Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Beatles)

In this album, the Beatles abandoned rock'n'roll for a psychedelic take on traditional English music hall pop.

There's no denying the success of the venture, but it was a regressive move in my opinion.

What I like about this album isn't just the collection of great songs, but the way in which the first couple of tracks were produced. The opening track, which happens to be the title track, was recorded as though it was a live performance and then continues on in to "A Little Help from My Friends" (which was later re-recorded by Joe Cocker with a different arrangement and used as the theme to The Wonder Years). The album itself was recorded the way it was in part due to the Beatles no longer wanting to go on tour.

This album showed their experimental side and to some felt like an parody of how they would use aliases when they wanted to hide from their fame. The use of these fictional characters for the first two songs doesn't seem to reflect in any way on the success or popularity of the album - it was their experimentation and great lyrics that helped make this album popular.

I'd say this one is my favourite Beatles album, even though it does not contain my favourite Beatles song.

A monster album. Musically it was pretty ragged though. Ground breaking tech. stuff though. The Beatles trippin'.

In the big scheme of things perhaps not the Beatles' best ever album but a timeless classic.

Probably the greatest album ever made

One of the weakest Beatles albums. Low points include the extremely sentimental "She's leaving Home" and the just plain silly "Whem I'm sixty four".

Good but not that good.

If a human being finds fault with this album, they have some strange mental malady that will never be cured. From beginning to end . . a masterpiece of the 20th Century.

Its the mother fing beatles it's great all their albums were great.

In my opinion, Sgt Pepper has earned the title of the ultimate classic album of not only the 1960s but possibly of all time. It is the only album that I know of where people would get together in groups just to talk about it even before copies were widely available, as it initially sold out in days. If someone brought the record to one of these discussion groups the songs would be analyzed and the lyrics broken down line by line. The musicianship and background sounds were examined to try to discover every little nuance and variation and to our great pleasure there was much to find. Never before had an album caused so many people to think intelligently about music, lyrics, and the Beatles themselves, and it gave latitude to personal interpretations of what the songs meant. However, people did more than just talk about Sgt Pepper, they thought about it. In that regard it stimulated the intellect which is something no other record had ever been able to accomplish to that extent because it did more than just affect the senses of sight and sound. It broke new ground in a number of areas some of which may seem old fashioned today but in June of 1967 was cutting edge and ahead of its time. Although it was loosely conceived and executed, it was the first concept album (although a case could be made for "The Who Sell Out" ). Paul's original idea centered around events and places from their childhood as sung by this imaginary Sgt Pepper band. "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" were originally slated to be on Sgt Pepper but Capitol Records needed a single and when those two songs were deleted from the album much of the continuity went with it. While it did not succeed as a true concept album, Sgt Pepper's idea of a continuous concept made it the first recording in rock where there was a musical connection joining different songs, such as the singing of Billy Shears when going from "Sgt Pepper" into "A Little Help From My Friends" without the traditional break in sound between the songs. This was also carried out when "Good Morning, Good Morning" went into the Sgt Pepper reprise and then into "A Day In The Life." It was the first record to expand the media by making the cover an art form causing it to become as important as the music it contained. Starting with Sgt Pepper album covers became legitimate works of art, a concept which is still carried on to this day. It was the first album to include the lyrics to all of the songs, something which we not only take for granted but expect to be included today. In a primative way Sgt Pepper was the first interactive album. In the past, listener interaction consisted of either studio publicity pictures or an application to join the fan club of a group or singer. Sgt Pepper came with a sheet that had pictures of Pepper related items that could be cut out and displayed or worn, such as mustaches, sergeant stripes, and military medals. The techniques used in the recording are among the most imaginative ever conceived, which included George Martin throwing 15 inch sections of tape into the air and then splicing it back together (background effects for "Mr Kite." ), the laughter and applause during the song "Sgt Pepper," the animal sounds at the end of "Good Morning, Good Morning," to the orchestra's sliding crescendo and fading E chord at the end of "A Day In The Life." Sgt Pepper opened the door to pioneering new ideas and unconventional ways of using recording equipment. Please bear in mind that this was done in the mid 1960s and there are people today who have more sophisticated recording equipment in their basement than what the Beatles had available to them in 1966 and 1967. Although George Martin and the Beatles had experimented with studio sound modifications in earlier records ( "Rain" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" for example) it was Sgt Pepper which confirmed the idea that the studio itself could be a musical instrument. The styles of songs ranged from electric (Sgt Pepper), to eastern (Within You Without You), to 1920s style (When I'm 64), to the softness of a harp and string quartet (She's Leaving Home), all the way to heavy orchestration (Good Morning, Good Morning). Shortly after its release Beatles manager Brian Epstein passed away and the group began to drift apart making Sgt Pepper the last album that the Beatles recorded which was a true team effort as a band, whereas later albums would be essentially showcases for the songwriter with the other Beatles being little more than accompanying musicians. For the many areas of ground that it broke as a recording, which from that point forward changed the idea of what an album could be, combined with the impact that it had on people's intellect and imagination, plus the diversity of styles of songs which it contains, Sgt Pepper is not only a classic 1960s album, but in my view it may be the greatest and possibly the most important album of all time.

