“Sgt Peppers” was perhaps the most experimental album by The Beatles ever. Fans have called the album an Avant-Garde trip; some even call it the first alternative album. Whatever it was, I remember listening to it over and over again on our old Gerard record player till such time the grooves on the disc became almost flat. As I grew older the whole album became a dear possession of mine and I can vividly recall the long afternoons spent listening to it and trying to figure out the lyrics and enjoying the melodious interludes.
Lets treat the review of this album a wee bit differently. After all we attempt to dissect The Beatles. Amen to that.
Track 01: Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
The title track of this epochal album was a fine McCartney number using – in addition to the Beatles’ musical line up – four French Horn players (overdubbed), various sound effects, ranging from the band warming up, to applause and terrific McCartney vocals.
Track 02: With A Little Help From My Friends
This song was written by John and Paul especially for Ringo (originally titled ‘Bad Finger Boogie’) contained more sound effects like audience applause from the band’s Hollywood Bowl concert recordings. Went on to become a huge hit.
Track 03: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Co-Incidental reference to LSD (the initials), which was taken up by many groups as the band advocating the notorious drug. John was inspired to write this song after seeing a painting of his then almost four-year-old son Julian. It is more a Lennon Musical vision of Alice in Wonderland. The song has an ethereal quality and imaginative https://lyrics.
Track 04: Getting Better
A fine Paul McCartney song with little help from John Lennon. Recording includes a tamboura played by Harrison.
Track 05: Fixing A Hole
Another song that was attacked as having a reference to drug use. Paul denied this saying it was actually about ’’the hole in your personal make-up’’. Fine vocals.
Track 06: She’s Leaving Home
A great ballad written by Paul. An orchestrated track, it was written around a newspaper story about a girl who runs away from home to find excitement. There is no Beatles music in this song however. Ten outside musicians were recruited to play violins, violas, cellos, double-bass and a harp, and apart from Paul’s lead vocal the only other Beatle present is John, who joins Paul for occasional backing.
Track 07: Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite
This is also known as the poster song, due to the lyrics being an almost exact copy of an 1843 circus poster. This is a very visual track aided by the swirly sounding steam organ.
Track 08: Within You Without You
Composed by Harrison, this was a deep moving, philosophical song when he was exposed to Indian Mysticism. Contains a variety of Indian instruments that were played by the Asian Music Circle, North London.
Track 09: When I’m Sixty-Four
Written by McCartney as a tribute to his father, this too is a happy sing-along type of song. Quite peppy and very much like the stuff they used to churn out.
Track 10: Lovely Rita
This is said to have been influenced by a chance meeting with a London traffic warden, although the finished song leans towards the seduction of a woman in uniform. Composed by Paul and had more sound effects. Typical raunchy Beatles number, groovy and hummable.
Track 11: Good Morning Good Morning
Written by Lennon. This was all about being bored of the same old routine. Also said to have been influenced by an advertisement for Cornflakes!! Has a nice ring to it.
Track 12: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
The quickest and technically simplest song of the album. One of their best songs.
Track 13: A Day In The Life
A momentous recording in every way, melding riveting Lennon lyrics and a contrasting yet perfectly applicable verse penned by Paul McCartney to two superb and effective orchestral buildups and a seemingly everlasting coda - the long, long crashing piano and harmonium chord which slowly evaporates into silence and the end of the album.
In conclusion, as a piece of music, ’Sgt. Peppers’ is a masterpiece. It ceases to grow old and one can listen to it time and time again. In an authorised biography of The Beatles it was mentioned that individually they weren’t great musicians but as a group they had an amazing presence both as live and as recording artists. The song-writing prowess of John and Paul couple with George Martin (earlier Brian Epstein) they single-handedly changed the way music was played and recorded. All this experimentation with sound et al were not only the result of the fertile imagination of The Beatles but also their producer Martin, who inspite of their tantrums and the apparent Bad Boy image went all the way to record it with whatever equipment that was available.
This album captures the stormy 60’s effectively like no other has done before. It brings with it the whole atmosphere of the times that changed a whole generation of people and inspired many more and still does. It is nostalgic, whenever we listen to it it transports us back to the time that was. Truly it takes us where no other has taken us ever. It still remains one of the best Beatles albums I have ever experienced.
Quoting Aerosmith (and their latest debacle) Just Push Play.