Wednesday, May 31, 2017

The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s was a masterpiece of timing.

The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s was a masterpiece of timing.: Fifty years ago, the Beatles released their masterpiece into a world ready to embrace a rock album as art.

3 comments:

George said...

I'm sure the new 4-CD box set of the "remastered" SGT. PEPPER will be a big seller, too!

Don Coffin said...

Just 2 weeks before Sgt. Pepper was released, a little-known (at the time) guitar player and his band released "Are You Experienced?" A totally different sonic (and emotional) experience, and (as much as I like Sgt. Pepper) a superior set of music in a lot of ways. The track listing:
"Purple Haze"
"Manic Depression"
Hey, Joe"
May This Be Love"
I Don't Live Today"
The Wind Cries Mary"
Third Stone from the Sun"
Foxy Lady"
Are You Experienced"

Ad 1967 was a pretty good year in a lot of ways for the rock/pop world.
Other rather special rock/pop albums of 1967:
Bob Dylan, "John Wesley Harding"
Jefferson Airplane, "Surrealistic Pillow"
Cream, "Disraeli Gears"
Moody Blues, "Days of Future Passed"
Rolling Stones, "Their Satanic Majesties' Request"
The Velvet Underground and Nico..
The Doors, "Strange Days"
Leonard Cohen, "Songs" (only a few people noticed it at the time; I'm actually sort of proud to say I did)

It wasn't, in my opinion, a great year for jazz, but the major releases included
John Coltrane, "OM" and "Expression"
Duke Ellington and the Orchestra, "...And His Mother Called Him Bill" (a tribute to the music of Billy Strayhorn)
Stan Getz, "Sweet Rain"
Nina Simone, "High Priestess of Soul" and "Silk and Soul"
"Ella and Duke at the Cote d'Azur"

Not that "Sgt. Papper's Loney Hearts Club Band" wasn't special...

mybillcrider said...

To quote a Kingston Trio song title, "It was a very good year."