T/S: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" v. "Magical Mystery Tour"

Of the new songs included on MMT, however, I REALLY would not understand the perspective if someone was to say that songs like "Magical Mystery Tour," "Fool on the Hill," "Flying," "Blue Jay Way," "Your Mother Should Know," and YES EVEN "I AM THE WALRUS" (shocka) just totally PWN everything on Sgt. Pepper.

MMT is a way more enjoyable record....

Seems to me, Yellow Submarine VS. Magical Mystery Tour might be a more appropriate T/S.

Sergeant Pepper has the advantage of actually being a 'proper' album. But it's difficult to pick anything out of it and say 'this is a great tune, this competes with Strawberry Fields'. Don't get me wrong - I like this album, and lots of the tracks are good, but nothing really sticks out (and Within You, Without You is shit).

It's longer and more tedious than "Love You To" and "The Inner Light," although it's much better than "Blue Jay Way."

I think it's a great composition.

hah, "Blue Jay Way" > "Within You Without You" >> "The Inner Light" >> "Love You To"

"Flying" is complete filler, however.

You could but you'd be wrong.

Filler on the white album? I can't really think of any off the top of my head. Well, maybe "Rocky Racoon."

Getting Better?
With A Little Help From My Friends? (With what might be the best backing vocals J&P ever did?) (Actually, they seemed to take it up a level whenever they backed Ringo -- "What Goes On," "Octopus's Garden")
Lucy in the Sky?

As for "Flying" - well, yuck. One of the few Beatles songs about which you can say it's filler. It says a lot about John and Paul's egos that they allow George and Ringo to share writing credit on a song they couldn't bother to develop together.

Side one:
1. Magical Mystery Tour
2. Your Mother Should Know

Side two:
1. I Am The Walrus

Side three:
1. The Fool On The Hill
2. Flying

Side four:
1. Blue Jay Way

Man, give me Sgt. Pepper ANY DAY.

I don't know. I actually think the White Albums is better than both MMT and Pepper's, and I'll take all that filler. In terms of short, song fragments, "Wild Honey Pie" is so much cooler than "Flying". Even a song like "Honey Pie" has a demented streak in it. It is creepy hyper-schmaltz whereas tunes like "She's Leaving Home" and "Your Mother Should Know is standard schmaltz. And hell, the fact that a tune like "Honey Pie" is on the same album as "Yer Blues" is sweet. But back to the point, I think Pepper's is the better release.

That outro is indeed quite cool -- and, like most of my favorite Beatle moments, inexplicably creepy. But as songs go, it just feels rather unfinished.

In terms of filler on the White album, yeah "Wild Honey Pie" is -- well -- odd and maybe not quite as crucial as much of their other work, but the whole White album's charm and mystique are in its pastiche like quality. I wouldn't really jettison any tracks from it.

Side four:
1. Blue Jay Way

This is really strange to me, since the main purpose I see "Flying" serving is as a segue from "Fool on the Hill" into "Blue Jay Way"

Inaccurate. There's plenty of filler, it's just hugely entertaining, standard-setting filler. A more accurate statement, imo, would be "there are no bad songs on The White Album" or "there are no excisable tracks on The White Album"

I used to hate "Flying" because it was an obvious throwaway, one clue being the songwriting credit, as Alfred points out, but it's grown on me over the years. And hipsters take note: there is a cover of it on the Rogerio Duprat album.

huh?

I'm getting a little verklemmt- here's a topic: Magical Mystery Tour was neither magical nor a mystery nor a tour. Talk amongst yourselves.

Dr. Bill, I think maybe we're defining "filler" differently.

"Wild Honey Pie" is probably one of my ten favorite Beatles songs.

Oh come now, you cannot be serious. As much as I don't think it should be excised from the White album, it's barely even a song so much as tuneless chant.

I dunno, it's a lot more fun than "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday," isn't it?

Yeah, but the Pixies cover of it is pretty damned good. It's not in my top ten Beatles faves, but it's not like tuneless chants are inherently valueless.

Now that I think about it longer, MMT totally kicks Sgt Pepper's ass.

Both are brilliant albums though, like most of what they released up to and including that year.

And I guess I never realy answered the thread's question. Probably because I'm not realy sure--I've always thought Sgt. Pepper was far superior, but lately I'm thinking I might've been wrong. Oh well, MMT still has "Your Mother Should Know," "Hello Goodbye" and "Baby, You're a Rich Man" so I guess Sgt. Pepper is still on top.

