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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth album by The Beatles. It is often cited as their magnum opus and one of the most influential albums of all time by prominent critics and publications, ranking number 1 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.[1] It was recorded by the Beatles over a 129-day period beginning on December 6, 1966.[2] The album was released on June 1, 1967 in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. The album has had a large influence on many artists. Sgt. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (721x721, 220 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ...
The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ...
is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...
For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...
is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. ...
Art rock is a term used to describe a subgenre of rock music with experimental or avant-garde influences that emphasizes novel sonic texture. ...
Experimental rock or Avant rock is a type of art music based on rock and roll which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, and/or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique. ...
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ...
Parlophone is a record label, founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company. ...
Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the...
In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ...
For other uses, see George Martin (disambiguation). ...
The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ...
Image File history File links 5_stars. ...
This article is about the magazine. ...
Image File history File links 5_stars. ...
Mojo is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. ...
Image File history File links 5_stars. ...
Robert Christgau (born April 18, 1942), is an American essayist, music journalist, and the self-declared Dean of American Rock Critics.[1] In print, his name is sometimes abbreviated as Xgau. ...
The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ...
The Beatles U.S. chronology Alternate cover Cover of the original 1966 U.S. LP Back cover Back cover of the original 1966 UK LP. The main photo was edited in separate parts for the booklet of the 1988 Compact Disc release. ...
The White Album redirects here. ...
The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ...
The Beatles U.S. chronology Alternate cover Cover of the original 1966 U.S. LP Back cover Back cover of the original 1966 UK LP. The main photo was edited in separate parts for the booklet of the 1988 Compact Disc release. ...
Magical Mystery Tour is an album by British rock band The Beatles, first released in late November 1967. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Paul McCartney Dead: The Great Hoax, a magazine reporting on the rumours concerning McCartney. ...
The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ...
Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera), from the Latin meaning great work,[1] refers to the best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer, and most commonly one who has contributed a very large amount of material. ...
This article is about the magazine. ...
Promotional Book Cover The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003. ...
is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...
Upon release the album was an immediate critical and popular sensation. Innovative in every sense, from structure to recording techniques to the cover artwork, the artistic effect was felt immediately.
Overview Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was recorded as Beatlemania was waning. The Beatles had grown tired of touring and had quit the road in August 1966. After one particular concert, while being driven away in the back of a small van, the four of them—even Paul McCartney, who was perhaps the most in favour of continuing to tour—decided that enough was enough. From that point on the Beatles became an entirely studio based band (save the the 1969 rooftop performance during the Get Back sessions). The Beatles arrival at Americas JFK Airport in 1964 has proved a particularly enduring image of Beatlemania. ...
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an Academy Award-winning English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. ...
For the Taiwanese film whose foreign title translates to the same name, see 無米樂 Let It Be is a 1970 film about the Beatles rehearsing and recording songs for the album Let It Be in January 1969. ...
“Let It Be†redirects here. ...
For the first time in their careers, the band had more than ample time with which to prepare their next record. As EMI's premier act and Britain's most successful pop group they had almost unlimited access to the state of the art technology of Abbey Road Studios. All four band members had already developed a preference for long late night sessions, although they were still extremely efficient and highly disciplined in their studio habits. For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
By the time the Beatles recorded the album their musical interests had grown from their simple R&B, pop, and rock and roll beginnings to incorporate a variety of new influences. They had become familiar with a wide range of instruments such as the Hammond organ and electric piano; their instrumentation now covered a wider range including strings, brass, woodwind, percussion, and even some exotic instruments such as the sitar. McCartney, although unable to read music, had scored a recent British film The Family Way (see The Family Way soundtrack) with the assistance of producer/arranger George Martin, which earned him a prestigious Ivor Novello award. McCartney came to be greatly influenced by the avant garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, whom he wanted to include on the cover. For other uses, see Rhythm and blues (disambiguation). ...
For the music genre, see Pop music. ...
Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...
The Hammond organ is an electric organ which was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company until the 1970s. ...
An electric piano (e-piano) is an electric musical instrument whose popularity started in the late 1960s, was at its greatest during the 1970s and still is big today. ...
A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. ...
Image of a trumpet, foreground, a piccolo trumpet behind, and a flugelhorn in background. ...
A woodwind instrument is an instrument in which sound is produced by blowing against an edge or by a vibrating with air a thin piece of wood known as a reed. ...
Percussion redirects here. ...
Diagram of some sitar parts. ...
The Family Way is a 1966 movie by Roy and John Boulting starring father and daughter John Mills and Hayley Mills. ...
The Family Way is the first album by Paul McCartney, a soundtrack from the same name film released in 1967. ...
For other uses, see George Martin (disambiguation). ...
