It's Certainly A Thrill: 'Sgt. Pepper' Is Best Album (Better than the White Album?!)

usa today ^ | 11-17-03

[FreedomCalls]

It's startling to note that Sgt Pepper was recorded in a 4 track studio. And what was on the album absolutely shocked the hell out of everyone at the time.

It was also the first albumn to contain songs that could not be performed live when at the time performing live was the money maker and singles were used as promos for the performances. Oh, and albumns were thought of as simply collections of previously released singles. It simply changed the direction of popular music towards a more studio-based sound. Everything that came after owed something to them.

[theelephantway]

VH-1...

Greatest rock n roll song: Satisfaction

Greatest group: Beatles

Greatest Album: by the Beatles (can't remember which one)

[FreedomCalls]

Rumor also has it that John Lennon died a broken and dispirited man, because he was always haunted by the fact that after hearing Procul Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale" he realized that the best song he had ever heard was written by someone else.

I thought he died a broken and dispirited man because he was always haunted by the fact that he married Yoko Ono.

[FreedomCalls]

My vote for greatest album ever:

[Mr. Mojo]

That was when the Stones started writing their own songs and began to drift away from their blues roots and more into the rock n roll mainstream.

The Stones came into their own with Beggars' Banquet (1968). Their previous release (Her Satanic Majesty's Request) was an attempt to copy the feel and style of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper, but failed miserably ...and embarrassingly. But Beggars' was pure Stones, and set off a run of incredible albums that were the essence of R&R --- Let it Bleed, Get Your Ya Ya's Out, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main St. They've never come close to re-capturing the magic from that ('68 - '72) era.

[LisaMalia]

Gotta be "Frampton Comes Alive"....I wore out 3 eight-tracks of that one!

[eddie willers]

Wasn't that VH-1 that declared Satisfaction the greatest rock song ever?

Yes....and I wasn't a bit surprised.

In fact, they should have phrased the question..... "Other than "Satisfaction", what's the greatest Rock and Roll song?"

[Mr. Mojo]

Mon, I love that record. .....Jah love it.

[Skooz]

My vote for greatest album ever:

[chilepepper]

Well, I'll get flamed but i think Sgt. Pepper is a pretty good choice in a field with a *lot* of great music. Musically, it may not be the best of the best, but IMHO it launched the hippies (at least in the popular culture) all by its lonesome, and musically, it affected everyone. The Stones Beggar's Banquet is spoof of it, for example, but any serious group had to go acid to be taken seriously after Sgt Pepper. It set the stage for the whole Rock era.

I find Rubber Soul pretty revolutionary as well, but SPLHCB is probably the album that personally brings me the fondest memories of the era, and i still love to listen to it, while the songs on Dark Side of the Moon just get me depressed reminding me about how another 10 years have slipped away...(but i still really dig the songs and the group! particularly UmmaGumma!!)

Musically, i tend to prefer Zep and Pink Floyd over the Beatles but not everyone out there liked these groups folks, everybody liked/likes the Beatles...

just for the record my choice of the best album ever is Blind Faith

[Mr. Mojo]

Have a Cigar, my friend.

[bvw]

Huntz Hall!

[Skooz]

They've never come close to re-capturing the magic from that ('68 - '72) era.

The Mick Taylor era. What a great guitar player.

[Imal]

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but there's been talk that Bob Marley actually smoked pot.

[eddie willers]

just for the record my choice of the best album ever is Blind Faith

Just wanted to bring up "Disraeli Gears"...another great one.

[FreedomCalls]

Bob Marley

I was at his concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta in 1980! Best concert I have ever been to as well. I even went to the record signing he had at the Turtle Records store in Hapeville the night before. I remember he was much shorter than I had imagined. He was laughing and carrying someone's baby on his shoulders as I came in. I was too broke to buy an album, and therefore I didn't get his autograph, but it was delightful just being there with him.

[Skooz]

Gilmour's long, soulful solo at the beginning of "Shine On... " is as good as modern music gets.

[LisaMalia]

I would say "Sympathy for the Devil" was the best Stones song...just something about it....

[Mr. Mojo]

Taylor wasn't in the band yet when Beggars was released, and he didn't play much on Bleed, but he sure was featured prominently on Sticky and Exile. ....As you said, a terrific guitar player. But he never quite fit in personality-wise with the rest of the band. The intense spotlight kinda freaked him out, from the accounts I've read.

[FreedomCalls]

No mon, dose weer jus' hand-rolled cigarettes, mon.