Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Super Deluxe 4 CD/DVD/Blu-ray]

We're all used to a wave of hoopla whenever a big product is released, but in the case of Sgt. Pepper it's all true. Sgt. Pepper was not just a great album by the Beatles; it was the high point of the Sixties decade itself.It was the unexpected artistic triumph of all that had begun in early 1964. THE ERA:: Beatlemania and the British Invasion precipitated a virtual mass extinction event for almost the entirety of the Early Sixties pop music scene. Almost everyone who had been big then never had a hit again and the few acts that survived (Lesley Gore, Gene Pitney, Jan & Dean, Elvis) were never as big as they had been after a final hit or two in '64. Only the Beach Boys went on to greater heights. Dismissed as a teen-idol type fad that would soon die out, the second wave of British Invasion groups that included the Animals, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones showed that there was more to this music than at first seemed the case. Coincidentally by 1965 the Folk Music Scene which had been big from 1961-63 was winding down very fast with less and less interest being shown by anyone but die-hard fans. Bob Dylan's going electric seemed to act as a signal, sending many of the creative artists of folk into the pop/rock scene which had been so re-energized by not only the British Invasion but also the concurrent rise of Motown. First came Folk-Rock, but there was far more to it than jingle-jangle 12-string guitars and Dylan songs. The folk people brought in a whole new set of musical values that included literate lyrics, topics besides romantic love and the idea that the album was the thing, not just two hit singles and a bunch of covers. Artists from folk would be in many of the top groups or solo acts of '65-'66 including the Byrds, the Mamas & the Papas, the Loving Spoonful, the Association, Simon & Garfunkel, Donovan etc. The Beatles did not ignore all this. They responded in two releases. Yesterday was accompanied by a string quartet and by doing this, opened the door to rock & pop absorbing classical influences and instrumentation, a major trend in 1966-67. Then with the acoustic, folk-influenced Rubber Soul, they indicated their joining with the folk artists and their views on making truly artistic albums. By this point the rock/pop scene was open to virtually all influences. By late summer of '66, everything went into a kind of hyper-drive; in the period roughly bookended by Revolver and Sgt. Pepper, everyone was doing their finest work, even the pure pop artists, with great material coming from every quarter. By this time people couldn't ignore this any longer and even the adult media who typically dismissed the teen scene had to take notice, peaking with Leonard Bernstein, in patrician tones, extolling the value of this music on the CBS special, Inside Pop - The Rock Revolution in Spring, 1967. Music was not all that was changing. To understand the Sixties you must understand it as being a time of total and unbridled optimism. Since the late Fifties in the U.S. and Western Europe there had been a feeling that everything was really wonderful, prosperity was the new normal and what few problems there were would soon be solved by science. You must understand that environmental problems were still unknown (Silent Spring had only been out a few years) and it was believed the Civil Rights Act alone would cure past racial disparities. The only problems were those of "The Affluent Society". From their prosperous lives the Sixties teens looked out at the world and saw things weren't so nice everywhere, and like a whole generation of Siddhartha's sought to save the world from its problems. The old order began to fray, especially on the two coasts (hings stayed the same in the interior much longer) and a new youthful counterculture began to arise, their answer being Universal Love. Naive? Yes, but it was very sincere and well-intended, and music became the vehicle that spread it. At the peak of all this, with much anticipation after Rubber Soul and Revolver, the Beatles produced Sgt. Pepper to absolute and universal acclaim from all quarters. It was seen as the great fulfillment of all the recent trends in pop music, the greatest pop album ever made, perhaps even one of the greatest works of art ever made. The superlatives were endless. It sold far beyond any album before it. Though it had no singles, radio stations played it as if every track was a single, even all of the five minute A Day In the Life, especially at night, its double crescendo seeming to sum up everything that was going on. It was like an explosion, played everywhere all summer long, with other pop music almost at a standstill, reacting to it. All the rest of 1967 and early 1968 were enveloped in its psychedelic haze. Then everything changed again, almost all the mid-Sixties artists vanished, and the new, heavier era of the Late Sixties began. THE BOX SET: This is everything a die-hard Beatles fan could possibly want. A 3-D cover curiously recalling Their Satanic Majesty's Request. An original LP facsimile inside containing four CD's of music and DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the 1997 documentary and a beautiful hard-cover book full of photos of the band and era. The CD's are the original mono and new stereo mix of the album, plus two discs of the Sgt. Pepper sessions that include various takes of the songs