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards awarded for songwriting and composing. ...
Karlheinz Stockhausen (born August 22, 1928) is a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century (Barret 1988, 45; Harvey 1975b, 705; Hopkins 1972, 33; Klein 1968, 117; Power 1990, 30). ...
The Beatles also used new modular effects units like the wah-wah pedal and fuzzbox, which they augmented with their own experimental ideas, such as running voices and instruments through a Leslie speaker. Another important sonic innovation was McCartney's discovery of the direct injection (DI) technique, in which he could record his bass by plugging it directly into an amplifying circuit in the recording console. While the still often-used technique of recording through an amplifier with a microphone sounds more natural, this setup provided a radically different presence in bass guitar sound versus the old method. But the most frequently used method was to record the bass last, after all the other recording was done, by placing the amplifier in the centre of the studio and placing the microphone several inches from the source. This article is about the effect pedal, also known as a Wah. ...
A 1965 Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1A, one of the first commercially available fuzzboxes. ...
The Leslie speaker is a specially constructed amplifier/loudspeaker used to create special audio effects utilizing the Doppler effect. ...
A DI unit or DI box is an electronic device designed for connecting a piece of equipment with an electronic audio output to a standard microphone or line level input. ...
A sunburst-colored Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ...
The Sgt. Pepper period also coincided with the introduction of some important musical innovations, both from within the band and the rest of the musical industry. The work of Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Phil Spector, and Brian Wilson was radically redefining what was possible for pop musicians in terms of both songwriting and recording. Studio and recording technology had already reached a high degree of development and was poised for even greater innovation. The old rules of pop songwriting were being abandoned, as complex lyrical themes were explored for the first time in popular music, and songs were growing longer (such as Dylan's "Desolation Row," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"). This article is about the recording artist. ...
Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ...
Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ...
Harvey Philip Spector (born December 26, 1939) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. ...
For other persons named Brian Wilson, see Brian Wilson (disambiguation). ...
This does not cite any references or sources. ...
Highway 61 Revisited track listing Like a Rolling Stone (1) Tombstone Blues (2) Music sample: Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone 30 seconds (of 6:10) Problems listening to the file? See media help. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Technical innovation Since the introduction of magnetic recording tape in 1949, multitrack recording had been developed. By 1967 all of the Sgt. Pepper tracks could be recorded at Abbey Road using mono, stereo and 4-track recorders. Although 8-track tape recorders were already available in the U.S., the first 8-tracks were not operational in commercial studios in London until late 1967, shortly after Sgt. Pepper was released. Magnetic storage is a term from engineering referring to the storage of data on a magnetised medium. ...
The Tascam 85 16B analogue tape recorder can record 16 tracks of audio on 1 inch (2. ...
Like its predecessors, the recording made extensive use of the technique known as bouncing down (also called multing), in which a number of tracks were recorded across the four tracks of one recorder, which were then mixed and dubbed down onto one track of the master 4-track machine. This enabled the Abbey Road engineers to give the Beatles a virtual multi-track studio. However the build-up of noise during repeated dubbing was a major problem for engineers. The Abbey Road album was one of the first to use the Dolby noise reduction system. The album remains a landmark in the history of sound recording and is remarkable for the clarity, fidelity and quietness of the transfers. In sound recording, dubbing is the transfer of recorded audio material from one medium to another of the same or a different type. ...
Back cover The back cover of the original 1969 UK LP. Note that Her Majesty is not listed, unlike later reissues and the compact disc version—originally making it a hidden track. ...
Dolby NR is a noise reduction system developed by Dolby Laboratories for use in analogue magnetic tape recording. ...
Methods and media for sound recording are varied and have undergone significant changes between the first time sound was actually recorded for later playback until now. ...
Magnetic tape had also led to innovative use of instruments and production effects, notably the tape-based keyboard sampler, the Mellotron, effects like flanging (a term coined by Lennon and an effect used as early as 1959 on Toni Fisher's "The Big Hurt") and phasing, as well as a greatly improved system for creating echo and reverberation. Compact audio cassette Magnetic tape is a non-volatile storage medium consisting of a magnetic coating on a thin plastic strip. ...
A tape replay keyboard is a musical instrument that uses pre-recorded analog tapes to produce sound when a key is pressed. ...
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. ...
Flanging is a time-based audio effect that occurs when two identical signals are mixed together, but with one signal time-delayed by a small and gradually changing amount, usually smaller than 20 ms (milliseconds). ...
Toni Fisher (born 1931 - February 12 , 1999 in Los Angeles, California) was an American singer. ...
In music the compositional technique phasing, popularized by composer Steve Reich, is that while the same part is played on two musical instruments, one instrumentalist keeps playing in steady tempo, while the other gradually moves ahead of the first until it becomes out of and then back in phase (the...
