The Larry Kane Report

Okay! This is not a plug for the paperback of my best-selling Lennon Revealed - a riveting account of John Lennon’s adult life. The book is on sale everywhere, and I will be at the Book Expo in New York on Saturday.

Now that I have that out of the way….

Today is the 40th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, an epic album in the history of recorded music. For the Beatles, who took 129 days to produce this album, it was a turning point - a move away from their already amazing music to the psychidelic (or psycho-delicious world) being created in the late sixties. When the album first came out, a New York Times critic called it “fraudulent.” The Times of London called it a seminal moment in the history of wester civililization.

The album was more like a broadwayt play, a symphony of futuristic delights. The album cover still motivates controversy. But there is one definite message. The Beatles, dressed up in their Sgt. Pepper’s regalia, stand next to pictures of the Beatles of 1964. It is a sign that, “Yes world. We are grown up and marching to a different tune.”

The drug references are obvious, and in retrospect, not very responsible. Unfprtunately Ringo and John took the lyrics seriously, fighting drug and alcohol abuse for years. But the Beatles also seemed to be reflecting where people seemed head during a tense time of war and racism

The album was greeted with shock and delight. John told me later that the “boys” were stunned by its success. Songs like Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, A Day in the Life. A Little Help from my Friends, Lovely Rita, and When I’m 64, became iconic, along with Sgt. Peppers. New instruments were used. The entire album was scintillating.

By the way, the album was released on June 1 in England - June 3 in the U.S.

I have great memories but I can’t believe that 40 years have passed.