1966 Rock Albums That Influenced the Creation of Sgt. Pepper

[Paperback Writer]

The Beatles have always generously credited artists both before them and contemporary peers with influencing their music.
With that spirit in mind, I'd like to hear members opinions of what albums -  that came out the year before the release of 'Pepper' - that  they feel influenced the birth of Sgt. Pepper?

Certainly, their own Revolver foreshadowed this and may have been the biggest influence - but what others?

Here are some of mine, if you have pre-66 - great - include them!

Pet Sounds - Beach Boys - Obvious and well documented.

5-D The Byrds - Involved Indian Ragas (Why?), Psychedelic guitar work-outs, lyrics (Eight Miles High)

Jefferson Airplane Takes Off - Way more 'folky' than  what they evolved into, but some great trip-like lyrics and guitar runs.

Aftermath - Rolling Stones -Mother's Little helper -Social commentary driven by sitar, same with Paint it Black, album also includes dulcimer, marimbas.

Sunshine Superman - Donovan - Sitar and many soft psychedelic sounds, instruments grace this album.  Title track is is sun flash natural psychedelia, timeless sound.  Interestingly, the Beatles (in their sly way) pay some homage to it - back when they made Sgt. Pepper.  The original "official" video companion to A Day In the Life shows a spinning record of - yes - Sunshine Superman.

 

[Kylenz]

Great thread!
I would add:
Freak Out - Frank Zappa - (this is the most obvious precursor to Pepper - all the experimentation and studio flair is right here!)
A Quick One' - The Who (contains some far out detours, and the 'Quick One While He's Away' suite!)
Face To Face - The Kinks (use of sound effects here and there like thunder and telephones ringing - not what I would call a psychedelic album though)

I think though, that there were lots of recordings going on in the early part of '67 and also while Pepper was being recorded, that probably influenced the album concurrently. One example would be Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. What a great time for music! Magic :)

[oldasSoul]

Absolutely spot on PW & K!!

As to Pink Floyd, I'm sure See Emily Play and Arnold Layne played a part, as did other singles I can't think of right now.

But of course this is about ALBUMS, and no others spring to my (aging) mind.

[Greg]

This is just one of the most intriguing posts to me.  I know the whole Pet Sounds thing...rightly so.  Huge.  The biz was still such a big singles market then that I started to think of what individual songs would have struck them.  Sometimes it was a small item that would influence them (Helter Skelter.  He didn't even hear the music that influenced him on that one.)  I just don't know enough about the British charts in the fall of '66 to judge if something on there influenced them too.  The previous posts have covered more than I know.  I know Lennon would get obsessed with a particular song from time to time.  Paul said that Save the Last Dance influenced Hey Jude a lot, etc.  Many of the groups and songs on the British charts of that fall of '66 I don't even recognize.

Anyway.  I think that just "the stars aligning" played a big part too.  Recording techniques.  The fact that they stopped touring and knew they could make something that they wouldn't have to reproduce had to have been big.  I think maybe pretending they were this other band/alter ego thing freed them up to just throw in odd stuff.  Like PW said, once the innovative approach, like on Revolver, started up, then it just snowballed.  Maybe they felt the pressure of "What are The Beatles going to do next?" thing and had to try something new.

[Paperback Writer]

Good additions, folks, I also agree with the "Stars aligning," as many discoveries, inventions and creations in all fields are often generated at the same time unknown to the people creating it, often continents away!

Other influences?


Now dig this:

Elvis: The Beatles have said that they observed Elvis' Caddie's being on tour while he was secluded, they laughed and said they would tour by sending out their albums from the studio.  They said the whole multi-worded named bands in the states gave them the idea of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - which also allowed them to immortalized their band - The Beatles (see cover!) and write and sing outside of their group identity and personna.

Frank Sinatra:  The "theme album," was not invented in 'Pepper," Frank's great Capital 50's albums were almost all thematic in mood, music from tracks 1- to - 12

Bob Dylan: Shattered the 2-3 minute song,  with Like A Rolling Stone on Highway 61.

Don't forget the psych guitars and societal lyrics of Buffalo Springfield, their debut album .

Beach Boys: Freakin' GOOD VIBRATIONS!  Probably the closest to Pepper before Pepper in studio wizardry, music performance, lyrics, melodies,
musical movements, vocals and image and mood making.  This more than prepared me for Sgt. Pepper.  Released eight (8) months before the great Sgt.!

[Borris]

Not an album, but there is a lot of old fashioned Music Hall in a lot of Paul's songs.

Ravi Shankar had had a big influence on George.

I think Pet Sounds and Freak Out are right on the money. Pet Sounds influenced Paul's bass lines and the use of instrumentation. But the Beatles just soaked up all the influences that were floating around. There is more than a touch of the Avante-garde that was in the air then.

Not musical but I think Lewis Carroll was a big influence on Lennon creatively.