Several then-new production effects feature extensively on the recordings. One of the most important was automatic double tracking (ADT), a system that used tape recorders to create an instant and simultaneous doubling of a sound. Although it had long been recognised that using multitrack tape to record 'doubled' lead vocals produced a greatly enhanced sound (especially with weaker singers), it had always been necessary to record such vocal tracks twice, a task which was both tedious and exacting. Automatic double tracking (ADT) was an electronic system designed to augment the sound of voices and instruments during the recording process. ...
Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder. ...
ADT was invented specially for the Beatles by EMI engineer Ken Townsend in 1966, mainly at the behest of Lennon, who hated tracking sessions and regularly expressed a desire for a technical solution to the problem. ADT quickly became a near-universal recording practice in popular music. Ken Townsend is a renowned sound engineer who played an important role at Abbey Road Studios. ...
Also important was varispeeding, the technique of recording various tracks on a multi-track tape at slightly different tape speeds. The Beatles use this effect extensively on their vocals in this period. The speeding up of vocals (also known as 'tweaking') also became a widespread technique in pop production. The Beatles also used the effect on portions of their backing tracks (as on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds") to give them a 'thicker' and more diffuse sound. Pitch shift is a sound recording technique, in which the normal pitch or tone of a sound is altered (shifted), for effect or for other purposes. ...
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is a song written mainly by John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and recorded by The Beatles for their 1967 album Sgt. ...
In another innovation, non-US pressings of the album (in its original LP form that was later released on CD) end in an unusual way, beginning with a 15-kilohertz high-frequency tone (put on the album at Lennon's suggestion and said to be "especially intended to annoy your dog"), followed by an endless loop of laughter and gibberish made by the runout groove looping back into itself. The loop (but not the tone) made its U.S. debut on the 1980 Rarities compilation, titled "Sgt. Pepper Inner Groove". However, it is only featured as a 2-second fragment at the end of side 2 rather than an actual loop in the runout groove. The CD version of Sgt. Pepper's Inner Groove is actually a bit shorter than that one found on the original UK vinyl pressing. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Radio waves. ...
The sound in the loop is also the subject of much controversy, being widely interpreted as some kind of secret message. McCartney later told his biographer Barry Miles that in the summer of 1967 a group of kids came up to him complaining about a lewd message hidden in it when played backwards. He told them, "You're wrong, it's actually just It really couldn't be any other." He took them to his house to play the record backwards to them, and it turned out that the passage sounded very much like "We'll fuck you like superman". McCartney recounted to Miles that his immediate reaction had been, "Oh my god!"[3] Barry Miles (commonly known as, and called, simply Miles) is an author who has written biographies of Paul McCartney, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg as well as books about John Lennon, the Beatles and Frank Zappa. ...
However, it seems that in reality it is nothing more than a few random samples and tape edits played backwards. The loop is recreated on the CD version which plays for a few seconds, then fades out. Although most of the content of the runout groove is impossible to decipher, it is possible to distinguish a sped-up voice (possibly McCartney's) actually reciting the phrase "never could see any other way". Played backwards, the last element of the original LP loop that is Sgt. Pepper's Inner Groove appears to be George Harrison saying "Epstein" (obviously missing from the CD version).
Instrumentation Sgt. Pepper features elaborate arrangements — for example, the clarinet ensemble on "When I'm Sixty-Four" — and extensive use of studio effects including echo, reverberation and reverse tape effects. Many of these effects were devised in collaboration with producer George Martin and his team of engineers. Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ...
When Im Sixty-Four is a love song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney[1][2] (but co-credited to John Lennon) and released in 1967 on their album Sgt. ...
Reverse tape effects are special effects created by recording sound onto magnetic tape and then physically reversing the tape so that when the tape is played back, the sounds recorded on it are literally heard in reverse. ...
For other uses, see George Martin (disambiguation). ...
One of the few moments of discord came during the recording of "She's Leaving Home", when an impatient McCartney, frustrated by Martin's unavailability, hired freelance arranger Mike Leander to arrange the string section — the first of only two occasions during the group's entire career that he worked with another arranger (the other was in connection with some backing orchestration used in the Magical Mystery Tour film (12 October 1967 session; see Lewisohn), which were also arranged by Leander). Shes Leaving Home is a song, written and sung by Paul McCartney, and released in 1967 on The Beatles album Sgt. ...
Mike Leander (30 June 1941 – 18 April 1996) was an arranger and record producer for Decca Records in the 60s and worked with such artists as Marianne Faithful, Billy Fury, Marc Bolan, Joe Cocker, The Small Faces, Van Morrison, Alan Price, Peter Frampton, Keith Richards, Shirley Bassey, Lulu, Jimmy Page...
