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Strawberry Fields FOREVER! The only thing that will die in regard to the Beatles are the Beatles themselves. Everything else about them will live until the very end.

forget the fab 4
its about the music
its about the pepper…salt and pepper

Rolling Stone’s Exile on Main St. is MUCH BETTER.

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its too bad so many of you miss the point here. This is not about sp being the best beatle album or groups that came before or after them having better albums. its what sp did in its time and its influence afterwards.

I also want to add this important information to debunk this garbage minimizing The Beatles greatness and to demonstrate *why* so many rock critics,other music artists and most people still rightfull regard The Beatles as The Greatest Rock Band Ever!

No other music group or solo artist for that matter wrote as many great quality diverse songs and albums and was as creative,innovative and prolific as The Beatles especially John and Paul in just a *7* year recording career! I would suggest that if you really want to know how truly brilliantly creative,innovative and inventive they especially John and Paul were in the recording studio, try to get the excellent detailed Beatles nusic diary,The Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewishon from a library. Many of their recording engineers are interviewed in this book such as Norman Smith who went on to work with Pink Floyd,Ken Scott who went on to work with David Bowie,Geoff Emerick,and highly impressed Beatles fan Alan Parsons who was one of their engineers on their last 2 albums Abbey Road and Let it Be.

Just one of many impressive examples and an example that George Harrison *WAS* a Great guitar player,Geoff Emerick explains that when The Beatles were recording John’s song I’m Only Sleeping in early 1966, George played backwards guitar the most difficult way possible even though he could he have taken the easy way. Geoff explains that it took George 6 hours just for the guitar overdubs and then he made it doubly difficult by adding *more* distorted guitars. Geoff said that this was all George’s idea and he did all of the playing!

George Harrison also at only age 14 would stay up until 2 in the morning playing the guitar until he got all of the chords just right and his fingers were bleeding!

Also, Eric Clapton said John was a pretty good guitar player and he would have known since he was a member of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band in 1969 and played with him in concert! And on an excellent web site called,The Evolution Of Rock Bass Playing McCartney Style by Dennis Alstrand,Stanley Clarke,Will Lee,Billy Sheehan,Sting,George Martin and John Lennon all say what a great,melodic,and influential bass player Paul has always been! And in the 1992 Rolling Stone Album Guide they call Paul a remarkable bass player and call John and Paul the 2 greatest song writers in rock history!

Let me first say that I was only 2 years old when this album came out. It’s not my favorite Beatles album, but it’s still brilliant with many very good and some great songs!

I have been a huge highly impressed Beatles fan especially a big John and Paul fan since I was 9,I got my first Beatles book for my 11th birthday and I had every Beatles album by the age of 13. For the people claiming that The Beatles “stole” from Pet Sounds,and that you think it is better than Sgt.Pepper, well Brian Wilson was interviewed on a 1995 Beatles Nightline Tribute show where he played With A Little Help From My Friends on the piano,and he said he just loves this song. He also said Sgt.Pepper was the greatest album he ever heard and he feels that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the 2 greatest song composers of the 20th century! Brilliant classical composer and conducter Leonard Bernstein said this about them also. And when Elton John was interviewed on a 1991 CBS morning news show he was asked who he musically admires. He said you can talk about your Rogers and Hammerstein but for the quanity of quality songs Lennon and McCartney wrote in that short period of time they were the greatest song writers of the 20th century!

Also Brian Wilson has said that after hearing The Beatles brilliant folk rock album Rubber Soul when it first came out in 1965 he was so blown away by how great it was and this is what motivated him to make Pet Sounds in the first place! He said all of the songs on Rubber Soul flowed together and it was pop music but folk rock at the same time and this is what he couldn’t believe! Even Ozzy Osbourne has been a huge Beatles fan since he was a teenager,and he said in a 2002 online Bender Magazine interview,that Paul McCartney is a musical genuis and The Beatles Are The Greatest Band To Ever Walk The Earth! He also said in another interview that not loving THe Beatles is like not loving oxogen!

This album started the progressive rock movement. Without this album, along w/Revolver and Magical Mystery Tour, I doubt King Crimson, E.L.P., Genesis and Yes would’ve been able to take flight. This opened the door for people to play great music and actually make a bit of money. This door the Beatles opened has been closed since the late 70’s due to the record companies and media promoting nonsensical garbage noise ever since then. Disco, Punk, New Wave & Rap, all worthless forgettable waste that has been crammed down the throats of the younger generations. I’ll bet there are quite a lot of younger people who aren’t even aware of what a great album Sgt. Peppers really was and still is.

I’m sorry but most of The Beatles’ “serious” music (let’s say post “Rubber Soul”)just sounds like they had to say something rather than they really had something to say.

I am a pro bassist from Springfield, MA, and my dad is a pro sax player. I grew up listening to Motown and R & B music that my dad played in his bands. I learned how to play bass in a gospel rock band which was lead by a guy named Pastor Chuck Wimer. He actually jammed with ZZ Top (among others) and could make a Gibson ES-335 sound like any guitar in the world (he was a Jimmy Page prodigy mind you). PC opened my eyes to rock and roll, but it was listening to Sgt. Pepper’s everyday for about a year that showed me how rock and roll is the one true melting pot of music. The Beatles broke ground with a new sound, full of the quirk of their collective personalities, the soul and sum of their musical experiences, and hung it out on the edge to create one of the most raw and expansive landscapes of a new musical horizon. That horizon would lead burgeoning young musicians and minds to new thoughts and paths of our own enlightenment (before age 64 or there after).
This may seem like lofty praise for these FAb Four “Tripsters”, but to me personally, this masterpiece will for ever hang in the gallery of my mind. It will serve as a great conversation piece and will serve to illustrate the infinite textures and flavors of rock and roll. Good Morning, good morning.

AC DC was really good when they made this album

AC DC was really good when they made this album

SPLHCB was NOT the best Beatles album, although it was “ground-breaking”. Every Beatles album was ground-breaking, when you stop and think about it. Meet the Beatles stripped Tin Pan Alley’s control of rock’n'roll away forever, even if they did mount a serious attempt to regain control, in the late years of the last century and early years of this one, with the “boy” bands and their forgettable “lyrics” and even more easily forgotten “music”, Fabian-style branding of looks, stances and style, all studiously prepared for a phalanx of photographers and screaming pre-teen-age girls.

In the weeks following the release of MTB, the Fab Four had swept the airwaves of the likes of Dick and DeeDee, the Essex, the Singing Nun, Bobby Vinton, the Caravelles, and the Kingsmen. The week of April 4, 1964, the Beatles held ALL of the Top 5 positions on Billboard’s Singles Chart! Their appearance on Ed Sullivan’s Sunday evening show set TV records that lasted for decades, and opened the door for hundreds of imitators from their homeland, in what was known as the “British Invasion”.

Despite predictions that this phenomena would not last, the Beatles kept the hits coming, changing with each new album release, setting standards now taken for granted. They wrote their own songs, prepared their own arrangements, rewrote the handbook on what constituted a “rock” song: “Til There Was You”, a show tune, Eleanor Rigby, open-verse about an old maid and the priest who buried her, “Yellow Submarine”, English music-hall meets the Swinging Sixties! The double-barreled impact of Lennon-McCartney was augmented by the growing confidence of George Harrison’s song-writing skills, providing more songs than they could put on albums, for a while, although never quite meeting the demand of the now-millions of fans who gobbled up everything Beatle and asked for “MORE!”

The American albums differed from the English releases, until SPLHCB, as Capitol Records mined the Beatles-devised albums and added in the singles left off the English records. This resulted in an entirely different list of album titles for the initial releases, until Rubber Soul, which shared its title, if not song list or order, with the English cousin. The same was true of Revolver, but Americans got a whole new album between those two, made up of songs culled from each, plus the singles “Day Tripper”, “We Can Work It Out”, and most importantly, “Yesterday”.

