The Hunt for New Music:
Here’s an interesting idea for fans of “Sgt. Pepper” and The Beatles.
Re-boot the album.
Re-imagine, re-order, re-program it, because as terrific as it was, is, and remains, there were some very interesting conversations during the production of the record about what songs should be included and what should be excluded.
Here’s the original song list for “Sgt. Pepper”:
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
“With a Little Help From My Friends”
“Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds”
“Getting Better”
“Fixing A Hole”
“She’s Leaving Home”
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”
“Within You, Without You”
“When I’m Sixty-Four”
“Lovely Rita”
“Good Morning, Good Morning”
“St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (reprise)
“A Day In The Life”
That’s it. A lot of great music but a lot left out that you may or may not know about.
The original album was only a little over 39 minutes long–it’s not a very long album–and there was certainly room for more.
In various articles and discussions, both The Beatles and George Martin discussed which songs should have been included on the album but were not –“Strawberry Fields” and Penny Lane”–and also which songs were included but perhaps should not have been–“Lovely Rita”, “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Good Morning, Good Morning” (Lennon disliked all three).
The audio style and subject matter of “Strawberry Fields” and “Penny Lane” fit right in with the overall concept of “Sgt. Pepper”(at one time, the album was going to be developed as a homage to the traditional English lifestyle, but it outgrew that thought); indeed, George Martin, The Beatles producer and the producer of “Sgt. Pepper” said that the decision to leave those two songs off the album was “the biggest mistake of my professional career”(Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles did not want the two songs–released before “Sgt. Pepper” as a marketing move to keep the band in the public consciousness, repeated on an album). George Harrison thought “Only A Northern Song” would fit in nicely but “Tomorrow Never Knows” would have been even better.
A couple of other songs that fit the album’s style and time period, “All You Need Is Love” , “Hello Goodbye”, and “Baby You’re A Rich Man” would also fit–all songs are recorded in 1967 although not necessarily prior to the release of “Sgt. Pepper” in the U.S. in June of that year.
To reprogram the album, start with some givens: It’s going to open with the first two songs on the original program and close with the last two. Those are necessary to set the stage for everything follows. They are among the most iconic songs of all time and state the concept of the album (a band free to do music that the then-current iteration of The Beatles could not).
Next, review other songs made in the period close to “Sgt. Pepper”–anything in 1967, for example, and some of the music produced in 1966. There are some very good options in that group for inclusion in a re-boot of “Sgt. Pepper”.
Then fill in “Sgt. Pepper” with the songs that should have been included but weren’t: “Strawberry Fields” and “Penny Lane” , of course. Without the three songs that had some band ambivalence to them, a first pass at a re-boot would provide this lineup:
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
“With a Little Help From My Friends”
“Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds”
“Getting Better”
“Fixing A Hole”
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”
“Within You, Without You”
“Strawberry Fields”
“Tomorrow Never Knows”
“Penny Lane”
“St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (reprise)
“A Day In The Life”
Not a bad lineup at all and you can try it yourself at home by setting up the playlist in iTunes and letting it roll.
But…a few other songs that fit either in mood or production technique (or both) creates an even more interesting re-boot.
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
“With a Little Help From My Friends”
“Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds”
“Getting Better”
“All You Need Is Love”
“Fixing A Hole”
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”
“Within You, Without You”
“Strawberry Fields”
“Tomorrow Never Knows”
“Hello Goodbye”
“Penny Lane”
“St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (reprise)
“A Day In The Life”
In this iteration, the iconic songs that set up the album are preserved, the key opening and closing sequences are intact, but new (to the playlist) songs that build on the “Sgt. Pepper’s” consciousness and sound add to the overall magnificence of the album.
It’s been called the “greatest album ever recorded” so there is no presumption that a new song lineup would be as good or better the original–greatest of all time is tough to beat. But..and this is the point…it would provide yet another take on the most discussed album of our time as well as a glimpse into different thoughts of how the album might be programmed.
If you’re interested enough to read this far…then send me your playlist and song order for a “Sgt. Pepper” reboot. I’ll post it, and will look forward to hearing it.