Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles changed the course of popular music in three major ways: 1) they wrote their own songs; 2) they took control of the recording process; and 3) they gave us Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Released worldwide on June 1st, 1967, The Beatles had been off the road for almost a year and immersed at EMI Studios. That it is a conceptual album and not just a collection of songs makes Sgt. Pepper's the landmark that it is. From the jacket photo to the music on the vinyl to even the cutout inserts inside, exercising their creativity was The Beatles end game; and here, it would fully manifest. While others had attempted it, The Beatles delivered the objet d'art-a record album-that everyone wanted and would want to create. After the previous year's psych masterpiece Revolver, the first hint of The Beatles next move appeared on the "Penny Lane" b/w "Strawberry Fields Forever" single released in February. When Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band arrived in June, it was their most mature statement yet, effectively raising the bar for all popular music. From the adult theme of "Getting Better" to the blatant psychedelia of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," The Beatles offer their most intellectual and cohesive effort, best encapsulated in the epic track "A Day in the Life." Equally important was the reaction that their audience, and indeed the world, had to the album. In addition to burgeoning awareness of psychedelia, the album coincided with the advent of stereo headphones and was the first album to feature printed lyrics. All points connected: With Sgt. Pepper's, The Beatles and producer George Martin captured the minds and imaginations of an audience waiting to be captured. Enough has been written about this album and for good reason: British art rock starts here. This was the paradigm under which most progressive rock was made.