The Beatles' Sgt Pepper at 50: comments, memories, opinions

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CharlieBarley



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Age: 48
Location: Mount Olympus
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  • #1
  • Posted: 05/26/2017 19:46
  • Post subject: The Beatles' Sgt Pepper at 50: comments, memories, opinions
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So Sgt Pepper is 50 years old next month. I have very fond memories of playing it for the first time, the summer I was 15, in the early 1990s. I have associated it with the summertime ever since and have been playing it regularly recently. A DJ on the radio said today the album is 50 years old next month. Tell us what, if anything, the album means to you. Were you there in 1967? Does it hold any memories for you, no matter when you were born?
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RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad



Location: Ground Control
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  • #2
  • Posted: 05/27/2017 00:05
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I remember my dad playing it loudly on a decent stereo growing up...

I remember listening to it in a pottery course and the indian music coming on and this girl being like, what the hell is this.

Most importantly, I remember it allowing for so many unique and interesting soundscapes, that were still within the vain of pop, meaning it was accessible and yet artistic. Held the line quite well.
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CA Dreamin



Gender: Male
Location: LA
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  • #3
  • Posted: 05/28/2017 02:52
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I first listened to Sgt. Pepper as a teenager in 2007 right around the time it was receiving tons of attention for turning 40 years old. I don't have any specific memories or associations with it. Although I do remember hearing Getting Better and realizing it was the song from those old Phillips commercials. Anybody else remember these:


Link


Anyway, Sgt Pepper didn't blow my mind when I first heard it probably because I had already listened to Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Pet Sounds. I already knew what I was getting into.

However, it is a hell of an album and deserves the high praise it receives. I won't go as far to say it's greatest album ever, but I won't argue with those who think it is. It's in my Top 25, and the highest ranked Beatles album on my list (however I haven't re-listened to any Beatles album in 2-3 years so they could shuffle whenever I revisit them).

Sgt. Pepper is 50 though. Wow, baby-boomers must feel ancient. At the same time, they must feel gratified the album has stood the test of time and continues to build its reputation and popularity with each generation.
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murmur





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  • Posted: 05/28/2017 19:23
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an overwhelmingly dull and disjointed record that falls somewhere near the bottom of the beatles discography. go to revolver for the experimental album sgt. pepper supposedly is or abbey road for the concept album that it ostensibly is (or go to the beach boys for the best thing to happen to '60s mainstream pop/rock that the beatles supposedly are)
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Puncture Repair





  • #5
  • Posted: 05/28/2017 19:50
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murmur wrote:
an overwhelmingly dull and disjointed record that falls somewhere near the bottom of the beatles discography. go to revolver for the experimental album sgt. pepper supposedly is or abbey road for the concept album that it ostensibly is (or go to the beach boys for the best thing to happen to '60s mainstream pop/rock that the beatles supposedly are)


Reminds me of this article I saw someone share (apologies if it was someone on here):

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/mu...story.html

It's definitely their album with the most allure, style and virtually undisputed reverence - I think people tend to judge it on that alone. The name and the concept are wonderful, but I don't know how anyone can call this the best album of all time, or even The Beatle's best. 'Getting Better', 'Fixing A Hole', 'Mr Kite', 'Lovely Rita' and 'Good Morning' just feel goofy without being charming. 'She's Leaving Home' and 'When I'm Sixty-Four' are also goofy, but at least they are charming. And already there, that's the half of the album.

Still very much enjoy giving it a spin now and then. I've heard good things about the 50th remix, so I'm excited to check it out to see if there's as big an improvement as people are saying.
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RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad



Location: Ground Control
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  • #6
  • Posted: 05/28/2017 22:37
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Dude had an argument until he said, "But for an album released only three years after the exhilarating “A Hard Day’s Night".

hahaha... A Hard Day's Night is mediocre at best for me, and I think Sgt. Pepper is musically much more interesting, not even contemplating it's place in history... just musically much more interesting than anything they did pre-Rubber Soul. He did say according to his tastes, and obviously many agree with his tastes, that's not disputed. I wouldn't say it is the greatest album, but totally not the Beatles' worst album.

I rank it so high likely for equally nostalgic reasons, but even if it weren't for nostalgic reasons, it likely still would rank higher than a majority of other albums.

What I like about it or the Beatles in general is that they (as the article said) ventures into soundscapes not before heard by the masses in a pop like fashion. And they do a fantastic job.

