The Beatles Sgt. Peppers 50th Anniversary is Shipping and fans love it
By Stephen Pate – The 50th Anniversary re-issue of The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band comes in 4 editions. The re-issue is shipping and we dish on what’s in each version.
Each version of Sgt. Peppers 50th Anniversary has the new 2017 stereo re-mastered version of the original album plus an array of extras including ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ which were left off the album and released as singles earlier.
Not surprisingly, the Deluxe Box Set is the Amazon.com #1 seller in rock and pop CD’s and vinyl. Fans of The Beatles want to have everything. The box set is the ultimate Sgt. Peppers’ experience and the one I ordered. I was thrilled when it arrived and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
In the UK, the vinyl edition is the most popular. The 2-CD version is the best value deal at US $15.99 for 2 CD’s. iTunes is featuring the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Deluxe Edition) – The Beatles which is #12 in top albums.
There are enough differences between the editions to complicate picking the right version to buy. I will try to clear the air with a summary of each edition and details for each. Complete track listings are compared for all 4 versions after the summaries.
Outside the USA? Compare local and US Prices
Prices vary by country. If you live outside the USA, it pays to compare the landed costs which includes the item, freight and taxes and duty. For example, the lowest landed cost for the box set is $18 less from Amazon.com US compared to Amazon.ca the Canadian store.
On the other hand, the vinyl edition is $48 Canadian from Amazon.ca with free shipping and taxes but $54 is landed from from the US Amazon.com when you add shipping, exchange and taxes
The Beatles Sgt. Peppers 50th 1-CD
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition – this is the basic 1-CD version of the original album. It has been re-mixed by “Giles Martin in stereo, sourced directly from the four-track masters at Abbey Road Studios in London, and guided by the original, Beatles-preferred mono mix produced by his father, George Martin.”
The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt Peppers was mixed differently in the original stereo release. Some people like the mono version since the stereo version has documented differences and again, some say, weaknesses. I have both and like them.
The original stereo release at least doesn’t have the voices and one side and instruments on the other of earlier crude Beatles albums in stereo. We have to remember in the early to mid-1960’s stereo records were usually classical and jazz recordings. Teenagers didn’t normally own a stereo. Not much attention was paid to stereo rock and roll records until 1966 to 1969. The Beatles had stereo mixes but they were an afterthought.
Shop – Amazon.com.
Did The Fantastic Beatles Sgt. Peppers Album Blow Your Mind?
The Beatles Sgt Peppers 50th 2-CDs
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2 CD Deluxe Edition is a bargain for fans who want the modern mix of the original album plus some out-takes. You get the extra CD of out-takes for just $2 more.
The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
It also includes the 2 songs from the same recording cycle left off the first release – ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’ “The second CD also includes a new stereo mix and a previously unreleased instrumental take of ‘Penny Lane,’ and the 2015 stereo mix and two previously unreleased alternate takes of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.'”
The 2 missing songs gets brought up regularly in the Facebook Beatles groups. People want those two songs in their set for Sgt. Peppers. In a way, The Beatles have listened 50 years later.
Shop – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2 CD Deluxe Edition from Amazon.com. Follow the links the 2-CD set is hard to find for some reason. On iTunes the link is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Deluxe Edition) – The Beatles.
The Beatles Sgt Peppers 50th Vinyl 2 LP’s
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2 LP Anniversary Edition vinyl edition is almost identical to the 2-CD Deluxe version, except it does not have ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’
The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
“This expanded 180-gram 2 LP vinyl gate fold package features the new stereo album mix on the first LP and adds a second LP with previously unreleased alternate takes for each of the album’s 13 songs, newly mixed in stereo and sequenced in the same order as the album.”
With the vinyl, you get the same gate fold that we bought back in 1967, with The Beatles in their resplendent Sgt. Peppers uniforms. Vinyl is very popular today. People like the sound, vibe and full-size artwork of vinyl. You can hold the cover in your hands and read the liner notes which include the lyrics.
Shop – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2 LP Vinyl from Amazon.com. In Great Britain, it’s the #1 record on vinyl.
The Beatles Sgt Peppers 50th 6 disc box set
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 4 CD DVD Blu-ray Combo Super Deluxe Ed Box set is the ultimate version. It’s #1 for all CD’s and vinyl in pop and rock at Amazon.com. The box set is a quality product with 3 dimensional rendition of the original cover art, the music remixed in stereo and 5.1, posters, the 1992 making of video and a very good book. It’s not that expensive compared with other recent box sets and in my opinion an excellent value.
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (6 Disc) Box set
4 Audio CDs:
The new stereo mix is the same as the 1-CD, 2-CD and vinyl. It also has “Sgt. Pepper Sessions on 2 CDs with over 100 minutes of audio illustrating how the album was created. Newly mixed from the original four-track tapes, most of the material is previously unreleased. Also contains the original 1967 mono mix of the album and bonus tracks including three previously unreleased mixes.”
Blu-Ray/DVD:
The restored 1992 documentary ‘The Making of Sgt. Pepper’ is more informative and entertaining than any of the stories being published around the 50th anniversary. It has informative first person interviews with Paul, George and Ringo. George Martin demonstrates how the songs were built and mixed in his sauve manner. Also on the disk are videos for ‘A Day In The Life’, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘Penny Lane’.
Hi-res audio disc
2017 Giles Martin 5.1 surround sound mix and high-resolution stereo audio in 96 KHz / 24 bit of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band plus ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ and ‘Penny Lane’.
