Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [50th Anniversary Edition 2 CD]

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [50th Anniversary Edition 2 CD]

by The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [50th Anniversary Edition 2 CD]

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [50th Anniversary Edition 2 CD]

by The Beatles

CD(Special Edition)

$26.99 
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Overview

With Revolver, the Beatles made the Great Leap Forward, reaching a previously unheard-of level of sophistication and fearless experimentation. Sgt. Pepper, in many ways, refines that breakthrough, as the Beatles consciously synthesized such disparate influences as psychedelia, art song, classical music, rock & roll, and music hall, often in the course of one song. Not once does the diversity seem forced -- the genius of the record is how the vaudevillian "When I'm 64" seems like a logical extension of "Within You Without You" and how it provides a gateway to the chiming guitars of "Lovely Rita." There's no discounting the individual contributions of each member or their producer, George Martin, but the preponderance of whimsy and self-conscious art gives the impression that Paul McCartney is the leader of the Lonely Hearts Club Band. He dominates the album in terms of compositions, setting the tone for the album with his unabashed melodicism and deviously clever arrangements. In comparison, Lennon's contributions seem fewer, and a couple of them are a little slight but his major statements are stunning. "With a Little Help from My Friends" is the ideal Ringo tune, a rolling, friendly pop song that hides genuine Lennon anguish, a la "Help!"; "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" remains one of the touchstones of British psychedelia; and he's the mastermind behind the bulk of "A Day in the Life," a haunting number that skillfully blends Lennon's verse and chorus with McCartney's bridge. It's possible to argue that there are better Beatles albums, yet no album is as historically important as this. After Sgt. Pepper, there were no rules to follow -- rock and pop bands could try anything, for better or worse. Ironically, few tried to achieve the sweeping, all-encompassing embrace of music as the Beatles did here. [Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band always has been treated differently than the rest of the Beatles catalog. Upon its 1967 release, it was hailed as a masterpiece and it has never shaken its reputation as the album where rock & roll turned into art. The Beatles naturally adopted this position and chose to spotlight Sgt. Pepper whenever they could, including releasing it alone on its 20th anniversary when the band's music debuted on compact disc in 1987. Thirty years later, Sgt. Pepper is given the full-blown deluxe reissue treatment, where the album gets a new stereo mix from Giles Martin and there are two separate editions filled with outtakes: one a simple double-disc set, the other a lavish six-disc box containing the original mono mix and DVDs and Blu-ray with 5.1 mixes, promo clips, and documentaries. Expanded reissues have been commonplace since the '90s, but this is the first time the Beatles have offered a deep excavation into their archives for one individual album. Such an archival project may be long overdue but the 50th anniversary editions of Sgt. Pepper are excellent, in no small part due to Martin's stunning stereo remix of the original album. Working from the multi-track master tapes and using the original 1967 mono mix -- the one mix that the Beatles supervised; the 1967 stereo mix was an afterthought -- as a guide, Martin achieves something wondrous: a remix that retains the vibe of the original album yet feels vivid and immersive. Nothing new has been added to the mix, either for the stereo or the accompanying 5.1 version, but the expanded soundstage helps highlight everything from vocal harmonies and guitar vamps to the wallop of the rhythm section of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. It's as colorful as Pepper's psychedelic reputation but its muscularity emphasizes how much of the album was cut by four musicians playing in a room, a fact underscored by the bonus material on the deluxe editions (the six-disc contains two discs of highlights; the two-CD set has a disc of highlights). While there are tracks containing studio musicians -- the most interesting of these is an instrumental "Penny Lane," which emphasizes its debt to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds -- most of these feature the Fab Four figuring out which direction to take a song and there are sly revelations lying within their interactions. Anchored by an electric piano, "Getting Better" glides along to a soulful groove, "When I'm 64" feels lithe without its woodwind overdubs, the chorus of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" feels funky when there are no vocals, and the Beatles tear it up on an early take of "Sgt. Pepper." "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "A Day in the Life" both evolve -- "Strawberry Fields" in a manner familiar from Anthology 2; "A Day in the Life" finding the group testing out a group hum for its final chord -- and hearing these working versions helps illuminate the work behind the finished product. And, for as good as the bonus material is, what impresses most is Sgt. Pepper itself, presented here both in a new master of its original mono mix and startling stereo mix that makes a perhaps overly familiar album feel fresh.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date: 05/26/2017
Label: Apple Records / Capitol
UPC: 0602557455366
Rank: 17469

Tracks

Disc 1

  1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [2017 Remix]
  2. With a Little Help From My Friends [2017 Remix]
  3. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds[2017 Remix]
  4. Getting Better [2017 Remix]
  5. Fixing a Hole [2017 Remix]
  6. She's Leaving Home [2017 Remix]
  7. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! [2017 Remix]
  8. Within You Without You [2017 Remix]
  9. When I'm Sixty-Four [2017 Remix]
  10. Lovely Rita [2017 Remix]
  11. Good Morning Good Morning [2017 Remix]
  12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [2017 Remix]
  13. A Day in the Life [2017 Remix]

