It was 40 years ago today...

[Phil O'Keefe]

Right click, save picture as... :phil:

[dparr]

Sgt. Pepper was my 1st album! I was 12 years old and wanted to buy a Beatle album.
Boy was I suprised, It was unlike anything I'd heard before.
I wore that album out and there was no need to listen to anything else untill the next Beatle album came out.

Music really changed for the better after Sgt. Pepper!


The L.P. came with a set of Sgt. Pepper cardboard cut-outs, which include, a moustache, a picture card, some sergeant stripes, 2 badges, and a stand-up


The inner sleeve was also the first to be decorated in a design by Seemon and Marijke.


Sgt. Pepper is the first album not to be banded into individual tracks, with hardly any gaps between songs.

It was also the first to use the run-out groove. Leave the stylus on the record and it would chatter away endlessly.

It was the first album cover to have the lyrics printed on the back side.


The Sgt. Pepper cover has also sparked a few satirists:


Frank Zappa - We're Only In It For The Money (1967)


The Rutles (1978)


The Moonlight Tapes (1980)


Burning Ambitions (1982)

[Phil O'Keefe]

Very good post.

 

There are those who say that the Stones also had a Sgt Pepper influenced album cover; theirs having been released in November of 1967:

 

[nice keetee]

I remember watching the Ed Sullivan show in 1964? I wanted to play music after that. I used to listen to the latest Beatles album while watching for the school bus at the end of the road hoping I could get to the end of a song before I had to shut off the "record player". Most of the kids at school were listening to "bubble gum music" - 1910 Fruitgum Company stuff- "Yummy Yummy I Got Love In My Tummy " remember that? I lived on a farm in upstate NY. John, Paul, George and Ringo showed me another world. The times were a changing. Hendrix, Stones, Psychedelia etc. George Martin and the Studio. This is my first post here, I could not think of a better subject than the Beatles to respond to...it was 40 years ago today! Has it been that long?

[TBush]

I didn't know that there was a mono version out there- but we used to have to listen to it in mono 'cause our record player was not stereo- big old console with tubes.
When I'm getting ready to record a new band I just tell 'em "I'm sure this will turn out great- nothing spectacular, just trying to make the next 'Sgt. Peppers, that's all..."- wink- and only about 1/3 of them know what I'm talking about.

[brewgoodbeer]

I remember that day very well. My dad was an old Westinghouse engingeer that left and started his own radio station in 1954. He was the guy with the thin lapel, white shirt, and thin tie. I was his technical assistant....He would steel my wagon, or my sled in winter, and fill it full of parts, and then let me pull it back the dirt path to the transmitter, unload it and then get him tools or hold wires that needs solder etc. It was the coolest. So I thought as an 11 year old. On that fateful day I met my dad after school to give him a hand replacing a plate transformer on an AM transmitter. It was hot, and even hot in the metal transmitter building. We worked hard until about 8pm. At the end of the day we headed back in to the studios to put things away that we had taken out to the site. When we walked in, there they sat. There were 4 copies for the radio station for the next day. The PD was old school for the day and was not too hip to all this beatles stuff, but he knew that the kids loved them. My eyes were giving me away. My dad picked one up and handed it to me and said that I had worked hard and that I could have it as my pay. The PD said he probably wouldn't need it as it was only a passing fad. My dad looked at me and told me to hold onto it that it would be bigger than big someday. I still have that album. I played it over and over for months. It is one of the only albums that I can listen at anytime. Whenever I heard a song from it, I am gone back to that magical time I will never forget.

[Lee Knight]

I was 8 when it came out. I wasn't into any rock music yet. But around that time I did hear an album called The Chipmonks sing the Beatles. I didn't know who the Beatles were but boy could Alvin write a good pop tune!

Pepper is a great album I've come to love since.

[the stranger]

Uh...

 

It was sixty years ago today. Do the math. (I stole this joke.)

[Super 8]

Why did they make Ringo sing,

"What would you do if I sang out of tune?"
-I'll try not to sing out of key
-I get by with a little help from my friends
-gonna try with a little help from my friends"

I swear, that guy gets no respect!

Also, I think they all should have reconsidered the whole moustache thing. Especially Lennon and McCartney. Even Paul Simon looked better with a moustache than those two.

