It was forty years ago today..
The end of May 1967 was a time of barely constrained exuberance for me. Graduation from high school was imminent and all that I hated about those years was about to be over. All that I imagined might be possible lay ahead of me right after the caps, gowns, and final formalities of finishing school were done. I was eager to get on with it specifically because I was going with three buddies- for a whole week at Gary's parents' beach cabin at Sunset Beach. No grownups along for the ride. The summer weather was rolling in, I had a girlfriend who liked me, and life felt good. That was the context in which Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bank arrived. That week at the beach was full of great memories all of them colored with the background tones of Sgt. Pepper's. I don't think we listened to anything else the whole week.
So this week we are all reminded that it's been forty years. Not the twenty that seemed unimaginable in the title song. And the line 'Will you still need me? Will you still feed me/ when I'm sixty four?" resonates amazingly. I could ask my wife this question and it wouldn't be very abstract.
I loved the album. I've listened to it several times today and still love it. However, I'm amazed at some of the commentary I've read and heard. Sgt Pepper's is being pitched as a revolutionary piece, completely different than the previous Beatles work. Not to be contentious, but there was an extraordinary album spinning into our lives the year before that presages dozens of elements of Sgt. Peppers. Revolver made our heads spin and, in my opinion, doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Songs that tell stories. Complex use of new and unexpected instruments, sound samples, and electronically distorted sounds? They all show up on Revolver.
When all's said and done, though. I am truly glad that I hit 13 just as Meet the Beatles came out and surfed the grand slam wave of their music right into the present. I love 'em.
So this week we are all reminded that it's been forty years. Not the twenty that seemed unimaginable in the title song. And the line 'Will you still need me? Will you still feed me/ when I'm sixty four?" resonates amazingly. I could ask my wife this question and it wouldn't be very abstract.
I loved the album. I've listened to it several times today and still love it. However, I'm amazed at some of the commentary I've read and heard. Sgt Pepper's is being pitched as a revolutionary piece, completely different than the previous Beatles work. Not to be contentious, but there was an extraordinary album spinning into our lives the year before that presages dozens of elements of Sgt. Peppers. Revolver made our heads spin and, in my opinion, doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Songs that tell stories. Complex use of new and unexpected instruments, sound samples, and electronically distorted sounds? They all show up on Revolver.
When all's said and done, though. I am truly glad that I hit 13 just as Meet the Beatles came out and surfed the grand slam wave of their music right into the present. I love 'em.
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