đ ON THIS DAY: UK album release: Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Heralded upon its release as The Beatlesâ masterpiece, Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band was issued in the UK on 26 May 1967.
It was released as PMC 7027 (mono) and PCS 7027 (stereo). A 4âł reel-to-reel tape was also issued in 1967, with the catalogue number TA-PMC 7027 (3Ÿ ips twin-track mono tape).
The official release date was 1 June, but the album was rush-released six days earlier.
Sgt Pepper entered the official albums chart at number 8 in the week commencing 28 May. The following week it was at number one, where it remained for 23 weeks. It returned to the top spot for another week on 25 November, for two weeks from 23 December, and for a final week on 3 February 1968. In all it spent 148 consecutive weeks in the charts.
The album also entered the New Musical Express chart at number one on its album chart dated 31 May.
Sgt Pepper sold more than 250,000 copies in the UK in its first week of release, and by the end of June had sold over half a million. Sgt Pepper remains in the top 10 best-selling albums of all time, both in the UK and worldwide.
đ ON THIS DAY: Filming: Paperback Writer, Rain (1966)
Following the previous dayâs shoot inside EMI Studios, The Beatles went on location at Chiswick House in London, to film promotional clips for their forthcoming single âPaperback Writerâ/âRainâ.
As on the previous day, the director was Michael Lindsay-Hogg, working with a crew supplied by InterTel (VTR Services). Unlike the previous day, which was shot on video tape, this dayâs footage was captured on 35mm colour film.
Chiswick House is an 18th century house and gardens in west London. For the clip for âRainâ, The Beatles were filmed outside the gates and around a cedar tree, with the group performing while children played among the branches.
For âPaperback Writerâ the group were filmed inside the conservatory, and miming to the song in the statue garden. Some of the conservatory footage was also used in the âRainâ clip, and extra shots of The Beatles walking in the grounds were later edited into both films.
đ ON THIS DAY: Press launch for Sgt Pepper (1967)
Shortly ahead of the release of Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band, a press launch was held at Brian Epsteinâs house at 24 Chapel Street, London.
Epstein had bought the house on 20 December 1964, and lived there until his death on 27 August 1967. He hosted many parties at the house, the best-remembered of which was this press party for The Beatlesâ masterpiece.
Around a dozen selected journalists and broadcasters were invited to attend the event. Several photographers were also present, among them Linda Eastman, who had met her future husband Paul McCartney just four days previously.
"I took my portfolio over to Brian Epsteinâs office and left it with his assistant, Peter Brown⊠Peter Brown got back in touch and said that Brian had liked my portfolio and invited me to a press launch for Sgt Pepper at Brianâs home. Peter also said that Brian wanted to buy copies of two of my photos â one of Keith Moon wearing a lace cravat and one of Brian Jones at The Rolling Stones boat party. So I went to the press launch where Sgt Pepper was played for the first time to the media, to take my first photographs of The Beatles. Because I was so used to working almost exclusively with black-and-white I didnât have any color film with me, and had to get some from another photographer. I eventually sold a color print of The Beatles from this session for $100 and I thought that I had it made!" â Linda McCartney
The Beatles were photographed in Epsteinâs drawing room and on the steps outside the front door. The guests were served champagne, poached salmon and caviar.
"I got one good photo that I liked, which is that thumbs-up one. The rest are just like everyone elseâs photographs, but for that one I said, âOh, come on, guys! You know?â and that shows at least they were relating, because if you believe the press youâd never think John and Paul ever related." â Linda McCartney
đ ON THIS DAY: Recording, mixing: Taxman, For No One (1966)
Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Although only around half of Revolver had been recorded by this time, a day of mixing and assembling master tapes took place during this session, which began at 2.30pm.
Two copies of the current âbestâ mono master of George Harrisonâs âLove You Toâ, which still had the working title âGranny Smithâ were the first to be made. Four mono mixes of his âTaxmanâ were then created, all from take 12, though none were ever used.
Paul McCartney then overdubbed his lead vocals onto âFor No Oneâ. The tape was slowed to 47.5 cycles rather than the usual 50, which made the vocals higher and faster upon playback.
Tape reductions of âFor No Oneâ were then made, to free up space on the four-track tape. These were numbered 13 and 14, the second of which was later used for the French horn overdub.
Copies of mono mixes of âTaxmanâ, âLove You Toâ, and âTomorrow Never Knowsâ were added to the master reel at the end of the session, which ended at 1.30am.
đ ON THIS DAY: Paul McCartney meets Linda Eastman (1967)
On this evening The Beatlesâ manager Brian Epstein hosted a dinner party to mark the completion of Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Afterwards Paul McCartney went to the Bag OâNails nightclub to see Georgie Fame performing. At the club McCartney had his first encounter with his future wife, Linda Eastman.