Book
144-page hardback book with an introduction by Sir Paul McCartney, comprehensive song-by-song details and recording information, in-depth essays about the design of the cover, the album’s musical innovations and its historical context. Illustrations include photographs from the recording sessions, handwritten lyrics and Abbey Road documentation.
In the box is a replica of the original card insert and two bonus posters.
This is the ultimate Sgt. Peppers’ experience and the one I ordered. I was thrilled when it arrived and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
Shop – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 4 CD DVD Blu-ray Combo from Amazon.com.
The Beatles Sgt. Peppers 4 Editions Track Listings and Contents
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Editions | ||||
| CD | 2-CD Deluxe | 2 LP Vinyl | 4 CD DVD Blu ray | |
| Disk 1 / LP 1 – 2017 Mix | ||||
| Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band | X | X | X | X |
| With a Little Help From My Friends | X | X | X | X |
| Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds | X | X | X | X |
| Getting Better | X | X | X | X |
| Fixing a Hole | X | X | X | X |
| She’s Leaving Home | X | X | X | X |
| Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite | X | X | X | X |
| Within You Without You | X | X | X | X |
| When I’m Sixty Four | X | X | X | X |
| Lovely Rita | X | X | X | X |
| Good Morning Good Morning | X | X | X | X |
| Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) | X | X | X | X |
| A Day In The Life | X | X | X | X |
| Disk 2 / LP 2 – alternate takes | ||||
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Take 9) | X | X | Box D 2 | |
| With A Little Help From My Friends (Take 1 – False Start And Take 2 | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Take 1) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| Getting Better (Take 1 – Instrumental And Speech At The End) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| Fixing A Hole (Speech And Take 3) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 – Instrumental) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! – (Take 4) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| Within You Without You (Take 1 – Indian Instruments) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| When I’m Sixty – Four (Take 2) | X | X | Box D 2 | |
| Lovely Rita (Speech And Take 9) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| Good Morning Good Morning – (Take 8) | X | X | Box D 2 | |
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise – Take 8) | X | X | Box D 3 | |
| A Day In The Life (Take 1 With Hummed Last Chord) | X | X | Box D 2 | |
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7) | X | Box D 2 | ||
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26) | X | Box D 2 | ||
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Stereo Mix – 2015) | X | Box D 2 | ||
| Penny Lane (Take 6 – Instrumental) | X | Box D 2 | ||
| Penny Lane (Stereo Mix – 2017) | X | Box D 2 | ||
| Disk 2 – the missing tracks and outtakes | ||||
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 1) | X | |||
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 4) | X | |||
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7) | X | |||
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26) | X | |||
| Strawberry Fields Forever (Stereo Mix – 2015) | X | |||
| When I’m Sixty – Four (Take 2) | X | |||
| Penny Lane (Take 6 – Instrumental) | X | |||
| Penny Lane (Vocal Overdubs And Speech) | X | |||
| Penny Lane (Stereo Mix 2017) | X | |||
| A Day In The Life (Take 1) | X | |||
| A Day In The Life (Take 2) | X | |||
| A Day In The Life (Orchestra Overdub) | X | |||
| A Day In The Life (Hummed Last Chord, Takes 8, 9, 10 and 11) | X | |||
| A Day In The Life (The Last Chord) | X | |||
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Take 1 – Instrumental) | X | |||
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Take 9 And Speech) | X | |||
| Good Morning Good Morning (Take 1 – Instrumental, Breakdown) | X | |||
| Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8) | ||||
| Disc: 3 – more outtakes | ||||
| Fixing A Hole (Take 1) | ||||
| Fixing A Hole (Speech And Take 3) | X | |||
| Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! (Speech From Before Take 1; Take 4 And Speech At End) | X | |||
| Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! (Take 7) | ||||
| Lovely Rita (Speech And Take 9) | ||||
| Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Take 1 And Speech At The End) | ||||
| Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Speech, False Start And Take 5) | ||||
| Getting Better (Take 1 – Instrumental And Speech At The End) | ||||
| Getting Better (Take 12) | ||||
| Within You Without You (Take 1 – Indian Instruments Only) | ||||
| Within You Without You (George Coaching The Musicians) | ||||
| She’s Leaving Home (Take 1 – Instrumental) | ||||
| She’s Leaving Home (Take 6 – Instrumental) | X | |||
| With A Little Help From My Friends (Take 1 – False Start And Take 2 | X | |||
| Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Speech And Take 8) | X | |||
| Disc: 4 – mono version | ||||
| Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Mono) | X | |||
| With A Little Help From My Friends (Mono) | X | |||
| Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Mono) | X | |||
| Getting Better (Mono) | X | |||
| Fixing A Hole (Mono) | X | |||
| She’s Leaving Home (Mono) | X | |||
| Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite! (Mono) | X | |||
| Within You Without You (Mono) | X | |||
| When I’m Sixty Four (Mono) | X | |||
| Lovely Rita (Mono) | X | |||
| Good Morning Good Morning (Mono) | X | |||
| Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Mono) | X | |||
| A Day In The Life (Mono) | X | |||
| Bonus tracks | ||||
| Strawberry Fields Forever(Original Mono Mix) | X | |||
| Penny Lane (Original Mono Mix) | X | |||
| A Day In The Life (Unreleased First Mono Mix) | X | |||
| Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Unreleased Mono Mix – No. 11) | X | |||
| She’s Leaving Home (Unreleased First Mono Mix) | X | |||
| Penny Lane (Capitol Records U.S. Promo Single – Mono Mix) | X | |||
| Disc: 5 | ||||
| The Making of Sgt. Pepper DVD Music Video | X | |||
| Disc: 6 | ||||
| Blu – Ray Audio Music Video | X | |||
Leave a Reply