Sgt. Pepper's Back!

THE BEATLES CELEBRATE ‘SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND’ WITH SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION RELEASES

‘Sgt. Pepper’ with New Mixes in Stereo and 5.1 Surround Audio; Expanded with Previously Unreleased Session Recordings, Video Features & Special Packaging.

Previously Unreleased 1992 Documentary Film, ‘The Making of Sgt. Pepper,’ Restored for Anniversary Edition’s Super Deluxe Boxed Set

Preorder:
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition PRE-ORDER: Click HERE!

Watch a brief trailer video for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition below:

The Beatles will release a suite of lavishly presented Sgt. Pepper Anniversary Edition packages on 26th May. The album is newly mixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell in stereo and 5.1 surround audio and expanded with early takes from the studio sessions, including no fewer than 34 previously unreleased recordings.

“It’s crazy to think that 50 years later we are looking back on this project with such fondness and a little bit of amazement at how four guys, a great producer and his engineers could make such a lasting piece of art” - Paul

For Record Store Day on 22nd April, Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe will release an exclusive, limited edition seven-inch vinyl single of The Beatles’ 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane,' among the first songs recorded during the Sgt. Pepper sessions, which began in November 1966.

To create the new stereo and 5.1 surround audio mixes for Sgt. Pepper, producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios in London. All of the Anniversary Edition releases include Martin’s new stereo mix of the album, which was sourced directly from the original four-track session tapes and guided by the original, Beatles-preferred mono mix produced by his father, George Martin.

As George Martin described it, “We were into another kind of art form where you were putting something down on tape that could only be done on tape.” The Beatles clocked more than 400 hours in Abbey Road’s Studio 2 to record the album, wrapping sessions in April 1967.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition releases include:

A CD featuring the new Sgt. Pepper  stereo mix, complete with the original U.K. album’s 'Edit for LP End' run-out groove.

Deluxe:  Expanded 2CD and digital package features the new stereo album mix on the first CD and adds a second CD of 18 tracks, including previously unreleased complete takes of the album’s 13 songs, newly mixed in stereo and sequenced in the same order as the album. 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 complete takes of 'Strawberry Fields Forever.'

Deluxe Vinyl:  Expanded 180-gram 2LP vinyl package features the new stereo album mix on the first LP and adds a second LP with previously unreleased complete takes of the album’s 13 songs, newly mixed in stereo and sequenced in the same order as the album.

Super Deluxe:  The comprehensive six-disc boxed set features:
CD 1:  New stereo album mix 
CDs 2 & 3:  
- 33 additional recordings from the studio sessions, most previously unreleased and mixed for the first time from the four-track session tapes, sequenced in chronological order of their recording dates
- A new stereo mix of 'Penny Lane' and the 2015 stereo mix of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' 
CD 4:  
- Direct transfers of the album’s original mono mix and the 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' singles
- Capitol Records’ U.S. promotional mono single mix of 'Penny Lane' 
- Previously unreleased early mono mixes of 'She’s Leaving Home,' 'A Day In The Life,' and 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' (a mix thought to have been erased from a tape in 1967, but discovered during archive research for the anniversary edition)
Discs 5 & 6 (Blu-ray and DVD):
- New 5.1 surround audio mixes of the album and 'Penny Lane' by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, plus their 2015 5.1 surround mix of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' 
- High resolution audio versions of the new stereo mixes of the album and 'Penny Lane' and of the 2015 stereo mix of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' 
- Video features:  4K restored original promotional films for 'Strawberry Fields Forever,' 'Penny Lane,' and 'A Day In The Life;' plus The Making of Sgt. Pepper, a restored, previously unreleased documentary film (broadcast in 1992), featuring insightful interviews with McCartney, Harrison, and Starr, and in-studio footage introduced by George Martin.