3. It was the first record that cost over $100,000 to produce. Pocket change for some major releases today, but in 1967, that was a LOT of money.

Acually, I think with the advent of home studios 100 grand is starting to sound like a lot of money again.

[chemikool]

"It was 20 years ago today...when it was 20 years ago today..." - heh

 

First heard it when I was 13 or so...HATED within you without you, which has since become one of my favorite Harrison songs. That album SCREAMS to be heard in mono rather than stereo...so much more presence and punch.

 

*EDIT*

Another Pepper first: In the Geoff Emerick book he talks about how the Beatles bucked the almighty EMI by NOT having the album mastered, which really pissed off the EMI mastering dept. to say the least.

[Jeff Leites]

[Phil O'Keefe]

Nice Jeff!

 

Acually, I think with the advent of home studios 100 grand is starting to sound like a lot of money again.

 

Sure, for a lot of indie releases, it's a HUGE amount. OTOH, compared to Michael Jackson spending close to 30 million on an album, it's pocket change.

[Kendrix]

Happy birthday old friend.
Peppers was released on a Thurdasy.
I pick up my mono pressing on Friday. I still have it.
I was 13.
I listened to the whole album at least once per day that entire summer -really.
(OK I sometimes skipped over Within You Without You- I now love it).
To me listening to Peppers at the time was akin to taking a drug. It was mind altering.
I'm waaay to emotionally attached to it to be objective about it.
It's hard to explain the impact it had at the time to folks who weren't there.
Sadly, I'm afraid there will never be another Peppers in terns of its impact. Id love to be proven wrong about that.
Cheers

My addition to the list of charming sonic events is the segway between SPLHCB and Help from my friends. "Billy Shears" fades into Pauls bass and some chimey guitars that then drop right into Ringo's vocal on Friends. I musta cued up that segway a hundered times. I could not get enough of it.

[dparr]

Sex siren Mae West initially refused to have her image on the cover of the album but relented after The Beatles personally wrote her a letter asking her permission. Actor Leo Gorcey, who was a part of the original artwork, was removed when he demanded to be paid. Hitler and Jesus were also in the original artwork but removed before release. Ghandi was also originally used but removed before release by EMI who felt they would offend the people of India.



In 1977, Korea issued its own strange version of Sgt. Pepper's, the front cover of which is shown below, having been removed of all of the famous people that graced the original cover.



Japanese artist Jun Fukamachi released a now very rare electronic version of Sgt. Pepper's in 1977 on Japan's EMI Toshiba label. The cover is a reproduction of the original Sgt. Pepper's photo, except everyone is facing backwards.



The first airplay for the album was on May 20 by the BBC. The radio station played every tracks except 'A Day In The Life' which they banned.

In South East Asia, Malaysia and Hong Kong, three tracks were removed because of perceived drug references. 'With A Little Help From My Friends', 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' and 'A Day In The Life' were replaced with three songs from the Magical Mystery Tour album; 'The Fool On The Hill', 'Baby You're A Rich Man' and 'I'm The Walrus'.



Peter Blake's original sketch for the Sgt. Pepper's Cover.

[Super 8]

Sure, for a lot of indie releases, it's a HUGE amount. OTOH, compared to Michael Jackson spending close to 30 million on an album, it's pocket change.

Yeah, but MJ doesn't need to spend 30 million to make an album. What's in a 30 million dollar album that couldn't have been had for 15 million? Seriously. The Beatles got more mileage for their 100K than than MJ got for his 30 mil.
I think a comparable record to anything MJ's released ought to be able to be done for around 100K, given today's technology.

What it comes down to is the talent. What's it cost to hire Bruce and Quincy?

[Glenn Baren]

I was 17 and a huge fan since Hold Your Hand. The Beatles,like no other,were at the forfront of the 60s revolution.... For those that weren't there it's very hard to explain.
The Album came out on thursday and that Friday I went "camping" with my band and some friends. A warm Texas night,a lake and a fire and my first listen of the album on a portable record player as I started to trip on my first lsd experience... unbelievable then as now!

[Anderton]

Gotta tell you a story...

