Photo: Press
The Beatles landmark album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in June and a new documentary is set to be released to mark the occasion.
The film titled, ‘It Was 50 Years Ago Today! - The Beatles: Sgt Pepper & Beyond’, was directed by Alan G Parker and will be receiving a theatrical release in the UK on 3 May 2017, followed by a DVD release on 3 July. Other release dates (US etc.) will surely tie-in with this anniversary.
Charting the bands iconic album’s creation and the effect it had on the music world, this is must-see for fans of The Fab Four and of course one of the most recognisable albums of all time. This was a time when The Beatles had stopped touring and were producing more albums than ever. This was a psychedelic concept piece that drew inspiration from many musical genres and broke the mold for the band. Taking their more traditional rock/pop sound and seeing them evolve with the times.
The albums cover was spectacular and featured a who’s who of legendary artists, performers and pretty anyone who the band were in admiration of.
That sleeve is memorable for many reasons, those include it being the most expensive in history; being the first ever gatefold release; it was also the first time song lyrics were printed on a record cover and of course the aforementioned imagery.
Interviews for the documentary include Simon Napier-Bell (Music Manager), Hunter Davies (Official Biographer), Tony Bramwell (Brian Epstein's Right Hand Man,) Pete Best (The Beatles original drummer), Freda Kelly (Official Beatles Fan Club Secretary), Philip Norman (Lennon/McCartney Biographer).
The album was released in June 1967, topping charts around the world within days (22 weeks in the UK & 15 weeks in the US). There were also numerous awards, including fourGrammy’s. Sales to date are well over 40 million.
There will also be a new CD release to mark this landmark anniversary.
“The Beatles aren’t a rock n’ roll band, they are a force of nature, and they’ve been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember! – I’ve wanted to make this film since I was 9 years old!!!” said Alan G Parker (Director).
