It was 40 years ago today . . .

[DarkHippie]

Today is the 40th anniversary of the release of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 40 years later and this album is still amazing. I dont think its the beatles best album, but to me this album is the border where oldies end and classic rock begins. Its a landmark to say the least.

[FezPaul]

It sucks.

[spot]

It sucks.
It does not..

[FezPaul]

It does not..

It does.

[DarkHippie]

the production on it is amazing

[FezPaul]

If by production you mean cheesiness.

[spot]

Pipe down, Rush-boy.

While I prefer Rubber Soul, it's still a masterpiece.

[DarkHippie]

If by production you mean cheesiness.

What seems hokey now was mind blowing 40 years ago. like movie special effects, look at some old sci fi shows. its the same thing

edit: i think rubber soul is their best album too

[FezPaul]

Revolver.

[Hottub]

I'll still go with Abbey Road, but yes, Sgt. Pepper was a milestone.
Probably the first to bridge singles to AOR.

I also remember Munni doing a huge production on the "Twenty years ago, today" anniversary. That show pre-dates Earl.

[Gvac]

Me no likey.

Yuckie poo poo.

[Hottub]

But, G! They are doing a huge thing on XM 6 and...


Oh. Nevermind.

[mikeyboy]

It's certainly not the perfect album that many make it out to be, especially since "Good Morning Good Morning" is one of the most grating songs in the history of music.

[DarkHippie]

It's certainly not the perfect album that many make it out to be, especially since "Good Morning Good Morning" is one of the most grating songs in the history of music.

Maybe, but 'she's leaving home' always makes me wanna cry

[midwestjeff]

Track Listings
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
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
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life


it's not that often that one finds an album that strong from top to bottom. 5 or 6 classic songs. (yeah, i'm counting rita, personally i find it terrific)

[Hottub]

Jesus! Everyone's a critic now. For that period of time 40 fucking years ago, this was a breakthrough "Album". Not a collection of singles looking to get top 40 play and Payola. An Album.

And Mikey, you are going to discount this piece because "Good Morning" annoys you? Here's the rest of it. I'll let the music do the talking.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
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
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning "Song Mikey doesn't like."
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life

[midwestjeff]

hottub, would you please get out of my head? it's hard enough dealing with the other voices, let alone board members too!

[Hottub]

Put down that beer Jeff. Haven't you had enough tonight? Oh, and scrub it toilet. It stinks.

[mikeyboy]

Jesus! Everyone's a critic now. For that period of time 40 fucking years ago, this was a breakthrough "Album". Not a collection of singles looking to get top 40 play and Payola. An Album.

And Mikey, you are going to discount this piece because "Good Morning" annoys you? Here's the rest of it. I'll let the music do the talking.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
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
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning "Song Mikey doesn't like."
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life

Yeah, I know. I was looking at it as an album. A truly great album is pretty consistent from song to song and works as a cohesive whole. This album never had that for me. In my mind there are two really great songs, a handful of pretty good ones, and a few spots where it sputters and stalls (especially the aforementioned "Good Morning Good Morning"). I understand the impact in 1967 in songwriting, production and packaaging, but I don't think it has aged as well as people would have hoped. In the late sixties, it was often chosen as the greatest album of all time, but that has slipped over time, and it's rarely even thought of as the best Beatles album. I just don't think it's the monument that it was once considered.

[Hottub]

Fair enough. You are indeed entitled to your opinion. What would you consider a groundbreaking album? Especially for 1967. Remember you have a couple of years to wait for Tommy, Pet Sounds, etc. Take a look at the album releases for '67 and find something that even comes close.

BTW, I already mentioned Abbey Road and Let It Be as superior albums. But later than '67.

[FezPaul]

http://hendrix.free.fr/disco/aye3-g.jpg

[FezPaul]

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/2724/CoverPiper.jpg

[Hottub]

Nicely played FP.