Magical Mystery Tour is an album by British rock band The Beatles, first released in late November 1967. ...
Another example of the album's unusual production is John Lennon's song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", which closes side 1 of the album. The lyrics were adapted almost word for word from an old circus poster which Lennon had bought at an antique shop in Kent the day the Beatles had been filming the promotional clip for Strawberry Fields Forever there. The flowing sound collage that gives the song its distinctive character was created by Martin and his engineers, who collected recordings of calliopes and fairground organs, which were then cut into strips of various lengths, thrown into a box, mixed up and edited together in random order, creating a long loop which was mixed in during final production. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ...
Being for the Benefit of Mr. ...
Sound collage is the production of songs, musical compositions, or recordings using portions, or samples, of previously made recordings. ...
The opening track of side two, "Within You Without You", is unusually long for a 'pop' recording of the day, and features only George Harrison, on vocals, sitar and acoustic guitar, with all other instruments being played by a group of London-based Indian musicians. These deviations from the traditional rock and roll band formula were facilitated by the Beatles' decision not to tour, by their ability to hire top-rate session musicians, and by Harrison's burgeoning interest in India and Indian music, which led him to take lessons from sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Harrison's fascination with Indian music is further evidenced by the use of a tamboura on several tracks, including "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" as well as "Getting Better". Within You Without You is a song written by George Harrison and recorded with a group of Indian musicians, without any input from his fellow Beatles. ...
For other persons named George Harrison, see George Harrison (disambiguation). ...
Diagram of some sitar parts. ...
Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve...
This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...
Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...
Indian music is: The music of India or Native American music This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Pandit Ravi Shankar, Sitar Maestro © www. ...
The tambura is a musical instrument used in various places around the world. ...
This album also makes heavy use of keyboard instruments. Grand piano is used on tracks such as "A Day in the Life," along with Lowrey organ on "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." A harpsichord can be heard on "Fixing a Hole," and a harmonium was played by George Martin on "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite". Electric piano, upright piano, Hammond organ, glockenspiel and mellotron are all heard on the record. To this day, the album remains a milestone in the history of music. A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played with a musical keyboard. ...
A grand piano from Schiedmayer & Söhne, Stuttgart. ...
Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. ...
A Harmonium is a free-standing musical keyboard instrument similar to a Reed Organ or Pipe Organ. ...
Mono version The Beatles were present during the mixing of the album in mono and the LP was originally released as such alongside a stereo mix prepared by Abbey Road engineers led by Geoff Emerick, the Beatles themselves did not attend the mixing of the stereo version. (The mono version is now out-of-print on vinyl and was not officially released on CD.) The two mixes are fundamentally different. For example, the stereo mix of "She's Leaving Home" was mixed at a slower speed than the original recording and therefore plays at a slower tempo and at a lower pitch than the original recording. Conversely, the mono version of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is considerably slower than the stereo version and features much heavier gating and reverb effects. McCartney's yelling voice in the coda section of "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)" (just before the segue into "A Day in the Life") can plainly be heard in the mono version, but is nearly inaudible in the stereo version. The mono version of the song also features drums that open with much more presence and force, as they are turned well up in the mix. Also in the stereo mix, the famous segue at the end of "Good Morning Good Morning" (the chicken-clucking sound which becomes a guitar noise) is timed differently and a crowd noise tape comes in later during the intro to "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)". Label for 1. ...
A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ...
Label for 2. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
Audio engineering is the branch of engineering dealing with the production of sound through mechanical means. ...
Engineer Geoff Emerick. ...
Look up coda in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
In music, segue is a direction to the performer. ...
For other uses, see A Day in the Life (disambiguation). ...
In music, segue is a direction to the performer. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Other variations between the two mixes include louder laughter at the end of the mono mix of "Within You Without You" and a colder, echoless ending on the mono version of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"
Themes and structure With Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles wanted to create a record that could, in effect, tour for them — an idea they had already explored with the promotional film-clips made over the previous years, intended to promote them in the United States when they were not touring there.
McCartney decided that they should create fictitious characters for each band member and record an album that would be a performance by that fictitious band. The idea of disguise or change of identity was one in which the Beatles, naturally enough, had an avid interest — they were four of the most recognizable and widely known individuals of the 20th century.
The Beatles' recognition was the motivation for their growing moustaches and beards and even longer hair, and was an inspiration for the disguise of their flamboyant Sgt. Pepper costumes. McCartney was well known for going out in public in disguise and all four had used aliases for travel bookings and hotel reservations.