in development, some being vocal or instrumental tracks only, plus Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane. Those two songs were originally intended for the album but were released in early '67 as singles because the Beatles needed something after Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby. George Martin truly regrets that they weren't included but I'm happy the way they were. Sgt. Pepper is already 40 minutes long, pushing the length of a 60's LP before sound quality was lost. It is also a fairly light-spirited album with two "heavy" tracks of five minutes each, and adding Strawberry Fields may have been too much. It's perfect as it is. Besides, Strawberry Fields was a major event in itself. What kind of pop song was this? Nothing like it had been done before. It was a remarkable breakthrough that showed the Beatles were rapidly advancing. Penny Lane was a perfect bright foil, a bouncy, cheery song guaranteed to get major airplay; a perfect single between two important albums. Though the two extra discs will be of most interest to lifelong fans (of any age) they do show the importance of George Martin, the true fifth Beatle, who brought their ideas into existence. THE SOUND: To judge the sound, especially important with not just a new remastering but a new mix, I made a playlist that song by song listed the Mono; then the original stereo (from the Beatles 2009 box set) then the new mix. Mono is mono. It's hot now in oldies CD's because people want to now hear things the way they originally did, and we all heard almost all 60's music on mono home, transistor and car radios and mono albums. Of course Sgt. Pepper was the album that caused the huge boom in sales of stereos that made stereo the norm very quickly, so the set shows this somewhat ironic transition. The new mix wins by light years. The sound is deeper, richer, more enveloping, clear, more transparent and more detailed. It's the kind of improvement that makes you think, "Well, what was I listening to before ?" It's that good. A PERSONAL NOTE: I have to thank the makers of the box set for clearing something up for me. I was beginning to think I had a false memory. I clearly remembered a Penny Lane that ended with a trumpet fanfare instead of the cymbal fade-out, yet no such version ever appeared on CD. Finally, here it is on Disc 4, listed as "Capitol Records mono US promo mix". It seems to have been the one most played by my local radio station back then. Thank you for including it!

When I first heard that Sgt. Pepper was being remixed, my first thought was "why"?!? But as a loyal Beatle fan, and also considering that Giles Martin has never disappointed and considering the session tracks that were included, I order the set and I'm very glad that I did. Disc one contains the new stereo mix by Giles Martin. I was absolutely blown away at the elaborate arrangements and performances on this album that this new mix brings out, especially considering how many times I've listened to this album. With technology now being able to lock together first generation multi-track tapes, there's no longer the loss of quality from bounce down tracks which I didn't realize was so prominent on the official master until I heard the new mix.. This process also allows for more articulate mixing. The album in its new stereo mix sounds like it never has before. The recordings have been kept so well it sounds like they were recorded yesterday and it's like the performers are playing right in your ear!!! My only disappointment on this album was the mix of "A Day In The Life", I personally felt that remix could've been done better and would've done things differently, but the rest of the album absolutely blew my mind especially noting; "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Lovely Rita", and "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite". Just for these remixes alone it was worth it to buy this release. Disc two and three give us of some interesting session tracks that give great insight to the recording process of this album. I found neither of these discs tedious or boring, although, these discs would probably be for the die-hard fans. There appears to be great care of what session material was chosen to put on these discs. I would especially like to acknowledge the orchestral session tracks for "She's Leaving Home". Although I am loyal to George Martin's work with the Beatles, these tracks (located on disc three) shine more light and reveal what a beautiful and complex arrangement Mike Leander wrote for this song. Disc four contains the original mono mix of the album as well as several bonus mono mixes tracks most of which have not been released before. Disc five and six are DVD and Blu-Ray copies that contain the album in high resolution audio 96khz/24-bit (At least on the Blu-Ray. I haven't checked out the DVD copy yet so I'm not sure about the exact technical specifications) They also have the album in surround sound. Both discs also contain the documentary "The Making Of Sgt. Peppers" The packaging of the set was nice. The lenicular print of the album cover was cool. The nicely designed and very thorough hardbound book in the set about the album will keep you occupied for a while. The fact that the inner box containing the set is designed like one of the official EMI tape boxes from the archives is really cool. All in all for this price for this material, this is a must have for any Beatle or music lover.

