It Was Fifty Years Ago Today
Well make that May 30th, but in their ongoing business of reexamining and repackaging their catalog, The Beatles have remastered and rereleased their landmark Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, a masterwork of rock, pop, old-time music and orchestral psychedelia – completed before Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were 30. While The Beatles didn’t invent them, they (and their directors) certainly made many advances in editing and camera angles to influence what we now know as the music video form. “Strawberry Fields Forever” (intended for, but released before Sgt. Pepper’s, and now included on it) is a prime example of arty close-ups, reverse motion, and blurry fades all captured the spirit of The Beatles’ times. Let me take you down... –Eric Gould