The album’s vibrant artwork, including its extravagant Pop Art cover which finds The Beatles surrounded by a crowd of heroes in a 3D collage, was created by Peter Blake and Jann Haworth in collaboration with the band. The original artwork is showcased across the suite of Anniversary Edition releases, including the album’s pull-out sheet of 'Sgt. Pepper' cutouts. Housed in a 12-inch by 12-inch box with lenticular artwork and two bonus posters, the six-disc Super Deluxe set is presented with a 144-page hardcover book. The book includes new introductions by Paul and Giles Martin, and chapters covering comprehensive song-by-song details and recording information, the design of the cover, the album’s musical innovations and its historical context by Beatles historian, author and radio producer Kevin Howlett; composer and musicologist Howard Goodall; music producer and writer Joe Boyd; and journalists Ed Vulliamy and Jeff Slate,  illustrated with rare photographs, reproductions of handwritten lyrics, Abbey Road Studios documentation, and original ‘Sgt. Pepper’ print ads. The Deluxe 2CD digipak is slipcased with a 50-page booklet abridged from the box set’s book, and the 2LP Deluxe Vinyl is presented in a faithful reproduction of the album’s original gatefold jacket.

“‘Sgt. Pepper’ seemed to capture the mood of that year, and it also allowed a lot of other people to kick off from there and to really go for it,”  - Ringo

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition PRE-ORDER: Click HERE!

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition Tracklists:

CD
(‘Sgt. Pepper’ 2017 Stereo Mix)
1.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band    
2.  With A Little Help From My Friends 
3.  Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds 
4.  Getting Better     
5.  Fixing A Hole    
6.  She's Leaving Home     
7.  Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!    
8.  Within You Without You     
9.  When I'm Sixty-Four    
10. Lovely Rita    
11. Good Morning Good Morning     
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)    
13. A Day In The Life

Deluxe [2CD, digital]

CD 1:  ‘Sgt. Pepper’ 2017 Stereo Mix (same as single-disc CD tracklist, above)

CD 2:  Complete early takes from the sessions in the same sequence as the album, plus various versions of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane”
1.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 9]
2.  With A Little Help From My Friends [Take 1 - False Start And Take 2 – Instrumental]        
3.  Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Take 1]    
4.  Getting Better [Take 1 - Instrumental And Speech At The End]    
5.  Fixing A Hole [Speech And Take 3]    
6.  She's Leaving Home [Take 1 – Instrumental]    
7.  Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [Take 4]
8.  Within You Without You [Take 1 - Indian Instruments]     
9.  When I'm Sixty-Four [Take 2]    
10. Lovely Rita [Speech And Take 9]    
11. Good Morning Good Morning [Take 8]        
12. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Take 8]        
13. A Day In The Life [Take 1 With Hummed Last Chord]    
14. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 7]        
15. Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 26]    
16. Strawberry Fields Forever [Stereo Mix - 2015]        
17. Penny Lane [Take 6 - Instrumental]    
18. Penny Lane [Stereo Mix - 2017]

Deluxe Vinyl [180g 2LP]

LP 1:  ‘Sgt. Pepper’ 2017 Stereo Mix (same as single-disc CD tracklist, above)
SIDE 1                                                                                   SIDE 2
1.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band               1.  Within You Without You 
2.  With A Little Help From My Friends                        2.  When I'm Sixty-Four 
3.  Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds                              3.  Lovely Rita
4.  Getting Better                                                               4.  Good Morning Good Morning
5.  Fixing A Hole                                                                 5.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
6.  She's Leaving Home                                                  6.  A Day In The Life 
7.  Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!

