Sergeant Pepper is 50 years old.

When I heard this was coming out, I got very excited. I don`t usually go in for these expensive box sets, with several versions of the same tracks and an all-singing, all-dancing, super duper re-mix and a documentary on dvd. However, for some reason, this one got me going. I got permission from my boss, the wife, before ringing up Bull Moose Records and placing it on order. We have a limited budget and this was a big expense. As the days got nearer, I had a change of heart and almost cancelled my order. It was all about the money. Then I decided to make some of the cost up by getting rid of a bunch of cds, I probably wouldn`t listen to again. However, I put them on file before taking them. Took nearly $40 off the cost.
This was released when I had just turned 11 years old. It did not get "dropped" [what an idiotic expression that is]. I had finished junior school and was about to go to the poshest grammar school in the town. I was not yet buying records myself, so we didn`t own the album. My knowledge of it was listening to it on tiny little radios or occasionally on an old black and white tv, with a miniscule speaker. In those days tiny speakers meant tiny noise and televisions didn`t get decent sound until well into the 90`s. So, I grew up listening to this adventure in sound, on poor equipment, but, in those days, music was made to be heard that way. If it didn`t sound good on a tiny transistor radio, then it wouldn`t sell. Fortunately, of course, it did sound good, great, in fact. The Beatles were still the biggest thing on the planet and this album got played all the time, even with no single release. [In the UK anyway, don`t know about the USA]
The first time, I heard it on a reasonably decent stereo system, it was at school. We had an English teacher, who liked to break away from the normal english lesson. We dissected and studied I Am I Said by Neil Diamond, in one lesson. Listened to the entire cast recording of Under Milk Wood over several weeks, at another time. He brought this particular album to class, primarily, as I remember it, because it had the words on the back. So we got to talk about the lyrics, why certain tracks sounded the way they did, that kind of thing. When I`m 64 having an old music hall feel to it, because it was about growing old, How, She`s Leaving Home was sad, musically and lyrically. This was an english lesson! Hence, this record has a special place in my mind as well as my audio heart.

It did not put me off the music. I was a die-hard Beatles fan already. Plastic wig, collar-less jacket and plastic guitar. And one wall of Beatles wallpaper, in a bedroom I had to share with my sister. Wish I`d kept that stuff. I still have my sister, but she is thousands of miles away.
Well, I just listened to the new stereo mix cd. Yes, I can hear it more clearly, but, it doesn`t make it a better album. Remember, I grew up hearing this on poor quality equipment. When I had my own decent stereo and, finally, purchased a copy of Pepper, it was like hearing a new record. Probably in the same way a lot of people are hearing this new stereo mix. I have not heard anything, in this new version, that makes me enjoy the album any more than I did. It was never my favourite, but would still be in a top twenty of all time albums, I like, if I could ever be bothered to do a list like that.
The Sessions cds are another thing, of course. I already have all the BBC stuff and the Anthology set, so I am used to hearing this kind of stuff. I even had a dodgy cassette of, what was known as The Black Album, with a lot of recordings, used later, on the Anthology. They are always very interesting, musically. Always interesting to hear slightly different versions of classic tracks. However, I prefer hearing more of the chat that went on.  Hearing the tone of voice, when instructions are being given. I like that part. Also, they have such interesting talking voices. They may have been four cocky young Liverpudlians, but they all had a distinctive tone to their voices. Could have done with more of that. I do, however, love the humming version of the final chord. The two sessions discs have a feel of a soundtrack album. Incidental music played under scenes from a movie, to get a feel for the whole album.

Listening to the mono version, I can hear the difference in clarity, but it`s still a great record and this is how I would have heard the tracks, first time around. They would have been on vinyl and that may have made a difference too. Of course, there are extra tracks, including Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, extracted to give Brian Epstein a single release. They are forever singles, in my mind and I feel they would be out of place on Pepper. Here they are just additions, which is fine.
So I decided to get my stereo vinyl version out. I bought it sometime in the seventies, when I finally started to collect the Beatles catalogue of work to add to my, already increasing, record collection. This is probably still my favourite version, with the crackles and pops. It may be because this is the copy I played the most. It may be a little vinyl snobbiness. I certainly enjoyed hearing it the way it was in my head. My head is full of vinyl.
To top off the audio experience, I brought out my 1987 stereo release of the album. Let`s go for a whole day of Pepper, I thought. This stereo cd is a good quality recording giving us the great album in nice clear tones, but still keeping the memories of first hearing the songs, intact.
I have now listened to  4 different versions of the album from across the years, 2 cds worth of sessions from the recording. What do I think? It`s still a great album and has sounded fresh every time I have played it, today.
Let`s have a special mention for Getting Better, Fixing A Hole and Lovely Rita. Tracks that are often overlooked when discussing this record. All tracks would be celebrated on other albums, but are almost seen as fillers here. They are not. They are, of course, part of the overall soundscape of the work. Part of "the concept". Without them, this is a completely different piece. Isolate them, give them an extra listen. They are melodic, inventive and fun, as is the rest of the album.
There is a large "coffee table" book, included in this box set. A few articles by people with their own memories and takes on the relevance and importance of the album. Entertaining and irritating and informative in turn. However, I got to the chronology section, the one with the dates and facts in coloured searchlights. A pet peeve of mine is the use of coloured fonts against coloured backgrounds. We have to read this, people. It should be easy. In fact, some of the sections have perfectly clear writing with a dark font and light background. There`s a reason newspapers have black print on white paper. It`s called contrast and makes for easy reading. This spoiled, what would have been, an excellent way of matching other events to the Pepper timeline.

As for the dvd, the first thing I watched was The Making of Pepper, made on the 25th anniversary, I believe. I do like a documentary with access to the original masters, producer and a mixing desk. You get to hear the beautiful simplicity of the melodies, underpinning the whole process. An extremely complex album, but it`s full of good tunes and that was always the Beatles strongest asset. Good to hear George Martin talking about it, with such fond memories. What on earth would have happened if they had not found each other? Could have done with some up to date material, revealing the impact of the band and this album, especially, on current musicians. We have already seen this and the "music videos" included. This is, possibly, the biggest disappointment of the set. The audio part is there, I assume, so people don`t have to get up from their couch after watching the dvd. You get the album plus Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane.
So, was it worth it? It`s a heavy piece of kit and will look great alongside my other Beatles albums. Unless you have the fanboy urge, like me, it`s probably best to stick to one of the smaller editions of the release. I`m glad I bought it, I have enjoyed taking a step back in time to listen to a piece of pop music history and reading about how it all came together.
Looking forward to a similar treatment for the White Album and Abbey Road, now. I must start saving.