The creative types at Capitol, who had passed on the Beatles not once, not twice, but THREE times, before waking up and unleashing Beatlemania on an unsuspecting America, gave us several such “assembled” albums: Something New, with songs from A Hard Days Night, and Beatles VI, an album that well reflected the process of assembling songs and “tweaking” them with echo and reverb. These studio tricks were done to all the Beatles albums leading up to SPLHCB, including rechanneling for stereo on the earlier songs, resulting in a vastly different sound than the English versions. Some of us still prefer them that way, as evidenced by the recent “Capitol Albums” packages released on CD. These were the Beatles albums we grew up with, sounding the way we remembered, for good or otherwise. The Beatles, to give them their due, spent countless hours on the songs, getting the sound just the way they wanted, with the vital assistance of George Martin. However, that being said, the songs on the American albums sound crisper and better, to these ears. I understand the Beatles were angry at the cavalier changes wrought by impertinent Capitol sound engineers, and hated them.

With each new release, the Beatles progressed rock’n’roll, bringing new subject matter, new phrasing, adding “yeah, yeah, yeah”, or a scream, in “Twist and Shout”, the James Bond intro at the start of “Help!“, little touches that made them seem special, different, not like all the other bands vying for attention. All through the ‘60’s, the Beatles lead the way, transforming rock from a music for kids, into music for a generation and beyond. Contrast the music before the Beatles came on the scene, and after the y left to begin solo careers. A world of difference far beyond the mere impact of technology. Rock music had stretched to encompass a spectrum spanning all tastes, from folk to heavy metal. New instruments and instrumentalists became part of the scene; from Ravi Shankar to the moog and synthesizers, there was room for everyone to join in. SPLHCB opened the door, and the world walked in, sat right down, and began to play. By the summer of 1967, the progress in technology and recording made possible sounds that had only been dreamed of before. With the advent of psychedelic drugs, these sounds could now be realized, and many, if not most, were. The wonder of SPLHCB revealed the Beatles music as a universal language–one we all spoke and understood. Before was Top 40, after was an art form that gave people a soundtrack for their lives.

I recall reading a comment from some young person, after RS published its list of influential guitarists, about George Harrison. The writer asserted that George had not been all that proficient a guitarist, nor left any lasting riffs to identify his style. I thought, “gosh, he sjust influenced everyone who came after!” That‘s not much, if you look at it compared to Hendrix or Clapton, Page or Vai. However, you have to look at it in the context of WHO was there before? Not much, Link Wray or Duane Eddy, perhaps, or the guy in the Ventures. Possibly Carl Perkins, or even Elvis’ guitar man. But all they did was play modified country figures, electrified or fuzzed, for the most part. George took part in re-crafting pop music, and giving it a new identity. It’s true he was not the world’s most technically proficient guitarist, but then he had to make it up as he went along, and everybody after just improved on the process. It’s kind of like being the first to step foot on an alien shore. There are no footprints to lead you to where you are supposed to go. Setting your own, and not quivering in them, is something in itself. George was as good as he needed to be, and gave us quite a bit to be impressed with. I’d like to know what the critic has done that is better? It is like that with SPLHCB: no one had been there before, and they did the best they knew how. It stands pretty well on its own.

The songs on Side A of Sgt. Pepper’s (+ A Day in the Life) are among the best ever released. Side B, however, is rather weak in comparison to other Beatles’ albums. Good Morning Good Morning is, lyrically, one of the Lennon’s most vacuous late-Beatles songs. Lovely Rita and When I’m 64 are cute but equally vapid. Within You, Without You is actually a decent song, although the music is a bit tedious and the lyrics are quite dated. The reprise is superfluous.

I think that if Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane had been used for the album, as was originally intended, this album would be among the Beatles best works, in addition to being the historical event that it is. As it was released, however, it is inferior to Revolver, an album which finds three songwriters at their prime (unlike Sgt. Pepper’s, which features only one track written by Harrison, and only five by Lennon), and which lacks even a single weak track. Tomorrow Never Knows rivals A Day in the Life as one of the best closing tracks in rock history. Revolver includes some of the Beatles’ best pop songs (Eleanor Rigby, Good Day Sunshine, Here, There, and Everywhere) and some of their best psychedelic songs (She Said, She Said [a personal favorite—sensational drumming, brilliant lead guitar, simple but interesting acid-inspired lyrics], Yellow Submarine, and the previously mentioned Tomorrow Never Knows). In my opinion, Revolver is clearly the Beatles’ best albums and one of the best ever released.

I would also say that the White Album is better than Sgt. Pepper’s, just in terms of sheer diversity of sound, expansive experimentation, and genuinely funny lyrics (Back in the USSR, Bungalow Bill, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Rocky Raccoon, Why don’t we do it in the road, Everyone has Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey…seriously, how can you listen to this album without cracking up?)

Anyway, just a few thoughts. I love the Beatles, and while I don’t think you can really say one band is the best of all time, they have been my favorite band since I started listening to music, and I consider anyone who hasn’t listened repeatedly to Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s, the White Album, Abbey Road, and their singles and b-sides to be musically illiterate.

Best album of all time? It’s not even the best album by The Beatles!

Some great stuff in there, no question. “A Day in the Life” is certainly in the ring for Best Rock Song Ever. But to be The Best, thought, an album must be timeless. And the fact is, Sgt. Peppers’ is a fairly dated 60’s production.

The most overrated album ever. Not even the best of the 60’s, let alone the best of all time.

Still, pretty decent.

this album is the reason i love music. period

I think that it is hard to separate the work from the moment in time that it was released. SPLHCB captured lightning in a bottle in 1967 and must be reviewed within that context.

As someone who was born in 1968 and a huge Beatles fan, it is with some sense of disappointment that this album is not even in my top 5 for the Beatles. I know it “should” be, because this has been driven into our heads since we started listening to music.

Gotta be honest…if we shot the Beatles catalogue into space and another civilization heard them without frame of reference, SPLHCB would probably not be understood or appreciated as much as other offerings by the group. But as we all know, R&R is all about personal reference and that’s what makes SPLHCB the darling of boomers everywhere.

Wanted to say more (and coherently, I might add)but have become king of Incredible Shrinking Post. If words meant anything than throw me a lifesaver. Am going down w/ship now. Glub, Glub.

So Sorry about way this is coming out. Will say this:Pepper meant to move things forward, yet attempts to challenge are stopped dead. Even language in post says all: You write review, but like you really know. Feels like sad attempt to block out any other take on it. Feel that musicians who made album in 67 would be sad to find this out.

In answer to notion of influence: Saw concert where Lennon gives shout out to Elvis after doing Hound Dog. No one speaks of Fab 4’s influences. They seem to conjour music out of air. B. Holly used strings decade before Beatles, yet Pepper seen as innovation. No FAB4=No Nirvana,but no Holly=No 4: Does this mean Nirvana is 90’s version of Holly/Crickets? A=B,B=C,A=C?

Best pop/rock album, ever. Period. Nothing like it since, nor will there ever be again. What a testament it is that we even think about its 40th anniversary here in 2007, poor Kevin Federline will be in the Old and Incontinent ward and no one will care.

It’s almost as good as my last CD. Remember me, I’m still relevant, right? Hello? Britney, you wearing underwear?

Want to talk about posts, but having technical problem w/ computer. Follow as best as possible through multiple posts. You are right when you say did not give positive review of music. Did not give real music review (sorry). Pepper not best. Personal faves are Rubber Soul and Help! Admit I’m probably in line w/ general consensus here.

Sgt.Peppers may well be the best-known rock album of all time,a decisive moment in the history of western civilizatin.An album of special effects,dazzling,and the most famous album cover ever.

Sgt.Peppers may well be the best-known rock album of all time,a decisive moment in the history of western civilizatin.An album of special effects,dazzling,and the most famous album cover ever.

