It was 40 Years Ago Today.....

The Beatles did three things that changed the course of popular music: 1) they wrote their own songs; 2) they took control of the recording process; and 3) they gave us Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Released at the height of the summer of 1967, the Beatles had been off the road for almost eighteen months and immersed at Abbey Road studios. That it is a conceptual album, and not just a collection of songs, makes Sgt Pepper the landmark that it is. From the jacket photo, to the music on the vinyl, to even the cutout inserts inside, exercising their creativity was the Beatles end game, and in this album it would fully manifest. While others had attempted it, the Beatles delivered the object - a record album - that everyone wanted and would want to create. After the previous year’s masterpiece Revolver, the first hint of the Beatles next move appeared on the Penny Lane" b/w "Strawberry Fields Forever" single released in February. When Sgt. Peppers arrived in June, it was their most intellectual statement yet, raising the bar for all of Pop music. From the adult theme of "Getting Better" to the blatant psychedelia of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", the Beatles offer their most mature and cohesive effort, best encapsulated in the epic track "A Day In The Life". Equally important was the reception that their audience, indeed the world, had to the album. In addition to burgeoning awareness of psychedelia, the album coincided with the advent of stereo headphones, and was the first album to feature printed lyrics. All points connected: with Sgt. Peppers, the Beatles and producer George Martin captured the minds and imaginations of a world waiting to be captured. So enough has been written about this album and with good reason: British art rock starts here. This was the pretense under which most Progressive rock was made.