Sgt. Pepper was just one of several classics of ’67
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is often thought of as the most important album in the history of rock and roll – and for obvious reasons that go beyond nostalgia for an era when it must have felt like rock and roll was going through another revolution every six or seven months.
Of course, we know that it went through revolutions at a faster clip than that.
It hadn’t even been a full year since the Beatles’ own most recent exploration of the mind-expanding possibilities of psychedelic music with the masterful “Revolver.”
Now, here they were, in the Summer of Love, staring out from that iconic cover art in day-glo military uniforms, ready to challenge the world with a masterpiece even John Lennon considered “a peak” when interviewed by Rolling Stone in 1970.
This week, as we honor the 50th anniversary of a landmark album Beatles drummer Ringo Starr calls “our greatest endeavor,” here’s a look back at a handful of the classic albums that made 1967 what it was – one of the most exciting years in music history.
They’re listed here in order of appearance to give a better sense of what it might have felt like to experience this stuff on impact. Find even more at music.azcentral.com.
The Doors, ‘The Doors’
Jim Morrison sounds like he might rip out Sgt. Pepper’s heart and eat it raw as he swaggers his way through a much darker side of the psychedelic experience than McCartney would have dreamed of sharing. And as chilling as “The End” is, even “Come on baby, light my fire” sounds a little dangerous the way he sings it. (Released Jan. 7)
The Rolling Stones, ‘Between the Buttons’
There are no American hits on the U.K. edition of the Stones’ most resolutely British-sounding record, and it’s rarely mentioned in the same breath as the classics. But it’s probably their most consistently infectious batch of pop songs, from the psychedelic stomp of “My Obsession” to the Kink-y music hall of “Something Happened to Me Yesterday.” (Jan. 20)
Aretha Franklin, ‘I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You’