It Was 20 -- No, 40 -- Years Ago Today
You’ve no doubt heard about the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ classic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released on June 2, 1967, in the U.S. I remember seeing the cover several days before it was released in the display window of the downtown record store where I grew up. It’s hard to describe what seeing that cover for the first time was like to anyone who didn’t grow up during the so-called “Summer of Love.” It was eye-popping, jaw-dropping. There had never, ever been an album cover that looked even remotely like that! When I finally heard the music, the sonic experience exceeded the visual one.
Was Sgt. Pepper the greatest rock album of all time? It often tops the lists. In early ‘68, Johnny Rivers’ song “Summer Rain” rang true with the lyric, “Everybody kept on playing ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’”. AM radio stations were doing the unthinkable: playing songs from an album. This one piece of vinyl containing amazing songs and an outstanding cover dominated pop culture in one of those rare moments in history.
To honor the album’s birthday, we’ve got a display near the Ask Me desk of Sgt. Pepper- and Beatles-related books, including George Martin’s account of the recording, With a Little Help from My Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper, and a vintage cover. For videos and more, check out the official Beatles web site.