Sgt Pepper Is Overated?

Back to the discussion, and to sum up what I was trying to say in my description of the album, it's subjective of course but although there may be as a collection better songs on another album, this album does have some of their most outstanding tunes and like mentioned by some of the posts there is no denying the record's influence at the time.

so to me, not overrated and a benchmark/milestone in popular music.

Back to the discussion, and to sum up what I was trying to say in my description of the album, it's subjective of course but although there may be as a collection better songs on another album, this album does have some of their most outstanding tunes and like mentioned by some of the posts there is no denying the record's influence at the time.

so to me, not overrated and a benchmark/milestone in popular music.

Originally Posted by stern

Does anyone know where I can obtain a copy of this album by the band Big Daddy and is it any good?

(First, for those who have never heard of Big Daddy, they were a novelty band whose fictional premise is that they were a '50s era rock'n'roll band that got taken as P.O.W.s by the Communists in southeast Asia and were held there for 25-odd years -- they were "released" in the mid-'80s, but, having missed everything from the British Invasion to techno-pop, were unable to play anything except in '50s style.)

The Big Daddy Sgt. Pepper is hilarious, especially if you know much about the various styles of American popular music in the 1950s, and can spend the time figuring out the style in which each song is being performed (for example, With A Little Help From My Friends as a Johnny Mathis ballad, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds as Jerry Lee Lewis, Within You Without You as "beat" poetry with the requisite jazz accompaniment, and A Day In The Life as Buddy Holly's last song). Aside from the humor of hearing familiar songs performed in a completely different but still totally apt style, it should be noted that the performances and production are first-rate, without a touch of mockery or condescension.

Unfortunately, the CD has been out-of-print for years; I was lucky to find a copy at a local public library, but have never been able to find one for purchase.

To sum it up in proverbial form, the whole is greater than than the sum of its parts. In my opinion, much greater.

Tony

There's been a sentiment among many, especially those who consider themselves more knowledgeable about the Beatles' recording history, that Sgt. Pepper is overrated and that Revolver is really the high point among their albums. Among some devotees, a preference for Revolver has been almost like a "secret handshake" to show that you belong in the select fraternity of real Beatles experts.

I used to feel that way myself. I don't anymore.

Part of the appeal of Revolver, as I see it, is that the first "side" (in LP terms) is extremely strong and makes a major impression on first listen. It is only after many, many listenings that I began to realize that "side two" didn't really measure up to the first one. In particular, for me, And Your Bird Can Sing and Doctor Robert have too similar a "sound" to She Said She Said -- they all start blending together into a sameness. I Want To Tell You, IMHO, is far from George's best work, and Got To Get You Into My Life (and, to some extent, Good Day Sunshine) sound like interesting ideas that didn't quite get finished. Considering that Tomorrow Never Knows is more "interesting" than musically involving, that only leaves For No One as a song that stands up to the first seven tracks.

While Sgt. Pepper is not flawless, the only complaint I have about it is the inclusion of both Getting Better and Fixing A Hole, especially right next to each other -- as with my complaints about several of the Revolver tracks, these two songs seem almost like two takes of the same lyrical and musical concept, and thus blend together into an amorphous mass. Leaving that shortcoming aside, Pepper really flows quite well, with enough cut-to-cut variety that I otherwise never feel like I'm getting stuck in the same song over and over. It has at least a couple of great segues, the first being the three-song sequence between the title cut and Lucy..., the second (as noted elsewhere) between Within You Without You and When I'm Sixty-Four. And there will never be a album-closing song quite like A Day In The Life.

(One thought I had as I was writing this: Revolver benefits greatly by the decision to use both sides of their latest "single," Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Submarine, as tracks on the album, something they rarely did with songs released as singles. Sgt. Pepper, of course, contained no "singles" tracks. I wonder what it would have been like had they decided to include Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, from the same sessions, as cuts on Pepper?)

Nice post, nightfly, but the single that is omitted from Revolver is Paperback Writer/Rain.

I don't consider myself a Beatles expert, I make too many trivial mistakes, but I consider Revolver a better album in regards for tunes.

Part of the appeal of Revolver... In particular, for me, And Your Bird Can Sing and Doctor Robert have too similar a "sound" to She Said She Said

I love those tracks don't you? Beautiful album.

While Sgt. Pepper is flawless, the only complaint I have about it is the inclusion of both Getting Better and Fixing A Hole

Funny but i find that to be one of the many strong points of Sgt. Pepper.

