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The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band CD (album) cover

SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

The Beatles

 

Proto-Prog

4.35 | 1243 ratings

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Mattiias
5 stars Rating: 10/10

At this point, The Beatles were unstoppable, and they continue their musical and artistic progression.

If "Revolver" showed the possibilities of artistic aspirations in popular music, "Sgt. Pepper" settled that there were no limits for an album from then on.

The sound experimentation, the progressive pop-rock compositions, the instrumentation, the "Conceptual" subject of the album, the psychedelic poster of its cover and music; things would never be the same.

But in terms of songwriting it doesn't fully match the almost unreachable level of "Revolver".

Although we find some of the greatest examples of Beatles' repertory ever.

Paul starts with "Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts club band" surrounded by a cocktail-bar atmosphere yelling "...It was thirty years ago today..." between his dense bass line and a chilling guitar and trumpets.It isn't a great song, but it is interesting and masterly performed.

"Lucy in the sky with diamonds" is another Lennon masterpiece.With the typical psychedelic-progressive drug-influenced Lennon mark, reaches a level of creation and technique using incredible and unthinkable sounds.

"She's leaving home" is the genius of Mc Cartney once again using classical music for his purposes.Maybe it's not so wonderful as "Eleanor Rigby" or "For no one", but reaches a high emotional level and it is still a clever and complex composition.

"Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite!" shows again a very lucid Lennon, mixing, in this occasion, psychedelic with circus music.The result: another Lennon masterpiece.

"A day in the life" closes all, and almost everything about this one have been said.Orchestral arrangements, great bass line (listen carefully), delicate guitars, incredible Ringo's drums: Lennon was one of the very few musicians who could approach different musical styles on the same song, putting a jazzy drum line in a slow track (Ringo's work here is really unbelievable).And Mc Cartney contributes at the middle of the song with his pop tunes changing the mood of it and leaving it prepared for Lennon who brings the slow beat back to take it to the victorious and gorgeous end.

"Sgt. Pepper" is not the best album of all time.It isn't even the best Beatles' album. But unquestionably it's the most important.

Mattiias | 5/5 |

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