MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (UK VERSION)

Magical Mystery Tour was The Beatles' first flop. Shown on British TV at Christmas in 1967, it was their first work following the death of Brian Epstein. McCartney took charge for this free-form "event" where everyone bundled into a coach to see what happened, and the film received a critical mauling, although, to be fair it was shown in black and white!

Musically speaking however, it is one of their better works. Released in the UK as a double EP before it became an album, it contains some brilliant songs. From the Sgt. Pepper-like opener to the brilliant "Fool On The Hill", only the monotonous "Blue Jay Way" lets things down. "Your Mother Should Know" has a music hall feel to it in a similiar way to "When I'm 64", the instrumental "Flying", featuring mellotron, is the only song credited to all four Fabs, but "I am the walrus" is the major work here. It partly consists of Liverpool slang thrown in by Lennon and Pete Shotton, but is mainly Lennon's attack on figures of authority (the police, teachers etc). It also fades out to the sounds of a radio play of "King Lear".

The EP was made into a LP, mainly for the American market, with the addition of the singles released around that time e.g. "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Hello Goodbye".