Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released on May 26th, 1967. It’s the eighth studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It’s the third best selling album ever in the U.K. The Beatles had already finished touring and thus did not have the limitation of having to create music that could be played on stage. Something to note is that the band was experimenting with drugs which had a heavy influence on the album.  This is seen in the psychedelic parts of the album.

The album cover features the band members in their Sgt. Peppers uniforms surrounded by people they admire along with red flowers that spell out the bands name across the bottom. 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the album.  The original track listing goes as follows:

1. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With A Little Help From My Friends
3. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
4. Getting Better
5. Fixing A Hole
6. She’s Leaving Home
7. Being for The Benefit of Mr. Kite
8. Within You Without You
9. When I’m Sixty Four
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning
12. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
13. A Day In The Life

Critics have called this album the soundtrack of the summer of love, and it’s easy to see why; the basis of the album can be represented by a quote said by Paul McCartney, “I made a suggestion. I said ‘We need to get away from ourselves – how about we become sort of an alter ego band?” From the opening of “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” to the ballad “A Day In The Life” the Beatles masterpiece keeps you entertained.

“With A Little Help From My Friends” is a personal favorite of mine where Ringo Starr gets to show off his singing ability. The lyrics are easy and fun to sing to and overall is music that just makes you feel good. The psychedelic “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” remains a staple of the Beatles with its iconic hook and LSD influence.

Genre-breaking is something I would call this album. There is no bad song on this album since each has its own uniqueness. “Fixing A Hole” is another great song and one of Paul McCartney’s personal best songs. His vocals are very soothing, especially with the Beatles clean back up vocals on this song. “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite is another unique twist where the Beatles delve into their own universe.

“Within Without You” incorporates sounds of Indian music. George Harrison studied under Ravi Shankar in India for six weeks and the studying is heard in this song. The following track “When I’m Sixty Four” is a playful McCartney led track that fits right into the track listing. That’s also a characteristic of this album itself, the tracks flow beautifully into each other and make you want to listen to the album as a whole.

“Good Morning Good Morning” was inspired by a Corn Flakes ad. It’s also an ode to his love of television and is another song written under the influence of LSD. A groovy short reprise follows and then listeners are hit with the epic song that is “A Day In The Life”. The emotion in the first half of this track is felt and crafted to perfection. The second half changes up the pace for a more upbeat tone as McCartney get out of bed to make the bus with few seconds to spare. Lennon had the newspaper of the death Tara Browne on his piano in which he played to craft this infamous masterpiece.

In conclusion, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is an amazing album that is forever a timeless classic that can be enjoyed by any listener of any age.