If you were alive and reasonably conscious in the Spring of 1967 you might have heard a prematurely released, unauthorized version of a brand new Beatles album on the radio before it quickly disappeared for another 6 weeks. It was a tantalizing treat. At the same time, a new single sounding suspiciously like the Beatles hit the FM airwaves but the record was a red herring: New York Mining Disaster by the BeeGees, who were then new to America and something of a Beatles sound-alike. The album was real, however, and when it was finally released for good at the end of May it literally changed the world in ways that are inconceivable today. Sergeant Pepper's release 50 years ago coincided with a ramp-up in the Vietnam War, an increase in protests on campus and in the streets, and the birth of Hippies and the so-called "Summer of Love." The album was heard absolutely everywhere all Summer long and it became the soundtrack of that amazing and complex era. It influenced song writing, studio recording, every aspect of music production, the artistic layout and design of LPs (it was the first Rock album to include written lyrics and inserts and the cover was unique and brilliant) and its phenomenal commercial and artistic success remains a legend in the music business, unique in ways that may never reoccur. In celebration of that artistic success, Capitol has released this Deluxe Edition DVD + Blu-ray + Audio CD | 4 CD Box Set. It is quite an expansive tribute to this iconic record (Rolling Stone's number one Rock album of all time). Disc one: A brand new stereo mix by Giles Martin sounds clearer, cleaner and more spacious than the original and the subsequent re-masters. The crowd noises at the album's opening sounds alarmingly real, and the guitars, drums and vocals sound great. A Little Help From My Friends has an even more infectious groove because Ringo's voice and the music now have a wider soundstage and greater clarity. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds has been opened up and now has a trippy, spacey infectiousness that really makes you suspect the official version of the title's initials. Getting Better, Fixing A Hole and She's Leaving Home are cleaner with more detail and presence. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! has been especially improved with the calliope/harmonium/organ sounds produced by a Hammond organ, tape loops and harmonicas now whirling around the room with thrilling three-dimensional clarity. The rest of the album continues Sergeant Peppers' sonic re-vitalization, with much less audible compression and improved transparency. A Day in the Life now has explosive crescendos that sound like hammers of fate while John's voice has never sounded so terrifying. The new Sergeant Pepper stereo mix isn't revolutionary but it is a substantive improvement in presence and immediacy, making the album sound more vibrant and alive than previous versions. Disc two and three: Over 100 minutes of studio outtakes and chatter that helps to illuminate the recording process. Some of you will love this stuff, enjoying the backstage glimpse of the Beatles as they recorded their masterpiece. Others of you may find it a little repetitive after a while. I found it a fascinating historical excursion into musical memory. It's a matter of taste. Disc four: The original 1967 mono mix that was released with the Beatles' approval. This mono recording was reportedly the Beatles' favorite version of the album. The band considered it more unified in expression and containing greater musical impact. I get the point but still prefer the stereo version for its sonic magic. Disc five and six: The restored 1992 documentary The Making of Sgt. Pepper, which includes interviews with Paul, George and Ringo, has been around for awhile but has never looked better. It is great to hear George again, speaking about the creation of the album. The in-the-studio footage, which is introduced by the late George Martin, feels and looks like opening a time capsule and watching the band work. The restored promotional films for 'A Day In The Life', 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' look and sound terrific. The 2017 Giles Martin 5.1 surround sound mix and the high-resolution 96KHz/24bit stereo audio of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band plus 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' are icing-on-the-cake. Sergeant Pepper in surround sound and hi-res are an entirely different audio experience. This is how the album might sound if it were recorded today. The music is superbly alive and totally immersive. The 144-page hardback book with song-by-song details and recording information, essays about the design of the cover, the album's many innovations and its historical context are enlightening. The illustrations feature photos from the recording sessions, as well as handwritten lyrics and Abbey Road studio documentation. Anyone that loves the music produced by the Beatles during this amazingly creative period will probably love this box set. It's pricey but it's a treasure trove of memories and definitely worth acquiring.

