So much is said about The Beatles legendary 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band but I think too much of what is said is about it’s historical significance and the like. Not enough attention is paid to the music itself. And that’s why with this article I’m focusing entirely on the music, one song at a time.

01. “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” – The album starts off with this brilliant Paul McCartney rocker (he wrote it, sang lead, and even played the lead guitar part) which really sets the mood (and the “concept”) for the entire album. I love how the song intersperses pretty heavy rock with the somewhat ridiculous horn sections. The imagination displayed in this music is really overwhelming. I can imagine people who have grown up listening to the drab obvious music of “rock bands” like Nickelback being very confused by what’s going on in this music as they’ve never really been introduced to imagination or creativity in music before. But if they can get over that initial confusion, I think they will begin to understand the possibilities of what music can be.

02. “With a Little Help from my Friends” – I much prefer this original Beatles version over the completely over the top Joe Cocker version that is probably more famous at this point (mostly because it was used as the theme song to the very popular Wonder Years TV show.) To me it’s the perfect song for Ringo to sing and of course John & Paul wrote it specifically for Ringo. It fits like a glove. What a brilliant song.

03. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” – This psychedelic journey through the mind of John Lennon remains one of the band’s most famous songs. I love how it goes from the visions of the verse to the exciting sing along of the chorus.

04. “Getting Better” – This may just be the song I most commonly think of when I think of the Sgt. Pepper album. I’m not quite sure why that’s the case, but it is! To me this song defines the spirit of the album very well.

05. “Fixing a Hole” – Possibly the best lyrics Paul McCartney ever wrote. Another one of my favorites on an album filled with favorites.

06. “She’s Leaving Home” – Another great reason to get The Beatles in Mono Box Set. This song sounds faster and higher (by a semitone) in the mono version. It’s a treat to hear!

07. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” – How brilliant is it that these lyrics were taken entirely from an 1800s circus poster that Lennon came across? I believe a big part of real genius is being able to be inspired by things that most people wouldn’t notice. This is a good example of that.

08. “Within You Without You” – I know a lot of people just can’t get down with this kind of music but I certainly can. It’s a really tripped out journey into the center of your own mind or is that your own heart? Or perhaps it’s India!

09. “When I’m Sixty-Four” – I love how quickly the musical styles change with this album. We go from a carnival to India to music hall!

10. “Lovely Rita” – I definitely enjoy this song as well but I must say that I do think tracks #10 and #11 are the least interesting tracks on the album.

11. “Good Morning Good Morning” – My least favorite song on the album. Yet I still think it’s pretty great at times and it has some very interesting elements. I think that says a lot about how much I love this album.

12. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” – This song, of course, ties together the whole album by linking us back to the first song. It gives the impression that everything we’ve been hearing (even though it’s all of these wildly different styles) has been a part of one big performance by this fictional band.

13. “A Day in the Life” – This is the best example of John & Paul combining their ideas to be something greater than they were on their own. This is also the best song ever recorded by anyone. It’s just pure brilliance.

The Beatles In Mono Box Set includes the original mono mix of Sgt. Pepper’s. The Beatles In Stereo includes all of The Beatles albums in remastered stereo.

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