QUOTE:
" ...I think what's happened to US pop music product and radio is similar to what happened with the US auto industry in the 70s, if not earlier.
Too few companies, less competition, accountants started calling the shots not product guys, and the quality of the product went straight into the crapper.
The only reason US cars got any better was because Japan was, and is, putting them out of business. ..."
END QUOTE
Amen!, Glenn
Sgt Pepper voted #1
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studiotwosession
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firstbassman
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If that poll is, as stated, Britain's "favorite" albums then so be it. They can rank Alvin and the Chipmunks as their favorite.
What I've always suspected is that Sgt Pepper's is one of those things people are lead to believe they "should" like. Like opera and wine.
[I know this is blasphemous to state in a Beatles forum, but if we're talking "best" albums, SPLHCB shouldn't make the top 500. Maybe that's a shocking enough statement to take people's minds off of the 75th/JHall thing.]
What I've always suspected is that Sgt Pepper's is one of those things people are lead to believe they "should" like. Like opera and wine.
[I know this is blasphemous to state in a Beatles forum, but if we're talking "best" albums, SPLHCB shouldn't make the top 500. Maybe that's a shocking enough statement to take people's minds off of the 75th/JHall thing.]
David,
I knew there was a reason that I liked reading your posts. LOL
Mark, all I can say in response is:
That you have either have suffered memory loss and have forgotten some of the other musical offerings of the era that Sargent Pepper emerged from or you are just stirring the pot to have a bit of fun.
I knew there was a reason that I liked reading your posts. LOL
Mark, all I can say in response is:
That you have either have suffered memory loss and have forgotten some of the other musical offerings of the era that Sargent Pepper emerged from or you are just stirring the pot to have a bit of fun.
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
Mark,
Not so blasphemous at all.
I'm a severe 1st generation Beatles fan. So it sounds like heresy when I say I honestly DID NOT at all like SPLHCB when it was first released! I thought the over-all sound and feel of it was funky, it sounded hugely overly compressed to my ears and I thought the original Capitol Records USA pressings of it were downright hideous and irritatingly screetchy sounding. (I quickly mail ordered to EMI/HMV in England for the authentic (and superior sounding!) British Parlophone stereo version of it).
PLus I HATED the way The Beatles looked in their new ratty looking "rag-tag" bizarre looking hippie-dippy look and a scrawny unkept Lennon with those goofy looking granny glasses.
I LONGED for the days of their 1966 Revolver L.P. and wished they'd quickly return to that sound and
and also their 1966 physical look and dress.
In fact, the SPLHCB 1967 era saddened it for me for a while.
It wasn't for years until I actually came close to even liking that album.
Yet, even to this day I think SPLHCB is vastly overrated. I've always thought of it as a hugely very gimmicky "production for production sake" album.
My three favorite Beatles L.P.s are Revolver, The White Album, Abbey Road (and Rubber Soul) serving as my personal favorite pick for 'Beatles also ran')
Now duck!!!
Not so blasphemous at all.
I'm a severe 1st generation Beatles fan. So it sounds like heresy when I say I honestly DID NOT at all like SPLHCB when it was first released! I thought the over-all sound and feel of it was funky, it sounded hugely overly compressed to my ears and I thought the original Capitol Records USA pressings of it were downright hideous and irritatingly screetchy sounding. (I quickly mail ordered to EMI/HMV in England for the authentic (and superior sounding!) British Parlophone stereo version of it).
PLus I HATED the way The Beatles looked in their new ratty looking "rag-tag" bizarre looking hippie-dippy look and a scrawny unkept Lennon with those goofy looking granny glasses.
I LONGED for the days of their 1966 Revolver L.P. and wished they'd quickly return to that sound and
and also their 1966 physical look and dress.
In fact, the SPLHCB 1967 era saddened it for me for a while.
It wasn't for years until I actually came close to even liking that album.
Yet, even to this day I think SPLHCB is vastly overrated. I've always thought of it as a hugely very gimmicky "production for production sake" album.
My three favorite Beatles L.P.s are Revolver, The White Album, Abbey Road (and Rubber Soul) serving as my personal favorite pick for 'Beatles also ran')
Now duck!!!