1. A Day In The Life
2. Penny Lane
3. With a Little Help From My Friends
4. Good Morning Good Morning
5. Strawberry Fields Forever
6. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
7. Lovely Rita
8. I Am The Walrus

The new mixes of "Baby You're a Rich Man" and "All You Need Is Love" on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack CD are enjoyable if you're into the idea of modern mixes of this stuff at all.

Y'know, it's far from one of The Beatles' finest songs, but while listening to Magical Mystery Tour just now, 'Hello Goodbye' struck me as having some excellent rhythm section work on it. Ringo and McCartney play really well on it.

I'll say this --- Sgt.Pepper has a better sleeve.

those animal masks though.... really weird and creepy, esp for a mid-60s pop band! spooky like the Shining furries

hello goodbye is great, mccartney at his prime.

yeah US MMT cover is awful, tacky.

love "hello goodbye", love the part with the string solo and 'do do do do you say goodbyyyyyyyyeeeee'

yeah US MMT cover is awful, tacky.

All the US-exclusive covers were tacky. That was part of the fun. Hell, the back cover of their best album boasted, "NEVER BEFORE HAS SHOW BUSINESS SEEN AND HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THEM!" And their best album cover (Yesterday And Today's butcher cover) was also their tackiest.

love "hello goodbye", love the part with the string solo and 'do do do do you say goodbyyyyyyyyeeeee'

― a but (brimstead), Friday, February 24, 2017 2:19 AM (eight hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I can picture the young Sting listening to the vocal on that bit and thinking "that's it! found my sound!"

^otm

I'm not sure you can fault MMT's US-only cover for being that bad...I mean, the underlying UK cover is godawful.

Both covers are horribly tacky. US cover at least tries to make up for it with trippy background and good fonts.

The multiple exposure of them descending the stairs in the Busy Berkeley sequence with no title or graphics would have been better

MMT cover is pretty bad, but a lot of that has to do with the terrible yellow border and the layout of all the song titles. if you take all that and adjust the levels it's slightly better:

http://i.imgur.com/jox2xRJ.jpg

still can't get rid of the birthday confetti stars though, those are horrible

it's biggest problem is that it looks cheap and lazy. You'd think Haphash or Hipgnosis could've been drafted for something more suitable.

I mean the interior booklet is fine and fun but the sleeve is blech

still can't get rid of the birthday confetti stars though,

Pretty much stuck with the animal suits too.

My proposals for the committee:

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq313/doctorcasino/magical%20mystery%20tour%20-%20alt%20cover%201_zpsa5pwtsug.jpg

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq313/doctorcasino/magical%20mystery%20tour%20-%20alt%20cover%202_zpsjslekncf.jpg

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq313/doctorcasino/magical%20mystery%20tour%20-%20alt%20cover%203_zps2bbhursw.jpg

You'd think Haphash or Hipgnosis could've been drafted for something more suitable.

Hipgnosis didn't exist yet tbf.

Yes! Aunt Jessie for the win.

love #1 and 3 esp
xpost

I disagree that the US covers across the board are bad or tacky. They do tend to have a lot of writing on them; but I liked the photos on Beatles 65, the sepia pics on 2nd album are great; meet the beatles blue tint looks better than with the beatles (to me). and of course Hey Jude I think was US only and that pic is classic.

Beatles IV or VI or whatever it was is dumb though and i don't like the US Help at all

Thanks, y'all!

The Beatles '65 shot is a re-use of some British single cover or other, right? Agreed that it's pretty cool, though it makes them seem much safer and dorkier than the defeated, stoned cover of Beatles For Sale. I like the layout of Second Album and obviously the butcher cover is a classic but most of the rest are pretty much awful IMO.

the all time worst

http://https%3A//anfluque.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/caric-tapa-reel-music.jpg

bah

https://anfluque.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/caric-tapa-reel-music.jpg

I kinda like how lazy that is, like they started with "we'll cram in so many moments from their films" and then it was clear the artist couldn't paint any of them so they gave up halfway. A Collection of Beatles Oldies similarly feels unwilling to work through its ambitions and just comes off as a shitty K-Tel cash-in or something. Rock and Roll Music with the stupid shiny background and the painted-in thumbs is my least favorite for sure.

