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Thread: Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution documentary - what I knew didn’t scratch the surface

  1. #1

    Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution documentary - what I knew didn’t scratch the surface

    The documentary
    http://www.pbs.org/program/sgt-peppe...al-revolution/


    Just wondering if someone saw it, it gets great reviews, I can't play the trailer where i live, some kind of restriction.

    https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...told-treasures

    Sgt Pepper’s Musical Revolution with Howard Goodall review – what I knew didn’t even scratch the surface
    Think you know about the Beatles’ defining album? This brilliant documentary will give you a whole new perspective.
    Last edited by begnagrad; 06-15-2017 at 04:14 AM.

  2. #2
    I watched parts of it (maybe about 50% of the thing in all). What I saw was very interesting. For instance, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields were written during the Sgt Pepper sessions and released as singles but not included on the album. During the show, they play a lot of early rehearsal tracks so you can hear what the songs sounded like as they were composing them rather than the finished product. And they talk about a lot of what McCartney and Lennon were doing in the studio to achieve some of the effects, like the last chord in A Day in a Life. It reminded me a lot of the Classic Albums show on Vh1 except this was narrated by Howard Goodall, who to me came off a bit pompous. I didn't see the whole thing because they showed it during the PBS pledge drive and if you've ever watched PBS during their pledge drives, you know that after about 25 minutes of the show, they switch over to 15 minutes of pledge drive stuff. So I saw bits and pieces of the whole thing. Hopefully they will air it all uncut at some point or release it on DVD.

  3. #3
    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by flowerking View Post
    For instance, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields were written during the Sgt Pepper sessions and released as singles but not included on the album.
    That's how it's usually characterized, but I've always maintained that Sgt Pepper as an album project didn't really get underway until after the release of the single. Here's something I wrote earlier based on the timeline from the Mark Lewisohn Recording Sessions book:

    After completing Revolver in June 1966, the Beatles took a five-month break from the studio. They don't seem to have spent much of the time writing new material: upon returning to the studio in late November, they spent a month working on just two songs*: "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "When I'm 64," the latter being a reworking of a song Paul had written years earlier. Once these were finished, at the end of December, Paul brought in "Penny Lane," which they worked on for the next three weeks. It was evidently decided before the track was even finished that this would be one side of the new single, as a mix was prepared to ship to Capitol in the USA the same day the final overdubs were recorded.

    With "Penny Lane" in the can, the Beatles spent two days on the basic tracks for "A Day in the Life," but recorded nothing else in the last half of January. All of the remaining Pepper songs (plus "Only a Northern Song") were recorded in the two-month period from February 1 to April 1, 1967, with some overdubbing and mixing continuing over the following three weeks. So even though the Beatles were technically working on Pepper material as far back as November 1966, Pepper as an album project didn't really exist until February 1967.

    *Not counting the 1966 Christmas record, which was thrown together in a day during this period, or the improvised freak-out "Carnival of Light," which was likewise tossed off in a single session.
    Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
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  4. #4
    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Triscuits View Post
    All of the remaining Pepper songs (plus "Only a Northern Song") were recorded in the two-month period from February 1 to April 1, 1967, with some overdubbing and mixing continuing over the following three weeks.
    And was then released in early June of 1967 -- barely a month after they had the project in the can. Compare that to today, when a band does an album, finishes it, puts a button and a bow on it, and then doesn't release it for a year, maybe releasing teaser snippets and a single or two in the meantime. Amazing how the internet has made things more immediate, isn't it?
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  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Triscuits View Post
    That's how it's usually characterized, but I've always maintained that Sgt Pepper as an album project didn't really get underway until after the release of the single. Here's something I wrote earlier based on the timeline from the Mark Lewisohn Recording Sessions book:

    After completing Revolver in June 1966, the Beatles took a five-month break from the studio. They don't seem to have spent much of the time writing new material: upon returning to the studio in late November, they spent a month working on just two songs*: "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "When I'm 64," the latter being a reworking of a song Paul had written years earlier. Once these were finished, at the end of December, Paul brought in "Penny Lane," which they worked on for the next three weeks. It was evidently decided before the track was even finished that this would be one side of the new single, as a mix was prepared to ship to Capitol in the USA the same day the final overdubs were recorded.

