40 years ago, Sgt. Pepper taught a band to play

Occasionally I’ll hear an argument that Babe Ruth was overrated. Detractors contend that, measured today, he’d be just a flabby carouser whose lust for hot dogs, whiskey, females and late hours would keep him trapped in the low minor leagues, if he got even that far.

That position is misguided, because the only realistic measure of the man is to evaluate him in the context of his times. And history is clear on that: During Ruth’s era, he dominated, he changed the game, he was larger than life.

The same approach applies to countless other topics. Sometimes I will recommend an old film to a friend, like “Double Indemnity.” He or she will watch and then proceed to dismiss the heavy-handed direction, hard-boiled dialogue or the stylized acting, which will cause me to point out that, in the context of its times, that picture was groundbreaking and audacious.

All of this comes to mind because the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” considered one of the greatest albums of all time, soon will celebrate its 40^th anniversary (it was released in the UK on June 1, 1967, and a day later in the U.S.). In the context of its time, “Sgt. Pepper” was a head-turning marvel. It trod new sonic territory with its experimental use of multi-track recording, with its unconventional orchestrations, with its lyrical impact both playful and profound, with its dazzling cover art and with the very sequence of the songs.

But here’s how it differs from Ruth, “Double Indemnity” and scads of other cultural landmarks: It hasn’t lost a step, it hasn’t fallen from favor. It does not need to be viewed in the context of its times in order to be appreciated. “Sgt. Pepper” is just as artistically and technically significant today as it was upon its initial release 40 years ago.

Of course, failing to view it in the context of its times would be to miss out on a lot of fun, for aficionados of popular music in general and Beatles freaks in particular.

At a turning point
In 1966, the Beatles were done with screaming girls. They had been a hugely successful touring band, but they grew weary of the road. It wasn’t just the crowds in hotel lobbies and outside their windows, or the airport schleps, or the international customs hassles. They just couldn’t hear themselves anymore. The din of young hysterical females proved to be more formidable than their nightly performances of “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Eight Days a Week.”

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So they decided to stop touring and channel all their creative efforts into studio work.

About that time, Paul McCartney got an idea. It came to him on a flight. Amused by the sudden proliferation of bands with wacky names — Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Canned Heat — he imagined a concept album involving a fictitious band named “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” that was made up of the Beatles’ alter-egos.

What eventually became “Sgt. Pepper” the album isn’t his exact idea come to life, but it grew from that seed. And the notion of a fake group with different names — Ringo Starr was Billy Shears, for instance — appealed to the lads’ desire to escape the burden of being themselves.

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Beatles fans may argue amongst themselves — everybody has a favorite, after all — but the critical consensus seems to be that “Sgt. Pepper” represented the band’s high-water mark. It came out almost a year after “Revolver,” and well after executives at Capitol Records had begun pestering George Martin for a new Beatles release.

More importantly, the recording occurred at a time when there was relative peace in the band. John Lennon wouldn’t begin his relationship with Yoko Ono until 1968. Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ manager who was their mortar, would die two months after the release of “Sgt. Pepper,” of an accidental drug overdose, an event that fragmented the group and accelerated its demise.

Not only were the Beatles still in a music-making frame of mind as a group, but eschewing live performances worldwide and instead confining themselves to the four walls of a studio (and/or their respective residences, which often doubled as makeshift studios) had a liberating effect. They were still held together by their immense fame and their well-earned status as pop music’s No. 1 band, yet they were antsy and eager to explore new sounds.

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