I quite like that too.

I've forgotten about those stupid '70s and '80s compilations. The sequencing on this (a double!) is completely random:

https://cbskluv2.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/beatles-love-songs.jpg

It's also such a dumb catch-all of a theme - would be one thing if they really went "mood music" and just put all their acoustic stuff together, something to put on while you and your partner spoon sweetly and feed each other grapes or whatever. But here you have stuff like "You're Going to Lose That Girl" and "Norwegian Wood" and "Tell Me What You See" in there. Were those comps bargain-priced or anything? Cause if you buy even one, certainly if you buy two, it would have made way more sense to just start scooping up used LPs - their catalog's not that big!

Were those comps bargain-priced or anything?

Pretty sure they weren't. I remember seeing Reel Music in stores for list price, accompanied by a promotional push that made it sound like Lennon had been reanimated and was getting back with the old gang.

And anyway, you don't put swag like this in a bargain-priced record:

The LP's original packaging included an 11 x 11" booklet, with the songs' lyrics printed, calligraphy-style, on simulated parchment paper. For the first several pressings, the cover itself was simulated leather, and the Beatles' image (a re-working of Richard Avedon's 1967 portrait, featured in Look Magazine) was simulated gold-foil. The LP was also available on yellow vinyl.

They were full price, but some of them came out on MVP a bit later, those were cheapie (Rock&Roll Music in two halves..)

Saw one "Abbey Road" deAgostini this morning, man its big! It has the LP on the front, a folder for yr booklets inside, and all mounted on a trifold heavy display card.

There's been some chatter about those in the vinyl scams thread, just a heads up!

I don’t care for half of the songs in both albums but really like the other half. I could probably make my favorite Beatles album by a long shot if I play god to make a single 10 track album.

From MMT I’d Keep these 5

Flying <- yes, seriously. I love it.
Rich Man
Strawberry
Walrus
Penny Lane

From SPLHCB these other 5

Sgt Pepper
With a Little Help from My Friends
Getting Better
Lovely Rita
Day in the Life

While I’m playing god I’d happily add “hey bulldog” and “it’s all too much” in here and you get a massively strong 12 track album. Use the highlights from the leftovers such as LSD for an EP or whatever and delete forever “all you need is love”.

Overall I think I’d pick MMT every day. There’s nothing I hate on Sgt Pepper’s but besides Day in the Life which is the clear standout, I only feel excited about Lovely Rita. MMT I can listen to without getting annoyed or bored any day of the week - with the exception of AYNIL.

Ah yeah keep the SGT PEPPER album cover too, the MMT cover is the worst.

I just noticed that the bluray (and probably the latest dvd) of "Magical Mystery Tour" has a audio track from Paul...

Original Paul or body-double replacement Paul

He does say that he never met Pete Best at one point.

Fake Paul, or Faul for short.

MMT has three songs I'm not keen on but the rest is gold. As well as the cartoonish whimsy there's also a bittersweet, uncanny undertone to a lot of the songs. As such, it's the album where they seem to nail the colour, sweetness, and implacable sadness of the psychedelic experience

Are any of Paul's songs from this period actually psychedelic?

Maybe the "...round and round and round and round..." section of Fool on the Hill, but that's not so much being stoned as just being dizzy.

xpost OTM and this precisely why it’s my favorite.

xp the whole song is mildly psychedelic lyrically. penny lane is vaguely psychedelic in its nostalgia & surreal-realism. his more unabashed corniness in and after this era is probably a symptom too but it’s pretty staid in context

I used to like most of these songs but I don’t really know why now. there’s a bit of a PT Barnum feel to this era even in lennon’s psychodrama & harrison’s attempts at mysticism. these things used to feel more mysterious than they do now

Xp I think there were multiple ways to interpret ‘psychedelia’ in the sixties. The UK version veered more towards whimsy, nostalgia, childhood and dreamlike surrealism; whereas for US bands it was a harder, more adult, more rebellious affair: swirling organs, spring reverb, anti-‘Nam sloganeering etc. The UK version was how I first understood it, so when I came across Nuggets in my early twenties I was a little confused

yeah, i think in-context "All Together Now," "She's Leaving Home," "Fixing a Hole," the bass on "Paperback Writer," and certainly "Yellow Submarine" were all v clearly "psychedelic," but i was not there....