"IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO TODAY, SGT. PEPPER TAUGHT THE BAND TO PLAY...". JUNE 1ST, 1967 - IT WAS WITH THIS CATCHY INTRODUCTION THAT THE BEATLES LAUNCHED THEIR MOST AMBITIOUS AND ORIGINAL RECORDED PROJECT TO DATE. AT THE ZENITH OF THE PSYCHADELIC WAVE, THE FAB-FOUR ESTABLISHED A REMARKABLE AND UNPRECEDENTED BREAKTHROUGH IN THE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC.
BY: Fernando de Mello Pimentel
In a decade marked by social and ideological unrest, characterized by events such as the civil rights movements, the mounting tensions between the Soviet and American-led blocks and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius´s statement of “Make Love, Not War”, the world would witness Rock N´Roll´s third wave of rebellion crashing on the shores of conformity. As of June 1st, 1967, with the release of the state-of-the-art “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” album, nothing would ever be the same again in this planet, or at least nothing would “sound” the same.
The truth is that the Liverpool quartet revolutionized the music industry standards in vogue at that point, with the release of a conceptual album which modified – among many other things – the simplistic format of the “single” album replacing it for a more daring experience of multiple tracks on vinyl - "Sgt. Peppers" showcased a total of 13 songs. In addition to this major leap, “Sgt. Peppers” would introduce novelties such as fancy artwork for the cover, printed lyrics of the songs on the inner sleeves, a cut-it-yourself inlay with Sgt. Pepper´s chevrons & other band related memorabilia, and of course the most recent hi-tech recording techniques available at Abbey Roads Studios.
The depiction of the Beatles as the “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” was perhaps the ground-breaking concept which raised the bar on rock and roll from being a simple rustic musical style to becoming an outstanding form of media capable of establishing complex relationships with its audience as well as influencing their behaviour. From this point on, subsequent generations of bands would make use of this peculiar style of composition. Notorious examples range from The Who´s 1969 Opera-rock “Tommy” to Pink Floyd´s landmark 1973 “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, both of which have developed their song writing on recurring themes and motifs as to establish a conceptual framework for their songs.
The “Sgt. Peppers” album also gave consistency to an on-going avalanche of high caliber albums by other rock n´roll bands which were also surfing the hazy waves of musical psychedelia in 1967 - during that year rock titans such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Velvet Underground, and The Rolling Stones all released mind-altering works.
The music of “Sgt. Peppers” was heavily synesthetic in nature. At the apogee of the psychadelic movement, songs such as “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” and the homonymous “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” were crafted with the use of sound textures and motifs which could arguably be touched, seen and even if the listener was daring enough smelled. In other words, these songs were so heavily influenced by the sorrounding beatnik/hippie “flower power” aura that they were themselves an open door leading to the expansion of the senses. These interlaced sensorial experiences were achieved mainly because of the Beatles´ ingenious musical ability. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were a breed apart in the select hall of musical geniouses, and their vein for musical experimentation, together with their avant-garde vision for the development of innovative ideas were accurately captured on magnetic tape at Abbey Road.
As impressive as it may seem, the 40th anniversary of “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” only proves that the band´s ahead-of-their-time thinking was capable of producing an atemporal classic which will continue to echo throughout the coming of ages.
***** FIVE STARS - AN ATEMPORAL CLASSIC!
All Rights Reserved - 2007 FPimentel Poems & Publishing Co.
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