat tarnished dating, due primarily to the period of time that it was made, it certainly doesn’t sound that way. If you look at the album only on the surface and forget the time it came out, it sounds as fresh and new as if it was recorded yesterday. It’s a shame that the album is almost forgotten by this contemporary audiance, the non-Beatle fan. They are missing a true masterpiece…and that word…any word…could never do it justice. Whether the Beatles were fired by the substances they were taking or not, this album is as creative as anything they ever did. And I have to laugh at those who say it is not a real rocker. That opening electric guitar riff to the title track is as good as anything anybody ever did. But above and beyond all this, the album became the anthem for the counter-culture. And in years since its release, it’s become the yardstick to which all other albums are compared. I could go on and on about the impact of the album to me. It formed the basis of many of the beliefs I hold true to this day. That is…that love is ours if we really want it…that is what the Beatles seem to be saying throughout the recording. Some felt the Beatles got too lofty with it all, even George Martin felt they were going over the top. Even the Beatles themselves were unsure if the record would succeed. Many questioned what the Beatles were trying to say with the album, but to me it was obvious. We have the power to make the world a better place…but it’s all up to us. I still recall the first day I listened to the whole album. It was late at night and I was virtually sleeping and I just let my mind wander along with the music. It was then that the ideas came to me like turning on a lightbulb. I was totally blown away. From that day, Sgt Pepper was practically like my Bible. For the Beatles, it was a difficult time recording this album. They had just stopped touring and devoted themselves to the studio. They had encountered many of their first criticisms. It came right on the heels of John’s famous Jesus statement, and the Beatles were anxious to confound their critics and rebound with a new recording, and prove that they truly were more than anyone knew. And this album certainly proved that to say the least. The Beatles totally outdid themselves, and from then on, they would never be called that moptop quartet from Liverpool. From this one album, they became true icons, great musicians, bigger than life, and entered rock history as the greatest rock band in history.
Sgt.Pepper was the most anticipated record release ever. I was almost 16 and I recall going to the local record store to see if it was in yet(we did not know name of LP at time). In late April,1967, a rock station in boston called WMEX somehow obtained an early release of ‘A Day in The Life’. I was just blown away by the song. That song (as was the entire album when we finally heard it) was just so different and great.
Legend has it that after Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys heard it, he decided he could never top it and gave up trying. When the LP was released in June, I played it on my family’s stereo day after day. It was everywhere that whole summer.