“Sgt. Pepper’s” could be considered one of, or, the most, important album of all time, but calling it the best is plain ridiculous. This album clearly had a massive impact in the history of rock and roll, and blah blah it was the first album blah to blah artistic merit blah in music blah. This is the only beatles album I never found much interest in, and they have several that are considerably better. I am a huge Beatles fan, but Rolling Stones’ shameless praise of this album is embarassing. I guess I just don’t “get it” right? How about the Velvet Underground’s debut record? If I’m not mistaken didn’t both “Sgt. Pepper’s” and VU’s “and Nico” come out in the same year, 1967? Don’t get me wrong, I love the Beatles, but comparing both albums, the artistic extremities of the Velvet’s debut make all the artistic positioning of “Sgt. Pepper’s” hilarious. Listen to “Venus in Furs”, nothing on “Sgt. Pepper’s” comes close to the creative ingenious and artistic ingenuity of that song. That song was as ahead of it’s time as anything. What am I missing here? A mainstream landmark on pop-culture? Britney Spears also changed modern radio for pop stars, but at least RS had enough sense not to put her on their list. The “500 list” seeks out many widely considered classic albums in history, so I guess it’s has to be credible. Surely art and music didn’t fuse for the first time on this album as RS seems to imply, as they know better from many instances in music history. Or knew better. Rolling Stone magazine lost all credibility a long time ago. Albeit I admit this is still the first publication I check for reviews on new releases from established rock bands (partly out of curiosity). Key word there being “established”. Any new unestablished music no matter how great it is, most often (excepting lucky guesses from a veteran reviewer) garner meek iffy nothingness. Rolling Stone can no longer determine good music from otherwise without hearing it from someone else first. Just look at other albums Rolling Stone worships now. Nirvana’s great “Nevermind” wound up with a measly 3 stars in this magazine and then made it on to like the 15th spot on their now-infamous “500 best albums list”. There’s a great virtually unknown rock band called the Constantines whose most recent record “Tournament of Hearts” managed another classic RS iffy 3 star review. Another great album(although their others are better) by an unestablished band that RS can’t detect. If this band became as big as they should be, Rolling Stone would jump all over their whole catalogue. It’s so sad that the most important and influential magazine in the history of rock and roll has been reduced to such corporate schlub. I am no music elitist, I don’t pertain to know any more than anyone else who truly loves music, but sometimes you guys really piss me off. Accordingly, I’m sure the watchmen at RS will promptly delete this and anything from any of us true passionate music folk that see right through this publication’s modern status, which just goes to show how this magazine lost it’s edge a long time ago. It still felt good ranting this message to myself though. I can’t beleive I’ve typed this much over an innocent little classic album blog on one of my favorite bands. Maybe I should just get over myself and stop whining, or, ignore this overwrought publication altogether, then I’d have no reason to waste this time.

Nice moustaches you guys.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band is an exceptional album by one of the most influencial bands of all time, The Beatles.
The Fact that it has been forty years since it’s release goes to show just how influencial this album and band were. Their influence over music as a whole has been massive. Why, without the Beatles, we wouldn’t have Oasis or Codplay. Without the Beatles, Nirvana, and the Foo Fighter’s wouldn’t sound anything like they do. Because of this fact, The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band deserve great appaluse.
To do with the album itself thought is a different story altogether. Though the ablum’s impact on pop culture was absolutely massive, this album was, to be frank, not up to Beatles standards. It was past off as a concept album despite the fact that only two songs were related in the slightest bit (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band & With a Little Help From my Friends). The rest of the songs could have been scattered left-overs from past albums, unreleased material, etc.
In my Opinion, the Beatles had many albums (Revolver, The White Album & Abbey Road) That deserve not only more accolades that Pepper’s, but just more praise than they recieved in general.

Este album despues de 40 años sigue siendo el disco conceptual por excelencia ni siquiera Tommy de The WHo y mas recientemente AMERICAN IDIOT de Green Day han podido lograr el impacto en la musica que ha logrado el Sgt.Pepper, es un disco que resume lo que estaba pasando en 1967 y el Summer of Love. creo que es casi imposible que otro album y otra banda puedan lograr reflejar un momento tan especial como lo hicieron los Beatles en esta album

I am so fucking tired of hearing about Pet Sounds and Smile. Has anyone actually listened to these, or are you just parroting what your professor said in “History of Rock N’Roll” class??? The truth of the matter is that no one (practically) under the age of 40 listens to the Beach Boys, and they have been “State Fair” type performers for about the last 35 years. BTW- Sgt. Peppers is brilliant. Overrated? Probably, but it is still tremendous. White Album and Revolver are better. But
Peppers has Day in the Life, title track, Lucy in the Sky, Getting Better, Fixing a Hole, Lovely Rita. So, that is a line-up of songs that most bands would kill to have in their catalogue.

I am glad to see the number of responses to this album. The fact that we are discussing an album that was released forty years ago suggests the obvious. Specifically, this album is special, separating itself from any others released that year, or even any other Beatles album. Its influence is undeniable. Its greatness is reflected in the subsequent generations that latched on to it, seeing in it something that inspires creativity and stands apart from other efforts.

I have no problem with anyone who states that it is not their favorite album, or that there are other Beatles albums that are better. I am one of those, as the The White Album and Please Please Me are my personal favorites. Although, as I listen to it over and over again the past few days, I would not be able to choose any album over Sgt. Pepper.

Yet, I find it difficult to see how anyone either can deny its influence or can ignore its complexity and success as a rock ‘n roll work of art. It is not dated in any sense. I do not hear it and think of the 60’s. It is not a piece of nostalgia. I hear it and just enjoy it thoroughly as each song emerges as a masterpiece of pop craftsmanship, clever word play, and before unseen musical sophistication. Indeed, other than The Beatles on Revolver, bands, simply, were not making music like this. If you like rock ‘n roll, and can appreciate bands that take chances and succeed, Sgt. Pepper is unparalleled. Thanks to this album, rock could be taken seriously by critics. Put simply, Sgt. Pepper is a master work. It is their Ulysses. It is their Citizen Kane. They ambitiously tried to create music that lifted rock to areas not envisioned, and they succeeded.

In the understatement of the year, Sgt. Pepper is unbelievably great. I love everything about this album.

sgt. pepper is only i think their 4th or 5th best record anyway. in two years we can celebrate the 40th anniversary of what i’d say is their best record abbey road. but unfortunately i don’t think many people would care enough to do that. see i think sgt. pepper is so highly touted because of it’s timing, not necessarily because of it’s greatness as a work of art. it came out at a point where their popularity and admiration as a hitmaking entity matched their respect as creators of ’serious’ 20th century art. they already had two ‘mature’ records to set them up for this. rubber soul was a hint as to how deep they would go, revolver was the first hit, and sgt. pepper was the knockout punch.

interestingly i found a parallel to radiohead when thinking about this. in a way i feel that the bends and ok computer were their rubber soul and revolver. and i really feel if they put out a definitive statement record right after ok computer, they would have truly cemented their status as the biggest AND the most important band in the world. instead, they opted to merely be the most important, which is a real shame. no band nowadays seems willing to be both, which is why i said before that there’s nothing to really get excited about now.

i’m not exactly sure what i’m going on about. i know i don’t appreciate reading the negative posts here, mainly because so often these people will shift and mold things to fit their argument. when it comes to any band, you’re absolutely right, there is no objective best or worst, only one opinion to the next. but in my mind when your 4th or 5th best record is sgt. pepper and your 3rd best songwriter is george harrison, then you’ve got a pretty rocking group.

Steve and cheesecrop you guys are totally out of your mind. You are entitled to your opuinion but it is not a matter opinion to say the Beatles are the most infuential band of all time. There has never been and never will be a group like them. You may not be a fan and i can respect that but you have to acknowledge what they did, in thier time. All bands have been influenced by them and music today wouldn’t be the same. You cannot name one band that has not been influenced by the beatles or by someone infulenced by the Beatles. I think the Cheesecrop examples were, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Def Lep, Motley Crue, Zeppelin, etc. None of these band s would be around today if not for the Beatles. Even Led Zep. Sgt. Pepper is not my favorite Beatle album, but i can understand why it gets the priase it does. It is a time capsule for the era it was created in. There are a lot of records released in 1967 as meantioned here but the entire musical landscape was rearranged by the Beatles. You will not find too many informed people that will disagree with that. The Hype is there after 40 years because it is still a graet record by any standards. There aren’t too many that have held up that well for so long. I can only think of a few records from that era that are as good and 2 or 3 of them are also Beatle albums. thats all for now.

In terms of song structure, consistency, and overall enjoyability, Rubber Soul and Revolver are much better. As for technical achievement, this album kicks their earlier stuff’s ass.

Rubber Soul is the best Beatles album for my money and A Hard Day’s Night is better than most of the “Big 5″ that came later.

Sgt. Pepper’s is a wonderfully ambitious record but it hasn’t really held up all that well. Alot of it sounds silly.