Thus, the album starts with the title song, which introduces Sgt. Pepper's band itself; this song segues seamlessly into a sung introduction for bandleader "Billy Shears" (Starr), who performs "With a Little Help from My Friends". A reprise version of the title song was also recorded, and appears on side 2 of the original album (just prior to the climactic "A Day in the Life"), creating a "bookending" effect. In music, segue is a direction to the performer. ...
Sgt. ...
Reprise is also the name of a record label, see Reprise Records In music a reprise is the repetition or return of the opening material later in a composition such as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though it originally (18th century) was simply any repeated section, such as...
However, the Beatles essentially abandoned the concept after recording the first two songs and the reprise. Lennon was unequivocal in stating that the songs he wrote for the album had nothing to do with the Sgt. Pepper concept. Since the other songs on the album are actually unrelated, one might be tempted to conclude that the album does not express an overarching theme. However, the cohesive structure and careful sequencing of and transitioning between songs on the album, as well as the use of the Sgt. Pepper framing device, have led the album to be widely acknowledged as an early and ground-breaking example of the concept album. In popular music, a concept album is an album which is unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical (Shuker 2002, p. ...
Prior to beginning work on Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles had begun to work on a series of songs that were to form an album thematically linked to childhood and everyday life. The first fruits of this exercise - "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" were released as singles under pressure from EMI to meet their traditional release structure of one album and four singles a year. Once the singles were released the concept was abandoned in favour of 'Pepper'. However, traces of this initial idea survive in the lyrics to several songs on the album ("Day in the Life", "Lovely Rita", "Good Morning, Good Morning", "She's Leaving Home" and "When I'm Sixty-Four") and it could be argued provide more of a unifying theme for the album than that of the Pepper concept itself. Music sample Penny Lane ( file info) Problems? See media help. ...
Music sample Strawberry Fields Forever Problems? See media help. ...
Drugs There is much speculation as to the use of drugs in the creation of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the Beatles' other music. The album features many effects and themes that appear to be psychedelic. At points there seem to be many explicit references to drugs. The album's closing track, "A Day in the Life", which is one of the last major Lennon-McCartney collaborations, includes the phrase "I'd love to turn you on". "Turning on" was a common drug culture colloquialism at the time for taking LSD, referring to the mantra coined by drug advocate Timothy Leary "turn on, tune in, & drop out", though this interpretation was later denied by Lennon and McCartney. They supposedly meant that they'd love to turn you on to the truth.[citation needed] For psychedelics, see psychedelic drug. ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
The songwriting credit Lennon/McCartney appears on all Beatles songs that were written by John Lennon and/or Paul McCartney. ...
Look up Colloquialism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
LSD redirects here. ...
For the American baseball player, see Tim Leary (baseball player). ...
According to Peter Brown in his biography of the Beatles, The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of The Beatles, when McCartney sings, "Found my way upstairs and had a smoke. Somebody spoke and I went into a dream", was quite obviously about marijuana. However, in the same song, "four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire" had nothing to do with the needle tracks in a junkie's arm. Likewise, the hole McCartney was fixing in "Fixing a Hole" was not in the arm of a heroin addict, nor was "Henry the Horse" in "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" a code for heroin. Lennon took the title from a Victorian circus poster he purchased in an antique shop. Peter Brown is an American businessman, born and educated in England. ...
Also when Starr sings "With a Little Help From My Friends", he repeatedly declares that he gets high with a little help from his friends. Phrases such as "Take some tea" (a slang term for cannabis) in "Lovely Rita" and "digging the weeds" in "When I'm Sixty-Four" have also been cited as possible drug references, although in both of these instances the lines are almost certainly meant to be taken literally. In fact, it is almost certain that the one in "When I'm Sixty-Four" was meant to be literal, because Paul wrote the song in the 1950s when he was 16. Cannabis, also known as marijuana[1] or ganja (Hindi: गांजा),[2] is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. ...
 The picture by Lennon's son Julian that is said to have inspired the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" became the subject of much speculation regarding its meaning. John Lennon maintained that the song describes a surreal dreamscape inspired by a picture drawn by his son Julian. (One of Julian's classmates at this time was a girl named Lucy.) However, the song became controversial as many believed that the words of the chorus were code for LSD, a claim Lennon consistently denied. The BBC used this as their basis for banning the song from British radio. Julian, McCartney, Harrison and Starr backed up Lennon's story (Starr even said he saw the picture at the time), and the picture itself has appeared in the media. However, during a newspaper interview in 2004, McCartney was quoted as saying, "Lucy In The Sky, that's pretty obvious. ...but the writing was too important for us to mess it up by getting off our heads all the time."[4] from Hey Jules This work is copyrighted. ...
from Hey Jules This work is copyrighted. ...