Here is a link (http://www.oldielyrics.com/1967.html)to 67 releases. After looking at it, there are a couple of good ones.
Don't even mention that steaming pile of stool, "Piper"

[mikeyboy]

Fair enough. You are indeed entitled to your opinion. What would you consider a groundbreaking album? Especially for 1967. Remember you have a couple of years to wait for Tommy, Pet Sounds, etc. Take a look at the album releases for '67 and find something that even comes close.

BTW, I already mentioned Abbey Road and Let It Be as superior albums. But later than '67.

I don't question the groundbreaking nature of it. It truly was. I just think that the "groundbreaking" nature of it somewhat overshadowed the actual songs, and once the dust settled 40 years later, and the impact and influence of the release has been absorbed into popular music, the album can be better assessed for what it is at its core. As a cycle of songs, it isn't as strong as it probably could be or really should be, given the reverence that the album is given by many, and given the fact that it is the Beatles -- the group that really did change music.

[docgoblin]

Fair enough. You are indeed entitled to your opinion. What would you consider a groundbreaking album? Especially for 1967. Remember you have a couple of years to wait for Tommy, Pet Sounds, etc. Take a look at the album releases for '67 and find something that even comes close.

BTW, I already mentioned Abbey Road and Let It Be as superior albums. But later than '67.

Pet Sounds actually came out before Sgt. Pepper (May ,1966 to be exact), and it shook the Beatles to the core...It affected them to the point that they knew they'd better get Pepper out before Brian Wilson could really bury them. Luckily for them Wilson started to go nuts as he was producing Smile or he would have trumped Sgt. Pepper BIG TIME! Having said that... Pepper is a classic album and after listening through it today It deserves all the tributes it's being given. I personally prefer The White Album and Abbey Road myself.

[Hottub]

Thank you, Doc. I stand corrected on Pet Sounds. Did Disralli Gears also beat Pepper?
You must forgive me. I was still pooping in my diapers when this all came down.

[Bob Impact]

It's certainly not the perfect album that many make it out to be, especially since "Good Morning Good Morning" is one of the most grating songs in the history of music.

Can I make you my favorite, or will me being your favorite and you being my favorite create a rift in the space time continuum.

This is the single most overrated album in the history of music.

[Hottub]

Bob. Maybe you missed the beginning of this discussion.

1967
40 years ago!!!!!

[burrben]

um

http://musik.antville.org/static/musik/images/velvetunderground-velvetundergroundandnico.jpg

[DarkHippie]

Thank you, Doc. I stand corrected on Pet Sounds. Did Disralli Gears also beat Pepper?
You must forgive me. I was still pooping in my diapers when this all came down.

pet sounds, yes
disraeli gears, no (not that it isnt great)

[Fat_Sunny]

Um, Excuse F_S, But We Already Had A Perfectly Good Thread On This!!

http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60320

[Hottub]

F_S can call in to the Don Stugots Experience to complain.

[Kevin]

Bob. Maybe you missed the beginning of this discussion.

1967
40 years ago!!!!!

That was Gvac's freshman year in college right??

[spankyfrank]

Sgt. Pepper definetly wasn't there best album but it was a very good one. The BEatles hit their peak with this album, because i believe shortly after brain epstein died and from there it all went to shit. One cool thing about the beatles though that their music got better as they got older. Of course thats just my silly opinion

[PapaBear]

Though License to Ill was the last LP I ever bought, Sgt. Peppers was the first. Granted... I didn't buy it 40 years ago. I think it was more like 30 years ago. I got it at Nichol's Discount City, with the proceeds of my first lawn mowing job.

[Stankfoot]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a350/stankfoot/request.jpg

[docgoblin]

Thank you, Doc. I stand corrected on Pet Sounds. Did Disralli Gears also beat Pepper?
You must forgive me. I was still pooping in my diapers when this all came down.

I was only three when Pet Sounds came out, and didn't hear Sgt. Pepper probably until '75. I learned over the years that there was a huge rivalry between the Beatles and the Beach boys in the mid 60's to grab the American audience. Many felt that the Beach Boys had the upper-hand and were going to deliver the knock-out blow with Smile. Unfortunately Brian Wison decided to go bonkers, never release the album, and hand the summer of '67 to the Beatles.

