The year was 1966 and The Beatles decided to tour no more. Instead they would focus entirely on recording. They would not consider whether they could reproduce their new recordings live, they would instead think of the recording as the definitive "performance" of that song. 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was the end result of this new approach.

It was an album that was meant to be heard as whole (rather than as a collection of songs) and it included songs that were meant to be listened to intently as a work of "musical art" rather than merely to be sung along with or danced to.This was music for the mind. Music for the new psychedelic world of "The Summer of Love."

Certainly The Beatles had been moving in this direction already (hear 1966's Revolver as proof) but this album took the ideas the band had been cultivating up to that point to the next level.

1. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - This Paul McCartney rocker (a majority of the songs on Sgt. Pepper's were written by McCartney) starts the album off with a bang and really sets the "concept" for the rest of it. It's a loose concept (which keeps it from being overbearing unlike later concept albums by "prog" bands.) We're listening to a band (some other band, not The Beatles of our world, but The Beatles in some alternate reality) perform their show which will take us through all kinds of different moods from meditative indian music to tongue in cheek music hall to the swirling psychedelia of some fantastic circus. It's a journey which showcases how imaginative "pop music" can be. 
2. "With A Little Help From My Friends" - Ringo sings this Lennon/McCartney classic. What a lovely tune with simple but insightful lyrics.
3. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" - Arguably the most famous song on the album. This song is like a definition of psychedelia. It sounds even more trippy in the mono version (heard in The Beatles in Mono Box Set.)
   
4. "Getting Better" - It couldn't get much worse! In some ways I feel this song represents this album more than any other. Of course, that idea is kind of crazy, actually. What this album is really about can't be represented by any one song.
5. "Fixing A Hole" - Possibly McCartney's best lyrics.
6. "She's Leaving Home" - This sounds better in mono because it's a bit faster and up a semitone which gives it more energy. In comparison the stereo version is a bit of a drag. But it's a beautiful song either way.
7. "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" - I love the insane sounds during the instrumental bits of this song. I also love how much of the lyrics were taken word for word from an 1800s circus poster. A big part of real genius is finding inspiration in places where most people wouldn't.
   
8. "Within You Without You" - There are a lot of people who don't care for this song and I understand that. It really has little to do with The Beatles usual style. But I think that it's so other-worldly makes it the perfect track to sit in the middle of this album. It's the meditative place in the middle of the album that we come back from pretty quickly with the next song.
9. "When I'm Sixty Four" - From India to cheeky music hall. Just like that.
10. "Lovely Rita" - If there are any "overlooked" songs on an album as famous as this one it's probably tracks #10 and #11. And I'll admit I don't think these songs are quite as great as the rest of the album. But they are still really great songs.
11. "Good Morning Good Morning" - Probably my least favorite song on the album, but it still has it's moments.
12. "Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)" - Actually rocks harder than the first version.
13. "A Day In The Life" - The greatest song ever.