Alternate Sgt. Pepper LP
-
If The Beatles hadn't taken Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane off Sgt. Papper and used them for a single, where would the 2 songs have appeared on the album and what 2 songs would be left off?
-
Easy choice for me. Replace Within You Without You with Strawberry Fields Forever, and then replace Good Morning Good Morning with Penny Lane. That is how you improve a masterpiece.
-
wingsoverkc wrote:
Easy choice for me. Replace Within You Without You with Strawberry Fields Forever, and then replace Good Morning Good Morning with Penny Lane. That is how you improve a masterpiece.
Poor George! (if I had to pick I'd remove it too) There are 13 songs on the album which includes the Reprise. WYWY is 5:05. SFF is 4:24. PL is 3:07. Couldn't you add those 2 songs without removing another song? (in other words would it all fit on one LP?) I actually like GM, GM a lot!
Just checked and the original album was 39:36. Subtract 5:05 and add the other 2 songs and you have 42:02. That is just under the limit of 46 minutes (23 on each side)
-
Sergeant Pepper is perfect ! Leave it alone. All this talk of chopping and changing sounds like people are desperately trying to think of things to do during lockdown.
-
Take a breath there Dirk. Even John Lennon, in his own words, thought Good Morning Good Morning was "garbage".
-
wingsoverkc wrote:
Easy choice for me. Replace Within You Without You with Strawberry Fields Forever, and then replace Good Morning Good Morning with Penny Lane. That is how you improve a masterpiece.
I agree. Put Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane on Sgt. Pepper and remove Within You Without You, you unequivocally have the greatest album of all time. Personally I never liked Within You Without You and thought it was the one song on Sgt. Pepper that didn't fit with the rest of the songs on the album. If I'm not mistaken, none of the other 3 Beatles played on Within You Without You.
I also think that Nancy is right. If you could add both songs and keep Good Morning Good Morning, every song would be perfect and you would have the greatest album of all time barr none
-
^ Thanks B J!
-
Within you without you is such an integral part of that album that I can't imagine it otherwise. The album was so strikingly different from anything that had been done before, containing such a wonderful mix of exotic sounds and superlative playing. I know George is the only Beatle on that track, but then again Paul was the only Beatle on Yesterday. Within you without you offers a nice contrast, and the playing on it is absolutely brilliant.
-
dirkmcquickly wrote:
Within you without you is such an integral part of that album that I can't imagine it otherwise. The album was so strikingly different from anything that had been done before, containing such a wonderful mix of exotic sounds and superlative playing. I know George is the only Beatle on that track, but then again Paul was the only Beatle on Yesterday. Within you without you offers a nice contrast, and the playing on it is absolutely brilliant.
I know, but if you HAD to remove one song to put on SFF & PL, what would you pick if not WYWY?
-
Nice retort Dirk. I actually agree with you a bit. BUT, Only A Northern Song was a much more interesting song, and sort of fit with the album. Sorry, but I skip Within You Without You EVERY SINGLE TIME. Just a long boring song that really goes nowhere, man.
-
I would have removed Good Morning Good Morning & Lovely Rita to have added Strawberry Fields Forever & Penny Lane.
Within You Without You is one of my favourite tracks on the album, along with She's Leaving Home & A Day In The Life, so that's definitely a keeper. Plus George needs at least one song on the album.
Expanding this topic, had the Beatles delayed the album until the end of 67, they could have added Fool On The Hill & I Am The Walrus, although finding tracks to take off would be a lot harder.
-
Kestrel wrote:
I would have removed Good Morning Good Morning & Lovely Rita to have added Strawberry Fields Forever & Penny Lane.
Within You Without You is one of my favourite tracks on the album, along with She's Leaving Home & A Day In The Life, so that's definitely a keeper. Plus George needs at least one song on the album.
Expanding this topic, had the Beatles delayed the album until the end of 67, they could have added Fool On The Hill & I Am The Walrus, although finding tracks to take off would be a lot harder.
