The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper at 50

Fifty years ago today, Capitol Records released the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the U.S. Two months later, my Aunt Mary gave me the album for my birthday. Astonishingly, nothing from the album was released as a single for AM radio. At 11, I was a big Beatles fan, but I couldn't figure out what I was listening to or looking at while holding the cover. First, the Fab Four had facial hair and had become adults. I felt abandoned and betrayed. Second, they were wearing what seemed to me to be the uncoolest outfits of all—circus costumes. Third, nothing I heard on the album made much sense. There was a hole, a mind was wandering, Lucy was in the sky, why she had diamonds I had no clue, there was a meter maid, the one and only Billy Shears, Paul was 64, there was a show at Bishop's Gate, a strange Indian song, the album's main song played again and some guy blew his mind out in a car. I listened to the album twice and set it aside, like a bitter piece of fruit. What a relief when the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour album was released in early November 1967. Equally incomprehensible packaging and messaging, but a welcome return to songs and music that sounded more like the old boys. 

Over the years, I came to understand and appreciate the album more. So did you. But I still felt, in the larger scheme of things, that it was candy-coated kitsch, English music hall meets Timothy Leary, a DayGlo action album with music and lyrics spattered about, and a self-indulgent psychedelic trip by a beloved group that listeners were forced to take over and over again when they put on the album. In other words, a self-indulgent bore.

Fast forward to April 28, 2017. That afternoon, I was invited with other music journalists to the McIntosh Townhouse in New York's SoHo to hear the new Sgt. Pepper album stereo remix by Giles Martin, son of the late George Martin, the Beatles' producer. Giles was there himself to play the entire album for journalists and take questions in advance of its release on May 26 (the anniversary of the album's U.K. debut). I settled into a leather club chair in the center of the large vaulted room facing what looked like about $100,000 in McIntosh stereo equipment and speakers.

I put my hands behind my head, slid down in the chair, stretched out my legs and closed my eyes as the album's opening audience chatter began. For the next 38 minutes, the new remixed Sgt. Pepper played undisturbed, from beginning to end. In a hot flash, everything about the once-puzzling and frustrating album came into fine relief and made perfect sense.

Giles's mix was nothing short of astonishing. He used contemporary and 1967 technology for the mix to tease out more of the oddities found on the original mono version (a stereo version also was produced in 1967 but it was one of those quirky affairs, with different vocals and instruments on left and right speakers). Giles also used first-generation tapes rather than their subsequent mixdowns, which produced a clearer and more dynamic sound in the remix. In the process, colors and instruments that had been blurry or buried were teased out. Vocal harmony notes were revealed and the album's bottom was now larger and more pronounced. Hearing the album was nothing short of an awakening unlike anything I'd ever experienced while listening to a rock re-issue.

Mind you, my revelation had nothing to do with the posh McIntosh sound system, since my arm hairs also went up each time I listened to the album on my office stereo system. I think the best way to explain what has happened here is to think of the new 50th anniversary remix as a museum-quality Rembrandt restoration. Imagine a dull masterpiece cleaned with delicate care—leaving the painting's original color palette but removing time's grime to reveal the artist's original intent. The result is a much richer and brighter image and experience. As I mentioned to Giles after his presentation, the album's bass and drums now are so artfully pronounced that one is moved to dance to it.

The more I listened to the remix in my office, the more I realized what a remarkable work the album truly was in 1967, held back only by the era's technological limitations. What Sgt. Pepper lacked in traditional tune-smithing it more than made up for in Byzantine density and expansive studio wizardry. I always felt the album sounded two-dimensional, despite Sir George's best efforts. I also thought it felt dim even in its subsequent digital reissues. Now the album is actually haunting to hear, since the music is so expansive. I found it took me back in time and propelled me forward. It's as if half your brain wants to revisit the past, when you first heard the album, while the other half is pulled forward with the excitement of its futuristic feel.

Listening to the new remix, I came to realize that it's exactly what my mind yearned for in the first place—a dazzling display of gems and the spectacle of watching light play on the facets. This is what you have in the 50th anniversary edition—resplendence and the album's riddle solved. With the collage textures delineated, everything makes sense. As I sat there with my eyes closed, the sensation was like being on an amusement park ride. The soaring vocals were more exhilarating and the sudden instrumental drops were more like stomach-in-throat plunges. An iMax experience for the ears. Finally, Aunt Mary's birthday gift makes sense.

Some highlights to listen for...

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band—Ringo's snare strikes, the punch of the French horns on the break, Paul's snarky bass, his vocal harmonies with John, the waspy lead guitar and the instrumental descent and vocal harmony prior to With a Little Help From My Friends.

With a Little Help From My Friends—the textured vocal harmonies ("Are you sad because you're on your own?"), Paul's bending bass line, Ringo's plaintive vocal, and the complexity of the vocal harmony toward the end.