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is a song written mainly by John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and recorded by The Beatles for their 1967 album Sgt. ...
John Charles Julian Lennon known universally as Julian Lennon, (born April 8, 1963 in Liverpool, England) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and first son of Beatle John Lennon and the only child of his first wife Cynthia Lennon. ...
LSD redirects here. ...
For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...
Debate continues among critics and fans about the meaning, extent, and depth of the drug references. Some interpretations of the album have focused on the use of drugs as central to the meaning of the entire album. Some critics, such as Sheila Whiteley, have claimed that the experience of LSD use is fundamental and infused into the album. Most critics acknowledge some drug references, but believe that the album cannot be simply reduced to these references. George Melly, for example, points out that many songs, such as "A Day in the Life", can easily be interpreted as rejections of drug culture, and that the culture is portrayed in a "desperate light." George Melly (born: 17 August 1926 in Liverpool, England) is a British jazz and blues singer. ...
Drug subcultures are examples of countercultures, primarily defined by recreational drug use. ...
While the Beatles admitted to the occasional drug reference in their songs, these instances are surprisingly rare and usually they had other explanations for their lyrics. For instance, McCartney's "somebody spoke and I went into a dream" section of "A Day in the Life" was inspired by McCartney's taking the bus during his school years and sometimes falling asleep on the way there, while the "had a smoke" line refers to a Woodbine cigarette, rather than marijuana as is often assumed. Woodbine are a brand of Irish cigarette made by Gallaghers. ...
Critical reception Upon release, Sgt. Pepper received both popular and critical acclaim. Various reviews appearing in the mainstream press and trade publications throughout June 1967, immediately after the album's release, were generally quite positive. In The Times prominent critic Kenneth Tynan described Sgt. Pepper as "a decisive moment in the history of Western civilization." Others including Richard Poirier, and Geoffrey Stokes were similarly expansive in their praise, Stokes noting, "listening to the Sgt. Pepper album one thinks not simply of the history of popular music but the history of this century." The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ...
Kenneth Peacock Tynan (April 2, 1927 - July 26, 1980), was an influential and often controversial British theatre critic and writer. ...
The history of western civilization traces its roots back to the fall of the Roman Empire and continues to the present era in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand // In 476 A.D. the western Roman Empire, which had ruled modern-day Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and England for...
Richard Poirier (born Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1925) is an American literary critic. ...
One notable critic who did not like the album was Richard Goldstein, a critic for The New York Times, who wrote, "Like an over-attended child, "Sergeant Pepper" is spoiled. It reeks of horns and harps, harmonica quartets, assorted animal noises, and a 41-piece orchestra," and added that it was an "album of special effects, dazzling but ultimately fraudulent" [5]. On the other hand, Goldstein called "A Day in the Life" "a deadly earnest excursion in emotive music with a chilling lyric," and that "it stands as one of the most important Lennon-McCartney compositions, and it is a historic Pop event."[6] The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ...
One rock musician who apparently did not like the album was Frank Zappa, who accused the Beatles of co-opting the flower power aesthetic for monetary gain, saying in a Rolling Stone article that he felt "they were only in it for the money." That criticism later became the title of the Mothers of Invention album (We're Only in It for the Money), which mocked Sgt. Pepper with a similar album cover. (The original cover, featuring Zappa and his bandmates in drag against a yellow background, was a spoof of the inside cover of Sgt. Pepper's; the original outer cover of the album, featuring Zappa and his band standing before a Sgt. Pepper-like collage and fronted by a flowerbed lettered "MOTHERS", was withdrawn by MGM Records and never officially issued until the album's CD release. The original LP issue nevertheless included a "cut-outs" card featuring facsimiles of Zappa's trademark moustache and of a button with a nipple on it.) Ironically, when recording of Sgt. Pepper was completed, McCartney said, "This is going to be our Freak Out!", referring to Zappa's 1966 debut album, which is considered by many as the first rock concept album.[7] Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ...
A bus covered with Hippie slogans and flowers Flower power was a slogan used by hippies in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of the non-violence ideology. ...
This article is about the magazine. ...
The Mothers of Invention chronology Alternate cover Zappas intended cover was changed to this portion of the inside sleeve. ...
Freak Out!, released June 27, 1966 on MGM/Verve Records, is the debut album of The Mothers of Invention, led by Frank Zappa. ...
In popular music, a concept album is an album which is unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical (Shuker 2002, p. ...
Within days of its release, Jimi Hendrix was performing the title track in concert, first for an audience that included Harrison and McCartney, who were greatly impressed by his unique version of their song and his ability to learn it so quickly. Also, Australian band the Twilights — who had obtained an advance copy of the LP in London — wowed audiences in Australia with note-perfect live renditions of the entire album, weeks before it was even released there. Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ...
