Coming in at number 9 on my all time top ten album list is non other than The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the British rock band The Beatles. Recorded over a 129-day period beginning on December 6, 1966, the album was released on 1 June 1967 in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. Sgt. Peppers is often described as The Beatles' magnum opus, and one of the most influential albums of all time by prominent critics and publications. It was ranked the greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone in 2003.
Being one of the most influential albums of all time, it is quite hard for me to say anything about it that hasn't already been said. For me this was my first rock album. I grew up in a family that did not allow rock music but I was able to listen to oldies. Since the Beatles were from the 60's they counted as oldies. This album opened my mind to the many joys of rock music. One thing that was so overwhelming was its strange sounds and orchestral parts. As a young child, I listened to classical, jazz, and gospel music. This seemed to combine parts of those genres into an aural explosion. Stand out tracks for me are A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky, and Getting Better. Also belonging to this era but not on this album are strawberry fields, penny lane and I am the walrus. The latter being my favorite Beatles song. All three can be found on Magical Mystery Tour which I was tempted to list here instead of Sgt. Pepper.
Anyways that is all I am going to say about the album. If you havn't heard something from it you probably live in a hole somewhere.
Finally, I want to finish up with a few rules for my top ten list. I will not be including live albums, various artists albums, or best of/greatest hits albums. Unfortunately, that will leave out some of my all time favorite bands and songs. I will do another top ten list for bands and songs some other time. One last note, some of these albums I havn't listened to in a while but they still deserve their place in my all time top ten because of their importance in my musical journey through life.
Stay tuned for number 8, number 8, number 8.
1 comment:
I was 17 when Sgt. Pepper's was released and remember it like it was yesterday! What a great project it was, and is. It IS the Beatles "Magnum Opus". There were many times I got by with "A Little Help From My Friends". I'm closing in on 58 years old now, but I will still love this album, "When I'm Sixty Four". (wink, wink)
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