Features

The Beatles: It was 50 years ago...

When the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album was released on June 1, 1967, it was, according to critic Kenneth Tynan, "a decisive moment in the history of Western Civilisation". Simon Evans looks at the making of this landmark album and the key events of the Summer of Love that it ushered in

It is the Christmas of 1966, and The Beatles are assembling at the Abbey Road recording studios in North London the work on their next LP.

Resplendent in all their psychedelic finery they draw up in their Rollers and Minis where they are door-stepped by a waiting camera crew eager to ask the question that had long been on the nation's lips, 'were The Beatles breaking up'? It was a fair question to ask; the group had hardly been seen since they officially retired from touring in August that year, the same month as the release of their last album Revolver and accompanying double-A sided single, Yellow Submarine and Eleanor Rigby.

"No, no, no, we will not be going our different ways" insisted George Harrison as he swept up the stairs at the entrance to Abbey Road,, newly energised, like the rest of The Beatles, from a three-month lay-off during which he had developed his fascination with Indian music and religion.

Ringo Starr had used this break from recording to closet himself away in suburbia with his wide and young son, Zak, playing with his train set and "sitting around getting fat" , Paul McCarney had immersed himself in vibrant London counter-culture while John Lennon, by his own account, had, apart from filming a part in the movie How I Won The War, spent much of his time tripping on LSD.

This was the drug choice for all of swinging London's bright young things and explains Lennon's beatific countenance that winter evening in contrast to the surly, scathing moptop of recent memory. Work on the new album, which was originally intended to be a musical exploration of the Beatles' Liverpool roots, had begun on November 24, with the recording of Strawberry Fields Forever and this would be followed, in early 1967, by Penney Lane, both song titles referring to locations Lennon and McCartney remembered from when they were growing up.

The tracks reflected the outlook of their respective authors, Lennon's dark, brooding Strawberry Fields contrasting with the sunny suburban skies of McCartney's Penny Lane, but although both songs marked a creative breakthrough for the group, neither of them would make the finished album.

EMI wanted a dingle, urgently, to try and rebuild some momentum in the marketplace. Christmas 1966 had been the first since the Beatles broke big not to feature a new album from the group, so instead the record company had rushed out a compilation album, A Collection of Beatles Oldies, to ensure that fans of the group had something to open on Christmas morning.

But now it was February, and to lay to rest all that talk of The Beatles breaking up, Strawberry Fields/ Penny Lane was rushed out as a double A-sided single (although most DJs chose to play the more accessible McCartney number)). True to form, the record glided serenely up the chart, but it was kept off the top by Engelbert Humperdinck's Please Release Me, which only served to further fuel the speculation- had The Beatles really lost their magic touch?

By now work had begun in earnest on what would become the Sgt Pepper LP. IN between sessions for Strawberry fields and Penny Lane the band had made a tentative start on recording a McCartney number When I’m 64, which was similarly drenched in nostalgia, but the main focus of attention, once the two sides of the single had been dispatched to EMI, was on A Day In The Life, the extraordinary song that would eventually close the Sgt Pepper LP. Probably the single most important recording made by the group, and the point at which pop art became high art, A Day In The Life was capable of many different interpretations. That’s the mark of a masterpiece.

What do you think to this story? Have you got a similar one to share?

Let us know what you think and share your experiences with us and others. Just follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube

Other stories in Features

Bomber Command
Cropredy – the friendly festival
Cricket Summer of 1964
Heroes in the Mountains
1974, the strangest of years
Motorbike at the National Motor Museum
June's book reviews
Royal robes
Peter Sellers’ Aston under the hammer
National Bingo Day 27th June 2023
Hen Harriers
Air up
Simon Evans reviews the latest CDs
April’s Top DVDs selected by Simon Evans
Here we go, here we go…for the Coronation
Otter
Easter on a budget
‘The Slug’ will race again after 100 years
Bath night for dogs
Classic Motoring Memories
Tios Drinks
Shake up your makeup
New Year, New You
From Italy with love
Mail-order meat comes of age
Christmas recipes
Christmas Crafts Part 2
Back to your roots
In your garden in Winter
Christmas Crafts
Christmas Gift Ideas
Vegan Skincare
Recipes for hope
Beauty Feature - Embrace the grey
Calling all coffee fans!
World Oceans Day 8th June
Beauty Feature - Feet First
Craft Corner - A great Easter basket
Battle of Britain
Claire Foy "I didn't get life until I was 32"
Alexander Armstong: "My family is my priority"
Cosyfeet Community Award 2019
How to Maintain Your Independence in the Kitchen
Ruth Wilson "Audience's don't know who I really am"
1969: The Year The Dream Died
Want to live the (Feel)Good Life? Move to Watford
Pressures of the sandwich generation
Steve Coogan"The most radical thing I can do is talk about love"
Oldie of the Year 2019
Rabble: The Movement keeping you fit and making you money!
Suzi Quatro: "I've always been a rocker at heart"
Giving up plastic
Women in WW1
Do you remember? UFO
Bognor and other Regises
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: 'Imagine'
Bill roache "It's a real privilege to make people happy"
Nana Mouskouri "Music brings me peace, love and hope"
How to Earn Money by Working from Home
How to get the best night's sleep, every night
Ringo Starr "I'm learning to handle life"
Headphones with a built in hearing test
Petula Clark: "I make the most of every moment"
London's other underground
Blue Peter: Here's one they made earlier
Gary Oldman: "Acting is an antidote to self hatred"
Emilia Fox: "I've learnt to find my own voice"
Love Your Gut Week Recipes
Puffin photos help to tackle decline of the 'clowns of the sea'
Craig Revel Horwood: "I don't care what people say about me"
Do you remember? Apple Records
What a Carry On!
Worried about being worried?
"I feel like the unluckiest person in the world."
Death of a Princess
Queen Elizabeth: Happy and Glorious
Hank Marvin: “Meeting Cliff changed my life”
Nicole Kidman "Children are the joy of my life"
The world of Parry Ray
Monty Python: Something completely different
Staffordshire Day
I always think I'm going to get found out
All shook up...The day that Elvis died
Twiggy: "I thought the world had gone mad"
Peter Capaldi: "I like characters who are strange"
Make eating breakfast a resolution which sticks, with milk&more
"Turning 60 can't be that bad!"Jennifer Saunders
The Enduring Power of the Unknown Soldier
Bradley Walsh "Variety is great for the soul"
Thank you, Brewood
"You never know what's round the corner"
1966 and All That
Remembering the Heroic Olympians
Martina Navratilova: "I Always Question Authority"
Guide for choosing clothes for older relatives
Getting older and disabled drivers behind the wheel
Men in Sheds
Scared to Shop!
Over 40s Named Most Successful Online Daters
Stay at home mum and author re-ignite's her career
Dating in later Life
Great garden getaways
Toton Engineman Review
The Making of Les Mis
“I’m a restless person by nature”
"We’re such country bumpkins”
Still time for tearooms
Hallowed hall of fame