    With "Penny Lane" in the can, the Beatles spent two days on the basic tracks for "A Day in the Life," but recorded nothing else in the last half of January. All of the remaining Pepper songs (plus "Only a Northern Song") were recorded in the two-month period from February 1 to April 1, 1967, with some overdubbing and mixing continuing over the following three weeks. So even though the Beatles were technically working on Pepper material as far back as November 1966, Pepper as an album project didn't really exist until February 1967.

    *Not counting the 1966 Christmas record, which was thrown together in a day during this period, or the improvised freak-out "Carnival of Light," which was likewise tossed off in a single session.
    Yep, that's more accurate. Lewisohn's books are treasures.

    BTW, my 20-year-old daughter, and art school student, is using Sgt. Pepper for an infographic project. She's learning a lot.
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  6. #6
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by begnagrad View Post
    Think you know about the Beatles’ defining album? This brilliant documentary will give you a whole new perspective.
    Of course, it always sounded like Lennon's voice was sped up on "LSD," but this program confirmed it for me. The reason for doing so is interesting.
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  7. #7
    Member hippypants's Avatar
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    I've seen it about twice now, and could watch it again. Interesting doc.

  8. #8
    Member Socrates's Avatar
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    I've read about the harmonic intricacies of the Beatles' music before, but it makes so much more sense when you hear it demonstrated.

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    I thought this was an excellent documentary. Some things I'd heard about before (the Strawberry Fields splice for example) but a lot was new and pretty well explained.
    I'd have liked more with details on the Sgt Pepper songs not covered and any other interesting examples that might exist within the Beatles catalogue.
    Some of the musical theory was above me but I imagine many trained musicians would lap this up.
    Check it out if you can.

  10. #10
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    Fascinating programme! The effort that went in to the close of 'Day in the Life' alone was staggering. I am a musician (of sorts) and I always thought the Beatles produced some great songs. However until now I never appreciated the complexity of some of their material.

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    They are still the greatest, in my mind- a view that I become more convinced about with each passing year. Huge praise must also go to George Martin for his open mind...the real 'fifth Beatle', IMHO.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by r2daft2 View Post
    I'd have liked more with details on the Sgt Pepper songs not covered
    Keep in mind that the PBS broadcast is edited. I am pretty sure all of the songs were covered in the complete documentary. It would be crazy to skip over any of them.
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  13. #13
    Member Socrates's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    Keep in mind that the PBS broadcast is edited. I am pretty sure all of the songs were covered in the complete documentary. It would be crazy to skip over any of them.
    The BBC version didn't cover all songs either. Nothing much on Lovely Rita, Good Morning, Good Morning, With a Little Help..., Fixing a Hole, Getting Better or the title track, if I recall correctly.

  14. #14
    Jon Neudorf
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    Darn. I saw that it was on and recorded about half of it. Haven't watched it yet.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Socrates View Post
    The BBC version didn't cover all songs either. Nothing much on Lovely Rita, Good Morning, Good Morning, With a Little Help..., Fixing a Hole, Getting Better or the title track, if I recall correctly.
    I didn't realize that. I wonder if there is a longer version of this. It seems like waste not to cover every song, as they are all so unique and each one leaves a story to tell.
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  16. #16
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Great documentary - totally worth seeing.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by flowerking View Post
    It reminded me a lot of the Classic Albums show
    Well, Classic Albums format was based on the It Was 20 Years Ago today made in 1987 about Sgt. Pepper and it was the first time I ever a documentary in which you saw someone behind a mixing desk showing how they did it, letting us hear details of part of the multitracks. That someone was none other then George Martin. That doc became the blueprint for almost all of those Classic Album doc's.

  18. #18
    Here are some really good articles about some of the tracks:

    http://somethingelsereviews.com/tag/...rts-club-band/
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  19. #19
    Member since March 2004 mozo-pg's Avatar
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    Can't see it from Canada (link doesn't work).

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