A Superb album by the greatest band of all time

The Beatles making sound paintings. There must be something here for everyone. I feel sad for the cynics who profess to be haters of Beatles music. Hatred for a group the offered nothing but love and left us with such a powerful and never ending legacy. Fear not seers of the bright side, this is truly the musical masterpiece that it is reputed to be. Crawl out of your deep, dark holes you who hate the fine things of this good life. The Blues Meanies couldn't kill off the Beatles music and neither can you.

Good, but not great, experimental album by the Beatles. . .good drug songs do make for a memorable rock album experience- sorry Puritans. . .

One of the Beatles poorer efforts. Self indulgent and not even close to the majesty of Revolver.

Save for the track A Day in the Life, I don't think this album stands up to its lofty reputation. It was historically important in the establishment of Rock and Roll as an album oriented genre instead of being dominated by pop singles. However, when I listen to it today I find it to be a quaint period piece, and there was far more adventurous psychedelia being made in 1967.

One if not the greatest albums of all time. Once you get it imprinted in your mind you have to go and listen to the beach boys "pet sounds" to here where the beatles got some of their ideas. It will not make you loose your love of the beatles just gain a little respect for the boys.

on cd it sound so good because if you got a turntable i am not sure if this happens all the time if theres only one speacker hooked up you only hear part of the album

A landmark album.

best beatles album hand down. very creative or very good acid trip whichever it still is #1

Hard to argue this out of the top five rock albums ever made.

Greatest album of all time.

Every Beatle album is great. I prefer there older music, but it is still an amazing album by the greatest group to ever exist.

How can any one say that Sgt. Pepper's is ok. This is a rock classic. The price of the album was worth the cover alone. This album marks a turning point in music. It was so inovative and varied, it was some thing that had never been done before.

Amazing....who doesn't like this album?

Timeless. Something that could end wars. I cannot say enough about this record. Anyone who does not love With a Little Help from my Friends, Getting Better, When I'm 64 and Lovely Rita does not enjoy MUSIC. Plain and simple.

With greats like With A Little Help from My Friends, Good Morning Good Morning, When I'm (Nintendo) 64, Lovely Rita, and the album's namesake, this is one of the Beatles' all-time best albums!

Why is this album rated so highly? Tracks like 'When Im 64' , 'Fixing a hole' & 'With a little help from my friends' are like twee kiddies songs. 'Day in the life' just drags..on and on and on... The production is sloppy and ramshackle making it sound very dated. It seems to me people buy this because somehow they think their collections are incomplete without it due to its 'legendary' reputation.

WAY before it's time, inspiring to others, this album is truely one of the best ever recorded.

Think of this record as a postcard from the Summer of Love. Compared to the slick cynicism and mindless sappiness of today's music, yes Pepper may seem a little dated. But Pepper dazzles with its creativity. Pepper was one of the first concept albums, and its theme focused on lonely people hoping to connect and find meaning in life by using a variety of methods-by leaving home or by seeking escapism in drugs. While the protagonist of A Little Help from My Friends hopes to slide through life with the help of his buddies and with the hope of a future love, the narrator of A Day in the Life is more ambitious and wants to turn you on to his unique worldview.

