The sessions that Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr played on were never intended to be heard publicly. After all, where do you start? How about with Sgt Pepper? Critically, this is only the first time an individual Beatles album has been given such treatment. As a consequence, this 50th anniversary edition luxuriates in alternative takes, overdubs and instrumental versions, as befitting the first deep archaeological survey of The Beatles’ archives since the Anthology series 22 years ago.
They could now devote over 300 hours to Sgt Pepper between December 1966 and April 1967. Back in the olden days – 1964, say – the Fabs bashed out Beatles For Sale in seven non-consecutive days between touring commitments. Without the impositions of a rigorous touring itinerary, The Beatles could now fully explore their creative impulses within the confines of Abbey Road’s Studio 2. On August 29, 1966, the band played their final paid concert at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park. That The Beatles had the opportunity to work through ideas such as these in depth and with focus was reflective of the group’s changed circumstances by early 1967. “That right hand one, far right,” explains McCartney. “Have you got your loud pedal down, Mal?” asks McCartney. The Beatles settle, finally, on a climactic major E piano chord, played simultaneously on three different pianos. The sound is striking: part churchy hymnal, part meditative chant. Another take, meanwhile, finds The Beatles hitting upon a more experimental approach, humming a final chord in unison with a little help from their friends. “Take 1” finds assistant Mal Evans counting bars before McCartney’s piano chords simply halt. The only trouble is, The Beatles don’t have a satisfactory conclusion for it. This new song takes in newspaper headlines and suburban drudgery its tone is sorrowful and poignant its structure progressive. Even in an embryonic state, with just John Lennon on acoustic guitar and Paul McCartney on piano, the song is clearly on a par with the innovative studio recordings for “ Strawberry Fields Forever” and “ Penny Lane” that have filled the previous weeks. On January 19, 1967, The Beatles began work on a song provisionally titled “In The Life Of…”. FIFTY years on, where do you start with Sgt Pepper? How about with the ending.
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