"Sgt. Pepper" was one of the first concept albums and used many new studio techniques and orchestral instruments. Paul McCartney said that the Beatles wanted to try to be a different band then they had been and Sgt. Pepper's was the result. This album changed the world and was controversial at the same time due to the time that it was public knowlege that the Beatles were under the influence of drugs and the press even speculated that "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" was a reference to LSD. It was really about how John Lennon's son Julian drew a school mate, Lucy, and said it was 'Lucy in the sky w/ diamonds.' John liked the sound of that and wrote about it. Now, I don't know if this was ever intentional or not, John says that it wasn't but I believe it was subconcious. This album provides Ringo with a lead vocal and one of his signature songs even today, "With a little help from my friends."
George Harrison gets a solo song, the Eastern Indian-influenced "Within you, without you." It's an amazing song and George so perfectly meshes the generes of pyschedelia and western music.
John's "The benefit of Mister Kite" is a fun, whimiscal song that the Beatle got the inspiration to write after seeing a poster of a 'Mr. Kite" who ran a circus show.
Paul's "When I'm sixty-four" also remains a staple and is just a fun, happy go lucky song about growing older with the one you love and hoping that things will still be the same."
A final breakout song is "A day in the life." It's essentially two songs put together as one. Paul wrote one part, while John wrote the other. It is about the death of a close friend of theirs who got in a motorcycle accident as well as news stories about too many potholes(4,000) in a road near the Blackburn, Lanchashire. There is also an orchestra 'freak out' which meant that the orchestra was supposed to simulatneoulsy keep playing the highest notes that their instruments could play.
The song also includes a silent whistle that only dogs can hear, spliced studio chatter making the listener think that something went horribly wrong with the record, and the longest piano part played (g note) in which it took all 4 of them and George Martin playing the note at the same time to get it to hold out that long. Another fun fact about the song is that you can hear Beatles roadie Mal Evans keeping time by counting out the beats within the begining of the song.
Apart from being a great album, Sgt. Pepper was going to go on tour like the Elvis car but it never happened. I think it could've been very successful and done well.
"Sgt. Pepper" was also so big because it provided for the most 'Paul is dead' clues within the songs and album.
So here's to you Sgt. Pepper, an album that continues to endure and inspire!
Wonderful Making-of documentary!
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