Classic Albums:Sgt Peppers Lonley Hearts Club band by the Beatles

Let's look at an album that has been hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time "Sgt Peppers Lonely hearts Club Band" by the Beatles. It's late 1966 and the Beatles had stopped touring after playing their last gig @ Candlestick park on August 29th as they were starting to retreat in the studio. they took a 2 month break as they took their own thing which George Harrison went to India to continue to develop more in the studio his sitar playing which he was invited by Ravi Shankar, John Lennon went to Spain to do the movie "how I Won the War" and attended art galleries where he would met his 2nd future wife , Paul McCartney wrote music with producer George Martin for a movie called "The Family Way" that starred Hayley Mills which he won an Ivor Novello award for best film song for a song called "Love In the Open Air" and Ringo Starr spent time with his wife Maureen and son Zak. It was Paul McCartney who came up with the concept of a alternative Beatles band that would become Sgt Peppers Lonely hearts Club band on the flight back to London from Kenya where he was holidaying with his girlfriend Jane Asher and Beatles road manager Mal Evans in November that year. Recording commenced on Sgt Pepper on December 6th 1966 even though Strawberry Fields Forever the single was recorded on November 24th, the B-Side Penny Lane recorded on December 29th and "only a Northern Song" written by George Harrison was recorded on February 13th 1967 which was not to be released until 1969 when the soundtrack album "Yellow Submarine" was released. The album took 129 days to record which all but 1 song were recorded at Abbey Road and the 1 song was recorded at Regent Studio and also besides from the 4 Beatles, road managers Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, producer George Martin, engineer Geoff Emerick, Neil Sanders, James W Buck, John Burden, Tony Randall and Mike Leander played on the album as well. the group was using new effects on the album like wah wah pedal, fuzzbox,Leslie Speakers and others and when you hear it on the albums it just sounds amazing. The album was released on June 1st 1967 which went to number 1 in the USA, England for 23 weeks and Australia with popular and critical acclaim and positive reviews. The songs are just BRILLIANT on this album like the title track as well as the reprise, With A Little Help From My Friends with Ringo on lead vocals and a hit for singer Joe Cocker the following year, Within You Without you written and sang by george harrison who also plays tumbar and sitar, Lucy in the Sky With A Diamonds which was banned by the BBC thinking it was about the drug LSD but was not true actually it was inspired by a drawing done by Julian Lennon of a girl he knew named Lucy and Elton John had a hit with it in 1974, A day in the Life another track banned by the BBC due to drug refrences which were denied by Lennon and McCartney, she's leaving Home, Getting Better, for the Benefit of Mr Kite and many others. the album was nominated for 7 grammys and won 4 including for best Album. It has been said by many people that Sgt Pepper's is one of the greatest albums of all time and it is true which it still sounds great and has appeal still after 44 years. a definite CLASSIC album indeed.