(Conversely, Abbey Road, recorded in the aftermath of the naked hell of Let It Be, was a deliberate and clearly stated attempt to make a record like Sgt. Paul McCartney once said of his solo career that each new album was a reaction to the previous one, and so it was with the rest of the Beatles’ career: the White Album is almost a polar opposite to Pepper, with its plain cover, half-produced songs and movement away from experiment. Pepper, its novelties aside, is a brilliant record.

You may have other, preferred Beatles albums, but Sgt. Even its weakest track, Good software uiphraseguid=“8c4dfa2b-debc-4db6-aca5-a5bc51566f3b”>Morning Good Morning, has a strange, basic charm (and I often wonder if the writer of Meet The Wife, the now obscure British TV programme name checked in John Lennon’s lyric, ever got a thrill from hearing his show name-checked in a Beatles record). This album, like all great albums, has so much for the listener to unpack that you can still find new things in it half a century later. The intro to Lovely Rita (and Paul McCartney’s inspired cry of ‘Rita!’) the warmth of With A Little Help the spooky brilliance of A Day In The Life the reprise of the title track the daring of Within You, Without You the internal rhyming of ‘and’ and ‘grand’ in When I’m Sixty Four. Even without all the experiments, the tapes being thrown in the air, orchestral climaxes and use of Indian musicians, this is (largely) a set of extraordinary songs. The first thing to say is that, despite all the revisions over the years, it’s still a brilliant album. Pepper is as deluxe as most of its original fans will ever experience it. Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever are along for the ride this time, but yet again fans are denied Carnival Of Light, the epic instrumental that may be as unlistenable as it is unavailable. This time round it’s available in anything from one to six discs, with remixes, out-takes and extra tracks. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is now 50, and once more walks among us, demanding appreciation and love.

The beatles let it be album rar