50 years on, critic admits he was wrong to slate Sgt Pepper (but blames his stereo)
HAILED as one of the most influential rock albums when it came out 50 years ago, The Beatles’ Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band received universal acclaim.
Well, universal except for the lone voice of US critic Richard Goldstein.
In a damning New York Times review, Mr Goldstein said ‘a surprising shoddiness in composition permeates the entire album’. He also labelled it ‘an undistinguished collection of work’ and compared it to a ‘spoiled, over-attended’ child.
After his caustic write-up was published, fans called him a fascist, and hundreds sent hate mail. But five decades years on, the 73-year-old has recanted – blaming his faulty hi-fi. Speaking on the anniversary of the album’s release, he said: ‘Yes, I have changed my mind.
‘I now see it as immensely important in the history of pop music, a prophetic work... and a major statement of psychedelic values.’
But he added: ‘My speakers weren’t working properly, so I missed a lot of the stereo effects.
‘I was a rock purist. I wanted The Beatles to go back to their roots, and that made me more conservative than The Beatles.’