Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Beatles (The) > Reviews > Deserves this many words

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Superb album
Disadvantages:	None to speak of

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Maybe controversial, but I think this album contains what is perhaps the most important Beatles song ever, in 'When I’m sixty-four', as this song, coupled with it's two predecessors, 'Within you, without you', and 'Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite!’ on the album, most starkly defines the differences between The Beatles’ three songwriters. You might say that later on in their career, the differences emerged more obviously, but Sgt. pepper was the first album where they really let their creativity run wild and ended up producing their most individual, era defining work. Before Paul became an (albeit still superb to listen to) parody of himself, Lennon retreated into his own ego, and Harrison... well he never really wanted to be noticed, did he?

Although, many people point to Revolver as the best Beatles album (and the best album ever, popularly), I would say that Sgt. pepper betters it, therefore becoming the greatest by default. The two album's similarity to each other (although some people rate Abbey road in the same group) makes them easily comparable, plus they were chronological sequence. There’s no point in a direct comparison, but alongside Revolver, I think Sgt. Pepper is better. Now I do own both albums, but I don’t claim to be an expert, like a music journalist in Q or NME, but I'll say what I think and. wait, those two publications talk mince anyway! What the hell.

Revolver has one more song than Sgt. pepper but Sgt. pepper is 4 minutes longer, highlighting the fact that the Beatles were trying something new, and wanted the songs to be more showcase pieces. Nevertheless, only 4 songs creep over the 4-minute mark, including, I believe, the longest the Beatles had published at that point. Most songs are between 2 and 3 minutes, however, like Revolver. It is true that all artists wrote shorter songs in the sixties, and were still better than many of today’s artists: shame on you Noel Gallagher, you 7 minute freak!

Opening with the anxious bustle of an excited crowd, I can imagine how this would have also excited Beatles fans on their first listen. Although the Beatles had used samples of speech etc. before (I'm only sleeping, yellow submarine), on this album there is a definite continuity of the sampling, from the very start to the reprise finish, including the rather strange, almost mocking laughter at the end of 'Within you without you'. The first track, the title track, is among the Beatles songs I respect the most. The arrangement is quite complicated for a pop song, and it shows off Paul’s ability to seamlessly merge brass with more traditional pop instruments. This is a short song for what it contains, but looking at the finale, you can see why it stops when it does. The rising C, D, E chords round off the song beautifully and lead into 'With a little help from my friends', probably the most 'normal' song on the album. But anyway, more on the opener, which sets the pace, and draws you in to the strange world of this album, which is unique among Beatles albums in that it is very much a whole. To take any songs out would be kind of sacrilege, and missing the point anyway (you could say Abbey road is like this, but I say only in the second half). What I mean is, Sgt. pepper is very much 'an album' compared to Revolver, which seems much more like a collection of very good songs (on another note, I think maybe Revolver doesn't suffer too much from this because there is a much smaller instrument base, and the songs sounded the same by default).
It is clearly true that the Beatles wanted Sgt. pepper to fit together, that is why they merged some songs into each other so you couldn't see the joins. One limitation of the CD version is that, there is always a small silence in-between tracks, which is why this album is worth hearing on Vinyl. The opening track has lyrics that are seemingly strange: Paul is claiming to be in a different band. Why did the Beatles imagine themselves as a different band? Perhaps a yearning for the simpler days when they weren't superstars.
But the lyrics do suggest that this album is a performance by one band (notably they do not refer to the first person very often, compare this to earlier albums where lyrics went not much further than 'I love you' or 'I don't love you'). Paul refers to the album as 'the show' and all this emphasises how this album is a specialist world, set apart from the others and somewhat strange and alien in it's outlook.

The second track is much more conventional, but it is such a perfect example of good songwriting - it is instantly recognisable, and is much covered. The decision to make Ringo sing perhaps creates a feeling that this song is a crowd pleaser, although it's apparently clean lyrics are somewhat overshadowed by the ambiguous 'I get high...' The lovely wobbling base and the sort of pianoey thing make this song lovely to listen to. By the way, I think Joe Cocker (you heard!) absolutely murdered it for the 'wonder years' theme.

'Lucy in the sky with Diamonds' (LSD) is obviously a stunning song. The signature riff is a compulsory know for guitarists. The lyrics are mighty strange, and much quoted, but there is an argument over what he is on about. It is claimed Lennon was describing an acid trip, but Katherine Tornow once said he was in fact describing a drawing done by a child. All I can say is, 'Newspaper taxis' and 'looking glass ties' are hardly subject matter for any drawing, let alone a child’s. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

The harsh guitar strikes that kick off and permeate 'Getting better' are stunning, and hearing them can melt even the most hardened Beethoven fan into shameless air guitar thrusts. The whole 2 minute, 47 second package exudes class and perfection of production, from the clean stabs of guitar that start the chorus, to the sublime rising harmonies at the top, right back down again to the drum beat smattered, sitar washed third verse. Then it's all halted again to make way for the chorus. Hearing a cover, recently, on an advert, just highlighted what an uncliched, original job they did with this song, not milking the obviously number one chorus. The lyrics are almost stupidly upbeat; showing little of the hidden darkness of some of Paul’s other contemporary songs (Penny lane, When I'm 64).