I was one of the first people in the US to hear it. Our band was playing a club called the Purple Owl in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Capitol used to have a pressing plant. The father of one of the guys who worked at the plant had smuggled out a copy that day, and after the gig, this kid asked us if we wanted to hear the new Beatles album. Remember in those days, there were no internet leaks, no advance copies...it was unreleased, and for all practical purposes, unheard.

So we partook in some of the plant-like substances common in that era, sat down, turned down the lights, and turned up the stereo.

To say we were blown away would be a major, major understatement!!

[Anderton]

What's in a 30 million dollar album that couldn't have been had for 15 million?

$29 million dollars of promotion?

[the stranger]

29mil to promote some empty garbage. Filler for your plastic life.

[the stranger]

Gotta tell you a story... I was one of the first people in the US to hear it. Our band was playing a club called the Purple Owl in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Capitol used to have a pressing plant. The father of one of the guys who worked at the plant had smuggled out a copy that day, and after the gig, this kid asked us if we wanted to hear the new Beatles album. Remember in those days, there were no internet leaks, no advance copies...it was unreleased, and for all practical purposes, unheard. So we partook in some of the plant-like substances common in that era, sat down, turned down the lights, and turned up the stereo. To say we were blown away would be a major, major understatement!!

I'm blown away by this cool story. Especially since I know you are an up and up type of guy. Once in a lifetime. Everything you've done past that is like extra credit.

[D Charles]

Well, if it was 40 years ago, I was 9, but I hadn't started buying albums yet. Back in those days kids bought 45s and teenagers bought albums. I discovered The Beatles late in life, long after the Sullivan show. Went to buy my first album and walked up to an older friend all dead casual like I'd been buying albums for years and asked what was cool that was out. He said he'd heard Abbey Road was pretty cool so that was my first album purchase. And a very good one it was. After I got my hands around a guitar several years later, I learned all the George parts on that one. Also bought a strat as my first 'real' guitar.

 

Later met a Beatle freak and we jammed a lot (he was a left handed bass player). Yeah first trip for me we set up all the copies of Pepper opened up album covers all over the house. Pretty cool until we got hungry and his sis opened up all these cans of everything including peanuts and made a big stew. She called it peanut surprise. I couldn't look at it but eating in the dark it tasted good.

 

In the 80's I was wandering around in the west country of England and found an old original copy of Pepper in mono at a Charity Shop. It's so familiar but different to listen to. I read somewhere that they took weeks to mix the mono version and only days to mix the stereo.

 

Yep, Pepper just may be the best album of all time.

[kurfu]

The movie that changed my life:

 

 

Shoot me if you like, but I was 12 years old and had never really listened to The Beatles before. After seeing the movie, and listening to the soundtrack a brazillion times, I became curious as to what the originals sounded like - what was all the fuss? I started buying Beatles records. Eventually, I had most of them. This movie served to introduce me to music by the band composers that I eventualy came to idolize.

[dparr]

I went over to a girls house one day and she ask if I'd like to listen to some music. "ok" I said, she said "how about sgt pepper". I was thinking I had found my dream girl. To my horror she put on the Bee Gee's version. She thought the Bee Gee's had written all the songs. Needless to say I didn't stay long.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Yeah, but MJ doesn't need to spend 30 million to make an album. What's in a 30 million dollar album that couldn't have been had for 15 million? Seriously. The Beatles got more mileage for their 100K than than MJ got for his 30 mil. I think a comparable record to anything MJ's released ought to be able to be done for around 100K, given today's technology. What it comes down to is the talent. What's it cost to hire Bruce and Quincy?

I'm sure it's not cheap to hire those guys - hiring the best / top tier folks rarely is. However, neither one of those guys worked on the 30 Mil record.

I honestly don't know how you can spend that kind of bank on a record. Seriously.

[Phil O'Keefe]

The movie that changed my life: Shoot me if you like, but I was 12 years old and had never really listened to The Beatles before. After seeing the movie, and listening to the soundtrack a brazillion times, I became curious as to what the originals sounded like - what was all the fuss? I started buying Beatles records. Eventually, I had most of them. This movie served to introduce me to music by the band composers that I eventualy came to idolize.

That's probably the ONLY good thing that's ever happened as a result of that movie.