The Twilights were a leading Australian pop music group of the late 1960s. ...
The chart performance of the album was even stronger than critical reception. In the UK it debuted at #8 before the album was even released (on June 1, 1967) and the next week peaked at #1 where it stayed for 23 consecutive weeks. Then it was knocked off the top for The Sound of Music on the week ending November 18, 1967. Eventually it spent more weeks at the top, including the competitive Christmas week. When the CD edition was released on June 1, 1987, it made #3. In June 1992, the CD was re-promoted to commemorate its 25th Anniversary, and charted at #6. In 2007, commemorating 40 years of its release, Sgt. Pepper again re-entered the charts at #47 in the UK. In all, the album spent a total of 198 weeks on the UK charts. is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...
For other uses, see The Sound of Music (disambiguation). ...
is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...
The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the first rock album to do so, and Best Contemporary Album in 1968. U.S. sales for the album totalled 11 million units, with 30 million worldwide. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category. ...
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album was awarded in 1968 and since 1995. ...
It has been on many lists of the best rock albums,[8] including Rolling Stone, Bill Shapiro, Alternative Melbourne, Rod Underhill and VH1. In 1997 Sgt. Pepper was named the number 1 greatest album of all time in a 'Music of the Millennium' poll conducted by HMV, Channel 4, The Guardian and Classic FM. In 1998 Q magazine readers placed it at number 7, while in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 10;[9] In 2003, the album was ranked number 1 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[1] In 2006, the album was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time.[10] In 2002, Q magazine placed it at number 13 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.[11] In 2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.[12] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
This article is about the British television station. ...
For other uses, see Guardian. ...
Classic FM is the United Kingdoms first national commercial radio station, broadcasting classical music in a popular and accessible style. ...
Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 140,282 and a readership of 731,000. ...
A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ...
VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division...
This article is about the magazine. ...
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003. ...
“TIME†redirects here. ...
Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 140,282 and a readership of 731,000. ...
Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ...
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings which are culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States. ...
Historical relevance A period of experimentation in the Beatles' music had begun with the album Rubber Soul in late 1965. During this period, new influences and instruments from as far afield as India were incorporated in their recordings. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...
The Beatles U.S. chronology Alternate cover Cover of the original 1965 U.S. LP, with a different colour saturation (see below) Back cover Back cover of the original 1965 UK LP Rubber Soul is the sixth album by The Beatles, first released in December 1965. ...
Two songs dropped from Sgt. Pepper, "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", were both recorded in late 1966 and early 1967. The unusually long gap between Beatles releases, combined with the group's withdrawal from touring, resulted in producer George Martin's being placed under increasing pressure by EMI and Capitol to deliver new material. He reluctantly issued the two songs as a double-A-sided single in February 1967. In keeping with the group's usual practice, the single tracks were not included on the LP (a decision Martin maintains he regrets to this day). They were released only as a single in the UK at the time, but were included as part of the American LP version of Magical Mystery Tour (which was issued as a 6-track EP in Britain). The Harrison composition "Only a Northern Song" was also recorded during the Pepper sessions but did not see release until January 1969 when the soundtrack album for the animated feature Yellow Submarine was issued. Music sample Strawberry Fields Forever Problems? See media help. ...
Music sample Penny Lane ( file info) Problems? See media help. ...
For other uses, see George Martin (disambiguation). ...
Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the...
// Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single but are too short to qualify as albums. ...
Only A Northern Song is a song by British rock band The Beatles, written by George Harrison. ...
For the song, see Yellow Submarine (song). ...
It is arguable that Sgt. Pepper was the last Beatles album where the band were consistently working together as a group rather than as separate members, and without any fear of conflict or ego domination. Much of this was due to Brian Epstein and his ability to resolve any petty differences between them. When he died a couple of months after the album was released, the band began the slow path towards breaking up, having no one to guide them and give them something to do. It is notably the last time where the band are unified in their look, all having long hair, moustaches and day-glo suits. After this, their individual appearances varied widely. McCartney appeared to take up the leadership role, something which the other Beatles saw as controlling. Brian Samuel Epstein (IPA: ) (born in Liverpool, England; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was the manager of The Beatles. ...
Their follow up, Magical Mystery Tour, contained songs that were stylistically similar to those of Sgt. Pepper. After a three month break, the Beatles returned to more conventional musical expression in February 1968 with the Fats Domino-influenced, piano-based "Lady Madonna". Magical Mystery Tour is an album by British rock band The Beatles, first released in late November 1967. ...
Antoine Dominique Fats Domino (born February 26, 1928) is a classic R&B and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist. ...
Lady Madonna is a song by the The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney). ...
