# Sgt Peppers as it was intended **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043 "2014-04-01T02:01:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/1 "2014-04-01T02:01:37Z")
The Beatles recorded _Penny Lane_ and \*Strawberry Fields Forever \*as part of the recording sessions for _Sgt. Peppers_, but it was decided to release them as singles instead and not to put them on the album. Where do you think they would fit best on the album if you were to include them? In other words, what would the track list look like if you had your choice? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/2 "2014-04-01T02:13:18Z")
1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” 3. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” 4. “Getting Better” 5. “Fixing a Hole” 6. “She’s Leaving Home” 7. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” Side two 1. “Within You Without You” 2. “When I’m Sixty-Four” 3. **"Strawberry Fields Forever"** 4. **"Penny Lane"** 5. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” 6. “A Day in the Life” That’s exactly where I would put them. I’ve never been too fond of “Lovely Rita” or “Good Morning Good Morning.” ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/3 "2014-04-01T02:21:10Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > 1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” > 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” > 3. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” > 4. “Getting Better” > 5. “Fixing a Hole” > 6. “She’s Leaving Home” > 7. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” > > Side two > > 1. “Within You Without You” > 2. “When I’m Sixty-Four” > 3. **“Strawberry Fields Forever”** > 4. **“Penny Lane”** > 5. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” > 6. “A Day in the Life” > > That’s exactly where I would put them. I’ve never been too fond of “Lovely Rita” or “Good Morning Good Morning.” I don’t mean leaving anything out, but this would be good. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/4 "2014-04-01T03:08:53Z")
Those born after 1967 probably need to be reminded that the reason that the songs were left off the album is that the Beatles wound up taking a whole year! to put out a new album and that was totally unacceptable to the record company, because if bands didn’t put out new material twice a year they would be forgotten. As a result the greatest double a-side single of them all was not released on an official album until many years later. And as if to prove EMI’s point, the single only went to #2 in Britain, behind Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Release Me.” No singles were released off of _Sgt. Pepper’s_. (In fact, it was normal up to that time to release singles separately from albums because British companies didn’t think people would buy songs twice. The American _Hey Jude_ album is a collection of these non-album singles.) But imagine if those songs were on the album and got the push of its incredible success. They might still be #1. They might have replaced “Rule, Britannia!” as the national anthem. They might have made everyone involved tens of millions more pounds. Nobody would ever question _Sgt. Pepper’s_ as the best album ever, as many people including me do today. The past is a different world. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/5 "2014-04-01T05:21:24Z")
They would _not_ fit on the album, they would unbalance it. Sgt. Pepper’s fame is largely based upon its being the first true (or at least first successful) “concept album”, not that it really has a concept, but, unlike other LPs that had come before it, it hangs together as a coherent, unified performance, rather than just being a collection of songs. This partly depends on the fact that there is no true stand out song until it climaxes with “A Day in the Life”. It is good, up until then, but nothing to make you go “wow”. Squeezing “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields” onto it, at any point, would break its unity and turn it into just another collection of songs, like _Revolver_ or the White Album. THe way this material was released got it just right. Don’t try to mess with perfection. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/6 "2014-04-01T06:08:03Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > The Beatles recorded _Penny Lane_ and \*Strawberry Fields Forever \*as part of the recording sessions for _Sgt. Peppers_ [Not really.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17180438&postcount=52) > [@Best of the Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-beatles-magical-mystery-tour/683067/52): > > That’s the usual story, but a look at the recording chronology as detailed by Lewisohn suggests the Beatles didn’t really begin _Sgt Pepper_ in earnest until after “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” had already been recorded and earmarked for a single. > > After completing _Revolver_ in June 1966, the Beatles took a five-month break from the studio. They don’t seem to have spent much of the time writing new material: upon returning to the studio in late November, they spent a month working on just two songs\*: “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “When I’m 64,” the latter being a reworking of a song Paul had written years earlier. Once these were finished, at the end of December, Paul brought in “Penny Lane,” which they worked on for the next three weeks. It was evidently decided before the track was even finished that this would be one side of the new single, as a mix was prepared to ship to Capitol in the USA the same day the final overdubs were recorded. > > With “Penny Lane” in the can, the Beatles spent two days on the basic tracks for “A Day in the Life,” but recorded nothing else in the last half of January. All of the remaining _Pepper_ songs (plus “Only a Northern Song”) were recorded in the two-month period from February 1 to April 1, 1967, with some overdubbing and mixing continuing over the following three weeks. So even though the Beatles were _technically_ working on _Pepper_ material as far back as November 1966, _Pepper_ as an album project didn’t really exist until February 1967. > > \*Not counting the 1966 Christmas record, which was thrown together in a day during this period, or the improvised freak-out “Carnival of Light,” which was likewise tossed off in a single session. