Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band CD

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the band's eighth album, was released on June 1, 1967 and became the soundtrack to the "Summer of Love," but its appeal is timeless.

Work on the recording had begun in late 1966 and at one point it was thought that both Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever would be included, but when these were released as singles in February, this idea was abandoned.

Revolver was finished just in time before the band left for another tour. Now that the tour was behind them, more time could be spent writing and recording. Between November 1966 and April 1967 they spent over 400 hours in the studio - a big difference from the Please Please Me days.

Of course, the music was more complex and now that touring was over, there was no need to think about what to play in front of a live audience.

In the studio, the Beatles encouraged George Martin to achieve "the impossible" and in turn George and the engineers found innovative ways to make it happen, even though they were still only using four-track equipment.

Not only was the music different, exciting and colorful, but so was the way it was presented. The glossy double sleeve featured the guys in their Pepper uniforms surrounded by pictures of people they either admired or cared about, while the back of the sleeve featured the lyrics to all the songs. On the back of the sleeve were the lyrics to all the songs. Inside each side of the sleeve were further surprises, a card with various cut-outs and, at least on the first pressings, the paper inner sleeve had a psychedelic design.

In the UK, the album reached number one and spent a total of 27 weeks at the top of the charts between June 1967 and February 1968, with an initial run of 148 weeks. And all this despite a BBC ban of "A Day In The Life".

Tracklist
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With a Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds
4. Getting Better
5. Fixing a Hole
6. She's Leaving Home
7. Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
8. Within You Without You
9. When I'm Sixty-Four
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In the Life
14. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Mini-Documentary

Label: Apple Records
Released: 1967/2009