This is a field report, really. Not worked over like an essay. Just notes from an immersion. Fresh. And I hope smart. I popped the new mix disc out of its sleeve and put it in the CD player, running it through a Denon receiver and five-way speakers cranked up in the tunnel-like listening room above our garage. As I did when the LP arrived in the Bay Area in June 1967, I listened to the whole album, straight through, except I didn’t have to turn over the vinyl, as I did then. But I did it in my mind, anyway: the album is in two acts. Let me say two things up front, in the interest of full disclosure, as we say. First, I mildly hate digital sound. This CD had the drawbacks of all CDs, that raspy upper edge to everything. It was clean—no pops or scratches—but subtly screechy on the high end. That’s digital. I’ve only listened to this album on clean vinyl for the past decade and a half. And, second, I’ve only listened to it in its original mono. This LP is in a direct lineage from Phil Spector through Brian Wilson. It’s meant to be “wall of sound,” with a blend that stereo can never match or whose alleged “limitations” it can never pretend to rectify. There is no film conceived and shot in black and white that improves with colorization. And that’s what a stereo mix of this album will always be. Having said that, I say: go get this mix, especially if you’ve been imbibing that putrid stereo mix that has been the only game in town since the end of the 1960s. This mix uses original master tapes that make the instruments and vocals glow with a clarity you haven’t heard. Power chords are knifier. Grace notes pop out. Counterpoint is crystalline. Overtones shine. And now, the bass (for the most part) and drums (all the time) stand out melodically in ways that will, I say it advisedly, touch you. The intricate structure of interlocking timbres the Beatles (and George Martin) dreamt up reveals itself like a finely chiseled torso. I often quote to my students Ford Madox Ford’s statement that a good style consists of ”a constant succession of tiny surprises.” This mix gives good style. Yet it still feels solidly authentic in that you never hear anything that seems added or jacked or gimmicky. It stays true to the songs, while only occasionally slightly reimagining them, but always intelligently. Here, a track by track rundown of impressions: The opening track’s initial snare drum crack and distorted guitar chord literally made me exclaim, “Oh, my God.” It is so annunciatory and arresting. It demanded my attention with authority. “With a Little Help from My Friends” is convincing, displaying more than the previous track the splendid lateral spreading and blending of instruments and voices—a distinctive trait of the whole album. I’d hoped to be satisfied by “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” since the old stereo mix disembowels the mono so completely. This track turns out to be the greatest disappointment of the new stereo mix. In fairness: no other song is so perfectly blended in an almost hallucinatory way as this one in the mono mix. But here John’s voice still protrudes, not buried in the instrumental haze the Beatles intended. And if the phasing of the chorus that the mono includes has been restored here, it’s far too faint. That phasing gave blood to the track in its mono original. “Getting Better,” though, is gorgeous, with its chimey hammerstroke chords and faux Beach Boys vocals. This mix got to me. I started crying almost instantly, though I’ve got to admit that this song chokes me up every time I hear it in any format. Still, this version is breathtaking. “Fixing a Hole” offers an interesting compromise with the mono version. The lead vocal, which feels as if it’s literally buried (i.e., in a hole) in the mono, is not full-frontal here as in the old stereo mix. Rather, the engineer (Giles Martin) places it in its own echoey space, as though stuck in a cistern apart from the instruments. When I heard the maracas boosted in the coda, I thought, “Nice.” “She’s Leaving Home” appears in the correct key (F major instead of the E major in the old stereo mix). Given the separation of lines and colors, though, this version makes the carefully articulated bowed strings (and harp) the real responsorial stars of the track. I’d never felt that so intensely before. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” emerges as more three-dimensional than the mono, but lacks the kind of layering of imaginary depth it could have: it’s all too frontal for my tastes. Nevertheless, the tape collage coda satisfies more than the mono. (I literally whooped when it ended). “Within You and Without You” works better than the mono in this regard: by splitting George’s voice from the strings it reinforces the dialectic of “within” vs. “without.” The responsories of sitar and strings further bespeak the dialectic feeling. “When I’m 64” makes the song finally feel like a crooner fronting a band (unlike the mono or the old stereo version). Unfortunately, the clarity only boosts the kitschiness of the song. “Lovely Rita”: lovely indeed. One of the tracks where the counterpoint leads you along from moment to moment. I felt as if someone, for the first time, had cleaned the window that looks out onto the song. And, again, I cried. The coda, by the way, lacks the cool mystery of the mono, but reveals . . . something. What? Loveliness? One of the best tracks in the mix. “Good Morning, Good Morning” offers excellent balance and a prominence of drums that kept me smiling, despite this being one of the lesser tracks in the album. Sadly, this new stereo mix muffs the perfect transition (chicken cluck to grace-note electric guitar) from “Good Morning” to the Sgt Pepper reprise that the mono provided. Nothing about this new mix could raise the reprise from being merely pro forma, perfunctory, anyway. It did sound better in the mono, though. “A Day in the Life.” I’m sure this was the track Giles Martin was most determined to mix just right. I think he succeeded. You will hear nuances in John’s lead vocal that make it feel more intimate than ever. The orchestral sound masses will scare you in a way different from the smudgy, less clarified version of old. It’s not so much like a dam bursting as a series of earthquakes toppling buildings one onto the other: you hear each new layer’s crash. When Paul sings “I went into a dream” the music more strikingly shifts into another dimension than the old stereo mix. I should say: it plunges you into the dream state. The final three-piano (plus low organ) E major chord thunders, as it should. And, again, heaven forgive me, I blurted out, “Oh, my God.” The miking is so hot you hear a piano bench squeak loudly as the chord decays. It’s like a parishioner muttering “Amen.” The old dead wax comic loop ensues (read about it elsewhere if you don’t know about this). It was a move the group devised strictly for vinyl and it juts out as silly and incorrect here. When it ended, I couldn’t help myself: I played “Getting Better” again. And swayed and raised my hands and bobbed my head and cried one more time. Verdict: So glad to get this new, reverential album mix and hear what pays valid and distinguished honor to a vinyl goddess.