Fixing A Hole and Getting Better are strong McCartney songs. The version of Getting Better on his live album is stunning.

Originally Posted by stern

Hello;

Pepper happens to be my favorite album of all time Beatles or not.It is in my mind unbeatable.

I agree. It's perfect. The songs are perfectly situated. I like A day in the life so much, that, even though I don't like any other song on it as I do In my life, Norwegian wood or And your bird can sing, it pushes the album far above Rubber Soul and Revolver, imho. It's exciting. Rubber Soul and Revolver are nowhere near as exciting to me.

This album is so overrated that it is underrated. If that makes any sense to anyone.

Frankly I'd have to agree that SGT PEPPER is an overrated album.... song-for-song, I don't think it's as strong as REVOLVER, ABBEY ROAD or "The White Album".... it's constantly rated as the best album of all time, but I rather think it's the most influential album of all time... don't get me wrong, I like it a lot -- it's a very well recorded album, and there are very good songs on it... "With A Little Help.." is undoubtedly Ringo's finest-ever vocal performance... "Good Morning Good Morning" and "Getting Better" are pretty darn good... but the Beatles did better work in my opinion.... the one truly standout track is "A Day in the Life"... that may be the Beatles' finest ever recording, and it lifts the whole album in my opinion... but "When I'm 64" is one of my least-favourite Beatle songs, and I still haven't figured out why it was placed directly after "Within You Without You"... talk about a jarring transition!! Maybe that was the whole point

I essentially agree with the post above. It is definitely the most influential album of all time. But there are better Beatles albums.

I geuss it's one of those you had to be there albums. I think it is overrated. I don't listened to nearly as much as say Abbey Road, Revolver, The White album, Or even Let It Be. To me pepper is a bit inconsistent.


Mick

I guess you're right. I wasn't born yet. From what I know, it was such a happenning, it had to have an impact on you, even if you were not a Beatles fan. Maybe it even had a negative impact on some. But still, even like this, I rank it no. 2, A day in the life being the absolute key to the whole album.

Oh crap. I forgot to mention A day in the Life is my Favorite Beatles tune. amazing stuff.

Mick

sgt pepper is UNDERRATED. its often looked over by most people, when its an amazing album/ep or whatever. i love it to death and i dont know why its not getting the credit it deserves.

I have to argue that......it gets praises heaped on it. every poll i see, every rock tv show i see fawns over pepper. Now if you are you talking about the general public these days.....MAYBE your right but within the rock and music community......it's a darling. this and Pet Sounds.

Mick

Originally Posted by darkhorse

This album is so overrated that it is underrated. If that makes any sense to anyone.

It makes sense but it's wrong. After Yellow Submarine, With the Beatles, and Help! I think I would consider it my least favorite Beatles album. That's not to say it's bad, because it's still a solid B+ or A- maybe. But so many songs are mediocre at best.

And this is probably better-suited for the Unpopular Opinions topic, but while I really enjoy "A Day in the Life," I have never understood why it's so acclaimed. Great song but it runs too long and there are better songs out there.

Originally Posted by bluefox4000

I have to argue that......it gets praises heaped on it. every poll i see, every rock tv show i see fawns over pepper. Now if you are you talking about the general public these days.....MAYBE your right but within the rock and music community......it's a darling. this and Pet Sounds.

Mick

really? i can see that happening with abbey road, but i havent noticed it with sgt. pepper in the least bit.

I think Pepper is their worst. It's a pile of junk. It is evidence of what happens when you put people in a studio who no longer have to work for a living: you get pretentious, self-absorbed rubbish.
I think the true test is whether a great song came from an album.
Name one great song that came from this album--surely not "With a Little Help...", which is a dull filler. Surely not "Lucy..." or "Getting Better"--would you list either of these among the great Beatles' songs? What else is there among the self-absorbed nonsense of the album?
I can see how it made an impact (I'm actually not an idiot!) and that it led to great changes in music, but that doesn't make it intrinsically good; nor does it make it their best work.
Honestly, compare this with the vibrancy of "Please Please Me" or the maturity of "Rubber Soul".
In my opinion, after the death of Epstein, their reputation as a popular music group rests on a few big songs--mostly McCartney's songs: Hey Jude, Let it Be, Get Back, The Long and Winding Road, Back in the USSR, Lady Madonna; with perhaps Something and Here Comes the Sun by Harrison; to be nice, I'll throw in Come Together and Across the Universe by Lennon.
The rest, well... it's nice and all, but you could do without it on your desert island.

Fire at will.