by The Beatles
Released May 26, 1967 via Parlophone Records
Reviewed May 25, 2022
Top tracks (based on community voting)
A Day In The Life (71%), Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (59%), With A Little Help From My Friends (39%)
The forward thinking, cinematic experience that is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is as crucial to pop culture as any record. Released right before the summer of '67, ‘the summer of love,’ Sgt. Pepper’s would go on to encapsulate and reign in an era of psychedelic sunshine and curiosity. Sticking to the DNA of everything in the public eye for the rest of eternity, The Beatles crafted a record with overarching themes, reprisals to previously mentioned characters, odes to those that came before––check out the cast on the cover––and used the recording studio, Abbey Road, as an instrument in itself to take things to the next level. The fourth wall, which stands between reality and the dimension created through art, was well and truly blurred at this point. From here on out the question as to what was real and what was merely imaginary became severely obscured. The Beatles’ art world would slowly merge with the music world. I read the news today, oh boy. – Peter (8.5/10)
Peter: 8.5/10 | Dominick: 8/10 | Cam: 8/10 | Hadley: 8/10 | Jared: 8/10
DeVán: 7.5/10 | Henny: 7.2/10 | Victoria: 6.5/10
Community Reviews:
Set the formula for what an album is supposed to be. – @petarm2001 (10/10)
When I was about seven or eight, Sgt. Peppers was one of the first albums I truly fell in love with. When listening to this album nowadays, I just think of my dad playing it in the car and introducing me to so many iconic moments from this album. While this isn’t my favorite Beatles album, it is by far one of their most consistent and fun to listen to. Most of the tracks are so well made and sound so amazing. Songs like LSD and ADITL contain some of the most interesting and mesmerizing moments on any Beatles album, and straight rockers like the title track and “Fixing A Hole” are so catchy that just hearing them once will stick to you for a long time. While there are some low points, such as “Lovely Rita” and “Good Morning Good Morning,” Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is an incredible accomplishment by the Fab Four, and deserves all of the praise it has received. – dLew28 (9.3/10)
Best Beatles record. It is forever attached to my heart, as it is one of the first vinyl records I ever got—from my grandpa, a really old vinyl too—and it sounds so good! Rarely any misses on here, a pretty consistent tracklist and the best songwriting on any Beatles record. – @lukas_hajek250 (9/10)
Sgt. Peppers is an album that continues the expanding musical boundaries that The Beatles, Beach Boys, and many others brought during the late sixties. It brought new thematic ideas to the table and perfectly represents the psychedelic aesthetic of the time. However, it neglects the personal hive of inspiration that all four musicians dove into on the next three albums. A lovely painting of the culture around them but not nearly as special as what was to come. – @maxrosk (8/10)