"I feel like I just woke up on another planet." "Like it or not, it was the record which changed the rules." "Is it true what acid can do?" "The moment when rock 'n' roll began to be taken seriously as a legitimate musical form thanks to the release of one record album." If you're reading this it's a good bet that you're familiar with the album. But this multi-disc set, remixed from earlier tapes, takes things way beyond that single album. Ultimately it's all about the sound and the celebration of a unique album that's the real focus. And the 2017 stereo remaster by Giles Martin ("Trust me, I'm Peppered out") and Sam Okell has made a good sounding album even better. The original sound and feel of the record is still there ("the same mind-blowing '67 experience") but this new remaster puts you closer to the original sound. Listen to the final chord in "A Day In The Life" and you'll hear what I mean. Giles Martin has done a fine job on this album. The original '67 mono mix of the album puts things in a different light. Most people know the stereo version, but the mono mix can stand on it's own. The sound comes out of the speakers with a fullness and depth unlike the stereo version. This mix is why Lennon said you haven't listened to "Sgt. Pepper" unless you've heard it in mono. Given a chance you'll hear all the time and effort that George Martin and The Beatles put into making the mono version. Also here are mono mixes of "Strawberry Fields", and "Penny Lane", unreleased mono mixes of "A Day In The Life", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", and "She's Leaving Home", plus a mono promotional single of "Penny Lane". The bonus tracks (in chronological order of recording) are tellingly worthwhile, including instrumentals, overdubs, and Martin giving a pep talk on one track. As used to the intricate effects we're used to hearing, it's interesting and informative (and fun) to hear some of these songs in such relatively spare arrangements. At times you'll almost think you're hearing alternate versions of some of these songs because the studio effects haven't been added yet. The best of these tracks add insight into the making o of this iconic album. There's takes of "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane" included that are the true beginning of "Sgt. Pepper". Incidentally the 2 CD edition puts the alternate takes into the same order as the original album which is kind of cool in it's own way. The BR and DVD discs hold their own audio and visual goodies. Included are 5.1 mixes of the album and (2015) 5.1 mixes of the singles, plus High Resolution Audio of the stereo album and (2015 mixes) of the singles all in good sound. The visuals include a restored (unreleased) "The Making of Sgt. Pepper", promotional films of "A Day In The Life", "Strawberry Fields", and "Penny Lane". These two discs add even more icing to the cake for "Pepper" fans. The 144 page hardcover book has song details and recording information, photos from the sessions, handwritten lyrics, Abbey Road session documentation, plus essays on the cover design, studio innovations heard on the album, and an overview of the album's impact. Paul McCartney wrote the introduction. There's also a replica of the original album's insert plus two posters. The graphics are crisp and clean. 1967 was a year of fantastic changes in music. "Sgt. Pepper's..." seemed to come wrapped in bright colors like nothing else before it. Beatles' music was now recorded in full, vivid, color. And close on "Pepper's" heals were singles like "White Rabbit", "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Itchycoo Park" "Paper Sun", "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night", "Incense and Peppermints", "I Can See For Miles", and pretty much entire albums like "The Piper At The Gates of Dawn", and "Forever Changes", and others. But it's "Sgt. Pepper's..." that really stands out as a lasting signpost of those times. Listen to this box set for a deeper, better understanding why that is.

