Liverpool FC Forum

by **refisc** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 2:56 pm

hello from switzerland. can somebody help me. WHY is albert stubbins on the beatles cover "sgt pepper" ?? what the reason for that....

by **drummerphil** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:00 pm

WTF .......Another wind up surely

by **DAV** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:11 pm

This ‘Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (from now on, just ‘Sgt. Peppers) has been proclaimed as the best album The Beatles ever released. It might be right, in a technical way (I mean, technically, this album was an important improvement in music stile, and the use of fiddles and big orchestras wasn’t very common by the time the Beatles decided to fill their music with this new instruments, in a perfect combination of classical music and rock and roll), and it might be right if you have a quick look at the songs included. What I think, is that this album is their second best, just after ‘Abbey Road’, BUT I understand why too many people think this is the best one, you’ll see the reasons in this opinion. Anyway, what is for sure, is that this is the most influential album of popular music ever released.

To start with, there’s a lot of things very uncommon in this album (remember we are talking about an album released in 1967, and thou’ this was the year of this hippy movement, there’s a lot of people who say this hippy movement started in English music with the album I’m writing about, ‘Sgt. Peppers’). The first thing that will get your attention is the cover, a colourful picture with a lot of famous people related with music, politics, cinema, sports, or whatever. There is the word ‘Beatles’ written in front of all this people with red flowers, and four young Beatles (made with wax) beside the real ones, that are dressed up in a military colourful way. I’ve read a lot of stories about this photograph, some of them probably true, some of them probably false rumours. The thing is that each member of the band was supposed to choose a few idols to make a cover with pictures of them (interesting thing, but a mistake, because this would cost some money to the company, because of the rights to be paid for the use of these celebrity images). This was McCartney’s idea, he said he’d like their heroes to be on the album, as he realized ‘Sgt. Peppers’ was going to be a special album for them, they should have special people for them on it. At the beginning there were going to be 12 people, 12 heroes for The Beatles. They send a list to Robert Fraser (a prestigious photographer from London) with 12 names (after vetoing two of Lennon’s suggestions, Adolph Hitler and Jesus Christ, because this would offend people). Finally there were more names included, this ones (these are the identifiable figures, there are a few unidentifiable):
Sri Yukteswar Giri (an Indian guru, of course selected by Harrison), Aleister Crowley (a British magician), Mae West (film star), Lenny Bruce (American comedian), Karl Heinz Stockhausen (German composer), W.C. Fields (American screen comedian), Carl Gustaf Jung (psychiatrist), Edgar Allan Poe (Lennon’s favourite writer), Fred Astaire (dancer), Richard Merkin (American painter), Binnie Barnes (English actress that moved to America. She was Levis Presley’s next door neighbour), The Vargas Girl (A pin-up by Alberto Vargas), Huntz Hall (screen comedy actor), Simon Rodia (folk artist), Bob Dylan (American musician and a friend of the Beatles), Aubrey Beardsley (artist), Sir Robert Peel (former Prime Minister of Great Britain), Aldous Huxley (British author), Terry Southern (American author), Tony Curtis (American film star), Wallace Berman (American artist), Tommy Handley (Liverpool comedian), Marilyn Monroe (American screen star, McCartney’s choice), William Burroughs (American writer, McCartney’s choice), Sri Mahavatara Babaji (Indian guru, again selected by Harrison), Richard Linder (German artist), Oliver Hardy (screen star), Marx (German political theorist), H. G. Wells (British novelist), Sri Paramahansa Yogananda (Indian master selected by Harrison), Stuart Sutcliffe (former Beatle back in the 50’s), Dylan Thomas (Welsh poet), Dion (American singer), Dr. David Livingstone (Scottish missionary and explorer), Stan Laurel (Screen star, Hardy’s partner), George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwright), Julia Adams (American actress), Max Miller (British comedian), Lucille Ball (American comedienne), Marlon Brando (American actor), Tom Mix (Actor), Oscar Wilde (Irish Playwright, Lennon’s choice), Tyrone Power (Actor), Larry Bell (American artist), Johnny Weissmuller (Athlete), Stephen Crane (American author), Issy Bonn (British radio and music star), Albert Stubbins (soccer player), Albert Einstein (German scientific genius), H. C. Westermann (Sculptor), Sri Lahiri Mahayasa (Indian guru, Harrison’s choice), Lewis Carroll (London writer, Lennon’s choice), T. E. Lawrence (military), Sonny Liston (American boxer), Bobby Breen (singer), Marlene Dietrich (German film star), Dina Ross (British actress), Shirley Temple (American actress, with three images on the cover), and The Petty Girl (a image by George Petty).

And that’s it, more than 50 images of famous and important people (at least, important for some member of the band). In front of all this people, leading them, the Beatles, Paul holding a cor anglais, John holding a French horn, Ringo holding a trumpet and George holding a flute, with waxes figures of the young Beatles beside. On the floor in front of them, apart from the name of the band written with red flowers, a few sculptures and dolls. The sculpture just above the second ‘E’ of the word ‘Beatles’ is a sculpture from the front door of Lennon’s house. There’s also a garden gnome from Harrison’s garden, and a doll with the words ‘Welcome The Rolling Stones’ written on her jumper. The plants of the garden are pepperonia plants, and not marijuana plants as it was said. ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ was also the first album to have a gatefold sleeve, and the lyrics printed at the back cover (in the CD version, there’s a booklet including these lyrics). It also included a cardboard sheet of cut-outs. A new way to design a cover, far away from the usual one with the members of the band waving hello smiling.

by **DAV** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:14 pm

Hope that helps

by **66-1120597113** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:17 pm

Jeeeeeeeezus !

What has become of this place?

by **stmichael** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:20 pm

cheers dav. case closed

by **Sabre** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:20 pm

You tell me, you were lurking all the time!

Welcome back.

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