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds—the psychedelic brightness of Paul's Lowrey organ with a celeste-like setting, the sound of John's terse vocal, the rich density of voices on the chorus, the punch of Paul's bass and the dense carousel quality of the outro.

Getting Better—the hi-hat crashes, the strength of the bass, the Beach Boys-like vocal harmony, George Martin's keyboards.

Fixing a Hole—George Martin's harpsichord, Paul's unhinged bass, George Harrison's lead guitar, and the choral "oohs and ahhs" that fill in the background in the second half.

She's Leaving Home—Sheila Bromberg's worried harp, the nervous cellos, Paul's lead vocal, John's double-tracked responding vocal, the alarming violins, Paul's Brian Wilson-like falsetto ("Fun is the one thing that money can't buy"), and now the noticeable absence of Ringo's drums and George Harrison's guitar. Neither of them played on this song.

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!—the play between Paul's bass and Ringo's cymbal, George Martin's swirling harmonium and Lowrey organ, the density of the tape-loops during the wind down and the abrupt stop at the end

Within You Without You—the weightless quality of the percussion instruments: the dilrubas, tabla, swarmandal and tambura, and the strings that were barely noticed before.

When I'm 64—Paul's retro radio vocal, the woody effect of the two clarinets and bass clarinet and Ringo's tubular bells.

Lovely Rita—George Martin's piano, George Harrison's kazoo, the vocal harmony throughout and Ringo's driving drums

Good Morning, Good Morning—the Wall of Sound rush from the start aided and abetted by the plastic-sounding saxophones and horns, John's lead vocal and Paul's lead guitar.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)—the thumping bass and drums, and the tight vocal harmonies.

A Day in the Life—Paul's piano, John's vocal, the vocal harmonies, Paul's thick bass and the extended last chord that is held until it burns out (only to reappear years later as the booting-up chord found on all Apple computers).

Bonus material—alternate takes and mixes of many of the album's songs, including Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, which were supposed to be on the original album but were left off and released as a double-sided single instead. They then appeared on the Magical Mystery Tour album.

JazzWax tracks: The super deluxe 50th anniversary edition of Sgt. Pepper comes with four CDs, a Blu-Ray and DVD with audio and visual material, and a highly fascinating 145-page hardback book detailing the conception and recording of the album. The four CDs include the new Giles Martin remix, two session CDs with eye-widening bonus material, and the original mono album with bonus tracks. Go here.

The new release, of course, comes in a range of configurations (single CD download), the book (by Brian Southall), deluxe (two CDs) and so on. It's also on Spotify. But if you are a Beatles fan and the album has personal significance, my suggestion is to treat yourself and buy the super deluxe edition ($149). Especially if you have a decent stereo system for digital music (there's no vinyl in this set). The Giles Martin re-mix is spectacular but so are the two CDs of bonus tracks and the large,12-inch format book and DVD/Blu-Ray. Just skip that dinner for two at the restaurant you thought was going to be great but will turn out to stink. Use the tab for self-gifting.

Here's a promo for the album...

      

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Jazz Feel in New York Film

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Here's D.A. Pennebaker's Daybreak Express, inspired by Duke Ellington's recording. The 15-minute film, from 1953, captured New York's Third Ave. elevated train two years before it was torn down, with Ellington's music as a backdrop...

Here's Francis Thompson's N.Y., N.Y. from 1957, a collection of New York scenes that he captured with a special kaleidoscopic lens...

Here's Shirley Clarke's Bridges-Go-Round from 1958, featuring a montage of New York's bridges with superimposition. (In 1961, Clarke would film The Connection, with pianist Freddie Redd and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean)...

And here's William Klein's Broadway by Light, from 1958, which gives you a sense of Martin Scorsese's inspiration for the nocturnal Times Square scenes in Taxi Driver...

Bonus: Here are musical selections from Shirley Clarke's The Connection. Clarke died in 1997...

       

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Frank Deford (1938-2017)

Frank Deford, a legendary sportswriter with Sports Illustrated from 1962 to 1989 and again from 1998 to the present, as well as an NPR sports commentator for the past 32 years, died on May 28. He was 78.

Frank had a way of profiling sports legends with deceptively simple language and colorful insights that became the gold standard for sports magazine feature writing. When I worked for the sports section of The New York Times between 1980 and '85, Frank's profiles in SI would force me to stop what I was doing and sit down slowly in the newsroom while reading them. Frank wrote with an engaging everyman style that made you feel as if you were hitchhiking and had just been picked up by a truck driver who wanted to tell you a story. Frank's style never forced you to reach for a dictionary nor did he dumb down what he wanted to say. The story came first, then his prose.