Where do I begin when commenting on the awesomeness that is this set? I'll go disc-by-disc. Before I do, I'll start with the packaging. It starts with a beautiful slip cover which boasts a three-dimensional image of the album cover. Take the slip cover off and you'll see a gorgeous replica of an EMI tape box. Open that, and you'll see all the goodies to behold - a 144-page book that'll take days to read. The articles seem so interesting that you'll read these over and over again. The image of an alternate, more contemporary design of the bass drum cover is featured on the Blu Ray slip cover, and it's good the Beatles didn't use this one because it's too garish, whereas the victorian design they chose fits the overall mood of the album. The alternate design has a sloppily-placed valentine between the words "lonely" and "hearts", and the overall design looks very "slapdash", it doesn't indicate the time and care the artist gave the drum design we all know and love. There are posters of images I've loved over the years - the British advert which says "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - New Beatles LP Here Now" with a majestic-looking image of the EMI logo as it was then. God, I miss EMI. Too bad it went bankrupt and got scooped up by Universal Music. The compartment which houses the four compact discs and two video discs is designed after the album cover art and at first glance, you'd think the LP was included. It's not - that'll be an additional 25 to 30 bucks for that one. Thanks, Universal-dearest. Now for the main event. 1- STEREO REMIX - Perfection. The mix was based on the mono mix. With more tracks available in this day and age, Giles Martin was able to source the original tapes before they were mixed down and bumped over to another 4-track recorder in order to enable more sounds to be mixed in. We can now hear everything that was a part of the overall sound. This is now the psychedelic masterpiece the Beatles intended to release. 2 - Outtakes of the following - "Strawberry Fields Forever", and its 2015 stereo mix, which was featured in "1+" and was on the flip side of the Record Store D**K edition of the single last month. I'm sorry that should say Record Store Day, but that was ruined by all the d**k moves pulled by hustlers in order to flip items for outrageous amounts on e-Bay. The rest of the outtakes are from When I'm 64, Penny Lane, including the RSD stereo mix, orchestral overdubs and "HUM" outtakes of A Day in the Life. If the humming was chosen as the ending, the only thing saving it from being a joke on the Beatles is if George Harrison's Within You laughter was edited onto it, to make it a joke BY the Beatles. Two takes of the title track and Good Morning Good Morning round this out. Listening to these as well as on the 3rd disc are indeed a splendid time - I guarantee it. 3 - Outtakes of Fixing a Hole, Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite, Lovely Rita, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Getting Better, Within You Without You, She's Leaving Home, With a Little Help from my Friends and the Sgt Pepper Reprise. On Within You, Harrison is heard talking a musician through one of the riffs which is repeated several times and becomes quite hypnotic. I didn't want it to end. She's Leaving Home includes a 4-syllable cello riff after the first two times Paul sings "for so many years" at the end of the chorus. With a Little Help from My Friends is the basic instrumental track on which you can now really hear the opening guitar cascade before RIngo's vocal. Not only does it sound like "Wouldn't It Be Nice", but the rest of the backing tracks sounds like an outtake from either Pet Sounds or Smile. This brings home the fact that the Beatles nicked a thing or two from the Beach Boys back then. This is rounded out by a basic rehearsal of the Sgt Pepper Reprise, a different take than what we all heard on Anthology 2. 4 - Now for the main event within a main event - the original 1967 mono mix (it says so on the back of the cover) of the album. I'll have to give this a side by side comparison to see whether or not this is another issue of the 2009 mono remaster. This is where headphones come in handy. This is rounded out by the original mono mixes of Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane. Then there's the first mono mix of A Day in the Life, with variations of bass and drums and Paul's vocal as heard on Anthology 2. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds doesn't sound terribly different in this "long-lost" mono mix, but She's Leaving Home certainly does with that extra aforementioned cello riff. Now, for the grand finale - the Capitol Records Promotional Mix of Penny Lane with the 7-syllable trumpet line at the end. I thought they were joking at first, but this turns out to be a needle-drop of the Capitol 45 RPM record - not a pristine remastered tape of RM 11, but a needle-drop. I thought I heard a pop and click, and it's very AM-radio-sounding. I have a bootleg that boasts a better sound. DVD & Blu-Ray - basically the "About-Blanking-Time" release of the Disney Channel's 1992 "Making of Sgt Pepper" special - no difference between this and what we watched 25 years ago, but it was great to see it finally given a proper commercial release. It's a nice companion to the Anthology, so you can toss out your homemade VHS tape of it. It looks and sounds very nice here. The 5.1 Dolby and DTS and 2-channel stereo mix of the album sounds very nice here, but I don't favor the DVD/Blu Ray versions over the CD version, that'll be up to you to decide. So - that's it in a long and winding nutshell - it's not exactly limited edition, but I don't see very many shops carrying it and you'll never know what they'll gouge you for on e-Bay, so now's the time to pick it up.

