Ode to Sgt. Pepper

One of my favorite albums. Experimental and fun! Very late 60's, semi-hippie style. Really catchy. Sitting here listening to it, now having gotten to the last song of the album, "One Day in the Life". Quite interesting lyrics, really. I mean, throughout the whole of the record. One would perhaps think that the whole album is just one big trip. I'm probably provoking lots of Beatles fans out there, but especially one song, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", could really have been based on such a trip. Though they always said it wasn't alluding to LSD or any other type of drug, I kinda think they were inspired by it. Take that as you will. NOT stating they were taking drugs on a regular basis at all (though every hardcore Beatles fan know they smoked pot in the Queen's bathroom...).

Another noticeable tendency about this album is that it explores many of the contemporary styles at that time; everything from contemporary pop ("Getting Better", "Lovely Rita"), songs reminding me of children's TV shows ("When I'm Sixty-Four") and early tendencies of modern rock (title tracks) to - as mentioned - surreal "visions" of a topsy-turvy world with a 'girl with kaleidoscope eyes' ("Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds") and a more religiously-inspired track ("Within You, Without You").

For me this is a pretty revolutionary album, as before that time no other band (as I know of) seemed to think of - or perhaps dare to - explore sounds, concepts and lyrics. (Correct me if I'm wrong...) As I see it, before that album came around all songs told a story about devout love, lost love, parental love, physical love, getting over love... Get my drift? It was all so saturated with the same thing over and over again. Love. One can understand it, though, since love was something everyone could relate to. However, there is more to life than just love. Enter Sgt. Pepper. What's so fascinating is that every song tells a unique story. Of course, there are love songs in the album, but as opposed other contemporary songs, there is deeper poetry in each of the tracks. Sometimes so deep that it really can be heart-wrenching (Cf. e.g. "She's Leaving Home"), while other times it can be almost biblical ("Within You, Without You"). Anyway, however you look at it, it's an amazing album and one of the most revolutionary ones ever made. So there.

Peace out!
Lonely Heart (surrounded by other lonely hearts, so thus perhaps not as lonely as presumed!)