So imagine my joy last May when I had an opportunity to interview Frank for my "Playlist" column in the Wall Street Journal. On the phone, Frank told me about why Someone to Watch Over Me had personal meaning. I then wrote the story Frank told me in his voice. During our conversation, Frank was a joy—funny, easy going and highly complimentary. When we were finished 30 minutes later, I came to realize that at his core, Frank was a gentleman and a humorist in the Mark Twain tradition.

Here's my "Playlist" column interview with Frank, as told to me and crafted in Frank's voice as he spoke. And like all of Frank's profiles over the years, he had a great story to tell:

Frank Deford on Gershwin’s
‘Someone to Watch Over Me’

The sportswriter ends up with
the right piano-bar request

Late in the summer of 1964, I was down at the Delaware shore with a bunch of guys who had rented a beach house. One night, we threw a party, and I spotted a girl who knocked me out. She looked like a fashion model. Lightning struck.

Over the next couple of days we spent a lot of time together. Carol was indeed a top runway model, and I was head over heels for her. I sensed maybe she was actually buying my act, too.

Back in New York, I asked Carol out to dinner. Afterward we went to a snazzy piano bar nearby. I was more smitten than ever. She was smart and funny.

We sat around the piano, and at some point the piano player asked me what I wanted to hear. The first song I thought of was Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business,” but I knew it wasn’t appropriate for that place.

Instead I asked for “Ace in the Hole,” a sassy Cole Porter show tune urging women to have a guy on the side, since most men invariably disappoint. Feeling smug, I looked over at Carol. She didn’t know the song and wasn’t amused. The whole thing was an awkward mess.

Despite my offbeat taste in show tunes, romance blossomed, and Carol and I were engaged. At which point I said to her, “I was in love with you from the moment I saw you.” She said, “I thought I was too, until you asked the piano player for ‘Ace in the Hole’—whatever that was.”

“What would you’ve wanted to hear?” I asked. Carol said she was hoping for something sweet and tender from me, ideally George Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me”—you know, “There’s a somebody I’m longin’ to see / I hope that he / turns out to be / Someone to watch over me.”

Carol and I married a year after meeting, and we’ll be together 51 years this August. Her favorite version of the song is by Ella Fitzgerald.

Now, every time we’re out and there’s live music, I play it safe and request “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Carol still loves my sense of humor—just not at piano bars. (c) Marc Myers

Thanks for being an inspiration Frank. I'm glad we had a chance to chat.

JazzWax notes: Here's a sampling of Frank's work for Sports Illustrated (go here). And here's a sampling of Frank's NPR commentaries (go here).

       

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Larry Elgart in the Early '60s

Larry Elgart deserves respect, and it looks like he's finally receiving some with the release of a new two-fer from Blue Moon Records—Larry Elgart and His Orchestra: Sophisticated Sixties (1960) and The Shape of Sounds to Come (1961). I've never been a huge fan, but then again I never gave Larry Elgart or his bandleader brother Les much of a chance. Instead, I was more fond of the Maynard Ferguson band during this early '60s period, an orchestra that still sounds like tigers leaping out of trees. Larry Elgart always sounded a little safe—with fairly straight-up easy-going arrangements like those recorded by Enoch Light and Les Brown during this time period. But listening to this new CD, I realize now I have to revisit the Elgarts, particularly Larry.

These two Elgart albums exhibit the band's abilities at its best. They also show off the band's signature sound—the reeds playing tip-toeing staccato notes in the manner of someone sneaking home at a late hour holding a pair of shoes. The staccato reed notes are reminiscent of the Hal Kemp Orchestra's punctuating muted trumpets in the 1930s.

To give Larry Elgart his just due, his bands were strong and agile. The arrangements on Sophisticated Sixties were by Ernie Wilkins, John Murtaugh and Roger Middleton, and they weren't easy. The same goes for The Shape of Sounds to Come, with arrangements by Murtaugh, Marty Holms, Bill Finegan, Bobby Scott and Lew Gluckin. Unfortunately, the musicians on both albums were never credited by MGM so they don't turn up in jazz discographies.

Larry Elgart grew up in New London, Ct., and learned to play piano from his concert pianist mother. Then he switched to the clarinet and later studied the flute with the girl next door who would become his wife. When his high school needed a tenor saxophonist, Elgart auditioned and won the chair. He eventually switched to alto saxophone, the instrument on which he would record prolifically. While studying with saxophonist Hymie Shertzer, his teacher placed him with Charlie Spivak's orchestra. Larry was all of 17. At 23 in 1945, Larry teamed with his older brother, Les, who played the trumpet, to form an orchestra. The band lasted only until 1948. In 1953, the brothers signed with Columbia Records and together began turning out best-selling dance-band albums.

Larry Elgart is still with us at 95. His brother Les died in 1995.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Larry Elgart and His Orchestra: Sophisticated Sixties and The Shape of Sounds to Come here and here.

JazzWax clips: Here's a great arrangement of That's All on Sophisticated Sixties...

That's All

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I've Got You Under My Skin

      

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