Re-flowing the Sergeant

[Karl Henning]

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (theres no apostrophe the album covers bass drum!), an iconic album with whose track ordering we are most of us irreversibly familiar . . . so I was intrigued by the following post:

Also:  George Martin said the greatest mistake he ever made was not including those songs ["Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane"] on Sgt. Pepper. I agree.

My question to the assembled brethren is:  Say we ought to include these two songs in the album.

What is the track ordering (and side break) of the emended Sgt Peppers?

(And do we simply add these two songs in, or do they substitute for one or two tracks on the album as we have it?)

[Szykneij]

Fun question! While I ponder my answer, here's the track listing:

Side one   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
1.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"     McCartney   2:02
2.   "With a Little Help from My Friends"     Starr   2:44
3.   "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"     Lennon   3:28
4.   "Getting Better"     McCartney   2:48
5.   "Fixing a Hole"     McCartney   2:36
6.   "She's Leaving Home"     McCartney[nb 25]   3:35
7.   "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"     Lennon   2:37
Side two   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
8.   "Within You Without You"     Harrison   5:04
9.   "When I'm Sixty-Four"     McCartney   2:37
10.   "Lovely Rita"     McCartney   2:42
11.   "Good Morning Good Morning"     Lennon   2:41
12.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" 1:19
13.   "A Day in the Life" 

[Szykneij]

Done pondering.

"Penny Lane" would be a good first track for the second side, either before or replacing "Within You, Without You."  I never really thought about it, but "Within You, Without You" is Harrison's only compositional contribution to the LP, and is the one tune I feel doesn't quite blend. I can't find a spot for "Strawberry Fields", which I think is too powerful and needs to stand alone.

[Mookalafalas]

To me they would have to go on side two, either bracketing or replacing "When I'm 64"--which, while charming and delightful, is a bit "off mood" to my mind...

[Mookalafalas]

by the way, when I first saw this thread title I thought you had some ominous plans for our own beloved Sergeant Rock...

[mn dave]

Side one   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
1.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"     McCartney   2:02
2.   "With a Little Help from My Friends"     Starr   2:44
3.   "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"     Lennon   3:28
4.   "Getting Better"     McCartney   2:48
5.   "Penny Lane"
6.   "She's Leaving Home"     McCartney[nb 25]   3:35
7.   "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"     Lennon   2:37
Side two   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
8.   "Strawberry Fields Forever"
9.   "When I'm Sixty-Four"     McCartney   2:37
10.   "Lovely Rita"     McCartney   2:42
11.   "Good Morning Good Morning"     Lennon   2:41
12.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" 1:19
13.   "A Day in the Life"

Dropping the Harrison and Fixing a Hole.

[Karl Henning]

. . . but "Within You, Without You" is Harrison's only compositional contribution to the LP, and is the one tune I feel doesn't quite blend.

Aye . . . although I think that is why it works well as the opener of Side 2, a sort of contrasting entr'acte.

[Karl Henning]

Side one   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
1.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"     McCartney   2:02
2.   "With a Little Help from My Friends"     Starr   2:44
3.   "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"     Lennon   3:28
4.   "Getting Better"     McCartney   2:48
5.   "Penny Lane"
6.   "She's Leaving Home"     McCartney[nb 25]   3:35
7.   "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"     Lennon   2:37
Side two   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
8.   "Strawberry Fields Forever"
9.   "When I'm Sixty-Four"     McCartney   2:37
10.   "Lovely Rita"     McCartney   2:42
11.   "Good Morning Good Morning"     Lennon   2:41
12.   "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" 1:19
13.   "A Day in the Life"

Dropping the Harrison and Fixing a Hole.

Interesting . . . I'll have to give that a test-spin this weekend.

"Penny Lane" would be a good first track for the second side, either before or replacing "Within You, Without You."  I never really thought about it, but "Within You, Without You" is Harrison's only compositional contribution to the LP, and is the one tune I feel doesn't quite blend. I can't find a spot for "Strawberry Fields", which I think is too powerful and needs to stand alone.

Although the longest album The Beatles had recorded to date, Sgt Peppers still clocks in crisply at less than 40 minutes, so (if an artistic flow can be settled upon) interleaving the double A-side singles (and keeping all the original tracks) will not necessarily make an unwieldy album.

The "problem" with "Penny Lane" is that McCartney contributed so much to the album already (singing 6 of the album's 13 tracks, and the "middle bit" of "A Day in the Life").  There is already a three-track stretch ("Getting Better" / "Fixing a Hole" / "She's Leaving Home"), which works partly because of the sequence of contrasting moods, partly because John sings some counterpoint on the last;  it's probably too much to ask, to find a way to fit "Penny Lane" in for a second 'triplet'.  And, because (as I mention) I do enjoy "Within You, Without You" as an entr'acte which is a bit The Other, I want to leave that as the start of Side 2.  So my suggestion is to slot "Penny Lane" in as track 3.  The tempo and swing of "Penny" seem to me almost an extension of "With a Little Help"; and I like the contrast between the close of "Penny" and the opening arpeggi of "Lucy."

We have a different "problem" with "Strawberry Fields Forever": its strength, as Tony remarks.  I agree that it would be too much of an intrusion upon "the main album."  Now, the idea was that "Sgt Pepper" and the reprise should serve as "bookends" for the album, but The Beatles themselves jettisoned that idea by following the reprise with the powerful encore of "A Day in the Life."  So my idea is:  insert "Strawberry Fields Forever" as an encore directly after the reprise – and then follow it with the yet stronger second encore, "A Day in the Life."

Obviously, there is no one "right" solution . . . this is simply my suggestion, and the reasons behind it.

Sgt Hennings Lonely Hearts Club Band

Side one   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
1.   "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"     McCartney   2:02
2.   "With a Little Help from My Friends"     Starr   2:44
3.   "Penny Lane"     McCartney   3:00
4.   "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"     Lennon   3:28
5.   "Getting Better"     McCartney   2:48
6.   "Fixing a Hole"     McCartney   2:36
7.   "She's Leaving Home"     McCartney   3:35
8.   "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"     Lennon   2:37

Side two   
No.   Title   Lead vocals   Length   
9.   "Within You, Without You"     Harrison   5:04
10.   "When I'm Sixty-Four"     McCartney   2:37
11.   "Lovely Rita"     McCartney   2:42
12.   "Good Morning Good Morning"     Lennon   2:41
13.   "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" 1:19
14.   "Strawberry Fields Forever"     Lennon   4:05
15.   "A Day in the Life"     Lennon/McCartney   5:39

Total album duration: 46:47

[North Star]

entr'acte.

A curious choice of word, Karl

There must be a dozen different Beatles threads by now, btw...

[Karl Henning]

Yeah, what's up with that, Dave? 

[mn dave]

Yeah, what's up with that, Dave? 

I've only started two.

[Karl Henning]

I've only started two.

Okay; and I've enjoyed participating in both