"Your Greatest Power is the Power to Choose"
Hey...no ducking...gotta agree with all of you.
I also prefer Revolver, The White Album, and Rubber Soul as my favourite three Fab albums.
I bought Sgt. Pepper in January of 1976 (hey, I was born in 1963), after having heard/read about it for years. It never worked for me like I'm told it should.
I also prefer Revolver, The White Album, and Rubber Soul as my favourite three Fab albums.
I bought Sgt. Pepper in January of 1976 (hey, I was born in 1963), after having heard/read about it for years. It never worked for me like I'm told it should.
How much!?!
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firstbassman
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Glad to see I’m not alone.
(No Brian, I’m not just trying to stir the pot. Though I knew it would have that effect.)
David and Mick are 100% correct. The best Beatles albums are Revolver, Rubber Soul, Abby Road, and The White Album (though there is a lot of filler there). By far, far, far.
Pepper is way over rated. It is a bunch of English music hall tunes recorded by extremely talented people.
If you look at other LPs that came out around that same general time, Sgt P pales in comparison – the Airplane, Dead, Stones, Doors, Cream, Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, Janis, . . . gosh, it goes on and on.
(No Brian, I’m not just trying to stir the pot. Though I knew it would have that effect.)
David and Mick are 100% correct. The best Beatles albums are Revolver, Rubber Soul, Abby Road, and The White Album (though there is a lot of filler there). By far, far, far.
Pepper is way over rated. It is a bunch of English music hall tunes recorded by extremely talented people.
If you look at other LPs that came out around that same general time, Sgt P pales in comparison – the Airplane, Dead, Stones, Doors, Cream, Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield, Janis, . . . gosh, it goes on and on.
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beatlefreak
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McCartney done the title track (SPLHCB) and 'Getting Better' in concerts. Both of those songs really rock out. And 'A Day In The Life' is still a stunning Lennon masterpiece. 'Good Morning, Good Morning' is another good rocker.
All Beatles albums have their high points and low points. To totally dismiss SPLHCB just isn't right.
All Beatles albums have their high points and low points. To totally dismiss SPLHCB just isn't right.
Ka is a wheel.
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studiotwosession
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My oldest brother, who about about 11 when Pepper was released, has great memories of the then "new look" Beatles.
The first hint of what was to come of course was the sleeve for the Penny Lane/SFF 45.
At that age he was like "who are these guys in the picture on the new Beatles record?"
And his reaction was even more so when Pepper's came out. He was thrown by the title and their look, but didn't dislike it.
I know a lot of people would say Revlover's their best. It's innovations are overlooked in the wake of Pepper. On some days I'd say it's a tie for their best; Abby Road and A Hard Day's Night (the latter also being overlooked because it's an early one but a pop rock tour de force unlike any other, an incredible piece of work.)
I love the funkyness of Pepper's title track. There's a clip somewhere of Mr. Martin playing the keyboard lick, and only the lick, to Lucky in the Sky that really shows what a brilliant lick it is.
The plucking of piano strings and middle 8 with droning indian sound of Getting Better is incredible, and Within You and Without You is as far out as anything they ever stuck on an LP. Rita is also an outstanding track (and that's not to mention A Day In the Life.) So, yeah, it's worth buying as long as you already have everything by Donnie and Marie.
The first hint of what was to come of course was the sleeve for the Penny Lane/SFF 45.
At that age he was like "who are these guys in the picture on the new Beatles record?"
And his reaction was even more so when Pepper's came out. He was thrown by the title and their look, but didn't dislike it.
I know a lot of people would say Revlover's their best. It's innovations are overlooked in the wake of Pepper. On some days I'd say it's a tie for their best; Abby Road and A Hard Day's Night (the latter also being overlooked because it's an early one but a pop rock tour de force unlike any other, an incredible piece of work.)
I love the funkyness of Pepper's title track. There's a clip somewhere of Mr. Martin playing the keyboard lick, and only the lick, to Lucky in the Sky that really shows what a brilliant lick it is.
The plucking of piano strings and middle 8 with droning indian sound of Getting Better is incredible, and Within You and Without You is as far out as anything they ever stuck on an LP. Rita is also an outstanding track (and that's not to mention A Day In the Life.) So, yeah, it's worth buying as long as you already have everything by Donnie and Marie.