This album isn’t quite the Beatles’ best. Revolver is their best, followed by the White album. However, it’s undoubtedly a great album and certainly their most influential. John’s songs are the best (I’ve never been a big fan of “Getting Better”), particularly “Mr. Kite” and “Lucy.” “Within you without you” is wonderful (if not quite as good as “Love You To” or “The Inner Light”) and “When I’m 64″ is the best Macca song. The best song on the album is one of Lennon and McCartney’s best songs ever, “A Day in the Life.” This was the first Beatles record I ever owned, and I always have a splendid time listening to it!

Their best album? Probably not. However, it captured and froze in time a tremendously incredible vibe. That just doesn’t happen any more with the release of a new piece of music. I remember my grade seven end-of-school year party, just after Pepper’s release, and having a debate with a female classmate over who’s better… the Beatles vs. the Monkees. It was very frustating, in light of the realization that this was a huge musical moment courtesy of the lads-from-Liverpool, to try to reason with her. (Years later she admitted her naivety.)
From the opening crowd noises, segueing into Paul’s blistering lead riff right through to that final crashing piano chord (with it’s fade capturing the squeak of Ringo’s shoe… read the Geoff Emerick book “Here, There and Everywhere”… the proof is, indeed, in the pudding.
(As John said while Paul was counting in the punchy “Sgt. Pepper Reprise”… “byeee”)

I know the whole reason for this post is to elicit safe nostalgia, and I vowed I wouldn’t succumb to this, but here goes:

“The best is yet to come & Babe won’t it be fine”;
“You think you’ve seen the sun but Babe you ain’t seen it shine….”

Lines from a pre-Beatle song, and perhaps the best way to put my take on the matter in perspective.

I agree completely w/ the post from Steve. The slavish worship of the Beatles/Pepper is sad. The fact is there can’t really be a #1 band or album ever, because this is meant to be music produced by, for, and about young people. I can name you many acts that were better than the Beatles: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Def Lep, Motley Crue, Zeppelin, etc. and the reason is very simple: they moved me in ways that the Beatles never could in a time when it mattered to me the most. This is not to say the Fab 4 weren’t great on certain occassions, but others were = to the task as well. Rather than simply gushing over this band/album while closing your ears to anything else, a more fitting tribute would be to acknowledge this was once the apex, but (much like my faves) must make way for the passage of time and the FUTURE.

Although it’s true that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, this is not the place for a ‘who’s better than who’ argument. Yes, we must pay our respects to Mr. Wilson for his innovative music, but music is made to inspire. If you listen to most of the new artists, you will hear Beatle influences. The bottom line is this - whether or not you love the Beatles, or whether or not you love Sgt. Peppers - you must admit that this album was a ground-breaking, history-making event that forever changed the music scene. And if you do love the Beatles (as so many of us do) you will also realize that this was the last true collective effort put forth by the Beatles. Before the era of Yoko and egos, the Beatles came into the studio, worked together, and showed that their collective talent was so great, that 40 years later we are still in awe and excitement over the results. If Sir Paul or Mr. Starkey happens to read this site, I hope they understand just how much this album, and their music, has meant to the masses, and to this particular person. Their music has stood the test of time because it is ageless. For the most part, is it happy, upbeat, and clean. Can the new artists say that? I played all of the Beatles for my children as they grew up and never worried about the lyrics or the message. It’s just plain and simply good music. God bless, John and George you are missed terribly, and thank you all for the memories.

Anyone who thinks Petsounds is better than SP must have taken the same drugs as Brian Wilson.This is a fact, not an opinion. Petsounds is a great album but the majority of people today probably could not name one song from it. SP Is timeless and recorded on a 4 track. And no, they did not rip off Brian Wilson. He himself said that after recording Pet Sounds that he was patting himself on the back when someone brought him a copy of SP and when he listened to it He was totally blown away, felt like his album was nothing!

Sgt Peppers meaning and influence in rock music and music as a whole is unfathomable. Sure works like Highway 61 Revisited, Electric Ladyland, Exiled On Mainstreet…etc were ground breaking releases and hold a very special place in the rocks annals but Sgt Peppers is a timeless classic that is very deserving of it’s rightful place atop both Rolling Stones and most sane peoples all time best album. Some may also make an argument for most albums in the phenominal Beatles catalog as deserving but no one who is honest can argue this masterworks place as the all time best. Happy 40th Paul and Ringo. Sorry you arent here to celebrate with us John and George but rest assured we remember you, your great contributions, and impact of this great long player.

When Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.

Today, June 1 2007 is the fortieth anniversary of what many consider to be The Beatles’ magnum opus, and when music became something more substantial, when it became art.

That album was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Widely heralded for many years as the greatest album of all time. Since then albums such as Pet Sounds, Exile On Main St., Highway 61 Revisited, and Pepper’s precursor, Revolver have topped critics greatest album lists. They cite the fact that the record is a failed concept album, as the concept is used for only three songs. They might also point out that lyrically, the album is weaker than other Beatle records. While to some extent, the album is a little featherweight as far as complex and thoughtful lyrics,there are poignant moments, such as the mixed emotions of a child becoming an adult but leaving her parents behind in”She’s Leaving Home,” The brooding almost existentialism in”A Day In The Life.” The loneliness buried under the sweet melody and uptempo in “With A Little Help From My Friends.” It’s almost a spiritual successor to John’s “Help!” The sound and playing are above reproach. With Sgt. Pepper, the listener can return again and again to discover little nuggets and sounds they hadn’t noticed before. Paul’s bass playing is some of the most melodic and stirring of the Beatles career. If the band had included Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane, instead of releasing them as the strongest double A-Side in pop history. The record would have been perfect.

As many telegraphs to the band said that day forty years past,
“Long Live Sgt. Pepper!”

like many ground breaking works of art, doesn’t hold my attention as much as the more accessible albums that followed. (not that i dislike sgt pepper, far from it) but i understand there is no white album without sgt pepper. genius is often difficult for we plebes to swallow.

PHENOMENAL

know=no. God, I should never post in a hurry . . .

Steve, know, they can’t. Simply because to suggest such is not sacreligous, but completely innaccurate. An album does not maintain its status as “Best album ever” for 40 years because it is overhyped. Thriller is an example of an overhyped album - where does that one stand today? Simply put, the fact that The Beatles and their music still makes top headlines and tops best-of ratings decades and generations later speaks for itself. Enough said.

It amazes me how Beatle sycophantism has become such rock and roll orthodoxy that to even suggest that this record or the Beatles in general are not all they are hyped up to be is borderline sacrilegious. Can people even entertain the idea that maybe they were NOT the best band ever? Or that Sergeant Pepper is perhaps a tad overrated? I think both are clearly the case.

It amazes me how Beatle sycophantism has become such rock and roll orthodoxy that to even suggest that this record or the Beatles in general are not all they are hyped up to be is borderline sacrilegious. Can people even entertain the idea that maybe they were NOT the best band ever? Or that Sergeant Pepper is perhaps a tad overrated? I think both are clearly the case.

a dead horse with no skin left.

I think it’s lame. Certainly not rock and roll. The songs are lightweight, for the most part. Stuff like “Getting Better” and “Good Morning” are total filler. “Fixing A Hole?” C’mon! The only way the album is groundbreaking is that it is more pop-oriented than the good stuff like Revolver. It was the beginning of the end for the Beatles.

Why is it that the Brian Wilson apostles are compelled to bleat out their tired old devotion to “Pet Sounds” every time “Sgt. Pepper’s” is mentioned, as if the two albums were contested shrines in some kind of absurd holy war? It frankly strikes me as being juvenile in the worst way. Is there no other means of deifying the Boys (well, at least Brian) except by belittling the Fabs? How insecure can these people be? Do they really believe that the Beatles had so little to offer that they had to stoop to ripping off St. Brian? Influence is one thing– every band, including the Boys has been influenced by others–but accusing them of being nothing more than common music thieves in quite another. I mean, it’s not like they stole a Chuck Berry song, tacked on their own lyrics and presented it as a new song or anything (Oops!).

