The Beatles Sgt. Pepper

"Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," recorded in 1967, is to date the number one Rock and Roll album ever recorded. Sgt. Pepper's is considered to be the first concept album. There are many things that brought about the creation of The Beatles most influential album. Before The Beatles began the recording process of Sgt. Pepper's they had retired from touring. This gave the group ample time to experiment with different instruments, recording techniques and drugs. The album cover also sparked a revolution in itself. Many bands took notice of the creative elements of Sgt. Pepper's and learned from them.

The Beatles had been touring virtually nonstop since they came to America. The band decided to call it quits after their 1966 tours. The goal was to create an album that in essence, toured for them. This would lead to the creation of Rock and Roll's first concept album. The idea was that all four of the band members would be disguised and presented as members of a fictitious band. All the songs on the album would be written and preformed by this fabricated band known as, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The motivation for this concept was based on the fact that the members of The Beatles were four of the most recognizable people in the entire world. The goal of the band was to relate every song on the album to this made-up band. After the recording of the first couple of songs it was decided by the band that not every song should be interrelated.

The instruments used on the album plays a major role in the decision to declare Sgt. Pepper's the number one Rock and Roll album. The Beatles used a series of unconventional instruments to acquire their desired sound. The clarinet is used in the song "When I'm Sixty Four." Another unusual instrument that is used in The Beatles recording studio is the sitar. The sitar a multi-stringed instrument that is very popular in Indian music. The sitar can be found on the eighth track of the album, "Within You Without You." Various other unconventional horns and stringed instruments can be found on "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." The Beatles also used a wah-wah pedal to distort the sound of their guitars. The wah-wah pedal is now a standard for all rock musicians.

As a result of The Beatles being the number one band in the world, they had access to the industries latest recording tools. Perhaps one of the most important recording tools used by the band in recording was automatic double tracking or ADT. This device allowed the band to flawlessly double any given sound. ADT was used mostly on vocals to enhance the sound of the singer. The Beatles also used an innovative tool known as the Dolby noise reduction system

...