Lennon caused a bit of a controversy by claiming the Beatles were bigger than Crist. 
I got the new issues, and they are different than the last CDs, which were good. SP continues to amaze. AR is still my favorite, a more mature work.
I know – where did he get the idea that they were bigger than the future Republican governor of Florida? Well, actually, they were bigger than him, then…700 pounds to maybe 140 or so.
Sorry – must respond to the OP! Great to hear someone discover this work (or any masterpiece) at this late date – thanks for sharing!
Actually, Lennon kind of recanted and said that while Crist was OK, it was his “apostle”, Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, that earned his ire, what with his "twisting’ of Crist’s message.
And the album is awesome as well.
John’s infamous quip about The Beatles being more popular than Jesus was so controversial that it overshadowed the group’s earlier encounter with this Muslim fellow.
I like She’s Leaving Home. It is an excellent description of parental alienation. Well-to-do parents who have provided all the material needs of a young woman, and none of the emotional needs. And they can’t understand that she needs more than that.
Simple, bleak, description of why so many young people went looking for something else in those days.
And I was a teen way back then.
I remember the day when SP was released. I was the first person I knew who had a copy, and we all just sat there and heard all those songs for the very first time. It was an amazing experience,
That song’s been heavily criticised and I’ve heard somewhere that Lennon later said he shouldn’t have written it.
With regard to Sgt Pepper, I believe Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were intended for it. However the record company pressed them to release a single and the songs ended up being left off it. In my opinion they’re both as good as anything on the album and I think it’s a shame they weren’t on it - I wonder what the running order would have been. Also, the single broke what would have been the Beatles’ perfect 1962-70 number 1 streak in Britain, being kept at number 2 by Englebert Humperdink.
I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the new releases, but I’m a cheapskate, so it’ll be awhile.
Also – my wife inherited almost their entire (U.S.) catalogue on vinyl. But we don’t have a turntable! Arrrgh!
–Cliffy
The new remasters, in my and many others’ opinion, are not that noticeably different. So I’d say that you’re not missing out by not having them.
I could tell a difference. I had Sgt. Peppers, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Help, and A Hard Day’s Night on my MP3 player along with the non-remastered White Album and Abbey Road. I put it on shuffle, and every time it switched from a WA or AR song to one of the other albums, I could tell the difference immediately. It’s subtle. I’m not saying that it’ll change your life and how you view the Beatles, but it reminds me of the remastered episodes of Star Trek. When you’re watching them, you can’t really see a difference. When you watch them side by side with the non-remastered versions, the differences leap right out at you.
Sure took you a long time to post in this thread, pepperlandgirl! Do you have the mono versions? I’m so curious to hear how they sound.
I do have the mono versions and I’m really enjoying them. I think that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Fixing a Hole both really benefited.
I think my problem was that I read several reviews that went overboard on how different they were, so my expectations were very high. Too high, maybe. The greatest benefit I’ve had from these re-releases has been that it’s reminded me to listen again to them, and to rediscover just how amazingly great they are.
I have Sgt Pepper on my mp3 player in three versions: the 1989 (?) CD, this new remaster, and the original mono version. The latter is the best, IMO. The stereo versions of their earlier albums were mastered (to today’s ears) in a very amateurish way. The Beatles only approved the original mono recording, and left the engineers to create the stereo version. They had no involvement in it.
I was going to say that the stereo version seems amateurish because, at the time, they didn’t know any better; but then I thought of other albums of the time that do use stereo effectively. Pink Floyd’s ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ for example; also recorded at Abbey Road at the same time. So I don’t know why Geoff Emerick et al didn’t manage to do a better job.