The guy who wrote the blurb for this one in the 1001 albums book is kind of down on rubber soul and revolver so I looked to the liner notes of the CD instead. A lot of interesting stuff went on, apparently. The Beatles wanted an unconventional sound for this album, so instruments were distorted, EQed, limited, reverbed, strings were recorded using headphones as microphones, brass instruments were recorded with microphones jammed right inside them, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!
This used to be close to my favourite Beatles album due to the bright, varied colourful nature of the songs... ,I'd probably lean more towards Rubber Soul and Abbey Road with a slight wink at Magical Mystery Tour seeing as it has Strawberry Fields and my personal favourite "I am the Walrus"
Sgt Pepper is still a fantastic album, and a brilliant artistic statement. Though, the songs are strange, wonderful and beautiful, each member was definitely going off in their own direction, with George blowing is sitar load all over "within you without you", Paul totally indulging his penchant for the plummy and saccharine "when I'm 64" and "she's leaving home" but proves that he isn't a one-trick pony with the rock of the title track and the playful 'lovely rita'. John outshines everyone though with Lucy in the sky and one of the best album closers ever in 'a day in the life' ...yes I know there's a bit of Paul's in the middle, and the song wouldn't be the same without it, but it seems like John's moody, dreamy parts are just on another plain, and once it's all through together with the joining 'orgasm of sound' it just transcends most of everything else that they or anyone else has done, Ringo slips some great drumming into the mix almost unnoticed.
Oh and PS, one of the best album covers of all time
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