Album cover - See also: List of images on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Grammy Award-winning album packaging was created by art director Robert Fraser, mostly in collaboration with McCartney, designed by Peter Blake, his wife Jann Haworth, and photographed by Michael Cooper. It featured a colourful collage of life-sized cardboard models of famous people on the front of the album cover and lyrics printed on the back cover, the first time this had been done on an English pop LP.[citation needed] The Beatles themselves, in the guise of the Sgt. Pepper band, were dressed in eye-catching custom-made military-style outfits made of satin dyed in day-glo colours. The suits were designed by Manuel Cuevas.[13] Among the insignia on their uniforms are: Sgt. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The term art director, is an overall title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games. ...
Robert Fraser (1937-1986) was a noted London art dealer of the 1960s and beyond. ...
Blakes album cover Sir Peter Thomas Blake (born June 25, 1932, in Dartford, Kent) is an English pop artist, best known for his design of the sleeve for The Beatles album Sgt. ...
Michael Cooper (1951-1973) was a British photographer who is best known for his photographs of leading rock musicians of the 1960s and early 1970s, most notably the many photos he took of The Rolling Stones in the mid-1960s. ...
Blacklight paint or blacklight-reactive paint is paint that glows under a blacklight. ...
Manuel Arturo José Cuevas Martinez (born on April 23, 1938 in Michoacán, Mexico) or just Manuel is a designer for Rock and Roll and Country and Western singers. ...
Art director Robert Fraser was a prominent London art dealer who ran the Indica Gallery. He had become a close friend of McCartney's and it was at his strong urging that the group abandoned their original cover design, a psychedelic painting by The Fool. The Fool's design for the inner sleeve was, however, used for the first few pressings. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross...
The Royal Arms as used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch, and are officially...
The Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) is the provincial police force for the province of Ontario, Canada. ...
Robert Fraser (1937-1986) was a noted London art dealer of the 1960s and beyond. ...
The Indician art gallery is located in London, England. ...
The cover of The 5000 spirits or the layers of the onion, designed by The Fool The Fool were a Dutch design collective who were influential in the psychedelic style of art in British popular music at the end of the 1960s. ...
Fraser was one of the leading champions of modern art in Britain in the 1960s and after. He argued strongly that the Fool artwork was not well-executed and that the design would soon be dated. He convinced McCartney to abandon it, and offered to art-direct the cover; it was Fraser's suggestion to use an established fine artist and he introduced the band to a client, noted British 'pop' artist Peter Blake, who, in collaboration with his wife, created the famous cover collage, known as "People We Like".
 The couch gag for The Simpsons episode " Bart After Dark", which is a homage to the album cover. [14] According to Blake, the original concept was to create a scene that showed the Sgt. Pepper band performing in a park; this gradually evolved into its final form, which shows the Beatles, as the Sgt. Pepper band, surrounded by a large group of their heroes, rendered as lifesized cut-out figures. Also included were wax-work figures of the Beatles as they appeared in the early '60s, borrowed from Madame Tussauds. The wax figures appear to be looking down on the word "Beatles" spelled out in flowers as if it were a grave, and it has been speculated that this symbolises that the innocent mop-tops of yesteryear were now dead and gone.[citation needed] At their feet were several affectations from the Beatles' homes including small statues belonging to Lennon and Harrison, a small portable TV set and a trophy. A young delivery boy who provided the flowers for the photo session was allowed to contribute a guitar made of yellow hyacinths. Although it has long been rumoured that some of the plants in the arrangement were cannabis plants, this is untrue. Also included is a Shirley Temple doll wearing a sweater in homage to the Rolling Stones (who would return the tribute by having the Beatles hidden in the cover of their own Their Satanic Majesties Request LP later that year). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Bart After Dark is the fifth episode of The Simpsons eighth season, first aired by the Fox network on November 24, 1996. ...
“Tussauds†redirects here. ...
Genera Hyacinthus litwinowii Hyacinthus orientalis Hyacinthus transcaspicus A Hyacinth is any plant of genus Hyacinthus, which are bulbous herbs formerly placed in the lily family Liliaceae but now regarded as the type genus of the separate family Hyacinthaceae. ...
Shirley Jane Temple (born April 23, 1928) is an American former child actress. ...
Their Satanic Majesties Request is a psychedelic rock album by The Rolling Stones recorded and released in 1967. ...
The collage depicted more than 70 famous people, including writers, musicians, film stars and (at Harrison's request) a number of Indian gurus. Starr reportedly made no contribution to the design. The final grouping included Marlene Dietrich, W.C. Fields, Diana Dors, Bob Dylan, Marilyn Monroe, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Sigmund Freud, Aleister Crowley,
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