The Bag OâNails was situated in the basement of 9 Kingly Street in Soho, London. The Beatles were regular visitors, particularly in 1967 and 1968, and McCartney had his own private table there.
"The night I met Linda I was in the Bag OâNails watching Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames play a great set. Speedy was banging away. She was there with the Animals, who she knew from photographing them in New York. They were sitting a couple of alcoves down, near the stage. The band had finished and they got up to either leave or go for a drink or a pee or something, and she passed our table. I was near the edge and stood up just as she was passing, blocking her exit. And so I said, âOh, sorry. Hi. How are you? Howâre you doing?â I introduced myself, and said, âWeâre going on to another club after this, would you like to join us?â That was my big pulling line! Well, Iâd never used it before, of course, but it worked this time! It was a fairly slim chance but it worked. She said, âYes, okay, weâll go on. How shall we do it?â I forget how we did it. âYou come in our carâ or whatever, and we all went on, the people I was with and the Animals, we went on to the Speakeasy." â Paul McCartney
The Speakeasy was a club on Margaret Street, where they heard Procol Harumâs A Whiter Shade Of Pale for the first time.
"We flirted a bit, and then it was time for me to go back with them and Paul said, âWell, weâre going to another club. You want to come?â I remember everybody at the table heard A Whiter Shade Of Pale that night for the first time and we all thought, Who is that? Stevie Winwood? We all said Stevie. The minute that record came out, you just knew you loved it. Thatâs when we actually met. Then we went back to his house. We were in the Mini with I think Lulu and Dudley Edwards, who painted Paulâs piano; Paul was giving him a lift home. I was impressed to see his Magrittes." â Linda McCartney
The pair met again four days later, on 19 May 1967, when Eastman attended the press party for Sgt Pepper at Brian Epsteinâs house at 24 Chapel Street, London.
The Beatles were photographed for the cover of the abandoned Get Back album on 13 May 1969.
It was The Beatlesâ intention to recreate the cover of Please Please Me, showing how they had changed visually since 1963. The group returned to EMI House at 20 Manchester Square, London, and at 6pm the same photographer, Angus McBean, photographed them as they resumed their poses.
This was McBeanâs second attempt to recreate the Please Please Me photo. A recently-built porch prevented him from getting into the precise position, although some photos of The Beatles were taken. They can be identified by a maroon suit worn by George Harrison, and a dark blue one worn by John Lennon.
EMI invited the band and photographer to return a week later. For the 13 May shoot, Lennon and Harrison wore striped 1966 stage suits.
"[In 1963] I asked John Lennon how long they would stay as a group, and he said, âOh, about six years, I suppose â who ever heard of a bald Beatle?â Well, it was just six years later that I was asked to repeat the shot with the Beatles as they now looked â very hairy indeed. When I got there I couldnât retake the shot; a new porch had been built and I couldnât get into the same position. However, EMI asked if I could come back in a week. Meanwhile, the whole new porch was pulled down and we tried again. Ringo Starr was so late that the staff of EMI was streaming down the stairs. I got the camera fixed up and John, fascinated by photography, came and lay down beside me to look at my view-finder. I can still hear the screams of the EMI girls as the realized who they were stepping over to get out the door!" â Angus McBean
McBeanâs photograph was used as the front cover of Glyn Johnsâ Get Back album, which was to bear the strapline âwith Donât Let Me Down and 12 other songsâ. The Beatles also commissioned their former press officer Tony Barrow, who had contributed liner notes to the bandâs early albums, to write new words for Get Back.
However, the project was shelved and the session photographs remained unused until the 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (the so-called Red and Blue albums) were released in 1973.
The Get Back album was finally released in its original guise as part of the 2021 super deluxe reissue of Let It Be.
đ ON THIS DAY: John and Paul promote Apple in New York (1968)
In order to launch and promote Apple Corps in the United States, John Lennon and Paul McCartney flew to New York for a four-day trip. It was the first time they had both visited the country together since their final concert in August 1966.
They were joined by âMagicâ Alex, Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans and Derek Taylor, and while in the US met a number of friends business associates.
Lennon and McCartney stayed with their lawyer, Nat Weiss, at his apartment at 181 East 73rd Street. During the trip they did numerous interviews, mainly at hotels. They returned to England on 16 May 1968.
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Best track on Sgt. Pepper?
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đ ON THIS DAY: UK album release: Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Heralded upon its release as The Beatlesâ masterpiece, Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band was issued in the UK on 26 May 1967.
