In my life, there is but one piece of art that sticks out to me as one of the most revolutionary and influential pieces of art in all recent history: The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This album immediately made waves within society, and continues to have a profound impact on people today. It had changed how music was delivered, recorded, and listened to, while also helping to move society in a direction of major change. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was not simply a piece of art through the music it contains, but also through the imagery it portrays proudly on its album cover. This cover is 144 square inches of beautiful color, profound subjects, and intricate symbolism. At first glance, one notices the wide
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However, during this time, they were pioneering a new technology within the arena of “multi-tracking”. During the recording of the song “A Day in the Life”, eight tracks were recorded simultaneously for the first time in Britain. (Blashill, DeCurtis, Edmonds, and Gavin 85) In 1966, The Beatles had made radical decision to quit touring, and solely focus on their work in the recording studio. (Dowdling 152) This was something that had yet to be done by any popular music act of the time, and this allowed for them to take the time necessary seven hundred hours to create such an intricate album, due to the technology that was available at the time. Yet again, another huge advance in music that was created by Pepper’s. The idea of pouring one’s time and energy into a full-length album was a rather new concept within music at this time, which was able to be perfected by the Beatles, because of their decision to quit touring. This change in music culture greatly helped to change the way that music was listened …show more content…
An album, on the other hand, was just a vehicle through which to promote a single. (Dowdling 152) This was not how The Beatles sought to have their music listened to. This album was released without any singles that had previously been released. Also, for the first time, this album was more than twelve to fourteen randomly chosen songs. Pepper’s became the first “concept album”. It was formatted as though the user was listening to a concert that included very little time in between songs, a reprise, and an encore. (Dowdling 152) Never before, in popular music, had so much time and effort gone into creating a new way of listening to music. The Beatles had given weight to the album, a medium that previously had very little importance in the realm of pop music. With four Grammy Awards, 85 weeks in the fifteen weeks in the number one spot on Billboard, and 2.5 million copies sold in the first three months of its release, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band reached the ears of millions through the United States and around the world. (Dowdling 153) This album was so much more than just a collection of music. It was a change, a beginning of an era, a revolution that would affect art, music, and society
However, during this time, they were pioneering a new technology within the arena of “multi-tracking”. During the recording of the song “A Day in the Life”, eight tracks were recorded simultaneously for the first time in Britain. (Blashill, DeCurtis, Edmonds, and Gavin 85) In 1966, The Beatles had made radical decision to quit touring, and solely focus on their work in the recording studio. (Dowdling 152) This was something that had yet to be done by any popular music act of the time, and this allowed for them to take the time necessary seven hundred hours to create such an intricate album, due to the technology that was available at the time. Yet again, another huge advance in music that was created by Pepper’s. The idea of pouring one’s time and energy into a full-length album was a rather new concept within music at this time, which was able to be perfected by the Beatles, because of their decision to quit touring. This change in music culture greatly helped to change the way that music was listened …show more content…
An album, on the other hand, was just a vehicle through which to promote a single. (Dowdling 152) This was not how The Beatles sought to have their music listened to. This album was released without any singles that had previously been released. Also, for the first time, this album was more than twelve to fourteen randomly chosen songs. Pepper’s became the first “concept album”. It was formatted as though the user was listening to a concert that included very little time in between songs, a reprise, and an encore. (Dowdling 152) Never before, in popular music, had so much time and effort gone into creating a new way of listening to music. The Beatles had given weight to the album, a medium that previously had very little importance in the realm of pop music. With four Grammy Awards, 85 weeks in the fifteen weeks in the number one spot on Billboard, and 2.5 million copies sold in the first three months of its release, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band reached the ears of millions through the United States and around the world. (Dowdling 153) This album was so much more than just a collection of music. It was a change, a beginning of an era, a revolution that would affect art, music, and society