There's not enough ink (or computer space) to express what's already been and could be expressed about "Sgt. Pepper". The music on it as familiar to me as any of the pairs of eyeglasses that I've worn for the majority of my life. Yet both products remain necessary for a quality existence. The"Super Deluxe Edition of "Sgt. Pepper" is worth splurging on because its rewards are vast. The first CD presents Giles Martin's stereo remix and it's not a twin-listening experience from the original 1967 mix. A remixing job is a trickier feat than a remastering job and Giles pulls it off. The stereo channel separations of the original mix are gone. Paul's bass and Ringo's drums and percussive backdrops are brought more to the forefront. It's especially powerful on "Getting Better" and "Good Morning, Good Morning". "She's Leaving Home" is now a semitone higher in definite pitch. "Within You Without You" is shockingly crisp and I'm hearing parts that I never heard on the original stereo version. And, of course, that ending piano chord on "A Day in the Life" has never pounded down so hard with dark urgency. The music from the vaults that fills the second and third discs ("Sgt. Pepper Sessions") serves a vital mission. It's presented chronologically by recording date and it slowly shows how a masterpiece takes shape. "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "A Day in the Life" are tantalizing even in their earliest formations. That hummed last note on the latter piece even then finds its air of mystery and is nearly as apocalyptic as the piano ending. "Fixing a Hole (Take 1) comes in almost fully formed - minus guitar. The third take of that track has an outstanding vocal from Paul and he's shouting, almost like Bob Dylan, at the end of it. I love the first take of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" with that Farfisa organ sound. And "Within You Without You" and "She's Leaving Home" make for winsome instrumentals but would be improved further. The fourth CD offers the brilliance of George Martin's mono mixes on the original album and on the "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" single and its greatness has long been understood. With the bonus material that succeeds it, it climaxes with the U.S. promo mix of "Penny Lane". I have always cherished that radiant seven-note trumpet tag at the end when I first bought "Rarities" in 1980. Only on that version, the trumpet ending was superimposed on the stereo version. This is a first time experience. It rules! The DVD/Blu-Ray completes the Pepper story as it includes the at-long-last available "The Making of Sgt. Pepper's". I haven't seen this since it was broadcast in 1992. Then come the videos for "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane" and "A Day in the Life" in all their original and undiluted forms. For me, the video of "Strawberry Fields" is where music video artistry begins - an epic tone poem meets a kaleidoscope of colors. The 144-page book provides rarely seen and unseen photo of the period. The picture I get a kick out of the most is of John's "Sgt. Pepper" shoes, just before the introduction. Not to be missed reading-wise are those of the reasoned analysis of Ed Vulliamy's "The World in 1967" and of Joe Boyd's "The London Underground". My favorite regarding the incidental memorabilia is the facsimile of Lennon's "Mr. Kite" antique poster. Oh, where to hang it. Decisions, decisions. With "Sgt. Pepper", the Beatles had hit the arc of their cultural impact. They'd parlayed their own musical instincts across the spectrum of rock. The concept of the album has always been oblique as they shielded themselves from the Beatles reality into this mythic band. But there's so much worldwide reality to the record which is why it's always done wonders for me. I toast to this exhausting initiative of the most underrated "overrated" album in rock history. Hello again Pepperland!

You can buy four different versions of the 50th anniversary edition of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. If you still have a gramophone record player, you might like to buy an LP version. If you are a Beatles' fan, and would like to hear Sgt Pepper more clearly than you ever have before, you could buy the single disc. Your cheapest option. It really does sound superb. The CD sounds much better than streaming it on Spotify, though that sounds pretty good, but not as wonderful as the CD. There's also a nice deluxe 2 CD set, which has a second CD of "work in progress" versions, in the same order as the original record, ending with earlier versions of Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane, and new remixes of the final versions. But the super deluxe box set has two CDs of "work in progress" versions, a CD of mono versions, and the original mono album, and a DVD and Blu Ray (which have the same content) of the 1992 film The Making of Sgt Pepper and 5.1 surround sound versions of the album and single. It is expensive, but is tastefully packaged and includes a facsimile of the poster from which John Lennon created his song Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite, a reproduction of the 1967 store poster, promoting Sgt Pepper, and a 145 page coffee table type book, with articles about the album, each song, and lots of photos, some new to me, some familiar, but beautifully presented. I received my box set yesterday, and am thrilled with it. The remixed music sounds so much better on the CD, than streamed on Spotify. I'm especially impressed with the two last tracks on each side of the old record, which I received for my fifteenth birthday, fifty years ago. (My very first popular LP record!) Being For the Benefit of Mr Kite sounds amazing, from start to finish. And A Day in the Life's two chaotic orchestral crescendos are awesome! But there's one small downside to the box set: the "work in progress" versions are presented in the order in which they were recorded, which makes the set a fascinating document, but not one you might want to play from start to finish, and probably not when other people are around. But the 2 CD deluxe set's WIPs make a perfectly acceptable alternative CD to spin, because it proceeds through the tracks in the same order as the finished album. And whether you purchase the 2 CD or 4 CDs plus DVD/BluRay version, you will find that the remixed WIPs sound much better than you've heard them on YouTube. If you are a Beatles' fan, I think you will enjoy the box set, which is currently cheaper from Amazon than from other stores (especially Australian stores). Cynics might think of this as yet another repackaging, but hours of work have gone into making a truly wonderful, improved version of the original LP. A splendid time is guaranteed for all. Well, at least all Beatles' fans.

