The Beatles' masterpiece "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" was released on this date in 1967. Pop music hasn't been the same since.

Here in the United States, the summer of 1967 was known as "The Summer Of Love".  Pop music and rock music was changing from the British Invasion and  American teeny bopper sounds to a more serious, more relevant type of music. (At least that's what my then 16 year sister said)

Since the Beatles first hit the American airwaves in late 1963, they had been growing and evolving as musicians and composers.  When "Sgt. Pepper' came out, it was apparent that the Beatles were no longer those loveable moptops from Liverpool. The Beatles infused the album with rock and roll, pop rock, music hall, and traditional Indian music.

In 2012, the album was number one on Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Albums of All Time, and to date has sold over 32 million copies worldwide.

Here in the Yakima Valley, you probably heard the singles from this album on KIMA AM 1460.  That's pretty much all we had for pop radio back then. Ironically, that station is now part of the company I work for, ESPN Yakima 1460.

The lyrics of the songs have been analyzed for years. Even at 12 years old, my friends and I discussed what we thought each song was really about. C'mon, we all know what "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" really means.

My favorite song on the album is "A Day In The Life", with "She's Leaving Home" a close second.

Nice to know after all these years, Sgt Pepper's band is still playing.

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