What is really depressing about this Hatfield-McCoy fussin’ & feudin’, however, is that, despite what the acolytes (including a distressingly large number of professional music critics) believe and will defend unto the death, is that “Pet Sounds” is really a rather tedious album. (I can just see the veins popping out on their necks right about now.) Aside from “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?”, “God Only Knows,” and “Sloop John B” (which everyone knows was a ringer anyway, thrown in to give the album a little zing), and maybe one or two others, this masterwork is little more than an exercise in long-winded production tricks, short on memorable melodies and long on navel-gazing self-pity, an art of which the famously fragile Mr. Wilson is an acknowledged master.

Frankly, who cares whether Brian dreamed up some cute little sounds in the studio or how long he took to drag the whole elephantine effort into being? And who gives a rat’s rectum whether Paulie was inspired or even motivated into shaking the “Pepper” by what he heard, or even the praise he showered on Brian’s shaggy head? Let’s not forget that Paul, after all, was the man who came up with “Silly Love Songs.” This is clearly a production-minded perfectionist and a man with a guilty pleasure love of muzak, which is precisely what impressed him about “Pet Sounds.”

Forty years after the fact of “Sgt. Pepper’s,” it is no surprise that is has its share of less-than-classic moments and songs; “Lovely Rita” is trivial, “She’s Leaving Home” is maudlin, “Within You Without You” is laughable Indian-lite. So what? Even the worst of them is listenable, quotable, singable– and every one of them, to paraphrase Mr. McCartney, lifts up your heart.

On the other hand, even with its indecipherable meaning, I can think of few songs to match the sheer, visceral impact of “I Am the Walrus” or “A Day in the Life.” They have become the language of everyday life, instantly recognizable and endlessly relevant. On the third hand, even the best songs on “Pet Sounds” (which are great indeed; believe it or not, I am a Beach Boys fan and have been since I was a tyke) have been relegated to the FM nostalgia stations. While the “Pepper” classics end up there as well, you can still hear them even on the left of the dial, as college kid DJs still recognize the greatness of the Beatles.

In 2007, it is hard to describe, much less replicate, the impact of “Sgt. Pepper’s.” As Johnny Rivers described in “Summer Rain,” every radio everywhere was playing it simultaneously. It was an instant classic– a phenomenon, much like the Beatles themselves. And 40 years later, they still are.

I realize I’ve mightily pissed off a lot of people with my comments on “Pet Sounds,” but you pushed me to it. If the only thing you can think to say about “Sgt. Pepper’s” is that “it ain’t as good as Pet Sounds,” you’ve clearly been brainwashed, and it is you, rather than the “Pepper’s” fans, who are the apologists.

right in the nuts is wrong… pet sounds was released way before sgt pepper… smile (although never released) was also recorded before/kinda at the same time

Sorry it was hyde park gig paul mccartney 666 fashed on the screen at the back when playin helter skelter so my friend says but check out www.goodfight.org and watch the presentation about this album sgt peppers helter skelter charles manson serial killer! i wanna clear it up from my last post

This is the album that all others aspire to be…As Brian Wilson once was quoted “it blew my mind” and then wrote “Pet Sounds & Smile” Bob Dylan also was quoted as saying that he was in awe of only one other musician… that being Paul McCartney…I still to this day have my original copy of Sgt. Pepper…

Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band is the best album ever made. Although Pet Sounds is vey good. My favourite song on the album is “A day in the life”. Other Beatles albums are very close to as good and some albums have more of my favourite songs, but on a whole this is the best and most important.

Whether the best ever or not… to each his own… But ground breaking as hell! As far as one posting claiming it not to be very “technical.” That album was done on an 8-track. Listen to A Day In The Life and tell me that it’s not technical. Probably more technical than anything before it.

And…the Beatles music is happy,heartbeat music that captures the human heart and describes human nature so well.
Sgt. Pepper notwithstanding,the beatles music will be around as long as there are humans to hear it.

Sure I can come up with a dozen albums I like better, but “Pepper” has consistently been one of my favorites for 31 years. Sure the lyrics are backward-looking and introspective, and there’s a lot of pomp, but it still comes down to the sounds for me. The hits are great, but I would rather listen to the lesser songs, especially “Lovely Rita” and “Mr. Kite.” Also, this album broke so many rules, from the cardboard cut-out inserts, the lyrics printed on the gatefold, and even the specially designed sleeve (up to that point, record sleeves hawked other releases). The album, like the Beatles, always gave their fans something extra.

As Garbage’s Shirley Manson said:
(paraphrased). “The happening of four such talented indviduals all being in one band is a rare event.
WE were very lucky to have lived during the Beatles’ time.”
I think “Pepper” symbolizes that feeling the best.

i’m a 20 year old girl who completely missed the beatles’ reign, but having listened to them my whole life i can honestly say it was love at first listen. the beatles are amazing for so many reasons. one of which is how their music is continually captivating new, younger listeners such as myself and will continue to do so for decades to come. as for “sgt. pepper”, unbelievable album. everytime i listen to it i hear something different. though i’ve heard the album many times before it still sounds like the first time to me. not a lot of artists today have it in them to create an album that sounds fresh and new everytime you listen to it and even when you hear it years down the road. the beatles have done it. god bless them.

i’m a 20 year old girl who completely missed the beatles’ reign, but having listened to them my whole life i can honestly say it was love at first listen. the beatles are amazing for so many reasons. one of which is how their music is continually captivating new, younger listeners such as myself and will continue to do so for decades to come.

Well, I first listened to Sgt Peppers when I was a 11 year old kid. It was nothing, but a funny song to me. I grew up listening to the entire album and every and each song idea grew inside me. I can say that Sgt Peppers may not be the best ‘technical’ album by The Beatles, but I can tell you that it makes up minds - in the good sense of the expression. I’m glad that this album crossed four decades, acquiring different meanings in each moment of the World’s history, giving my idols the title they deserve: Masters. And that’s the way it’s gonna be, for the next hundred years, because they made *history*, besides only great songs to be listened to.

To whomever likes The Beatles:

Today is the 40th anniversary of The Beatles top album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! The Beatles were way ahead of their time, so do we need to hear the critics say that it’s the best album ever? Or how it is a masterpiece in the world of music? I don’t think so… because all of us know that it is the best! I suggest, to all of you Beatles lovers, that you take a moment, or hour, of the day to listen to this amazing album, whether you listen to your favorite song off of it, like Lucy In The Sky, When I’m 64, A Day In The Life, or the whole album! It doesn’t matter! And let me just say something, even though the Beatles themselves will die, their music will live on FOREVER! That’s a fact! So love this day, Beatles lovers, because John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison created this album for you!

Peace and Love to all!
~Beatle

To whomever likes The Beatles:

Today is the 40th anniversary of The Beatles top album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! The Beatles were way ahead of their time, so do we need to hear the critics say that it’s the best album ever? Or how it is a masterpiece in the world of music? I don’t think so… because all of us know that it is the best! I suggest, to all of you Beatles lovers, that you take a moment, or hour, of the day to listen to this amazing album, whether you listen to your favorite song off of it, like Lucy In The Sky, When I’m 64, A Day In The Life, or the whole album! It doesn’t matter! And let me just say something, even though the Beatles themselves will die, their music will live on FOREVER! That’s a fact! So love this day, Beatles lovers, because John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison created this album for you!

Peace and Love to all!
~Beatle

Sgt. Pepper’s are the Beatles at their most fun. And fun is the one thing that money can’t buy……

I remember David Lee Roth saying in an interview in 1987 that the great thing about the Beatles was that if you stopped anyone on the street and gave them a Beatles song title, that they would probably know the words. Twenty years more have passed, and although there have been many great records released, and the average man on the street may no longer recall the lyrics to “With a Little Help”, this disk surprisingly holds up. I believe the reason for this is it’s simplicity. Although “Sgt. Pepper” has much more happening sonically than earlier efforts, you cannot compare it to the “Prog” bands like Yes, early Genesis or the Moody Blues. Sgt. Pepper is easy to listen to. The lyrics are easy to remember, and the tunes are easy to carry. Most importantly, the Beatles music does not fit into any exclusionary musical genres that would limit it’s acceptance amongst different cultures, rather belonging to it’s own: great.

“Sgt. Pepper” is most significant for its overall impact. “Abbey Road” is more assured and mature, the White Album was more eclectic, and “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” had better songs. But “Sgt. Pepper” was, as a whole, a rock album with, if not an entirely unifying concept, a completely unified feeling. And the production was revolutionary enough to shock even Brian Wilson. And it was recorded on a measly old 4-track. That’s what’s really mind-blowing about it.