Disc 2

  1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 9]
  2. With a Little Help From My Friends [Take 1- False Start And Take 2- Instrumental]
  3. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds [Take 1]
  4. Getting Better [Take 1]
  5. Fixing a Hole [Take 3]
  6. She's Leaving Home [Take 1- Instrumental]
  7. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! [Take 4]
  8. Within You Without You [Take 1]
  9. When I'm Sixty-Four [Take 2]
  10. Lovely Rita [Take 9]
  11. Good Morning Good Morning [Take 8]
  12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Take 8]
  13. A Day in the Life [Take 1]
  14. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 7]
  15. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 26]
  16. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 9 and Speech]
  17. Penny Lane [Take 6 - Instrumental]
  18. Penny Lane [Stereo Mix - 2017]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Beatles   Primary Artist
George Martin   Guest Artist,Loops,Organ,Piano,Pianette,Harmonium,Harpsichord,Organ (Hammond)
John Burden   French Horn
Francisco Gabarro   Cello
Roger Lord   Oboe
Paul Scherman   Violin
James W. Buck   French Horn
Hans Geiger   Violin
Cyril Macarthur   Double Bass
David Mason   Trumpet
Basil Tschaikov   Clarinet
David Glyde   Saxophone
Derek Jacobs   Violin
Harold Jackson   Trumpet
Barrie Cameron   Saxophone
Henry MacKenzie   Clarinet
Alex Nifosi   Cello
Granville Jones   Violin
David Wolfsthal   Violin
Raymond Brown   Trombone
Neil Aspinall   Tambura,Harmonica
Clifford Seville   Flute
John Meek   Viola
Jack Rothstein   Violin
Raymond Premru   Trombone
John Underwood   Viola
Trevor Williams   Violin
Amiya Dasgupta   Tabla
Peter Beavan   Cello
John Marston   Harp
Henry Datyner   Violin
Gwynne Edwards   Viola
Michael Barnes   Tuba
Dennis Vigay   Cello
Allen Ford   Cello
Lionel Bentley   Violin
Amrit Gajjar   Dilruba
Anna Joshi   Dilruba
Buddhadev Kansara   Tamboura
Neil Sanders   French Horn
Monty Montgomery   Trumpet
David Sanderman   Flute
John Lee   Trombone
Ringo Starr   Drums,Bongos,Chimes,Congas,Vocals,Maracas,Harmonica,Tambourine,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background),Comb,Bells
John Lennon   Guitar,Vocals,Cowbell,Lead Guitar,Lead Vocals,Handclapping,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background),Bass,Comb,Organ,Piano
Mal Evans   Piano,Vocals,Alarm Clock,Bass Harmonica
Jose Luis Garcia   Violin
Julian Gaillard   Violin
Sidney Sax   Violin
Stephen Shingles   Viola
Erich Gruenberg   Violin
Robert Burns   Clarinet
Marijke Koger   Tambourine
Alfred Waters   Bassoon
Jurgen Hess   Violin
Reginald Kilbey   Cello
Ernest Scott   Violin
Bernard Davis   Viola
Sheila Bromberg   Harp
Alan Dalziel   Cello
Ralph Elman   Violin
Tony Randall   French Horn
Bill Monro   Violin
Gordon Pearce   Double Bass
Donald Weekes   Violin
David McCallum   Violin
Alan Loveday   Violin
Paul McCartney   Bass,Comb,Drums,Piano,Vocals,Harpsichord,Lead Guitar,Lead Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Alan Civil   French Horn
Jack Greene   Violin
Alan Holmes   Saxophone
Jack Brymer   Clarinet
Tristan Fry   Timpani,Percussion
Geoff Emerick   Loops
George Harrison   Comb,Sitar,Guitar,Vocals,Maracas,Tambura,Harmonica,Lead Guitar,Lead Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Frank Reidy   Clarinet

Technical Credits

Mark Lewisohn   Liner Notes
Steve Rooke   Remastering
Graham Kirkby   Engineer,Second Engineer
Dave Harries   Engineer
Sam O'Kell   Remastering
John Lennon   Composer
Peter Vince   Engineer
Phil McDonald   Engineer,Second Engineer
Richard Lush   Engineer,Second Engineer
Michael Cooper   Photography
Mike Leander   Score,Orchestration
George Martin   Producer,Orchestration
Sean Magee   Remastering
Ken Scott   Engineer
Guy Massey   Remastering
Malcolm Addey   Engineer
Dave Harris   Engineer
Phil Macdonald   Engineer
Mike Heatley   Liner Notes
Ken Townsend   Engineer
Keith Slaughter   Second Engineer
Kevin Howlett   Liner Notes
Adrian Ibbetson   Engineer
Paul Hicks   Remastering
Paul McCartney   Composer
Geoff Emerick   Engineer
George Harrison   Composer
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