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/7 "2014-04-01T11:10:03Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Those born after 1967 probably need to be reminded that the reason that the songs were left off the album is that the Beatles wound up taking a whole year! to put out a new album and that was totally unacceptable to the record company, because if bands didn’t put out new material twice a year they would be forgotten. > > As a result the greatest double a-side single of them all was not released on an official album until many years later. And as if to prove EMI’s point, the single only went to #2 in Britain, behind Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Release Me.” > > No singles were released off of _Sgt. Pepper’s_. (In fact, it was normal up to that time to release singles separately from albums because British companies didn’t think people would buy songs twice. The American _Hey Jude_ album is a collection of these non-album singles.) But imagine if those songs were on the album and got the push of its incredible success. They might still be #1. They might have replaced “Rule, Britannia!” as the national anthem. They might have made everyone involved tens of millions more pounds. Nobody would ever question _Sgt. Pepper’s_ as the best album ever, as many people including me do today. > > The past is a different world. 😉 Nice. But then we’d have to debate about which would be better: Sgt Pepper’s with those two songs, or _ **Revolver** _ with _Rain_ and _Paperback Writer_? I give the edge to Strawberry+Penny Lane as the best double-A singles (but only a little bit!) but overall, would still look at Revolver as the best…IMHO, of course. ---
**Author:** ![weef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@weef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weef)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/8 "2014-04-01T12:16:27Z")
I’ve been listening to the album this way lately: Side one 1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” 3. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” 4. “Getting Better” 5. “Fixing a Hole” 6. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” 7. “Strawberry Fields Forever” Side two 1. “Penny Lane” 2. “When I’m Sixty-Four” 3 “Lovely Rita” 3. “Good Morning Good Morning” 4. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” 5. “A Day in the Life” Completely ignoring what would actually fit on an album side, I’ve removed “She’s Leaving Home” from side one and “Within You Without You” from side two (sorry George for removing your only contribution here). This lineup ends side one and starts side two extremely strong IMO and has a nice flow. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/9 "2014-04-01T13:31:07Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > [Not really.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17180438&postcount=52) Yes, they were originally thought of as part of the album. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/10 "2014-04-01T13:32:56Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > They would _not_ fit on the album, they would unbalance it. Sgt. Pepper’s fame is largely based upon its being the first true (or at least first successful) “concept album”, not that it really has a concept, but, unlike other LPs that had come before it, it hangs together as a coherent, unified performance, rather than just being a collection of songs. This partly depends on the fact that there is no true stand out song until it climaxes with “A Day in the Life”. It is good, up until then, but nothing to make you go “wow”. Squeezing “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields” onto it, at any point, would break its unity and turn it into just another collection of songs, like _Revolver_ or the White Album. > > THe way this material was released got it just right. Don’t try to mess with perfection. I disagree. The overall sound and feel are perfect for the context of the album. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/11 "2014-04-01T14:16:19Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > Yes, they were originally thought of as part of the album. TL,DR? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/12 "2014-04-01T14:23:30Z")
> [@weef](#): > > … > > Completely ignoring what would actually fit on an album side, I’ve removed “She’s Leaving Home” from side one and “Within You Without You” from side two (sorry George for removing your only contribution here). This lineup ends side one and starts side two extremely strong IMO and has a nice flow. I agree the Strawberry has to be the ending of the first side, and Penny to start off the second, but there’s no way the boys would take off Within You. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/13 "2014-04-01T14:30:09Z")