… also, Wilson/Beach Boys’ Smile was light years ahead of both the PS and SP albums. If Wilson wasn’t so F’d up (drugs and band tensions), the Smile album would’ve been released before SP. The album was pretty much in the can and there are rumors that the Beatles were treated to acetate copies of the music which they basically stole from to write SP.

SGT PEPPERS LONELY HEART CLUB BAND BY THE BEATLES.

4 STARS

1967 saw albums such as Are you Experienced by Jimmi Hendrix, Forever Changes by Love, The Who Sell Out by The Who.

At the time though it was Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club that had everyone talking. With it’s brilliant production & mixture of Pop & Phychedellic it had critics & fans going bonkers.

In truth before Sgt Pepper the band had flurted with Phychedellic music in the brilliant & far superior Revolver but sales wise it at the time had proved a flop selling on 5 million copies in the States. This was from a band who would usually sell double of that.

Influenced heavily on American Rivals The Beach Boys hit 1966 album Pet Sounds the band attempted to equal that album well as far as Sgt Peppers goes they failed!

The first 4 songs are masterpieces Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band has perhaps one of the most regonisable riffs the world today & one of the best opening lines of lyrics ever ‘It was 25 years ago today, Sgt Pepper taught the band to play.’

A Little Help from my Friends is another true gem that has been covered by countless of artists but the original Lennon written version still remains the best.

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds is brilliant, a catchy Beatlesc pop anthem about a girl with calidascope eyes!!!

Gettin’ Better is another gem, the heavy guitar production helps makes the song into a real rock ‘N’ Classic.

Fixin’ a Hole is a true gem also, grat catchy song, & She’s Leaving Home is sweet. But it’s after that where the album gets a bit silly.

Being for the Benefit of Mr Kyte is a decent tune but Within or Without You is one of the Beatles worse… ok not Revolution 9 but the song kinda goes no where & the style had been done much better before by The beach Boys in Pet Sounds & better since by artists such as The Doors, The Velvet Underground, & Love!

When I’m Sixty Four is a decent sing along but it kinda has the silly impact on the album like Yellow Submarine nearly had on Revolver only Yellow Submarine was a better track.

Lovely Rita & Good Morning are terrible, sloppy lyrics ‘Lovely Rita meet her maid???’ but also sloppy singing in Good Morning, which remains perhaps one of The Beatles worst tracks along with Revolution 9!!!

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band reprises the first song but because of the previuos two terrible songs we had it seemed more like a scapegoat to make the album seem better than it really was!!!

A Day in the Life is a great the best song on the album since the first four. Had Sgt Pepper been able to keep the quality of the album as good as songs 1-4 & the last song then there would be no doubt that it would be one of the best albums ever but you can’t call an album great cos it has 5 great tracks, a few decent songs and the rest filler!!!

Pet Sounds was a great album because from start to finish it was great each song a masterpiece by itself, each song honest, personal yet brilliant, you learned something new with each new listen.

First off Sgt Pepper will seem like a great album but on repeated listens you will notice the sloppy meaningless lyrics, and overdose of production values, yes Sgt Peppers is nicely packaged but the big problem is that it lacks the honesty of a Rubber Soul, Revolver, Abbey Road & even A Hard Day’s Night or even the cleverness of The White Album.

If Sgt Peppers was The Beatles response to Pet Sounds thhen The Beatles completely missed the point. What made Pet Sounds a great album was not only the production revolutionary for the time but the album was honest… honesty is something that is sadly missing in Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band!!!

Not nearly as good of an album as Pet Sounds! And the Beatles wouldn’t even know how to make the sounds on S. Pepper if it weren’t for Brian Wilson (even George Martin admits this).

Whilst incredibly groundbreaking sonically and definitely very culturally influential, I think its more than a stretch to claim it the best album ever–just from the Beatles catalog alone, Revolver and Abbey Road do it all better.

Sgt. Pepper’s bogged down by an incoherent concept (that goes for three songs and then doesn’t pick up again until the finale) and some weak–if playful–moments. ‘A Day in the Life’ may well be the best song in rock–but that song, the best album doesn’t make.

The Brits figured this out long ago–in their polls and mags, ‘Pet Sounds’, ‘Revolver’ and ‘OK Computer’ regularly outrank Sgt. Peppers.

I prefer Revolver, Abbey Road, and Rubber Soul over Sgt. Pepper, but the latter was probably the Beatles’ most groundbreaking album. Best. Band. Ever.

Quite simply the greatest album of all time. Flawless from start to finish, including Georges “Within You and Without You”. Not prior to nor since has such talent come together so perfectly.

Two things seemingly not mentioned here that make the album even more groundbreaking.

1) Think of their musical growth in just 4 years. Few bands progress as far in their entire careers as the Beatles did from “With The Beatles” to Pepper.

2) Having decided to stop touring, they decided to make an album that didn’t need to be performed live. It hadn’t been done because no one else up to that point would take the risk of not touring to support a new album.

Add to these thoughts, all the other comments made here and, whether you like the album or not, you won’t find another album that generates this kind of interest, when it was released or 40 years later. People from all walks of life … from simple pop fans to musicologists … sing its praises.

It hadn’t happened before and unfortunately it hasn’t happened since.

Two things most people seem to miss that make the album even more groundbreaking.

1) Think of their musical growth in just 4 years. Few bands progress as far in their entire careers as the Beatles did from “With The Beatles” to Pepper.

2) Having decided to stop touring, they decided to make an album that didn’t need to be performed live. It hadn’t been done because no one else up to that point would take the risk of not touring to support a new album.

Add to these thoughts, all the other comments made here and, whether you like the album or not, you won’t find another album that generates this kind of interest, when it was released or 40 years later. People from all walks of life … from simple pop fans to musicologists … sing its praises.

It hadn’t happened before and unfortunately it hasn’t happened since.

i will not take any more time responding to this site if RS is going to delete my thoughts for no reason. i wrote a review last night and now it is gone . why?

Inspiration.Then and now.Salute to unbridled creativity.Oh yes it sounds good too.Happy 40th!

the best record ever. SUMMER OF LOVE ‘07!!

Dreamy melodies but somewhat overwrought and pompous, doesn’t age as well as say Revolver. A good rock album but not the greatest of all time. The fact that it spawned the Stone’s copycat “Satanic Majesties Request” also knocks Pepper down a notch. Being arty versus artfice here were confused as being the same thing.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s…decent, but it’s wrong to say this was The One Groundbreaking Album released at that time, which allowed other artists to experiment and be eclectic. I wasn’t even around at the time and I can name a number of other important bands around at the same time…the Monks, the Velvet Underground, the 13th Floor Elevators…etc….maybe I’d like it more if it wasn’t loved religiously. But I’m sure Pepper apologists will just ignore this…

Here’s a review from someone who isn’t insane and afraid to tell the truth: This album is shit except for George Harrison’s one song and a few of Lennon’s - Paul McCartney is such an asshole I can’t believe it, ‘When I’m 64′ is easily one of the worst songs ever

I am 21 and this album is one of my favorites. That speaks for the album in itself, the fact that it is 40 years old and still hooking people like me. It is just weird enough to be really good.

To remove Sgt. Pepper from the context in which it was originally released can only hurt it’s reputation. The Beatles put together albums full of stronger songs both before (Revolver) and after (Abbey Road) it’s release, but Sgt. Pepper has to be their masterpiece simply because nothing else approaches the ambitious, sweeping, sonic majesty of it all.
From the opening murmurs of an expectant crowd on the title track to the crashing piano chord at the end of ‘A Day in the Life’ thirty nine minutes later, the album pays tribute to almost every musical influence Paul McCartney ever had and John Lennon ever dreamed (from english dance hall on ‘When I’m 64′ to LSD hallucinations on ‘Lucky in the Sky with Diamonds’).
Calling it a ‘failed’ concept album (Lennon said they stopped caring about ‘Sgt. Pepper’ by track three), is missing the point. An album that should be taken as a whole, not a couple hit songs plus filler, was the point. And it was understood immediately, as Sgt. Pepper was the first album radio stations played in full.
The Beatles took everyone who ‘bought the ticket’ to places where popular music was never intended to go. A symphony for a young girl leaving home. Making the boredom of the morning a frantic mix of guitars and animals. An ode to a meter maid.

