#24 The Beatles, 'Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1967)
Previously #1
All bets are off. The biggest drop of the list, not to be surpassed. The two-time #1 record on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time has been reduced to #24. I literally gasped when I saw this one. I suspected it might not retain the #1 spot the way things had been going, but did not expect this. Following their permanent retirement from touring and live performance, The Beatles focussed their energy on recording. Paul McCartney conceived of a record by a fictional Edwardian-era military band. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Band was an outlet for the band to experiment with sounds that weren’t necessarily what The Beatles were known for. I had previously mentioned that Brian Wilson was inspired to make The Beach Boys’ seminal album, ‘Pet Sounds’ in response to The Beatles’ ‘Rubber Soul,’ well The Beatles made ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ in response to that record. A full 360 moment in inspiration.
This album is a landmark in production. As the biggest band in the world, The Beatles had a limitless recording budget and no deadline. They dictated the terms and created a body of work unlike anything they had done before or after. Completely adventurous and risky. ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ is the sound of a band doing what the hell they want, and succeeding. McCartney wrote more than half the songs on the album, but Lennon did give us one of his later-era Beatles signature songs, ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.’ Rumoured to be about LSD, Lennon always maintained it was based on a drawing that Julian had done. Another Lennon track, ‘Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!’ is one of the most crazy songs of all time by a successful pop group. It was based on an 1843 circus poster that he found in an antique shop. ‘Within You Without You,’ the only George Harrison track on the record, is indicative of where he was spiritually and musically at the time. An Indian-inspired song led by sitar, Harrison had previously spent 3 months in India studying the instrument. ‘She’s Leaving Home’ omits guitar and drums, featuring only strings and harp. ‘When I’m Sixty Four’ was one of the McCartney songs that Lennon would dismissively refer to as “Granny Music.” Of course, Ringo gets his usual one song, this time in the form of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends,’ one of his best vocal performances with the band. What a gift for him from Lennon and McCartney. ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ ends with my favourite Beatles song, ‘A Day In The Life.’ It’s a perfect example of Lennon and McCartney’s different styles coming together in one song. McCartney would provide the songwriting and vocals in the middle eight of the song, while Lennon wrote and sang the rest of the song. Bridging the two parts is a massive orchestral crescendo known as “The Dream Sequence.” The song, one of the band’s most harrowing, serves as a wake up call following the band-within-a-band concept, bringing us back to reality. It ends the record, following the reprise of the title track, with the infamous piano chord that would go beyond the range of human hearing. A sound that would annoy dogs, according to Lennon. Last time around, it was the last thing I heard on this list and I felt emotional as a major journey had come to an end. This time I feel emotional again, but for different reasons. The album so often regarded as the Greatest Of All Time has been knocked off its perch. It’s not to take away any of its greatness. That’s just how the voting worked this time around. In a way, it’s refreshing that the Top 10 is unpredictable. At this stage, I’m not sure how it will play out, but I’m excited to see.
#rs500albums