Beatles Warned They'd Lose Their Fans With Sgt Pepper

(Gibson) The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is being re-released this May for its 50th anniversary in a variety of new packages, including a much-heralded new stereo mix.

Paul McCartney points out in new interview that the landmark album wasn't universally well-received on its original 1967 release. As McCartney recalls, there was no shortage of people who thought the band had messed up with the ambitious album.

"We were always being told, 'You're gonna lose all your fans with this one,'" said McCartney. "And we'd say, 'Well, we'll lose some but we'll gain some. We've gotta advance.'"

McCartney singles out The Times review, penned by critic Richard Goldstein, who argued, "The sound is a pastiche of dissonance and lushness. The mood is mellow, even nostalgic. But, like the cover, the over-all effect is busy, hip and cluttered. Like an over-attended child Sgt. Pepper is spoiled." Read more here.

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