My parents used to tell me that the "Summer Of Love" didn't really exist in the UK unless you were part of the swinging London scene. For the rest of the country it only existed in the news and on the radio... and maybe in the relaxing (and railing against) of more traditional attitudes towards a more progressive outlook. Fashion became a little more daring, skirts became shorter, but there were still strict parents there trying to make sure their groinfruit didn't partake in such subversive behaviour. For people like my parents growing up in the midlands, it's was less drugs and free love and more like a couple of pints of bitter (with wine or a fruit-based drink for the ladies) and a fumble in the pub car park. The one things that virtually everybody, everywhere, on planet Earth recognised as a major sign that the world was changing was Sgt. Pepper. I was fortunate enough to gain the use of the family record player and my parents' modest, but respectful, collection of LPs from quite an early age and one of those records was Sgt. Pepper. It was, along with Hey Jude (the LP) and Let It Be, the album that made me a Beatles fan the moment I heard it at the age of, I think, around seven. The crowd music, the different singers, the harmonies, the eclectic instrumentation, the sheer ambition of the record... it was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. It shone. It was a magical record, played by these long haired, moustachioed wizards in their colourful outfits. I wanted to look like them. I wanted to be like them. Hell, I wanted to BE them. The only "problem" with Pepper is that it was so highly rated and overplayed over the years that it inevitably (yet unfairly) was the victim of a (mild) backlash, with even staunch Beatles fans repeating the mantra of "Pepper is overrated", with very few in the cult of Fabdom daring to say that their favourite Beatles record was Pepper, for fear of not looking like a "real" fan. Thing is, Pepper is a perfect record; its loose concept opening up the possibilities of any kind of music appearing on a pop record - vaudeville, Indian, psychedelic-circus music resplendent with backwards tape loops... with Sgt. Peppers' troupe of musicians, anything was possible. The fact that Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were recorded in the same sessions and could have been part of the album instead of a standalone single is even more mind-blowing. The collective offering of the Pepper songs were an artistic apex they'd, until that point, never achieved. Fixing A Hole, with its dreamy, spacey vocals and meandering bassline, She's Leaving Home, one of Paul's very best kitchen sink dramas, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite which still sounds unlike anything else released before or after it, George's utterly beautiful Within You Without You which, quite honestly, might be my favourite track on the whole thing and the reprise of the Pepper theme which then segues into the grand finale, A Day In The Life, which is surely peak Beatles. All four members shine so brilliantly on this album; Ringo's "turn" as Billy Shears on With A Little Help From My Friends as well as some truly superb drumming (especially on A Day In The Life), Paul's precocious growth as a songwriter (Pepper, With A Little Help From My Friends, She's Leaving Home, Lovely Rita), but still having his work Lennonised and improved (Getting Better) and vice-versa for John with Paul providing the supremely melodic, soaring bridge in A Day In The Life and his inspired. Lennon's Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds is a psychedelic masterpiece and his interpretations of a circus poster (Mr. Kite) and a breakfast cereal box (Good Morning, Good Morning) showcased his talent for taking something relatively ordinary and elevating them to glorious heights. George's lead guitar work is out of this world on Pepper and his solitary songwriting composition was also other-worldly. It was arguably the last time (apart from perhaps Abbey Road) when all four Beatles were still a single "Beatles" unit instead of four individuals making music together. Simply put, Pepper is a masterpiece. It is THE album that virtually every other album is compared with ("Sure, it's good, but it's no Sgt. Pepper"). The genius isn't just in the songwriting, it's the presentation, the Peter Blake cover, the daring concept and the colourfulness. It was the end of the black and white sixties and the dawning of a brighter, more youthful age. It's not just a record, it's a cultural milestone, a happening, an event; you can define music as pre and post-Pepper such was its importance. It remains the toppermost of the poppermost, being the height of all that is fab and gear. It takes me to another world when I listen to it, a world full of fixing metaphorical holes, of dancing psychedelic horses, of newspaper taxis and looking-glass ties, of sobbing heartbroken parents and cottages in the Isle Of Wight, of people blowing their minds out in cars and orchestral orgasms. There's no other record like it. Others have tried and failed, but there is only one Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Good brand new

Já tive outras versões desse clássico, mas aqui, temos talvez a versão definitiva. Além do álbum remixado e 2 discos de demos, e outtakes, que ainda contam com Penny Lane e Strawberry Fields forever, ainda temos aqui a tão famosa versão mono, que pelo que percebo, foi base para o remix de Giles Martin. Além disso, temos o DVD e o Bluray com Peppers em 5.1, além de videos e um documentário. E se não bastasse tudo isso, ainda um livro com o diário das gravações. Tudo embalado em uma caixa com o tamanho do vinil orginal e uma capa em lenticular o que dá a iconica foto, uma sensação 3d. Maravilhoso.

Tutto perfetto!! Bellissimo cofanetto!

全く問題ありませんでした。