The Sgt. Pepper Thread

[the captain]

Track 7, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite. This was my favorite song on the album when I was a little kid. Now its more middle-of-the-pack to low-end. It's a better story (meaning how John got the lyrics) and production than it is song, for my ears. It's more something I think is cool to have gotten to than a song I really love. What I like most is the latter half of the instrumental break, around 1:15, the harmony between the organ and the ... I don't know what the other part is. Beatlesound, I guess...

[lance]

Actually, George Martin did NOT do the string arrangement on She's Leaving Home.

[the captain]

Track 8, Within You, Without You. This one is like the opposite to the previous one, in a way. It was (unsurprisingly) hard for me as a kid, but around college, I really started digging it. I love the melody. I love the percussion. I love the instrumentation as a whole, in fact. I think it's an absolutely beautiful song. I find myself making a fool of myself (but in the privacy of my own home, so it's OK) by making up harmony parts to sing along. Oh, and I adore the instrumental break.

[the captain]

Actually, George Martin did NOT do the string arrangement on She's Leaving Home.

Who did?

[the captain]

Track 9, When I'm Sixty-Four. OK, this is one I know a lot of people hate. I disagree whole-heartedly. It's cheesy, it's old-people music, it's just so Paul. But Paul was great. It sounds like a great old song that you've always known, which is a good thing. It's cute. It's sweet. Ringo and the bassist (I assume Paul) are awesome together. I like clarinets here. The background vocals just before and during the "you'll be older too" are wonderful. Chimes. I think it's a very good song accomplished in the style it's going for and a brilliant arrangement/recording. Love it with no apologies.

[the captain]

Actually, George Martin did NOT do the string arrangement on She's Leaving Home.

Who did?

OK, never mind. I looked it up. Mike Leander. So my kudos go to him.

[the captain]

Track 10, Lovely Rita. A gem. I love the introduction, that dramatic guitar, piano and voice. The drum fill into the group vocals. Then the song proper kicks in with such a great groove, great lead vocal. The piano part and sound throughout kill me (in a good way). I love so many of Paul's songs that aren't necessarily "real." Not confessional, not autobiographical, more craft than anything. That's a good thing, I think. Sometimes introversion gets annoying to me. It can make great work, but it can also make narcissistic, over-dramatized trash sometimes. Paul really did great work. (I think he gets more sh*t than he deserves, honestly. Not that I'm a fan of anywhere near everything he's done. But his best? As good as anyone's.)

[the captain]

Track 11, Good Morning Good Morning. Possibly, along with A Day in the Life, my favorite song on the album. One of my favorite Beatles songs. The saxes are absolutely killer, as is the entire arrangement (Ringo!) at around :44, with the "Everybody knows there's nothing doing" part. That the second time of that section is harmonized vocally and in the subsequent verse is awesome. It's little arrangement touches throughout Pepper that really do the trick for me.

[the captain]

Track 12, Pepper Reprise. I really like it. Drums and percussion. Rock. And the phrasing of "Sergeant Pepper's one and only lonely hearts club band" at :53 is cool.

[the captain]

And lastly, Track 13, A Day In the Life. I will just say that, while I'm not saying it is the best song in pop history, for me it isn't worse than any song in pop history. Rankings are impossible, silly and ever-changing. There are many perfections. This is one.

[the captain]

Didn't I just say rankings are impossible? Why, yes, I did. And in keeping with my sense of logic, I'll now rank Sgt. Pepper's songs for us all. Huzzah and hooray.  Best to worst: A Day in the Life, Good Morning Good Morning, Lovely Rita, With a Little..., When I'm 64, Sgt. Pepper, Within You Without You, Getting Better, Reprise, Lucy, She' Leaving Home, Fixing a Hole, Kite. I think that's everything. And if you want to debate order, don't worry, my rankings will change in short order. If you asked again right now, I doubt I would exactly reproduce them as they're listed here.

[Wrightfan]

2nd favorite album of all time. Only Pet Sounds is better.

[mikeyj]

Thanks Luther for your views... I'm just trying to understand why some people see it as one of the greatest albums ever or even the greatest. I'll get to my thoughts on the album eventually

[Uncomfortable Seat]

I'm just trying to understand why some people see it as one of the greatest albums ever or even the greatest.

Historical importance if nothing else.  I dig it very much myself

[TdHabib]

(I think he gets more merda than he deserves, honestly. Not that I'm a fan of anywhere near everything he's done. But his best? As good as anyone's.)

I wholeheartedly agree, not to mention that John gets a bit too much praise, in my mind anyway. Not even George got the right reaction. "The quiet Beatle," yeah right!

[lance]

I think McCartney's seventies solo stuff is great...or at least I think McCartney, RAM, Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run and Venus and Mars are all very good-to-great albums.

[lance]

John Lennon, strangely is not so good to me. It's strange because I usually like his Beatles songs a bit more than Paul's, and I think that JL was a greater singer. But after Imagine his albums just don't do it for me. They are not awful, just sort of bl, but I don't like their production.

[the captain]

My feeling on John Lennon's solo stuff is really mostly negative, POB and Imagine notwithstanding. After that I really only like songs here and there. But not even a single album I'd consider good. Sadly, Macca ranks in similar territory for me. I like parts of the first one, a lot of Ram ... but it's awfully spotty for me after that. Even Band on the Run, I've never much cared a lot for. Still, he's a great talent (as was John, obviously). It's just that I think their whole was far, far, far, far above the sum of their parts.

[Music Machine]

I like other Beatles albums better than Sgt. Pepper's but I've always really been amazed by A Day in the Life. The version of Good Morning on Anthology 2 without all the horns and sound effects really improves that song I think. I have the mono version of Sgt. Pepper on vinyl now, it's really increased my enjoyment of the album. It's a way better mix.

Paul solo wise I only really like the early solo albums. He's done a few good tracks since the early 70's but I think Band on the Run was his last album that was good all the way though.

John solo wise I like the first three solo albums, POB, Imagine and Mind Games best. Mind Games I think is really underrated, I'm surprised the track I'm Sorry isn't more recognized and doesn't make it to best of albums, it's beautiful. As a kid I used to really like the 1980 sessions stuff on Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey but now not as much, mostly due to the production. I do like the acoustic recordings of those songs that have been on reissues and archive releases and I still like Nobody Told Me off Milk and Honey as well as the version of I'm Losing You with Cheap Trick backing.

[lance]

Cant get too into Mind Games, but I do like Walls and Bridges. I dont think that JLs albums are bad, personally, (except for Some Time in New York City). You know what, I think he went TOO Spector, ironically after Spector stopped producing him he started really sounding Spector. And it doesn't work for me. MCCartney, leaving aside the lyrics of course I think was almost just as good in the seventies as the sixties. Harrison too!

[Music Machine]

I like Number 9 Dream off Walls and Bridges, it's total prog rock but mostly I think that album is a retread of stuff done better on Plastic Ono Band and Mind Games. Some of the archive Lennon releases have different versions and mixes of Walls and Bridges stuff without the string overdubs and I like those alot better.