It was new and different, and because of that it was taken up as a representation of the social and political changes of the sixties, even though all it was and all it intended to be was a great set of tunes.

Many of albums that came after (some by the Beatles) took the experimentation on Pepper to ludicrous extremes, sometimes succeeding magically, sometimes destroying the artist’s career.
But Sgt. Pepper was the first. And that’s why it has to be held up and passed on.

Pet Sounds is better.

In the 80’s I held off buying a cd player, until the day Sgt. Pepper was released. Bought the cd and a cd player the same day the cd was released. Had to have it. Still do.

Will they re-release the 8 Track version ?

Sg. Peppers makes me feel alive. It is a testament of the human spirit. It is an album for the ages.

This is such an amazing album. I got it for my 18th birthday (2 years ago), and it has stayed in my cd player ever since. It’s one of those albums I can Iisten to front-to-back, and that’s saying something because I have a tendancy to skip around. I appreciate this album because it is unlike anything I have heard, and goes through so many emotions and moods besides it being istrumentally/musically great. This album also shows it strength through its ability to appeal to those my age, seeing how there is the time gap between. Others my age can recognize and enjoy its greatness, and I think that says a lot.

Rubber Soul approached the door; Revolver kicked it down; Pepper walked through it.

As an album it is among the greatest ever made, right up there with Exile on Main Street and Dark Side of the Moon. But if you look at all the things Sgt Peppers changed and influenced forever (ie: record making) than it shoud not be compared to Exile on Main Street or Dark Side of the Moon but to Mozart and Robert Johnson.

Sgt. Peppers is a great Beatles album. A Day in the Life is one of my all time favorite songs by them. Not one song on the album is bad and they all vary in sound and rhythem. I do believe White Album, Let It Be, and Abbey Road are all better Beatles.Heard it was the first album to really use an entire story through the album and have the songs flow together. I don’t know if that is true but if it is that would make this album all the more important. Abbey Road seems to be more like a complete story from You Never Give Me Your Money to The End though.

Sgt. Pepper is still one of the most creative albums ever made. What makes it so amazing is not that it is a sign of the times in which it was made, but the creativity and risks they took, and how successful they were on every level. We still have risk-taking bands like Radiohead but the results are far less inspiring. I for one however beleive there are better Beatles albums, The White Album comes to mind instantly.

Amazing album, sometimes naive, it would make a nice pair with Piper at the gates of dawn from Pink Floyd, that was recorded in the room next door at the same time, in that way it would really! do Perfect.

I was 13 when Sgt. Pepper was released and I was blown away, along with most of the rest of the world, with the scope of the album. In retrospect, certainly Revolver is the better album, but nothing compared to Pepper in 1967. Though it was supposed to be a “concept album”, it falls short of that lofty height, but it holds together well. It is a time capsule of the “Summer of Love”, flower power and a final giant step away from the Eisenhower 50’s and into a brave, new world; a year later, American cities were on fire. There is joy in every track and you can feel the exuberance of the band as they push the envelope of creativity; anything was possible and The Beatles were leading the way. Sgt. Pepper is a wonderful reminder, that has stood the test of time, of the hopes and utopian dreams of a generation.

Not better than Xenus hit album “I rule all!”

Besta plata i heimi!

This sux !!! Not better than ,mine

I believe this is the most important and influential rock albun of all time, next to john lennon’s milk and honey, and the smiths louder than bombs. BEATLES FOREVER!!!!!!!

The Grubby 1: Damn dude, nice job.

I’ve heard this album compared to The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy has just opened the door to the house and everything went from black and wwhite to color.

It is hard to put this album on and not listen to it in it’s entirety. A Day In The Life is easily one of the greatest songs ever made. For a total immersion into the album I love turning all the lights off, lying down on the floor facing the ceiling…light a candle and float away. I remember the smell of the album when I opened the gatefold, and the cutouts that I pasted to my school notebook. I also remember that I paid something like $3.27 for it.

40 years on Sgt. Pepper remains the epitome of zeitgeist. It was the instigator and most representative of an amazing singular time whose like we, unfortunately, are not likely to see again. Four years into the boomer’s youth culture movement that the Beatles had practically launched, a peak was reached when traditional western values were questioned, alternative cultures were explored and the psychedelic experience took on the aspect of a nearly spiritual revolution. Sgt. Pepper was the soundtrack for the Summer of Love, a brief, fairly imaginary, but wondrous ideal. How great was it to see members of an old generation attempt to display their connection to this moment by wearing their Nehru jackets?

The music itself was very good, fairly shimmering with electricity, but in hindsight, probably no better than Mystery Tour (which contained the awesome twin tone poems by Lennon, Strawberry Fields and I am the Walrus). Revolver and maybe even the White Album were superior.

Oh, but to be a young person living in 1967 while the planet rocked to some of the greatest music ever produced.

SGT PEPPERS’ is just Like EXILE ON MAIN ST…..Both ideas look good on paper but in reality they don’t sound as good as everyone gives them credit for!!

The Beatles gave thier fans an indication of what was yet to come with “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the last song on Revolver. Sgt. Pepper’s is without a doubt a 4 track masterpiece. Although The Beatles were breaking new ground in experimenting with new sounds like ADT,I would tend to agree with John Lennon that the album is really not a concept album. Aside from the title track, “With a Little Help from my friends”, and the Sgt. Pepper reprise, the rest of the songs have little to do with the Sgt. Pepper’s LHCB concept. It only worked because the Beatles said it worked.

“A Day in the Life” is the crown jewel of the album. It should also be noted that according to Paul McCartney, George Harrison only showed up for his song and not much else. Hence, Paul played alot of lead guitar of the album. If one listens to the guitar solo on both “Taxman”, and ” Good Morning”, the riffs are Paul’s.

One can only wonder what songs would have been chosen for the album if “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” were not just released as singles.

Another important note is that the Beatles were only present for the Mono mixes of their albums with the exception of Abbey Road and Let it Be which were mixed in Stereo.

With that said, “A Splendid time is guaranteed for all”

What an album! From Goerge’s opening guitars, Paul’s bass on ‘With a Little Help’, John’s singing, Ringo’s great drumming it is just great. It is just Beatles doing what they do, new ideas, sounds, lyrics, never doing the same thing twice, always something new, fresh, opening up opportunities to explore something different. Everything about Sgt Peppers challenges what was before and what came after, it set the pace and said ‘here’s what you can do if you let your mind go’. It just knocked down some walls. All on 4 track too, unbelievable!! What are they using now? 32,64,128 track, I dunno. I still only have the vinyl. As George once said, ‘I don’t mind a bit of hiss and crackle’.

A true masterpiece of songwriting and production. While Revolver is stronger on a on by song basis, the use of Sgt Pepper’s theme to bring all of the songs together was groundbreaking. The production, and especially the engineering, was amazing. To do what they did on a few 4 track machines was pure genius. As a producer and engineer myself, I can honestly say, “I’m not worthy”!!!

I was 14 when Sgt. Pepper came out and just the other day I heard the opening guitar riff on the radio and got chills. It still is an amazing piece of music. Not just history.
For me, The White Album will always be the ‘one’, but Sgt. Pepper is in a league of it’s own. A Masterpiece: if ever that word should be used, it’s for this.

Although Sgt Pepper is my second favourite in the Beatles’ discography, it still remains one of the most eclectic record I’ve ever heard. The songs are delirious and its production is outstanding. Its sound is so unique that you could not tell what year it has been recorded… I love it

As someone who likes the music of the Beatles,I think Sgt.Pepper still holds its own.I love everything about it-from the opening guitar to “Sgt.Pepper” to the last note on “A Day In The Life”.I love the album cover and I even love how people were searching for “clues” about McCartney’s “death”.If this isn’t anyone’s favorite Beatles album/CD,it should be in your top 5 Beatle albums/CDs.”A Day In The Life” still gives me chills.

I posted a review on the beatles and the stones about satanisim why did you take it of because it is the truth i tell you they are satanists live 8 was opened with sgt peppers and on the screen at the back it was changed also a 666 flashed up please watch the trailer at www.goodfight.org prove it wrong you cant!