As for those who are calling Sgt. Pepper overrated... It's kind of strange to think something is overrated when we're still debating it after 40 years. Not to mention that it falls in at #1 or #2 in most top album lists every year & decade since its release. Not too shabby. I'm not calling it the best album ever, or even the best Beatles album, but it did open the gates for all that came after it.

[burrben]

Many felt that the Beach Boys had the upper-hand and were going to deliver the knock-out blow with Smile.



when i first heard Smile, i was like "if this came out in the 60s, it would have been awesome. but in 2004, it just seemed out of place

[AKA]

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZWPJZS0QL._AA240_.jpg

[Crispy123]

Fair enough. You are indeed entitled to your opinion. What would you consider a groundbreaking album? Especially for 1967. Remember you have a couple of years to wait for Tommy, Pet Sounds, etc. Take a look at the album releases for '67 and find something that even comes close.

BTW, I already mentioned Abbey Road and Let It Be as superior albums. But later than '67.

I love the Sgt Pepper album but as far as groundbeaking goes,

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/415T5ZFNCQL._AA240_.jpg


has got it beat hands down.

[tupper65]

Say what you will about Sgt. Peppers, but it was just another ground breaking record in a string of ground breaking records by the Beatles. I realize the other great stuff of the time like Pink Floyd, Hendrix, The Doors, even Tull was putting out some great stuff back then, but as far as laying a foundation for all of that, the Beatles were at the forefront of everything. Love them or hate them, but don't sell them short on what they did.

By the way, Rubber Soul is my favorite too. A great transition album between the
moptops and the more serious/psychodelic Beatles

[Bob Impact]

Different Animal, but worlds better:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/Small_Change_Tom_Waits.jpg

[A.J.]

Jesus! Everyone's a critic now. For that period of time 40 fucking years ago, this was a breakthrough "Album". Not a collection of singles looking to get top 40 play and Payola. An Album.

And Mikey, you are going to discount this piece because "Good Morning" annoys you? Here's the rest of it. I'll let the music do the talking.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
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
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning "Song Mikey doesn't like."
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life

And imagine if "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" were included. They were recorded in the same sessions. Plus some outtakes were added to Magical Mystery Tour.

It's an important album for a lot of reasons: a concept piece, songwriting, instrumentation, arrangements but most inportantly, for recording technique and production.

Great album...but it's no SMiLE. :wink:

[Thomas Merton]

Groundbreaking yes, in terms of recording techniques and the amount of overlays...but yes, a little cheesy with the notable exception of "She's leaving home." It's also interesting that Paul played the lead on the Sgt. Pepper track not George.

"Freak Out" by Zappa and the Mothers of Invention also predates Pepper and is just as ground breaking. Frank followed Pepper with "We're Only in it for the Money" a direct slam on Pepper complete with an album cover that mocked Pepper.

[Bay Ridge Tim]

I was only three when Pet Sounds came out, and didn't hear Sgt. Pepper probably until '75. I learned over the years that there was a huge rivalry between the Beatles and the Beach boys in the mid 60's to grab the American audience. Many felt that the Beach Boys had the upper-hand and were going to deliver the knock-out blow with Smile. Unfortunately Brian Wison decided to go bonkers, never release the album, and hand the summer of '67 to the Beatles.

Brian Wilson said that Pet Sounds was their attempt to one-up the Beatles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds#.22Sloop_John_B.22_and_the_beginning_of _Pet_Sounds). It was more of a friendly rivalry, because they all admired one another. The Beatles used Pet Sounds as a major influence on Sgt. Pepper.

Also, Pet Sounds was HUGELY influenced by Phil Spector's work, especially with The Ronettes. Put Pet Sounds and the best of The Ronettes in one big mix tape and play it on shuffle.

[grlNIN]

I love the Sgt Pepper album but as far as groundbeaking goes,

http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/415T5ZFNCQL._AA240_.jpg


has got it beat hands down.

Get the f out of here with that hooptydoo.

[Fat_Sunny]

JZ, What Did Fat Tell You? Tssssssssst......HOT!