Also goofy is the Beatles. Maxwell's Silver Hammer is the Beatles. They were goofy, but not as goofy as The Lovin' Spoonful and it still maintained a respectable goofy if that makes any sense.
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stangetzaway



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  • #7
  • Posted: 05/28/2017 23:31
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Remember when the Beatle's catalogue was first released on cd and there's no dispute which was the flagship album. With the opening line "It was 20 years ago today" Sargeant Peppers was released exactly 20 years after the original vinyl version and if memory serves me the rest of their studio albums c.d versions didn't follow for at least a fortnight. Huge amount of fanfare and publicity as you'd expect and I distinctly remember it going to number 1 on the album charts. I'm pretty sure it was the first album I ever doubled up on as well.

I' m actually on the page of those that don't think it's amongst their best albums however I do respect it's technical wizardry and it's impact. I just saw a brief doco that included the 2 sound engineers that helped George Martin put SPs together and one comment stuck out "This was the sound of black and white becoming cinemascope". Anyone whose into the evolution of music production will be interested by the new box set.
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CA Dreamin



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  • #8
  • Posted: 05/29/2017 03:56
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I've never considered Sgt. Pepper a concept album. And I really don't care because the music is good.

Puncture Repair wrote:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-sgt-pepper-notebook-20170519-story.html

A few good points, but this article is pretty laughable. Sgt. Pepper is The Beatles's worst album? Talk about clickbait.

A lot of The Beatles's music was goofy. If you're gonna criticize Sgt. Pepper for it, you can criticize every Beatles album for it.
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Puncture Repair





  • #9
  • Posted: 05/29/2017 08:53
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sethmadsen wrote:
Dude had an argument until he said, "But for an album released only three years after the exhilarating “A Hard Day’s Night".

hahaha... A Hard Day's Night is mediocre at best for me, and I think Sgt. Pepper is musically much more interesting, not even contemplating it's place in history... just musically much more interesting than anything they did pre-Rubber Soul. He did say according to his tastes, and obviously many agree with his tastes, that's not disputed. I wouldn't say it is the greatest album, but totally not the Beatles' worst album.

I rank it so high likely for equally nostalgic reasons, but even if it weren't for nostalgic reasons, it likely still would rank higher than a majority of other albums.

What I like about it or the Beatles in general is that they (as the article said) ventures into soundscapes not before heard by the masses in a pop like fashion. And they do a fantastic job.

Also goofy is the Beatles. Maxwell's Silver Hammer is the Beatles. They were goofy, but not as goofy as The Lovin' Spoonful and it still maintained a respectable goofy if that makes any sense.


Sgt Pepper is definitely interesting (even there it falls short to The White Album), but I would honestly rank all of their pre-Rubber Soul stuff ahead of it, except maybe With The Beatles. A Hard Day's Night is brilliant, just four kids and their guitars at the height of their popularity, nothing but raw energy - might be my favourite record of theirs.

I like The Beatles never took themselves deadly serious, that might just be their best trait. That said, when they wrote Maxwell's Silver Hammer they probably didn't envision it being part of what is regarded to be one of the greatest albums of all time - we don't have to hold it in such a high regard like its part of their 'genius'.

StreetSpirit wrote:
I've never considered Sgt. Pepper a concept album. And I really don't care because the music is good.



Link


StreetSpirit wrote:
A lot of The Beatles's music was goofy. If you're gonna criticize Sgt. Pepper for it, you can criticize every Beatles album for it.


And I think it's totally a fair criticism when we're talking about what the greatest records of all time are. I usually call The White Album my favourite of theirs, and that's easily their silliest effort. But it's silly for different reasons, it pulls and tugs in an obscene number of directions. Sgt Pepper sometimes feels a bit more like Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da on repeat.
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Radioscope



Gender: Male
Spain

  • #10
  • Posted: 05/29/2017 09:49
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StreetSpirit wrote:
I've never considered Sgt. Pepper a concept album. And I really don't care because the music is good.


Even Paul says so in an interview, it was never meant to be a concept album.


StreetSpirit wrote:
A few good points, but this article is pretty laughable. Sgt. Pepper is The Beatles's worst album? Talk about clickbait.

A lot of The Beatles's music was goofy. If you're gonna criticize Sgt. Pepper for it, you can criticize every Beatles album for it.


Agreed. They end up making their "goofiness" a bit better towards their last albums, but every album has a Lovely Rita and Good Morning Good Morning somewhere inside. Even beloved Revolver with Yellow Submarine.
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