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Revision as of 10:11, 12 January 2003

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band is a highly influential album by The Beatles. It was recorded over a 129 day period from December 6, 1966.

Sgt. Pepper is sometimes described as a concept album because the title song, which appears twice on the album, in slightly modified forms, seems to give an overall theme to the album. That song suggests that the record was really a concert by the resident band of the aforementioned club. However, the songs on the album are actually unrelated, and do not form an overarching theme, so in fact this is not a true concept album.

The album features elaborate musical arrangements (for instance, the clarinet ensemble on "When I'm Sixty-Four") and extensive use of studio effects. Many of these effects were the result of collaboration between the Beatles and their producer, George Martin. Other particularly well-remembered songs from the album include "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (a song describing a surreal dreamscape that became controversial as many believed that the words of the chorus were code for LSD, a claim John Lennon denied, instead claiming it was a picture drawn by his son, Julian. Julian, McCartney, Harrison and Starr back Lennon's story up. Starr even says he saw the picture).

This album in many ways represented the culmination of a period of experimentation in Beatles music that had begun with their album Rubber Soul two years earlier. Their followup album, Magical Mystery Tour contained songs that were stylistically similar to those of Sgt. Pepper (even including some songs that were recorded at Sgt. Pepper sessions.) After that, the Beatles begun to return to more conventional expressions of their music.

The packaging of the album was as stunning as the music. Designed by Peter Blake, it featured a colorful depictions of life-sized cardboard models of famous people on the front of the album cover; and, as a bow to the interest that Beatles lyrics inspired, the lyrics were printed on the back cover, which was a music first. The package was also the first gatefold album, that is, the album could be opened up like a book, to reveal a large picture of the Fab Four in costume against a yellow background. The album also came with a page of cut-outs, with a description in the top left corner:

SGT. PEPPER
CUT-OUTS
  1. Moustache
  2. Picture Card
  3. Stripes
  4. Badges
  5. Stand Up

People appearing on the cover include actress Mae West, comedian Lenny Bruce, comedian W. C. Fields, poet Edgar Allen Poe, actor Fred Astaire, singer Bob Dylan, poet Dylan Thomas, actor Tony Curtis, actress Marilyn Monroe, comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe, actor Marlon Brando, author George Bernard Shaw, author Lewis Carroll, child actress Shirley Temple, physicist Albert Einstein, and singer Elvis Presley. What seemed like a good idea to the Beatles, became a legal nightmare for EMI, who was faced with the job of contacting each of the living people that were to be represented on the cover for permission. Mae West nearly turned them down. Actor Leo Gorcey requested payment for inclusion on the cover, so the Beatles painted over his image and it does not appear on the cover.

The depiction of a guitar made out of hyacinths on the cover was made by a flower delivery boy who asked if he could help with the making of the artwork.

The cover was subsequently parodied by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in the cover art of their album We're Only In It For The Money.

When released, it was hailed as a masterpiece by critics, and still is still rated in many critical polls as one of the best albums ever recorded. Within days of its release, Jimi Hendrix was performing the title track in concert.

The album won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Album for 1967

File:Pepper's.jpg

All songs by Lennon/McCartney except "Within You Without You", by Harrison.

  1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band SAMPLE (121k)
  2. With a Little Help from My Friends
  3. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds SAMPLE (99k)
  4. Getting Better
  5. Fixing a Hole
  6. She's Leaving Home
  7. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
  8. Within You Without You
  9. When I'm Sixty-Four SAMPLE (114k)
  10. Lovely Rita
  11. Good Morning
  12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
  13. A Day in the Life SAMPLE (178k)

The celebrities and items featured on the front cover are: