The studio years go into full flight.... first with the incomparable 'Double A' sided single, 'Strawberry Fields Forever' / 'Penny Lane'... Seriously, is this NOT the GREATEST EVER achievement to be put on plastic???? Strawberry Fields Forever has been and always will be my number 1 song of all time... no bargaining... it just is... perhaps for more personal reasons BUT it is ASTONISHING! The equally brilliant 'Penny Lane' meant the record buying public of the day were treated with an embarrassing, endless stream of quality music that only stopped upon The Beatles' split. Compare it to today's great artist... 1 album every 3 or 4 years???? With singles ON the albums??? Man oh man!
But you know what? 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' is such a 'stand alone' masterpiece of music that living by itself away from any album is the ONLY place it could have truly lived.... and so it did!!!!
Anyway...onto the masterpiece that is Sgt. Pepper. So much has been written and told about this astonishing achievement that one can become 'immune' to it's brilliance and delve into other Beatle albums to try to 'level' the lavish praise of this gem. But let's be honest... It's F@#$ING brilliant! This is what happens when The Beatles actually gave themselves some REAL time to mess and fool about in the studio to see what they could make...and WOW did they make something that the world had never seen.
Paul dominates but it is George and John who provide the sparks of genius that makes this album incomparable... and that is what this album is....
'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds', 'She's Leaving Home', 'Getting Better' and the awesome bass on 'Fixing A Hole' and your head is truly awash with sounds of whimsy, happiness, love, hope and sadness... what about "With A Little Help From My friends'? Yes in my top 5... Ringo's finest moment as a vocalist... of course his drumming is WILD in 'Good Morning, Good Morning' and the George epic, 'Within You, Without You' perhaps was the last Beatle song 'I got' but once you 'get' that song, you'll forever love it and it could ONLY have been on Sgt. Pepper!!!!
The title track is a great rocker, both versions, and then the purest example of how Paul made John and how John made Paul occurs in the most gripping of finales to ever close an album, 'A Day in the Life'.... shivers and tingles right through my spine just THINKING about it let alone when I HEAR it!!!
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