It was released as PMC 7027 (mono) and PCS 7027 (stereo). A 4âł reel-to-reel tape was also issued in 1967, with the catalogue number TA-PMC 7027 (3Ÿ ips twin-track mono tape).
The official release date was 1 June, but the album was rush-released six days earlier.
Sgt Pepper entered the official albums chart at number 8 in the week commencing 28 May. The following week it was at number one, where it remained for 23 weeks. It returned to the top spot for another week on 25 November, for two weeks from 23 December, and for a final week on 3 February 1968. In all it spent 148 consecutive weeks in the charts.
The album also entered the New Musical Express chart at number one on its album chart dated 31 May.
Sgt Pepper sold more than 250,000 copies in the UK in its first week of release, and by the end of June had sold over half a million. Sgt Pepper remains in the top 10 best-selling albums of all time, both in the UK and worldwide.
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đ ON THIS DAY: Filming: Paperback Writer, Rain (1966)
Following the previous dayâs shoot inside EMI Studios, The Beatles went on location at Chiswick House in London, to film promotional clips for their forthcoming single âPaperback Writerâ/âRainâ.
As on the previous day, the director was Michael Lindsay-Hogg, working with a crew supplied by InterTel (VTR Services). Unlike the previous day, which was shot on video tape, this dayâs footage was captured on 35mm colour film.
Chiswick House is an 18th century house and gardens in west London. For the clip for âRainâ, The Beatles were filmed outside the gates and around a cedar tree, with the group performing while children played among the branches.
For âPaperback Writerâ the group were filmed inside the conservatory, and miming to the song in the statue garden. Some of the conservatory footage was also used in the âRainâ clip, and extra shots of The Beatles walking in the grounds were later edited into both films.
The colour clips were first shown in black-and-white on BBC 1âs Top Of The Pops. âPaperback Writerâ had its first screening on 2 June 1966, while âRainâ had its dĂ©but on the show on 9 June.
In the evening John and Cynthia Lennon attended a party in London with Mick Jagger and Chrissie Shrimpton.
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đ ON THIS DAY: Press launch for Sgt Pepper (1967)
Shortly ahead of the release of Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band, a press launch was held at Brian Epsteinâs house at 24 Chapel Street, London.
Epstein had bought the house on 20 December 1964, and lived there until his death on 27 August 1967. He hosted many parties at the house, the best-remembered of which was this press party for The Beatlesâ masterpiece.
Around a dozen selected journalists and broadcasters were invited to attend the event. Several photographers were also present, among them Linda Eastman, who had met her future husband Paul McCartney just four days previously.
"I took my portfolio over to Brian Epsteinâs office and left it with his assistant, Peter Brown⊠Peter Brown got back in touch and said that Brian had liked my portfolio and invited me to a press launch for Sgt Pepper at Brianâs home. Peter also said that Brian wanted to buy copies of two of my photos â one of Keith Moon wearing a lace cravat and one of Brian Jones at The Rolling Stones boat party. So I went to the press launch where Sgt Pepper was played for the first time to the media, to take my first photographs of The Beatles. Because I was so used to working almost exclusively with black-and-white I didnât have any color film with me, and had to get some from another photographer. I eventually sold a color print of The Beatles from this session for $100 and I thought that I had it made!" â Linda McCartney
The Beatles were photographed in Epsteinâs drawing room and on the steps outside the front door. The guests were served champagne, poached salmon and caviar.
"I got one good photo that I liked, which is that thumbs-up one. The rest are just like everyone elseâs photographs, but for that one I said, âOh, come on, guys! You know?â and that shows at least they were relating, because if you believe the press youâd never think John and Paul ever related." â Linda McCartney
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đ ON THIS DAY: Recording, mixing: Taxman, For No One (1966)
Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Geoff Emerick
Although only around half of Revolver had been recorded by this time, a day of mixing and assembling master tapes took place during this session, which began at 2.30pm.
Two copies of the current âbestâ mono master of George Harrisonâs âLove You Toâ, which still had the working title âGranny Smithâ were the first to be made. Four mono mixes of his âTaxmanâ were then created, all from take 12, though none were ever used.
Paul McCartney then overdubbed his lead vocals onto âFor No Oneâ. The tape was slowed to 47.5 cycles rather than the usual 50, which made the vocals higher and faster upon playback.
Tape reductions of âFor No Oneâ were then made, to free up space on the four-track tape. These were numbered 13 and 14, the second of which was later used for the French horn overdub.
Copies of mono mixes of âTaxmanâ, âLove You Toâ, and âTomorrow Never Knowsâ were added to the master reel at the end of the session, which ended at 1.30am.
