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Arts & Culture

Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution

The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios, London, January 1967. Left to right: Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney.
Courtesy of © Apple Corps Ltd.
The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios, London, January 1967. Left to right: Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney.

Airs Saturday, Jan. 19, 2018 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. on KPBS 2

This program is part of our TV Membership Campaign. Support quality programming you depend on from KPBS. Give now!

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking Beatles album.

PBS will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking Beatles album with a new documentary, "Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution," a look back at the creation and ongoing influence of "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," released on June 1, 1967.

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Hailed as a landmark achievement by critics worldwide, the album won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and ranks #1 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time as “the most important rock & roll album ever made.”

Give $100 a month or $1200 all at once and receive the Sgt. Pepper's Deluxe Boxed Set: "Sgt. Pepper's Loney Hearts Club Band" (includes 4 CDS, DVD, Blu-ray, HBK). This gift includes a KPBS License Plate Frame (if you're a new member). Also enjoy access to KPBS Passport and myKPBS Film Club. The "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Anniversary Edition" CD only is at the $120 level, and a combo including the expanded "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Anniversary Edition" 2-CD set plus a "The Beatles 1" DVD is at $300.
Courtesy of PBS
Give $100 a month or $1200 all at once and receive the Sgt. Pepper's Deluxe Boxed Set: "Sgt. Pepper's Loney Hearts Club Band" (includes 4 CDS, DVD, Blu-ray, HBK). This gift includes a KPBS License Plate Frame (if you're a new member). Also enjoy access to KPBS Passport and myKPBS Film Club. The "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Anniversary Edition" CD only is at the $120 level, and a combo including the expanded "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Anniversary Edition" 2-CD set plus a "The Beatles 1" DVD is at $300.

This new documentary, from Huge Films and directed by Francis Hanly, conjures up the psychedelic, phantasmagorical world of Sgt. Pepper, provides context for the culture of the day, and shows how the album, which featured classic songs including “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “She’s Leaving Home” and “A Day in the Life,” became a driving force within that culture.

Hosted by award-winning British composer, author, music historian and broadcaster Howard Goodall, "Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution" premiered in June 2017 on PBS.

When The Beatles made the decision to stop playing live in August 1966, most of the world’s press concluded that they were finished. But far from finished, the band suddenly had the time to pour all of their energy into writing and recording, creating an album that broke ground in countless ways. Released in June 1967, after almost a year of secrecy, the album was an immediate sensation.

The film features material never before accessible outside of Abbey Road Studios, including recordings of studio chat between band members and isolated instrumental and vocal tracks.

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It reveals the nuts and bolts of how the album came together, and provides insights into the choices made by The Beatles and George Martin.

With wit, clarity and accessibility, host Howard Goodall explores the back-story of some of the major songs, including the personal stories and biographical connections behind the music.

In addition he explicates the revolutionary musical concepts of the album and demonstrates how they were achieved.

As part of the global celebration of the 50th anniversary, the PBS broadcast coincides with The Beatles’ worldwide release of "Sgt. Pepper" anniversary edition packages on May 26 via Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Newly mixed, the album is expanded with early takes from the studio sessions, including 34 previously unreleased recordings.

The Beatles (clockwise, from bottom left): George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.
Courtesy of © Apple Corps Ltd.
The Beatles (clockwise, from bottom left): George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.

CREDITS:

An Apple Corps Ltd. production, "Sgt. Pepper’s Musical Revolution" is directed by Francis Hanly and produced by Jonathan Clyde and Martin Smith.