What follows is a much more mellow tune, but, I believe, just as good. Again, it's Paul, who wrote the majority of songs on the album, if you count his contributions to songs other than his own. 'Fixing a hole' is a lovely song, really giving you the sense that you are within the album and it's well and truly underway. The really excellent lyrics provoke thought and are among Paul’s most introverted. But it’s not depressing; it is uplifting to here the confident 'I’m right' in the bridge. Most of all, the music is rather ambient in this song, apart from the invading guitar solo. The baseline is incredible. The song floats around, before fading out un-surrepticuously, not even close to staying it's welcome.

Paul returns, with a much more specific in purpose song, in 'She's leaving home'. Talking about how youth should not be restricted, this song displays the kind of thing Lennon was simply not capable of - warm, pleasing music. The strings are very pretty, serious and playful by turns. Also, Paul's sweet voice is calming and sincere, relaying the story of 'she'. Lennon chips in on the harmony-laden chorus, but this is a Paul showcase.

Lennon, however, is not to be overshadowed, jumping back into the frame at the end of side one with 'Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite!'
This is possibly the strangest song on the album, a precursor to pieces such as 'I am the walrus' with its rather disconcerting lyrics and queer accordion sounds. In contrast to Lennon’s other exclamation mark containing titled song, 'Help!’ this seems much more cynical in it's outlook, rather than the genuine honesty of 'Help!’ perhaps showing the change in Lennon himself. In this great little song the lyrics again tell something of a story, except this time it' s back to the idea of the Beatles being different people, this time Lennon influenced.

The only Harrison song on the album is something of an enigma, clearly the least penetrable on the album. The sitars are overpowering, and the gulping bongos interesting. Probably the most introverted song on the album, the production has clearly taken time, and the whole arrangement is good. Although maybe too long and a bit out of place. I still rate this above Revolver’s Harrison sitar song, ‘Love you to’

After this is the song that completes what I’d say is the trio of songs that compare Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison. And Paul comes off best on this occasion. The melody absolutely stinks of him i.e. a classic. Although it seems cheesy, all the truly great melodies of pop music are a bit cheesy. The melody of 'when I'm sixty-four' is a total classic. Paul's sweet voice really endears you to this song, and when it’s pretty brass line comes in after the comparative unpleasantness of ‘Within you, Without you’, it never fails to bring a smile to my face. Probably the best part of the song is the bridge (‘you’ll be older too’), which shows McCartney at his glorious best. The lyrics are really charming, and very skilled, especially in the last ‘letter writing’ verse. They do show a slight hidden darkness within the lines ‘yours sincerely, wasting away’, but this song has an undemanding, timeless message.

‘Lovely Rita’ is another McCartney song, and another classic. The lyrics are again light hearted, but in a more rude way. The base line here is stunning, and the drums keep a striking beat throughout. The superb piano part is sort of bluesy, and attention grabbing. The melody keeps the pace throughout, and there are excellent vocal performances. Can you imagine this on Revolver? And the moans at the end are only a little disturbing. Thankfully Ringo’s dire tones come in, ordering the two yelping maniacs to “leave it.”

‘Good morning, Good morning.’ Is a song with a lot of samples, but the best part of it and the most famous, is the tremendous, rasping brass, which fires away at perfectly timed intervals. The very electrical guitar solo is fantastic, and really complements this song, one of the most memorable for sounding totally different from anything else ever. Lennon's lyrics are difficult to work out, but a great sense of purpose hangs around them. What is he leading up to? In two tracks time, we see.

The reprise of the title track opens with a superb drum rhythm, (air drums here) Another part which has been much copied. The aggressive lead guitar is a great part. The song is interspersed with more crowd noises, perhaps suggesting that the audience is about to leave, plus the song does say that it is “time to go.”

As soon as they hear the dramatic piano of the next track, though, I imagine they would rush back to their seats. The band relents from rushing into this song, which is the obvious choice for finishing the set. ‘Day in the life’ is often considered to be among the best Beatles songs, if not for it’s emotional lyrics, but for its shear majesty and the way in which it, as a Beatles song, defines the Beatles, especially Lennon, more than any other. The McCartney penned middle part prevents Lennon from getting the whole last word on this album, but this is one of Lennon’s signature tunes. The lyrics are very memorable, and enjoyable, describing, literally a day in the life. Lennon, questioning ‘them’ – “They had to count them all”, “Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.” Lennon, pointing out the ironic banality of such a task. But it is the rather curious statement ‘I’d love to turn you on’ that is a good rounding up of the album. This album really would love to turn you on, and it does. Being light hearted and showing genius at the same time takes talent, and the Beatles had that in spades. Compared to Revolver’s last track, the maybe equally acclaimed ‘Tomorrow never knows’, both are somewhat different to the rest of the album, but ‘Day in the life’ is much more personal, and for me, that makes it more special.

Perhaps this is why this album is my favourite ever, the personal aspect. You really feel that these four men, plus the producer, George Martin have worked to produce two sides of beautiful music to present to you, the listener. While you could maybe shoehorn any songs from Rubber Sole or Help! On to Revolver without anyone noticing, trying to put another song onto Sgt. Pepper, it would look out of place. I also believe that the Sgt. Pepper sessions had the Beatles at their total zenith, as they also recorded ‘Penny lane’ and ‘Strawberry Fields’ at the same time, both Beatles classics.

This is all my opinion of course, but I do genuinely think that this is the best album ever made, and better than Revolver, although that is also a masterpiece. Should you buy it? It’d be a crime not to.