> [@weef](#): > > I’ve been listening to the album this way lately: > > Side one > > 1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” > 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” > 3. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” > 4. “Getting Better” > 5. “Fixing a Hole” > 6. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” > 7. “Strawberry Fields Forever” > > Side two > > 1. “Penny Lane” > 2. “When I’m Sixty-Four” > 3. “Lovely Rita” > 4. “She’s Leaving Home” > 5. “Good Morning Good Morning” > 6. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” > 7. “A Day in the Life” > > Completely ignoring what would actually fit on an album side, I’ve removed “She’s Leaving Home” from side one and “Within You Without You” from side two (sorry George for removing your only contribution here). This lineup ends side one and starts side two extremely strong IMO and has a nice flow. Here’s what I think: Side one 1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” 3. “Penny Lane” 4. “Getting Better” 5. “Fixing a Hole” 6. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” 7. “Strawberry Fields Forever” Side two 1. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” 2. “When I’m Sixty-Four” 3 “Lovely Rita” 3. “Within You and Without You” 4. “Good Morning Good Morning” 5. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” 6. “A Day in the Life” ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/14 "2014-04-01T14:45:27Z")
On second thought… 1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” 3. “Getting Better” 4. “Penny Lane” 5. “She’s Leaving Home” 6. “Good Morning Good Morning” 7. “Fixing a Hole” 8. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” 9. “Within You Without You” 10. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” 11. “When I’m Sixty-Four” 12. “Lovely Rita” 13. “Strawberry Fields Forever” 14. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” 15. “A Day in the Life” Here’s the album as it was originally released: 16. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” McCartney 2:02 17. “With a Little Help from My Friends” Starr 2:44 18. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” Lennon 3:28 19. “Getting Better” McCartney 2:48 20. “Fixing a Hole” McCartney 2:36 21. “She’s Leaving Home” McCartney[nb 7] 3:35 22. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” Lennon 2:37 23. “Within You Without You” Harrison 5:04 24. “When I’m Sixty-Four” McCartney 2:37 25. “Lovely Rita” McCartney 2:42 26. “Good Morning Good Morning” Lennon 2:41 27. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” Lennon, McCartney and Harrison[nb 8] 1:19 28. “A Day in the Life” ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/15 "2014-04-01T15:04:06Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Those born after 1967 probably need to be reminded that the reason that the songs were left off the album is that the Beatles wound up taking a whole year! to put out a new album and that was totally unacceptable to the record company, because if bands didn’t put out new material twice a year they would be forgotten. > > As a result the greatest double a-side single of them all was not released on an official album until many years later. And as if to prove EMI’s point, the single only went to #2 in Britain, behind Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Release Me.” > > No singles were released off of _Sgt. Pepper’s_. (In fact, it was normal up to that time to release singles separately from albums because British companies didn’t think people would buy songs twice. The American _Hey Jude_ album is a collection of these non-album singles.) But imagine if those songs were on the album and got the push of its incredible success. They might still be #1. They might have replaced “Rule, Britannia!” as the national anthem. They might have made everyone involved tens of millions more pounds. Nobody would ever question _Sgt. Pepper’s_ as the best album ever, as many people including me do today. > > The past is a different world. I remember that year, and wondered what the hell happened. When SF and PL came out I was floored. But they really belong with Sgt Pepper in terms of musical style. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/16 "2014-04-01T15:19:35Z")
1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” 3. “When I’m Sixty-Four” 4. “Penny Lane” 5. “She’s Leaving Home” 6. “Good Morning Good Morning” 7. “Fixing a Hole” 8. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” 9. “Getting Better” 10. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” 11. “Within You Without You” 12. “Lovely Rita” 13. “Strawberry Fields Forever” 14. “Baby You’re A Rich Man” 15. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” 16. “A Day in the Life” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/17 "2014-04-01T16:13:33Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > They would _not_ fit on the album, they would unbalance it. Maybe—I’m not sure whether I agree or not. I like the idea of ending side 1 with SFF and beginning side 2 with PL. But, though it’d be easy enough to do to listen to it that way, I’m not rushing to set up my own playlist or burn my own CD to actually listen to it this way; so maybe that means I think Sgt. Pepper already is the way God intended it. I don’t know… > [@](#): > > Sgt. Pepper’s fame is largely based upon its being the first true (or at least first successful) “concept album”, not that it really has a concept, but, unlike other LPs that had come before it, it hangs together as a coherent, unified performance, rather than just being a collection of songs. This partly depends on the fact that there is no true stand out song until it climaxes with “A Day in the Life”. It is good, up until then, but nothing to make you go “wow”. Squeezing “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields” onto it, at any point, would break its unity and turn it into just another collection of songs, like _Revolver_ or the White Album. I’m dubious over your claim that it was the _first_ “concept album” or coherent collection of songs. It may well be the first album of its kind if you define “its kind” narrowly enough, but I don’t think you’ve done so. But I’m at least _tempted_ to agree with the rest of what you said. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/18 "2014-04-01T16:20:35Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Maybe—I’m not sure whether I agree or not. I like the idea of ending side 1 with SFF and beginning side 2 with PL. But, though it’d be easy enough to do to listen to it that way, I’m not rushing to set up my own playlist or burn my own CD to actually listen to it this way; so maybe that means I think Sgt. Pepper already is the way God intended it. I don’t know… I’m dubious over your claim that it was the _first_ “concept album” or coherent collection of songs. It may well be the first album of its kind if you define “its kind” narrowly enough, but I don’t think you’ve done so. But I’m at least _tempted_ to agree with the rest of what you said. The period was a productive and creative one for the Beatles, and one could argue that several of the songs from \*Magical Mystery Tour \*would easily fit into the _Sgt Peppers_ album thematically. But SFF and PL \*were \*originally supposed to be included. They were released as singles early in 1967 instead. What do you think? 1. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” 2. “With a Little Help from My Friends” 3. “When I’m Sixty-Four” 4. “Penny Lane” 5. “She’s Leaving Home” 6. “Good Morning Good Morning” 7. “Fixing a Hole” 8. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” 9. “Getting Better” 10. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” 11. “Within You Without You” 12. “Lovely Rita” 13. “Strawberry Fields Forever” 14. “Baby You’re A Rich Man” 15. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” 16. “A Day in the Life” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/19 "2014-04-01T16:57:07Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > They would _not_ fit on the album, they would unbalance it. Sgt. Pepper’s fame is largely based upon its being the first true (or at least first successful) “concept album”, not that it really has a concept, but, unlike other LPs that had come before it, it hangs together as a coherent, unified performance, rather than just being a collection of songs. This partly depends on the fact that there is no true stand out song until it climaxes with “A Day in the Life”. It is good, up until then, but nothing to make you go “wow”. Squeezing “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields” onto it, at any point, would break its unity and turn it into just another collection of songs, like _Revolver_ or the White Album. > > THe way this material was released got it just right. Don’t try to mess with perfection. We think this way because this _Sgt. Pepper’s_ is the only one we know. The songs were not selected because they had coherency but because they happened to be the songs they composed at the time. After Paul came up with the concept the others shrugged and went on with their normal songwriting lives. You cannot say that “Within You Without You” or “A Day in the Life” has any tonal connection to “Mr. Kite” or “Lovely Rita.” I’d argue that any of several of their earlier UK album sets were at least as coherent and probably more so. If any other set of good songs were put on this album we would consider them to be the “right” coherent whole, accept no substitutes. Ruining an album by replacing poor songs by unquestionably superior songs (or just adding them) is a hard argument to defend. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043/20 "2014-04-01T17:09:47Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > We think this way because this _Sgt. Pepper’s_ is the only one we know. The songs were not selected because they had coherency but because they happened to be the songs they composed at the time. After Paul came up with the concept the others shrugged and went on with their normal songwriting lives. You cannot say that “Within You Without You” or “A Day in the Life” has any tonal connection to “Mr. Kite” or “Lovely Rita.” I’d argue that any of several of their earlier UK album sets were at least as coherent and probably more so. > > If any other set of good songs were put on this album we would consider them to be the “right” coherent whole, accept no substitutes. Ruining an album by replacing poor songs by unquestionably superior songs (or just adding them) is a hard argument to defend. Yes, the songs are really not that thematically unified. ‘Eleanor Rigby’ could easily replace ‘She’s Leaving Home’ as they are basically the same sort of song with similar pace, instrumentation, and theme. It’s actually a better tune, and I bet everyone would agree. The Sgt Pepper ‘gimmick’ is pretty much worn out by the end of side 1. Side 2 starts off in a completely different vein with Harrison’s number, then When I’m 64 destroys that mood. I really would not have put those two together like that. I might start off side 2 with Lucy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sgt-peppers-as-it-was-intended/685043.md?page=2)