Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Review
This album has become like a "museum piece" because of the way people talk about it with such reverence. Unfortunately this means that not enough people are focusing on what makes the album special in the first place: the music. This article is an attempt to take this album out of the museum and into the ears by focusing on it's music instead of it's "historical significance."
01. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - This is a brilliant way to start the album and it really sets the mood for the entire thing. The "concept" of the album is really quite loose, without this song there is no concept album! One thing I really dig about this song is the crazy horns section. Can you imagine many "rock bands" of today having the imagination to include something like that in their song?
02. "With a Little Help from my Friends" - I much prefer this original Beatles version over the completely over the top Joe Cocker version that is probably more famous at this point (mostly because it was used as the theme song to the very popular Wonder Years TV show.) To me it's the perfect song for Ringo to sing and of course John & Paul wrote it specifically for Ringo. It fits like a glove. What a brilliant song.
03. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - Now that the original mono version is available easily (with the release of The Beatles in Mono Box Set) it's great to be able to hear what this album sounds like in mono (how it was "meant to be heard" originally.) And the heavy vocal effects on this song is probably one of the more interesting things about the mono mixes for me.
04. "Getting Better" - This song so perfectly encapsulates the sound of this album and what it's all about to me.
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" - More great lyrics from Paul McCartney. What a gorgeous song too. Paul was definitely at the top of his game in 1967.
07. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" - How brilliant is it that these lyrics were taken entirely from an 1800s circus poster that Lennon came across? I believe a big part of real genius is being able to be inspired by things that most people wouldn't notice. This is a good example of that.
08. "Within You Without You" - This is a song that gets a lot of hate by a lot of people and that makes me sad. It makes me feel like they don't really "get it." This song is an essential part of what makes this album so brilliant.
09. "When I'm 64" - Check out this song sequencing. We went from a 1800s circus to India to do some meditating and now we're enjoying ourselves this very tongue in cheek music hall number. So many differnet styles of music are explored on this album, and they are all done brilliantly.
10. "Lovely Rita" - I definitely enjoy this song as well but I must say that I do think tracks #10 and #11 are the least interesting tracks on the album.
11. "Good Morning Good Morning" - My least favorite song on the album. Yet I still think it's pretty great at times and it has some very interesting elements. I think that says a lot about how much I love this album.
12. "Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)" - This one is even better than the album opener. It rocks something fierce!
13. "A Day in the Life" - The greatest song ever. - 23815
01. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - This is a brilliant way to start the album and it really sets the mood for the entire thing. The "concept" of the album is really quite loose, without this song there is no concept album! One thing I really dig about this song is the crazy horns section. Can you imagine many "rock bands" of today having the imagination to include something like that in their song?
02. "With a Little Help from my Friends" - I much prefer this original Beatles version over the completely over the top Joe Cocker version that is probably more famous at this point (mostly because it was used as the theme song to the very popular Wonder Years TV show.) To me it's the perfect song for Ringo to sing and of course John & Paul wrote it specifically for Ringo. It fits like a glove. What a brilliant song.
03. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - Now that the original mono version is available easily (with the release of The Beatles in Mono Box Set) it's great to be able to hear what this album sounds like in mono (how it was "meant to be heard" originally.) And the heavy vocal effects on this song is probably one of the more interesting things about the mono mixes for me.
04. "Getting Better" - This song so perfectly encapsulates the sound of this album and what it's all about to me.
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" - More great lyrics from Paul McCartney. What a gorgeous song too. Paul was definitely at the top of his game in 1967.
07. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" - How brilliant is it that these lyrics were taken entirely from an 1800s circus poster that Lennon came across? I believe a big part of real genius is being able to be inspired by things that most people wouldn't notice. This is a good example of that.
08. "Within You Without You" - This is a song that gets a lot of hate by a lot of people and that makes me sad. It makes me feel like they don't really "get it." This song is an essential part of what makes this album so brilliant.
09. "When I'm 64" - Check out this song sequencing. We went from a 1800s circus to India to do some meditating and now we're enjoying ourselves this very tongue in cheek music hall number. So many differnet styles of music are explored on this album, and they are all done brilliantly.
10. "Lovely Rita" - I definitely enjoy this song as well but I must say that I do think tracks #10 and #11 are the least interesting tracks on the album.
11. "Good Morning Good Morning" - My least favorite song on the album. Yet I still think it's pretty great at times and it has some very interesting elements. I think that says a lot about how much I love this album.
12. "Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)" - This one is even better than the album opener. It rocks something fierce!
13. "A Day in the Life" - The greatest song ever. - 23815
About the Author:
The Beatles In Mono Box includes the original mono mix of Sgt. Pepper's. The Beatles In Stereo includes all of The Beatles albums in remastered stereo.
posted by X - Men at
12:54 AM
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