Released in 1967, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band reflected a more mature, full-length oriented sound as opposed to a group of singles characterized by most of the Beatles' earlier releases. The tracks flow nicely from one song to the next (with a bit more McCartney than Lennon), and even Ringo makes a major contribution in With A Little Help From My Friends (though he didn't write the song). Along with the title track, Sgt. Pepper's includes several signature singles by the band, most notably Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, When I'm Sixty-Four, and A Day In The Life which evidence how the Beatles could transcend musical genres (eg psychedelic, vaudeville, straight rock and pop). Nevertheless, notwithstanding the seemingly contrasting styles, the Sgt. Pepper's flows with a connectivity which wouldn't seem possible. The bottom line is that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band remains a landmark release which has inspired artists, past and contemporary.

embarassing

I HATE THIS ALBUM!!!!!

Might be the most overrated album in the history of music.

It's just a fact to good music. Sgt. Peppers marked a change in rock music, a change that the Beatles started with Rubber Soul. Sgt. Peppers marked the start of rock music as we know it. All forms of music now played on the radio can be traced back to the Beatles.

a meteor in the history of not only pop music and but pop culture.it still blows ones mind.

more like overrateitall.com.

I remember hearing SP on june 1st 1967, the day it was released in the UK, when I was 16. I knew that things would never be the same for me again and that album changed my entire life - now that's influential! Today I have many hundreds of CD's & vinyl albums but this is the greatest one by the greatest, most original & talented bands of all time.

Sgt Peppers is without any doubt for music what the "mona lisa" is for art! This album is timeless, every track is a piece of art, so different from each other and yet they all go along perfectly. Never in my life an album had such an impact on me, peoples who claim different have no idea what music is all about!

awesome album

LSD Beatles!

This is basically what started the concept album craze, along with Magical Mystery Tour. A lot of bands in the 70s tried it (Styx, Yes, ELP) but didn't quite capture the same thunder as this album did and there's quite a punch with these wonderfully produced tracks.

Sgt Pepper is a one of a kind. Some people make comments about the album and say it is dated. Well this may be true in some ways but such a collection of wonderfully written songs doesnt exist anywhere else. I challenge anybody to record an album anywhere near as good as this on a 4 track tape recorder today... Just buy it.

Cool banana!

When this album came out, I played it a lot. It seemed to have a life of it's own (so to speak). It was a preview of things to come in the rock and roll biz.

Overrated. If I had to pick a word to describe SPLHCB, that would be it. I could name 50 better classic (or current) CDs if you gave me time. But like most of the Beatles stuff, I can listen to it, and the songs are fun for certain scenarios, but if I'm in the mood for something serious, I much prefer REMs "Automatic for the People" or Queen's "Innuendo". I know very well that I am in the minority as far as the ratings go, but I'm sorry, I just don't see what is so amazing about SPLHCB. Okay, it was innovative. So? I'm rating it on content. Talk to everybody later.

This is the most revolutionary album to ever be released.

Got to give credit where it's due. Very influencial album but far from their best.

This album deserves way more than 5 stars. This is history here. Talk about a groundbreaking album! I could listen to Sgt. Pepper's over and over and over. Each Beatle contributed so much to the album, and it shows. Without Sgt. Pepper, music as we know it wouldn't be the same today, and all those petty little boy bands need to thank the Beatles that their fame exists today. I can't imagine what it would be like to be there, to hear this album for the first time, while nothing else even a little like it. Even if you dislike the Beatles, (you are such a stupid person in the first place), you can't deny that this album changed everything. There's nothing else to say except that this is the best album ever! Oh, and JenSecret74, it's Lovely Rita, not Lonely Rita, the next time you rate something, you better get the facts straight, hon.

This is one of my Favorite albums of all time. Unlike so much of the C.D's being released you can actully listen to all the songs without skipping any. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band {and reprise} is a great song. The way Ringo sang With A Little Help From My Friends was perfect {oooh, that guy made me melt}. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and A Day in the Life are some of John's greatest works. I love Getting Better and Good Morning Good Morning. So what if I wasn't born when it was released. I can't say enough about the cover. This is a great album to scream the words out in back of a pickup truck.

More and more I’m starting to understand the impact of “Sgt. Pepper’s” on popular music. The fact that I wasn’t alive when it was released in 1967 makes it a little tough to truly know what it was like to hear this album when it first came out, but I imagine it must have been pretty exciting. But forget all the baggage about “influence” everyone hangs on “Sgt. Pepper’s” – it’s just full of great individual songs, and they somehow work together as a whole. This is a classic that belongs in everyone’s collection.