Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
On June 1, 1967 an album was unleashed upon the world, a shining achievement from the greatest band in the history of rock and roll. It was not their best record, but it was by far their most mythologically powerful one.
For a band like The Beatles, who tapped into the soul of a generation in a way that may never be replicated, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was their work that most clearly defined the epoch. A quote I’ve mentioned before: Langdon Winner said, and perhaps it is hyperbole, but perhaps it is not: “The closest Western Civilization has come to unity since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 was the week the Sgt. Pepper album was released.”
I’ve talked about The Beatles in extensive detail before, so I won’t talk much today, except to say two things. First, apparently a covers-album is being recorded to mark the anniversary, featuring bands like Oasis, The Killers, The Kaiser Chiefs, and The Fratellis. Beatles covers are an iffy proposition, so I’m a little skeptical, but it might turn out okay. (And if that sounds at all interesting, you absolutely must check out the old Contrast Podcast of Beatles covers)
Second, I dug up a paper I wrote my senior year in college about the relationship between Sgt. Pepper and the counterculture. It was a lot of fun to research and write, and while it’s pretty long, I think it’s one of the more interesting things I’ve ever written. I’ll post it in just a second in its own entry, and I’d love to hear thoughts or feedback.
And if you have no interest in slogging through all that, I’ll have a couple short posts with MP3s over the weekend which might be more what you’re looking for.
edit: I Guess I’m Floating has a very nice post about the record and “A Day in the Life.”