LP 2:  Complete early takes from the sessions in the same sequence as the album
SIDE 3
1.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 9 And Speech]    
2.  With A Little Help From My Friends [Take 1 - False Start And Take 2 – Instrumental]        
3.  Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Take 1]        
4.  Getting Better [Take 1 - Instrumental And Speech At The End]    
5.  Fixing A Hole [Speech And Take 3]    
6.  She's Leaving Home [Take 1 – Instrumental]        
7.  Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [Take 4]

SIDE 4
1.  Within You Without You [Take 1 - Indian Instruments]     
2.  When I'm Sixty-Four [Take 2]    
3.  Lovely Rita [Speech And Take 9]        
4.  Good Morning Good Morning [Take 8]    
5.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Take 8]    
6.  A Day In The Life [Take 1 With Hummed Last Chord]
    
Super Deluxe [4CD/DVD/Blu-ray boxed set]

CD 1:  ‘Sgt. Pepper’ 2017 Stereo Mix (same as single-disc CD tracklist, above)

CD 2:  Complete early takes from the sessions, sequenced in chronological order of their first recording dates
1.  Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 1] 
2.  Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 4]
3.  Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 7]
4.  Strawberry Fields Forever [Take 26]    
5.  Strawberry Fields Forever [Stereo Mix - 2015]
6.  When I'm Sixty-Four [Take 2] 
7.  Penny Lane [Take 6 – Instrumental] 
8.  Penny Lane [Vocal Overdubs And Speech]
9.  Penny Lane [Stereo Mix - 2017]    
10. A Day In The Life [Take 1]    
11. A Day In The Life [Take 2]    
12. A Day In The Life [Orchestra Overdub]    
13. A Day In The Life (Hummed Last Chord) [Takes 8, 9, 10 and 11]    
14. A Day In The Life (The Last Chord)
15. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 1 – Instrumental]    
16. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [Take 9 And Speech]    
17. Good Morning Good Morning [Take 1 - Instrumental, Breakdown]    
18. Good Morning Good Morning [Take 8]

CD 3:  Complete early takes from the sessions, sequenced in chronological order of their first recording dates
1.  Fixing A Hole [Take 1] 
2.  Fixing A Hole [Speech And Take 3]
3.  Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [Speech From Before Take 1; Take 4 And Speech At End]    
4.  Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! [Take 7]    
5.  Lovely Rita [Speech And Take 9]
6.  Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Take 1 And Speech At The End]    
7.  Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Speech, False Start And Take 5]    
8.  Getting Better [Take 1 - Instrumental And Speech At The End] 
9.  Getting Better [Take 12] 
10. Within You Without You [Take 1 - Indian Instruments Only] 
11. Within You Without You [George Coaching The Musicians]    
12. She's Leaving Home [Take 1 – Instrumental] 
13. She's Leaving Home [Take 6 – Instrumental] 
14. With A Little Help From My Friends [Take 1 - False Start And Take 2 – Instrumental]     
15. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) [Speech And Take 8]

CD 4:  ‘Sgt. Pepper’ and bonus tracks in Mono
(Tracks 1-13:  2017 Direct Transfer of ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Original Mono Mix)
14. Strawberry Fields Forever [Original Mono Mix]
15. Penny Lane    [Original Mono Mix]
16. A Day In The Life [Unreleased First Mono Mix] 17. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Unreleased Mono Mix - No. 11] 
18. She's Leaving Home [Unreleased First Mono Mix] 
19. Penny Lane [Capitol Records U.S. Promo Single - Mono Mix]

DISCS 5 & 6 (Blu-ray & DVD)
Audio Features (both discs):
- New 5.1 Surround Audio mixes of ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album and “Penny Lane,” plus 2015 5.1 Surround mix of “Strawberry Fields Forever” (Blu-ray: DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby True HD 5.1 / DVD: DTS Dolby Digital 5.1)
- High Resolution Audio versions of 2017 ‘Sgt. Pepper’ stereo mix and 2017 “Penny Lane” stereo mix, plus 2015 “Strawberry Fields Forever” hi res stereo mix (Blu-ray: LPCM Stereo 96KHz/24bit / DVD: LPCM Stereo)
Video Features (both discs):
- The Making of Sgt. Pepper [restored 1992 documentary film, previously unreleased]
- Promotional Films:  “A Day In The Life;” “Strawberry Fields Forever;” “Penny Lane” [4K restored]