McCartney In Goal
McCartney In Goal is a monthly podcast that debates and dissects the greatest albums of popular rock music. Hosted by David Hughes, and fellow judges, Brett and Steve Sumner, each episode the McCartney In Goal team pick a rock or pop music album that they love and put the songs through an imaginary competitive style-knock out format to find the best song on the album. At times, they may be uninformed, biased and they are often a bit unruly. Come and listen in on the fun - and if you enjoy it, TELL A FRIEND!!! Twitter - https://twitter.com/mccartneyin Website - https://mccartneyingoal.com
McCartney In Goal
MiG SHORTS: Is Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band a 'concept album'?
Have you ever debated whether The Beatles' legendary album 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' could be considered a 'concept album'? The McCartney In Goal team debate this often asked question. Plus, Brett shares a fascinating familial connection to a World War II veteran that may well have inspired the album's title (spoiler alert: it didn't).
Even if 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' does not strictly adhere to the definition of a concept album, its thematic coherence and psychedelic atmosphere is undeniable. Enjoy!
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Website - https://mccartneyingoal.com/
Now, let's do round one. That makes sense.
Speaker 2:Round one Round one of the qualifiers. He's Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Yes, the main one versus Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The reprise slash reprise, depending on how you feel about saying it.
Speaker 3:Brett, oh wow, I mean, obviously you've got both Sergeant Pepper's there. I just want to say from a personal point of view, I'm holding up my I don't know if you can see that, unfortunately. Can you see that that's my granddad's release book from the Second World War and he was.
Speaker 1:I'm listening to this on my phone. No, you can't, and obviously no, I'm not actually listening to it, but imagine in your ears is coming in a soldier's release book from 1946, second World War.
Speaker 3:He fought for six years in the Second World War and he was called Dennis Pepper and he was a Lieutenant Sergeant, so he was the original Sergeant Pepper. So this is yeah, granddad Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, as it's known in my family. And these so it's a very beautiful kind of pointing title for albums. Both of these songs are about launching to this album. Yeah it's about my granddad. It's fantastic.
Speaker 3:But this is a launch off point into this album which is, as we've discussed earlier, an iconic 60s moment. This is one of the Quinter Central 60s albums, is it not?
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, should we talk themes, since we're doing Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Speaker 3:Why not? Let's do it? Yes, let's theme it up.
Speaker 1:Is it a?
Speaker 3:concept album.
Speaker 1:No, no, I mean I'll well, I'm going to say yes, oh good, I'm going to say yes, but some debates but the concept is not about all about Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but the concept is probably like an eccentric musical Britishness that they kind of pull together which draws on multi strands of culture, british culture and society. There isn't a common story thread that makes it a concept album but they bring together all of these British cultural and musical influences.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean I'm being churlish when I say no, because I don't think anything. Thinks a concept album. What is a concept album actually? Can you name me a concept album that? Doesn't come out when you really interrogate it, it's not by Prog Rock Band.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what I was about to say. Yes, in Prog Rock there are plenty of them. I mean, you know it's like this.
Speaker 3:I mean I mean no one listens to Prog Rock. No one listens to it anymore. The 70s are gone.
Speaker 2:But I mean I mean all right to be clear. I listened to some Rush stuff the other day where there's a song called the Trees on a Rush album and then two albums later, there's a follow up song about what happened to the Trees because people wanted to follow up on the stories. You know, I mean, it's like this, you know this, this, this, lots of in Prog you will find concept albums that are tight.
Speaker 3:Yeah, with sequels, it seems With sequels. Yeah, yeah, so so projects that then mention the sequel or something you know cross pollinate.
Speaker 2:But you can give Sergeant Pepper a pass because it was the first time anyone was doing something like that. But I think in terms of what's come afterwards in concept album, it is very, very loose yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah so no, in the sense of, like when the Prog Rock bands were took it to the Xenith of, and these ultimate degrees of making it super. Concept T, as they're having sequels three albums later. I think it's.
Speaker 2:I think it's theme, thematically and and vibe wise it's nicely linked, in the same way that lots of albums are just collections of songs and nothing else. Sergeant Pepper has a nice unifying vibe and sort of old psychedelic sort of atmosphere to it, which is lovely, but it's what I would call a concept album.
Speaker 1:No, not particularly, but I said good, so it sounds like we've all agreed it's a concept album. Then that's what I'm hearing. We'll let you have it. We'll let you have it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know what I'm going to change my vote to yes, it is a concept album. Can we now continue with the podcast? I'm thanking that.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Fantastic Two to one. It goes through the next round of is it or? Is it not a concept album?