This is off the record
Hi Glenn,
Once again from you we get some very astute and excellent observations.
Yes, in many many ways Revolver was the gateway to Pepper. Witness the invention of ADT and vari-speed by Abbey Road's Ken Townsend. Witness all those "flown in " effects, such as tape loops, "backwards" guitars etc., etc. From this we get have a great deal on 1966 era innovative bleeding edge studio technical work from which made the making of Pepper possible.
(I was 15 when Revolver was first released in 1966).
And dittos to most your observations regarding Pepper. I disliked Pepper when it first came out, but grew to like it somewhat as time went on.
I'll fully credit those incredible seat of the pants technical innovations using only Studer 4-track and having to do a lot of "bouncing down" to accomodate all of the overdubs.
But even so, I still view Pepper as a highly gimmicky very flashy pop show-bizzy shtick album that pretty much was a huge huge ego thing with McCartney who (my interpretation) felt a major need to prove something such as "I am the Beatles!"
In fact I think he was the only Beatle that truly enjoyed working on that album or even the very concept of it.
George H. was rumored for years to have disliked it. Finally on the Beatles DVD series we see and hear George H. in one of those Jool's interviews
of admitting that after the 1966 Ravi Shankar Indian adventure of his, Pepper (for him) was just uninspired and very unenjoyable hard work.
Ringo in a separate Disney Channel TV special about the making of Pepper said all of a sudden he had to be a "percussionist", verses just a drummer with all the conga drums, etc. he suddenly had to play and that wasn't so fun for him.
JWL merely viewed Pepper as a "collection of songs" and the whole "concept" thing of Pepper of just being pure b.s.
George Martin, of course is very proud of Pepper as a huge technical achievement of what could be done in a 1967 recording studio, but he even admits that he much prefers the Beatles L.P. Abbey Road.
But, it made the Beatles (during 1967) look and appear as some highly surrealistic nearly divine
unearthly gurus that seemed to fit right in and amp up that whole 1967 "Summer of Love" shtick that the stoners of San Francisco were having an unbridled hedonistic field day with.
Once again from you we get some very astute and excellent observations.
Yes, in many many ways Revolver was the gateway to Pepper. Witness the invention of ADT and vari-speed by Abbey Road's Ken Townsend. Witness all those "flown in " effects, such as tape loops, "backwards" guitars etc., etc. From this we get have a great deal on 1966 era innovative bleeding edge studio technical work from which made the making of Pepper possible.
(I was 15 when Revolver was first released in 1966).
And dittos to most your observations regarding Pepper. I disliked Pepper when it first came out, but grew to like it somewhat as time went on.
I'll fully credit those incredible seat of the pants technical innovations using only Studer 4-track and having to do a lot of "bouncing down" to accomodate all of the overdubs.
But even so, I still view Pepper as a highly gimmicky very flashy pop show-bizzy shtick album that pretty much was a huge huge ego thing with McCartney who (my interpretation) felt a major need to prove something such as "I am the Beatles!"
In fact I think he was the only Beatle that truly enjoyed working on that album or even the very concept of it.
George H. was rumored for years to have disliked it. Finally on the Beatles DVD series we see and hear George H. in one of those Jool's interviews
of admitting that after the 1966 Ravi Shankar Indian adventure of his, Pepper (for him) was just uninspired and very unenjoyable hard work.
Ringo in a separate Disney Channel TV special about the making of Pepper said all of a sudden he had to be a "percussionist", verses just a drummer with all the conga drums, etc. he suddenly had to play and that wasn't so fun for him.
JWL merely viewed Pepper as a "collection of songs" and the whole "concept" thing of Pepper of just being pure b.s.
George Martin, of course is very proud of Pepper as a huge technical achievement of what could be done in a 1967 recording studio, but he even admits that he much prefers the Beatles L.P. Abbey Road.
But, it made the Beatles (during 1967) look and appear as some highly surrealistic nearly divine
unearthly gurus that seemed to fit right in and amp up that whole 1967 "Summer of Love" shtick that the stoners of San Francisco were having an unbridled hedonistic field day with.