Double album!
-
Nancy R wrote:
Double album!
It could have been a double with the second album comprising of (in no particular order):Penny Lane
Strawberry Fields Forever
The Fool On The Hill
I Am The Walrus
Only A Northern Song
All You Need Is Love
Hello Goodbye
Baby You're A Rich Man
Your Mother Should Know
Blue Jay Way
-
Kestrel wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
Double album!
It could have been a double with the second album comprising of (in no particular order):Penny Lane
Strawberry Fields Forever
The Fool On The Hill
I Am The Walrus
Only A Northern Song
All You Need Is Love
Hello Goodbye
Baby You're A Rich Man
Your Mother Should Know
Blue Jay Way
Had all those songs already been recorded prior to May 1967 or did you mean they would have delayed the album release?
-
Nancy R wrote:
Had all those songs already been recorded prior to May 1967 or did you mean they would have delayed the album release?
The latter.
I think that had The Fool On The Hill (for example) been recorded during the Sgt Pepper sessions then it would have been included. Sgt Pepper is an excellent album but had the Beatles held back for another six months, it could have been an even better album.
-
Kestrel wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
Had all those songs already been recorded prior to May 1967 or did you mean they would have delayed the album release?
The latter.
I think that had The Fool On The Hill (for example) been recorded during the Sgt Pepper sessions then it would have been included. Sgt Pepper is an excellent album but had the Beatles held back for another six months, it could have been an even better album.
I agree, but a year and 4 months between albums was unheard of back then. Doubt they would have delayed.
-
Nancy R wrote:
I agree, but a year and 4 months between albums was unheard of back then. Doubt they would have delayed.
In the UK we had the 'Oldies but Goldies' compilation album at the end of 1966 so it would only have been a year but you're right, it would still have been seen as a long gap between albums given they had been releasing two a year since 1963.
-
Uh oh. This is like going back in time and doing changes that throw everything out of whack. If you take George's song off - perhaps he says bleep it I am done. He could've gone on to be part of Ravi's group of musicians. People who thought the were musically diverse and appreciated the complete culture change or acted like it may not have found that reach. Fans may have only gotten a 45 instead of Magical Mystery. They might have all taken off on separate vacations. John would not have met Yoko, but may have spontaneously met a Mediterranean woman and married her. Paul may have married someone on a Caribbean Island. Ringo might have drank more and lost two years to being out of it... all for the few changes. Dang it. Ha ha ha just kidding.
-
The_Fool wrote:
Uh oh. This is like going back in time and doing changes that throw everything out of whack. If you take George's song off - perhaps he says bleep it I am done. He could've gone on to be part of Ravi's group of musicians. People who thought the were musically diverse and appreciated the complete culture change or acted like it may not have found that reach. Fans may have only gotten a 45 instead of Magical Mystery. They might have all taken off on separate vacations. John would not have met Yoko, but may have spontaneously met a Mediterranean woman and married her. Paul may have married someone on a Caribbean Island. Ringo might have drank more and lost two years to being out of it... all for the few changes. Dang it. Ha ha ha just kidding.
ROTFL Haa Haaa Then who could be blamed blamed for breaking up the BeaTLes!? -
The_Fool wrote:
Uh oh. This is like going back in time and doing changes that throw everything out of whack. If you take George's song off - perhaps he says bleep it I am done. He could've gone on to be part of Ravi's group of musicians. People who thought the were musically diverse and appreciated the complete culture change or acted like it may not have found that reach. Fans may have only gotten a 45 instead of Magical Mystery. They might have all taken off on separate vacations. John would not have met Yoko, but may have spontaneously met a Mediterranean woman and married her. Paul may have married someone on a Caribbean Island. Ringo might have drank more and lost two years to being out of it... all for the few changes. Dang it. Ha ha ha just kidding.
It is all just fantasy speculation. The album is great as is!
