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  • February 12, 2014
  • Sgt. Pepper

    Sgtpeppergatefold

    That’s right, THE Sgt. Pepper.  If you’re looking for something more CRM-ish you might want to come back tomorrow.  Or stick around, in a roundabout way this is as customer oriented as you can get.

    The other night CBS broadcast a special about the Beatles’ 50th anniversary Ed Sullivan Show performance.  The special was shot the day after the Grammys in the same hall and many of the music industry’s luminaries were there and many performed Beatles songs in tribute.  Perhaps you saw the show?

    At any rate, the last act was Paul and Ringo, the surviving Beatles, singing a few of their songs including tracks from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the album from 1967 that changed music, sold over 30 million copies, and garnered a slew of awards at the 1968 Grammys.

    The songs they sang from the album included Paul’s rendition of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which he sang lead for on the album, and With a Little Help from My Friends, by Ringo reprising the role of Billy Shears, which he sang on the album.

    So, here’s the question: Was this the first live performance of these songs by any of the Beatles ever?  It might have been, because by 1967 when they were working on the album, the Beatles had given up live performances, preferring the technical luxuries of the studio and wanting to avoid the hassles of constant travel.

    There have been lots of tributes to the album over the years and many recordings by other performers and as recently as 2009 the American band, Cheap Trick performed the whole album live.  But I don’t find any reference to any part of the Beatles performing those songs live.

    So was Sunday night’s 50th anniversary of the British Rock Invasion’s commencement also a premiere of sorts by the surviving Beatles of two classic songs?

    If you have an answer or if you simply want to keep the thread going, please log your comments.

     

    Published: 10 years ago


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