Sgt Pepper - iconic album or indulgent whimsy ?

[Sgt. Pepper]

I love Sgt Pepper, but I am a bit of a Beatles fanatic but Forever Changes is perhaps better. Andmoreagain!! What a haunting song. Waiting for the Sun by The Doors is another stand out from that era.

Oh Mr Parker .. :blush:

[Kris]

I dug out and dusted off my Revolver album today. It is technically, musically and lyrically better than Sgt Pepper.

Taxman - One of Harrison's best
Eleanor Rigby - One of McCartney's best
I'm Only Sleeping - Under rated Lennon song
Love You To - A much better effort than Within You, Without You
Here, There and Everywhere - lovely song, love the guitar lick
Yellow Submarine - OK - not great, but is dragged up by the quality around it. Same cannot be said for Mr Kite for example.
She Said, She Said - great song, quite angry and bitter. Apparently came from Peter Fonda claiming he knew what it was like to be dead, something that wound up Lennon

Good Day Sunshine - weak song to start side 2.
And Your Bird Can Sing - Maybe it's just me, but I've always loved this song.
For No One - A beautiful McCartney song, lyrically and musically fine
Dr Robert - Weak effort from Lennon. Has glimpses of promise, but fails overall
I want to tell you - Harrison's 3rd song on the album. Means a lot to me personally, so I like it.
Got to Get You Into My Life - decent enough song.
Tomorrow Never Knows - as revolutionary as A Day on the Life, not quite as good. Was in a nightclub in the late 90s and this was played. Most of my friends assumed it was a remix of an unknown Lennon song and really couldn't believe that it wasn't.

Sgt Pepper was released after this album, and so I am bemused that it has always been hailed as their best album.

[Cyclops]

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...told-treasures

I watched this documentary yesterday. Yes, I see what Howard Goodall was driving at, but did the Beatles know what they were doing? For example, HG went into a long and protracted explanation of what George was doing with the drum patterns on Within, Without You. If George knew what he was doing, I take my hi-hat off to him - but I just don't believe he did.......

[NYCBlue]

[QUOTE=Kris;4752744]I dug out and dusted off my Revolver album today. It is technically, musically and lyrically better than Sgt Pepper.


Please elaborate.

[NYCBlue]

I watched this documentary yesterday. Yes, I see what Howard Goodall was driving at, but did the Beatles know what they were doing? For example, HG went into a long and protracted explanation of what George was doing with the drum patterns on Within, Without You. If George knew what he was doing, I take my hi-hat off to him - but I just don't believe he did.......

Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. He still translated something from its original form. Sgt Pepper is groundbreaking and that's something that's not up for debate. I'm still not sure whether I prefer it to Revolver, but it's technically and culturally a much bigger record. People have mentioned Forever Changes, which is a beautiful record, but it's not on the same playing field as Sgt Pepper when it comes to innovation.

[Kris]

[QUOTE=NYCBlue;4752790]

I dug out and dusted off my Revolver album today. It is technically, musically and lyrically better than Sgt Pepper.


Please elaborate.

The musicianship on The Revolver is better. Some of McCartney's best bass lines come from tracks in that album, for example.

[Kris]

I watched this documentary yesterday. Yes, I see what Howard Goodall was driving at, but did the Beatles know what they were doing? For example, HG went into a long and protracted explanation of what George was doing with the drum patterns on Within, Without You. If George knew what he was doing, I take my hi-hat off to him - but I just don't believe he did.......

I also watched the doc yesterday, just after I posted my preference for Revolver. I have a little more respect for Sgt Pepper, but I still stand by The Revolver being better. Much of Sgt Pepper owes it's innovation to Emerick and George Martin. The use of bouncing 4 tracks seems to be Martin's brainchild.

I concede that Pepper is more innovative than I gave it credit for, but it needed to include Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane (a song I now have a newfound respect for) if I were to rank it above Revolver. Penny Lane shows the genius of McCartney (based on that documentary), Strawberry Fields shows the genius of George Martin. Sgt Pepper owes a lot to both Martin and McCartney. Revolver is Lennon and McCartney in their absolute prime.

[bobh]

Some people love it, some hate it.
But whatever your taste, no-one can deny its influence.

If it wasn't for SPLHCB, we might still be listening to 3-minute singles.

[NYCBlue]

Some people love it, some hate it.
But whatever your taste, no-one can deny its influence.

If it wasn't for SPLHCB, we might still be listening to 3-minute singles.

[BlueWales]

Trouble is most kids still are !

Not like us oldies with the stomach for 10 minute guitar and drum solos.

[BlueWales]

This is fantastic, by Peter Serafinowicz - what happens to the "woke up fell out of bed" guy for the rest of his Day In The Life.


https://soundcloud.com/user5316795/a...ay-in-the-life

He went into a dream of course.

[BlueWales]

Same here.

They are still amazingly popular though.

Every time I buy tickets for a gig it says : " Doors 7pm or Doors 8pm etc " I think it's a shame they are always the warm up band.

[Mr Soul '68]

Some people love it, some hate it.
But whatever your taste, no-one can deny its influence.

If it wasn't for SPLHCB, we might still be listening to 3-minute singles.

Nothing wrong with the three minute single

Personally, I blame Sgt Peppers for the start of the dirge that became the long winded 20 minute plus track of the prog rock movement. But that's another debate for different thread

[Cyclops]

Nothing wrong with the three minute single

Personally, I blame Sgt Peppers for the start of the dirge that became the long winded track of the prog rock movement. But that's another debate for different thread

Surely that was on the Let It Be album ?

[Kris]

Surely that was on the Let It Be album ?

[bobh]

Surely that was on the Let It Be album ?

Took me a few minutes to get that!

[gabbsthenewt]

Revolvers better

[Charlie]

Nothing wrong with the three minute single

Personally, I blame Sgt Peppers for the start of the dirge that became the long winded 20 minute plus track of the prog rock movement. But that's another debate for different thread

With you all the way there, some of the greatest music ever made has been 3 minutes or less.
Love The Beatles but they did open the door for Pink fekin Floyd.

[Cyclops]

What really sums it up for me is that after watching Howard Goodall's (up-his-****) documentary, I just didn't want to play the album again.

[Kris]

What really sums it up for me is that after watching Howard Goodall's (up-his-****) documentary, I just didn't want to play the album again.

I was going to, but Revolver was still on the turntable so I listened to that again. Goodall should break down some of those tracks.

[BlueWales]

Anyway I bought " Are you Experienced " not Sgt Pepper and never regretted it.

[NYCBlue]

Iconic album or indulgent whimsy ?

The answer is iconic album.

Even if you don't like it. Even if you do like it but prefer Revolver the answer is still the same.

[Heathblue]

Don't get it, but it was a game changer, iconic and indulgent.