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24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The genius of George Martin, 24 Jan 2004
Many people believe this album to be the greatest album ever made. But there was more to the creative genius of 'The Beatles' than Lennon and McCartney (and Harrison for that matter). What really made 'Sgt. Pepper' a quantum leap in the evolution of music history was the skill, artistry and production genius of George Martin. He was the master of the sonic soundscape that would define a generation, and turn into reality what Lennon and McCartney could only dream. You might argue about the true identity of 'the fifth Beatle', but this album demonstrates (for me atleast) that George Martin is the most deserving of that particular description.Every track is now part of popular music legend. Ranging from the twee and silly pop of McCartney in 'When I'm 64', to the fascinating and brilliant 'A Day In The Life' (a song many people regard to be the greatest Beatles song ever written), 'Sgt. Pepper' represents 'The Beatles' at their creative peak. Controversy surrounded several tracks, not least because of veiled (and sometimes downright overt) references to drugs. The BBC infact banned atleast 3 songs for that exact reason, 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite' and it's references to 'Henry The Horse' (both Henry and Horse being alternative terms for heroin), 'A Day In The Life' for the lyric "Went upstairs and had a smoke/then someone spoke and I went into a dream" being perceived as a direct reference to marijuana use (and on public transport too!), and of course, 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds', which according to John Lennon, was NOT about LSD. Blinding coincidence though, you'd have to say! But 'The Beatles' were experimenting with more than mere drugs when they made this album. With the expert guidance of 'straight man' Martin (from whom they would hide their joints during rehearsals like naughty schoolboys), 'The Beatles' tried everything to create an original masterpiece that would silence their critics, who couldn't understand what was taking them so long in preparing this album. But to Paul McCartney's endless joy, the end result was more stunning than even the most impatient of critics could have hoped for. And then of course is the other thing that makes 'Sgt. Pepper' stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of artistic achievement... the legendary cover art by Peter Blake. Packaged in a neat, glossy slipcase, the famous 'crowd' of living and dead celebrities is detailed on the reverse side, telling you exactly who is who. Indeed, this album is a shining example to the record industry of what you should expect from a CD. Like a DVD packed with 'extra features', this CD comes with a thick booklet with all the original lyrics and details of when the tracks were recorded, plus information about the album in general. Indeed, all that is missing is the original idea by Lennon to sell the album complete with coloured pencils and pictures to colour in. A bit impractical today perhaps, but it would no doubt sell like hotcakes! 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' transcends every other album of it's generation for it's sheer originality and creativity, and (sadly) represents a musical peak that 'The Beatles' would never reach again.
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