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1967

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In 1966, The Beatles resolved to cease touring. Liberated from the rigours of touring, the band wholeheartedly adopted an increasingly inventive approach while recording their seminal work, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band“, starting in late November 1966. According to the album’s sound engineer, Geoff Emerick, the recording process consumed over 700 hours. Emerick remembered the band’s determination that “everything on Sgt. Pepper had to be different,” leading to unconventional recording methods, including microphones positioned within brass instruments and headphones converted into microphones attached to violins. Moreover, they manipulated primitive oscillators to alter the speed of instruments and vocals, and painstakingly edited tapes by cutting and reversing them. The iconic “A Day in the Life” even featured a 40-piece orchestra.

The non-album double A-side single “Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” was released in February 1967, preceding the “Sgt. Pepper” LP, which was released in May. The record’s musical complexity, crafted using the relatively basic four-track recording technology of the time, left contemporary artists in awe. Critics universally acclaimed the album, and in the aftermath of “Sgt. Pepper“, the Beatles were widely hailed as both leaders of youth culture and “lifestyle revolutionaries” by both underground and mainstream media.

Significantly, the album was the first major pop/rock LP to include its full lyrics, appearing on the back cover, which incited critical analysis. The elaborate album cover, a collage designed by pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth, also piqued considerable interest. It portrayed the band as the fictional group from the album’s title track, standing before a crowd of notable figures. The Beatles’ heavy moustaches epitomised the burgeoning influence of hippie style, while their brightly coloured parodies of military uniforms were deemed a knowingly “anti-authoritarian and anti-establishment” display by cultural historian Jonathan Harris.

“Sgt. Pepper” held the top spot on the UK charts for 23 consecutive weeks, with an additional four weeks at number one through to February 1968. With an impressive 2.5 million copies sold within the first three months of its release, “Sgt. Pepper“‘s initial commercial success surpassed that of all previous Beatles albums. Its immense popularity persisted into the 21st century, breaking numerous sales records. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked “Sgt. Pepper” as the greatest album of all time.

The Beatles initiated two film projects shortly after completing “Sgt. Pepper“: “Magical Mystery Tour“, a one-hour television film, and “Yellow Submarine“, an animated feature-length film produced by United Artists. The band started recording music for the former in late April 1967, but the project was momentarily shelved as they concentrated on recording songs for the latter. On June 25, they performed their forthcoming single “All You Need Is Love” to an estimated global audience of 350 million viewers on Our World, the first live global television link. Released a week later, during the Summer of Love, the song became synonymous with the flower power movement. The Beatles’ use of psychedelic drugs was at its peak during that summer, and in the subsequent months, they explored interests related to similar utopian ideologies, including a week-long investigation into starting an island-based commune off the coast of Greece.

On August 24, the group met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in London, and the next day, they travelled to his Transcendental Meditation retreat in Bangor. However, on August 27, their manager’s assistant, Peter Brown, called to inform them of Brian Epstein’s death. The cause of death was ruled an accidental carbitol overdose, but rumours circulated that it was a suicide. His death left the group in a state of disorientation and apprehension about their future. McCartney suggested that they proceed with Magical Mystery Tour during a band meeting in September, in an attempt to regain their footing.

The “Magical Mystery Tour” soundtrack was released in the UK as a six-track double extended play (EP) in early December 1967, marking the first instance of a double EP in the UK. The record continued the psychedelic vein of “Sgt. Pepper“; however, in accordance with the band’s wishes, the packaging reinforced the perception that the release was a film soundtrack rather than a follow-up to “Sgt. Pepper“. In the US, the soundtrack was released as an identically titled LP that also incorporated five tracks from the band’s recent singles. The album established a record for the highest initial sales of any Capitol LP within its first three weeks and is the only Capitol compilation later to be adopted in the band’s official discography.

“Magical Mystery Tour” premiered on Boxing Day to an audience of roughly 15 million. Despite its considerable viewership, the film, which was largely directed by Paul McCartney, marked the band’s first critical failure in the UK. It was deemed “blatant rubbish” by the Daily Express, a “colossal conceit” by the Daily Mail, and The Guardian characterised the film as “a kind of fantasy morality play about the grossness and warmth and stupidity of the audience.” The film’s negative reception in the press dissuaded US television networks from broadcasting it.

Singles and EPs released in 1967

Albums released in 1967

Albums Paul McCartney contributed to, released in 1967

Films released in 1967

Recording sessions in 1967

Songs written in 1967

1967 interviews

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