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đ ON THIS DAY: Paul McCartney meets Linda Eastman (1967)
On this evening The Beatlesâ manager Brian Epstein hosted a dinner party to mark the completion of Sgt Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Afterwards Paul McCartney went to the Bag OâNails nightclub to see Georgie Fame performing. At the club McCartney had his first encounter with his future wife, Linda Eastman.
The Bag OâNails was situated in the basement of 9 Kingly Street in Soho, London. The Beatles were regular visitors, particularly in 1967 and 1968, and McCartney had his own private table there.
"The night I met Linda I was in the Bag OâNails watching Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames play a great set. Speedy was banging away. She was there with the Animals, who she knew from photographing them in New York. They were sitting a couple of alcoves down, near the stage. The band had finished and they got up to either leave or go for a drink or a pee or something, and she passed our table. I was near the edge and stood up just as she was passing, blocking her exit. And so I said, âOh, sorry. Hi. How are you? Howâre you doing?â I introduced myself, and said, âWeâre going on to another club after this, would you like to join us?â That was my big pulling line! Well, Iâd never used it before, of course, but it worked this time! It was a fairly slim chance but it worked. She said, âYes, okay, weâll go on. How shall we do it?â I forget how we did it. âYou come in our carâ or whatever, and we all went on, the people I was with and the Animals, we went on to the Speakeasy." â Paul McCartney
The Speakeasy was a club on Margaret Street, where they heard Procol Harumâs A Whiter Shade Of Pale for the first time.
"We flirted a bit, and then it was time for me to go back with them and Paul said, âWell, weâre going to another club. You want to come?â I remember everybody at the table heard A Whiter Shade Of Pale that night for the first time and we all thought, Who is that? Stevie Winwood? We all said Stevie. The minute that record came out, you just knew you loved it. Thatâs when we actually met. Then we went back to his house. We were in the Mini with I think Lulu and Dudley Edwards, who painted Paulâs piano; Paul was giving him a lift home. I was impressed to see his Magrittes." â Linda McCartney
The pair met again four days later, on 19 May 1967, when Eastman attended the press party for Sgt Pepper at Brian Epsteinâs house at 24 Chapel Street, London.
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Which cover should The Beatles have used for Let It Be/Get Back?
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đ ON THIS DAY: Get Back photo session (1969)
The Beatles were photographed for the cover of the abandoned Get Back album on 13 May 1969.
It was The Beatlesâ intention to recreate the cover of Please Please Me, showing how they had changed visually since 1963. The group returned to EMI House at 20 Manchester Square, London, and at 6pm the same photographer, Angus McBean, photographed them as they resumed their poses.
This was McBeanâs second attempt to recreate the Please Please Me photo. A recently-built porch prevented him from getting into the precise position, although some photos of The Beatles were taken. They can be identified by a maroon suit worn by George Harrison, and a dark blue one worn by John Lennon.
EMI invited the band and photographer to return a week later. For the 13 May shoot, Lennon and Harrison wore striped 1966 stage suits.
"[In 1963] I asked John Lennon how long they would stay as a group, and he said, âOh, about six years, I suppose â who ever heard of a bald Beatle?â Well, it was just six years later that I was asked to repeat the shot with the Beatles as they now looked â very hairy indeed. When I got there I couldnât retake the shot; a new porch had been built and I couldnât get into the same position. However, EMI asked if I could come back in a week. Meanwhile, the whole new porch was pulled down and we tried again. Ringo Starr was so late that the staff of EMI was streaming down the stairs. I got the camera fixed up and John, fascinated by photography, came and lay down beside me to look at my view-finder. I can still hear the screams of the EMI girls as the realized who they were stepping over to get out the door!" â Angus McBean
McBeanâs photograph was used as the front cover of Glyn Johnsâ Get Back album, which was to bear the strapline âwith Donât Let Me Down and 12 other songsâ. The Beatles also commissioned their former press officer Tony Barrow, who had contributed liner notes to the bandâs early albums, to write new words for Get Back.
However, the project was shelved and the session photographs remained unused until the 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 (the so-called Red and Blue albums) were released in 1973.
The Get Back album was finally released in its original guise as part of the 2021 super deluxe reissue of Let It Be.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2,021
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đ ON THIS DAY: John and Paul promote Apple in New York (1968)
In order to launch and promote Apple Corps in the United States, John Lennon and Paul McCartney flew to New York for a four-day trip. It was the first time they had both visited the country together since their final concert in August 1966.
They were joined by âMagicâ Alex, Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans and Derek Taylor, and while in the US met a number of friends business associates.
Lennon and McCartney stayed with their lawyer, Nat Weiss, at his apartment at 181 East 73rd Street. During the trip they did numerous interviews, mainly at hotels. They returned to England on 16 May 1968.
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