"Your Greatest Power is the Power to Choose"
Sorry, I meant to single out "A Hard Day'
s Night" as just a fine album overall. It is the only Beatles' album with all the songs written by only Lennon/McCartney, is that not so? (Original U.K. versions, but of course)...
Though "Sgt. Pepper" is not high on my list of favourite albums (oh, the humour)...it's still a very fine piece of music; and I still stop to listen to "A Day In The Life" if it's on the radio, as I still find it very magical.
Unlike "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday"...my wife and I try to see who can make it to the stereo first to shut it off.
s Night" as just a fine album overall. It is the only Beatles' album with all the songs written by only Lennon/McCartney, is that not so? (Original U.K. versions, but of course)...
Though "Sgt. Pepper" is not high on my list of favourite albums (oh, the humour)...it's still a very fine piece of music; and I still stop to listen to "A Day In The Life" if it's on the radio, as I still find it very magical.
Unlike "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday"...my wife and I try to see who can make it to the stereo first to shut it off.
How much!?!
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studiotwosession
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>>...in many many ways Revolver was the gateway to Pepper.<<
Indeed, like Help was to Rubber Soul. Harrison once said RS and Revolver were like Vol. 1 and 2 of the same projet but I'd say it's more so for Help and R.S.
>> I still view Pepper as a highly gimmicky very flashy pop show-bizzy shtick album that pretty much was a huge huge ego thing with McCartney who (my interpretation) felt a major need to prove something such as "I am the Beatles!" <<
While I agree that can be Macca in a nutshell, Pepper was an extraordinary collaboration for them and Martin. A Day In the Life being more Macca and Lennon in one place than most of their tunes. And Lennon's "Can't Get No Worse" being a small but great bit of It's Getting Better, and the album has perhaps Ringo's finest performance of any fab's LP.
Of course, they spent a lot more time tracking it than other lps, and Macca living closer to the studio, he could spend more time on it than the others. Lennon felt he was outworked on it (I think he was tripping a lot of the time and realized it'd cost him in the tracks dept. George, it could be said, was the first fab who'd had it with the whole deal. He really had had enough by the final US tour. And he was so deep into the Indian thing. I don't think any of the was Macca's fault.)
Ringo complained about sitting around, waiting for the others to finish tracks (overdubbing they put more time into than earlier.)
I think Pepper suffers is like Floyd's Dark Side lp. Most people have heard it so much they may never need to hear it again. It's been everywhere for so long and it suffers for it.
Never thought of the exclusive Macca Lennon on AHDN. Interesting fact.
I could listen to Hey Jude every day. On of the best singles ever.
Indeed, like Help was to Rubber Soul. Harrison once said RS and Revolver were like Vol. 1 and 2 of the same projet but I'd say it's more so for Help and R.S.
>> I still view Pepper as a highly gimmicky very flashy pop show-bizzy shtick album that pretty much was a huge huge ego thing with McCartney who (my interpretation) felt a major need to prove something such as "I am the Beatles!" <<
While I agree that can be Macca in a nutshell, Pepper was an extraordinary collaboration for them and Martin. A Day In the Life being more Macca and Lennon in one place than most of their tunes. And Lennon's "Can't Get No Worse" being a small but great bit of It's Getting Better, and the album has perhaps Ringo's finest performance of any fab's LP.
Of course, they spent a lot more time tracking it than other lps, and Macca living closer to the studio, he could spend more time on it than the others. Lennon felt he was outworked on it (I think he was tripping a lot of the time and realized it'd cost him in the tracks dept. George, it could be said, was the first fab who'd had it with the whole deal. He really had had enough by the final US tour. And he was so deep into the Indian thing. I don't think any of the was Macca's fault.)
Ringo complained about sitting around, waiting for the others to finish tracks (overdubbing they put more time into than earlier.)
I think Pepper suffers is like Floyd's Dark Side lp. Most people have heard it so much they may never need to hear it again. It's been everywhere for so long and it suffers for it.
Never thought of the exclusive Macca Lennon on AHDN. Interesting fact.
I could listen to Hey Jude every day. On of the best singles ever.
This is off the record