As someone at the young age of 23, it wouldn’t really be fair for me to say why this album is considered the groundbreaking masterpiece that set forth the rule of “no rules” for rock. I just did, and it’s simply not fair. I wasn’t there. I was born and this all was canon. It isn’t fair.

That said, I can only say how this album makes me feel. And in all honesty, it makes me feel fantastic. Lennon’s guarantee of a splendid time is not just talk. The album runs the gamut not only in tone, but in texture, opening with the relatively straight ahead eponymously titled rocker and then delving deep into psychadelia that is well established come “Within and Without You,” and only sort of returning with pieces like “Good Morning” and of course “A Day in the Life.” The album really takes you for a ride. I know that Revolver is the hip one to prefer these days because it’s really the one where the boys and George really started exploring the studio and its potential, but it just didn’t take you somewhere quite like Sgt. Pepper does. Again, can’t speak for the era, but it’s this one that makes me curious about the world at large. Revolver , in terms of content, is a very adventurous rendition of what they had been up to all along to that point. Pepper just took that to the logical conclusion and pulled me unwittingly along. I’m grateful it did. Apparently the rest of the world is too. Never could see any other way.

this is what i call revolution. breaking musical and lyrical boundaries beyond belief. you all know how people were stuck with conventional music theory in those days, they broke free from it. this album should be classed LEGENDARY

“the day the music died”

The fact that we are all talking about it now, shows that The Beatles will live on. Sgt Pepper is great and broke all the rules. 5 stars definately!

it’s impossible to explain to those who weren’t there. you must take into consideration what else came out in 1967. this was so far ahead of anything else in it’s own time.i saw the Turtles at expo 67 in Montreal,and the opening band Every Mother’s Son sang their hit “come on down to my boat baby” then covered Sgt. Pepper as best they could for the rest of the show.It wasn’t hype or mass hysteria . anyone with ears knew that music had taken a giant step ahead

This is the album that started it all. With this album everyone realized the possibilities of the recording studio. Musically and lyrically, not the Beatles best, that honor has to go to Rubber Soul, but technically this album is second to none.

Overproduced pap for those who’d rather celebrate long-revered artists on whatever overpacked bandwagon they can get on, instead of challenging themselves to try something new.

With its absurdly crystal-clear production, every note played “correctly” but not creatively, Sgt. Pepper has become the antithesis to rock music - a big, dumb, self-congratulatory spectacle that’s the least interesting or rebellious endeavour The Beatles ever took on.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

This album stands up, no question. However, this album is nothing more then a second step in the direction of re-defining the rules of music. Revolver is the album that put the first foot out the door and in the direction of, “Lets take the rules and smash them and make something with no limits.” The only limits were their minds. Once they started thinking, “O we can do this with out playing live.” did they turn out what is Pepper. I do think that the opening of the album (Pepper) is prob the coolest lick in rock history. Im not puttin down the album, (Lovely Rita and Good Morning are 2 of my fav songs ever) but I think Revolver is the one that broke the ground for all we know now as music.

Pepper was the first Beatle record I listened to as a kid and it blew me away. I was only 10 yrs old at the time (now turning 36 next month-yuck), but I got it! I could appreciate, even at that age, the significance of what I was listening to. I’ve always considered Pepper to not only be “THE” best album in music, but also “THE” crowning summation of what The Beatles are all about - it just simply endears. And with every listen, it still sounds as fresh and relative as it did when I first heard it. From Paul’s stream of consiousness lyrics in “Fixing A Hole”, to John’s take on every day life in “Good Morning, Good Morning”, Pepper was not only chock full of beautiful, sweeping melodies and hooks, but it was a lyrically gifted album as well.

This album was revolutionary. The Beatles had just stopped touring and put all their fresh ideas and tastes into this album. They went to outrageous feats to create the sound and image around it that is Sgt. Pepper.

I don’t think that Sgt Pepper’s is as good as Revolver, simply because the songwriting on Revolver is far stronger. And I think a lot of the experimentation, especially with the studio techniques and instrumentation, that Sgt. Pepper gets credit for in being so revolutionary really started with Revolver and Rubber Soul. That being said, Sgt. Pepper is an extraordinary feat and still one of the greatest albums of rock and roll. I think it is the album that really shifted people’s views towards the idea of the entire LP being a conceptual work of art. And while Revolver was better, song for song, Sgt Pepper does have The Beatles’ greatest song and one of the greatest songs of all-time in “A Day in the Life.”

The Best Album of all time not just the best rock album. Everybody that claims that other beatle albums where better consider the quantum leap foward they made to creat this album. In my eyes there is all albums created before Sgt. Peppers’s and after Sgt. Pepper’s. A Complete Masterpiece.

The Beatles surprised the whole world with every record they made, even their singles. But even the concept of surprise took a new meaning the day this album came out. There might be better albums, even better bands, but the Beatles and SPLHCB own a moment in time that has not been repeated in 40 years, an added value to this album that makes it a unique milestone in popular music worldwide. The day this album came out, new standards were set, and as one of the lucky ones that ‘were there’, it is still today that we all want to live that moment again, and wish that younger people today experience that too. In 40 minutes, all we knew about popular music changed, and so changed the expectations for everything that followed. The Beatles became the legend they are today because they manage to top themselves many more time. They taught us to expect more, and even so we got more than we could ever expect.

Amen flynnie. Are you experienced in my book too. The beatles are fantastic though.

After the Beach Boys put out the Astonishing Pet Sounds in 1966, the Beatles were so inspired they knew they had to answer. Personally I dont think they couldve done it in a better way. Sgt. peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was an album that was pure sixties. It was groundbreaking lyrically and musically. In the very first song (Sgt. Peppers lonely hearts club band) they open it up like a rock show with audience reaction and the lyrics we hope you enjoy the show. Enjoy the show is what we did. The next song a little help from my firends is possibly Ringo Starr’s best lyrical preformance. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Is one of the most profound drug songs of all time. You can almost feel John Lennon’s “experience” as he wrote this mere masterpiece. The rest of the songs have their beautiful lyrics exquiset(srry spelled wrong) instrumentals and sound mixing/production that was a groundbreaker for years to come. The album ends with A day in the life. A song that is basically the whole album put into one. It also is considered one of the best songs ever. I remember the moment after the odd ending in A day in the life was complete I was in shock yet at the same time was eager to play it all over again.

You know, after 40 years ‘Sgt Peppers’ still sounds more ahead of its time than any album released since. They’ll truly never be another album like it. ‘A Day in the Life’ is possibly the best song ever written.

It deserves all the praise it gets. Somewhere in outer space, aliens on a spaceship are listening to this album - I would bet my life on it.

It’s the whole package. The number of firsts were astonishing … incredible cover, lyrics printed on the back; gatefold with the huge photo of the uniform clad Fab Four, giveaways in the packaging, etc. Then there’s the music … it only Gets Better.

I only wished I could have been around when Sgt. Peppers was released. I am jealous of anyone who was. When I think of Pepper, my first thought is of that album cover. Throw in some of the greatest tunes ever and you have the essence of the Beatles. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve listened to Getting Better! There will never be another Pepper, and there will never EVER be another Beatles.

As someone who grew up in the 80’s and only later discovered Beatles music through personal curiosity and interest it is hard to claim Sgt. Peppers as groundbreaking. I think alot of the people growing up in that decade were victims of bad pop and something like Nevermind is more equated with ‘revoultionary’ than sgt. pepper. but as ive grown older it is difficult to not give that appleation to this album. in its time and against its contemporaries, it blew the door wide open on what was possible. it was the right album, capturing the spirit of the times. people here say it may not have been their best, but its like choosing a favorite child. al their music showed elements of their genius and its longevity in all our hearts, whether it be the 60’s or 80’s, is testament to its power and magnificence.

to second that comment i read somewhere … i miss john lennon also with all this beatle talk.

One of the most influential albums ever written in time. Its amazing how throughout the Beatles lifetimes their music has progressively changed and all of it led up to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. One that I could definitely listen to for the longest time and never get tired of hearing it. As a 17 year old kid who grew up on the Beatles, I can honestly say that this is the best album that they have ever recorded. R.I.P. John and George

Sgt Pepper is the most important album to come out in the past 50 years.It tought the industry how modern albums are made.