John Lennon was destined for stardom even before he left Liverpool. While navigating his middle-class upbringing and seeking his place in the world, he collaborated with Paul McCartney to create some of the 1960s‘ most significant hits. The Beatles’ extensive repertoire influenced generations of musicians. Despite their influence on an entire generation, Lennon felt that certain aspects of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band could have been significantly improved.
At the time, however, no one knew what the next Beatles album would sound like. The Fab Four had performed their final show and would never tour again. Many people wondered if the moptops that everyone had grown to admire were on the verge of collapse.
However, the band continued to stretch each time they entered Abbey Road Studios. After experimenting with a folk song written by Lennon called ‘Strawberry Fields Forever‘, the psychedelic flourishes of the finished product inspired the band to think more broadly about their next album statement.
McCartney returned home to England and fiddled with the salt and pepper packets on the plane. He had an idea for their new direction with Sgt Pepper. Making a conceptual album based on an imaginary band, the entire band would go through different musical genres without a care in the world. They made pitch-perfect hard rock on the title track before bringing the house down with a final farewell.
Despite McCartney’s leadership, none of his bandmates were enthusiastic about pursuing the concept. John Lennon and George Harrison would create their masterpieces for the album. But they never tried to fit in with the concept. They instead created intriguing musical art pieces that complemented McCartney’s story-driven songs.
Lennon expressed dissatisfaction with the record’s mixing, stating that the songs he worked on were not as good as they could have been. There are parts of ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ that I dislike. Some of the sound in ‘Mr Kite’ isn’t right. I like ‘A Day in the Life’, but it’s still not half as nice as I thought it was when we were doing it”. Some of the sounds in ‘Mr. Kite’ isn’t right. I like ‘A Day in the Life’. But it’s still not half as nice as I thought it was when we were doing it”.
Regardless of Lennon’s harsh assessment of his work, they would release the album at the perfect time. The Beatles’ latest record was released during the Summer of Love. It perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the time. It was the songs that seemed to speak for an audience that was gradually learning to tune in and drop out rather than conform to the lives their parents imposed on them.
The album marked a high point in Lennon and McCartney’s collaboration. It also signaled the beginning of the end, as the two grew apart and fell out in the late 1960s over business decisions. Still, if this is half as good as what Lennon heard in his head. There’s no telling of the kind of musical genius that the former Beatles thought the band was going to do.
