The Beatle's 50th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band

[Lara]

Where were you in 1967? What was your first Beatles Album? One of your favorite Beatles songs?

Considered one of the most influential concept album of all time, I saw this Documentary in full on the PBS channel this morning and immediately felt a new appreciation for it's innovative sounds like never before attempted and because the documentary explained in detail how the unique sounds were produced...fascinating.

The 50th Anniversary: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band"
http://www.pbs.org/program/sgt-peppers-musical-revolution/

"Sgt. Pepper’s Musical Revolution" is a look back at the creation, and ongoing influence, of the revolutionary 1967 Beatles album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” When The Beatles stopped playing live in 1966, they suddenly had the time to pour all of their energy into writing and recording, creating an album that was a performance unto itself. Released in 1967, after what had been essentially a media blackout on what the band had been up to, the album was immediately a sensation and was recognized as a new chapter, not just in rock music, but in the history of all music.

Hosted by British composer and television presenter Howard Goodall, 'Sgt. Pepper’s Musical Revolution' uses visually striking elements to conjure up the psychedelic world of "Sgt. Pepper," provide context for the culture of the day, and show how the album was a driving force within that culture. It also highlights how contemporary projects, like Beyonce’s 'Lemonade,' would be unthinkable today had The Beatles not completely upended the whole concept of what an album should be. And for the Beatles fan in all of us, the show reveals material that has been squirreled away for decades, known only to a handful of people at Abbey Road Studios, including recordings of studio chat, and isolated instrument tracks and vocals."

I wish you could view it in it's entirety because the Host goes into great detail about techniques that created new layered sound effects using antique instruments with unique sounds not heard for a very long time.

3 Minutes of the Documentary:

"Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" Album:

 

[Lara]

In 1967, I was in 11th grade HS in Virginia.
My first Beatles album was Rubber Soul.
One of my favorite song is "Nowhere Man"

 

[Harley]

Hubby bought first album, Sgt, Peppers Lonely Hearts club band..I still have it..I'm listening on youtube right now, because I don't have a turn table..

 

[Trade]

In 1967 I was finishing up my AA degree at St. Petersburg Junior College and working part time at a place called "The Beer Mart" for a buck and a quarter an hour. I was living at home with my mother and tuition was only $60 bucks a semester so I was making it OK. However there was no way I could swing going on to a four year college after that, so the plan was to join the Army as soon as the summer was over and then go back to school on the GI bill when my enlistment was up. I'd gotten chummy with the local Army recruiter. He was a regular customer where I worked. He'd stop by a couple of times a week on his way home to pick up "six cold ones."

One day I got home from work and Mom's car was in the driveway, but she was nowhere to be found. Then the neighbor lady came over and told me that she had looked out her front window and seen my mother face down in the driveway, so she called the ambulance. Turned out my mother had had a massive heart attack and was in the hospital. When I got there the doc told me that it was pretty bad. He said that the blood test that shows how much damage has been done to your heart was the highest that he had ever seen and that if she did recover she would probably never be able to work again. She hung on for 17 days and during that time I wondered what the heck I was going to do. I gotta admit I was scared to death that I was going to end up having to take care of my invalid mother. That 17 days was surreal. I know I went to class, went to work, and I remember doing a lot of driving around aimlessly at night. I remember stopping at a fast food place and getting a bunch of burgers and when I started to eat I realized I was starving. I tried to remember when the last time was that I had eaten, and I think it had been five days, but I'm not sure.

I really hate to admit it, but by the end of that 17 days I had pretty much decided that I was going to go ahead with my plan to join the Army and leave all this stuff behind which would mean that my Mom would probably get stuck in some cut rate nursing home for the poor. I'm not proud of that, but that's the way it was. Then on June 24, 1967 I got a call while I was at work. It was from her doctor telling me that he was sorry to have to tell me that my mother had just "expired". Interestingly enough that is exactly the term that our High School principal used back in 1963 when he announced over the PA system that Kennedy was dead. "I regret to inform you that the President has expired".

I was pretty much on my own then, although my mothers younger sister and her husband came down from New Jersey and helped me out a lot with all the crap I had to deal with. I owe them a lot. And my mother left a $3000 life insurance policy. I sold my car for $600 bucks and kept her old Valiant. And since both my parents were "expired" I was eligible to collect some social security until I was 22 as long as I stayed in school. Back in those days if you watched your budget you could go to the University of Florida for $600 a quarter. That would cover everything from "Beer to Books" as the saying went. So I ditched the plans for the Army and went on to finish my degree. Uncle Bill hooked me up with a construction job up in North Jersey for the summer of 1968. It paid $2.75 an hour which was big money compared to buck and a quarter I had been making in Florida. And he and my Aunt Dot put me up for the summer and let me eat them out of house and home so I saved almost everything I made. That helped a lot too.

Looking back on it, if I had enlisted in the Army in 1967 it's highly possible that I would have ended up a grunt in Vietnam in 1968, the bloodiest year of the war for the US. As it was, by the time I graduated from the U of F and got my draft notice, I had a totally different perspective and opted for the much safer option of enlisting in the Air Force. The thought has crossed my mind that if my mother had not died when she did, I might have ended up dead in Vietnam.

Sorry about what a downer this post got to be. Not to mention way way off topic. 1967 was a bit of a bummer year for me. I haven't thought about any of this stuff in decades. But I've found it somewhat cathartic to do so.

Oh yeah, about the Beatles. I never was much of a Beatles fan. Never had any desire to own a Beatles album. My favorites back then were Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkle, and the Beach Boys.

 

[Lara]

Harley, turntables were trending last year as sort of a retro revival...not sure about this year. Do you have any idea how much your album is worth? I know it's worth a lot...probably more than any other album, ever. I remember hearing it being singled out but I don't remember the value. Maybe check to see what it's going for on eBay and while you're there, maybe buy a used turntable. Condition is a factor for the album cover value.

Trade, I'm speechless. Of all the years for me to ask members to share about, but I'm glad you shared. So hard for you to go through that at such a young age. Bless your heart. I'm impressed how you stayed strong and focused and became a good and productive citizen all on your own with a little support from your aunt and uncle.

 

[Pam]

1967 I was living and working in North Wales. I bought all the Beatles Albums from their first one, Please Please me up to and including Sergeant Pepper... which I didn't enjoy at all and I never bought another Beatles album after that one.

Favourite Beatles songs would be Anna and Baby it's you from the Please Please me album, Norwegian Wood and In my Life from Rubber Soul and finally, Eleanor Rigby from the Revolver album.

 

[Lara]

Thank you for those reminders Pam.
I like those too although I hadn't heard of Anna and Baby before.
I also like "In My Life"...

 

[IKE]

Not sure when the album actually hit the stores but I enlisted in the Army in July 1967 so that's probably where I was.

I do remember seeing them for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show back in about '64' or '65'.