In my opinion, Sgt Pepper has earned the title of the ultimate classic album of not only the 1960s but possibly of all time. It is the only album that I know of where people would get together in groups just to talk about it even before copies were widely available, as it initially sold out in days. If someone brought the record to one of these discussion groups the songs would be analyzed and the lyrics broken down line by line. The musicianship and background sounds were examined to try to discover every little nuance and variation and to our great pleasure there was much to find. Never before had an album caused so many people to think intelligently about music, lyrics, and the Beatles themselves, and it gave latitude to personal interpretations of what the songs meant. However, people did more than just talk about Sgt Pepper, they thought about it. In that regard it stimulated the intellect which is something no other record had ever been able to accomplish to that extent because it did more than just affect the senses of sight and sound.
It broke new ground in a number of areas some of which may seem old fashioned today but in June of 1967 was cutting edge and ahead of its time. Although it was loosely conceived and executed, it was the first concept album (although a case could be made for "The Who Sell Out" ). Paul's original idea centered around events and places from their childhood as sung by this imaginary Sgt Pepper band. "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields" were originally slated to be on Sgt Pepper but Capitol Records needed a single and when those two songs were deleted from the album much of the continuity went with it. While it did not succeed as a true concept album, Sgt Pepper's idea of a continuous concept made it the first recording in rock where there was a musical connection joining different songs, such as the singing of Billy Shears when going from "Sgt Pepper" into "A Little Help From My Friends" without the traditional break in sound between the songs. This was also carried out when "Good Morning, Good Morning" went into the Sgt Pepper reprise and then into "A Day In The Life."
It was the first record to expand the media by making the cover an art form causing it to become as important as the music it contained. Starting with Sgt Pepper album covers became legitimate works of art, a concept which is still carried on to this day. It was the first album to include the lyrics to all of the songs, something which we not only take for granted but expect to be included today. In a primative way Sgt Pepper was the first interactive album. In the past, listener interaction consisted of either studio publicity pictures or an application to join the fan club of a group or singer. Sgt Pepper came with a sheet that had pictures of Pepper related items that could be cut out and displayed or worn, such as mustaches, sergeant stripes, and military medals.
The techniques used in the recording are among the most imaginative ever conceived, which included George Martin throwing 15 inch sections of tape into the air and then splicing it back together (background effects for "Mr Kite." ), the laughter and applause during the song "Sgt Pepper," the animal sounds at the end of "Good Morning, Good Morning," to the orchestra's sliding crescendo and fading E chord at the end of "A Day In The Life." Sgt Pepper opened the door to pioneering new ideas and unconventional ways of using recording equipment. Please bear in mind that this was done in the mid 1960s and there are people today who have more sophisticated recording equipment in their basement than what the Beatles had available to them in 1966 and 1967. Although George Martin and the Beatles had experimented with studio sound modifications in earlier records ( "Rain" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" for example) it was Sgt Pepper which confirmed the idea that the studio itself could be a musical instrument.
The styles of songs ranged from electric (Sgt Pepper), to eastern (Within You Without You), to 1920s style (When I'm 64), to the softness of a harp and string quartet (She's Leaving Home), all the way to heavy orchestration (Good Morning, Good Morning). Shortly after its release Beatles manager Brian Epstein passed away and the group began to drift apart making Sgt Pepper the last album that the Beatles recorded which was a true team effort as a band, whereas later albums would be essentially showcases for the songwriter with the other Beatles being little more than accompanying musicians.
For the many areas of ground that it broke as a recording, which from that point forward changed the idea of what an album could be, combined with the impact that it had on people's intellect and imagination, plus the diversity of styles of songs which it contains, Sgt Pepper is not only a classic 1960s album, but in my view it may be the greatest and possibly the most important album of all time.
