Ok so I was inspired after reading two posts over at the Steve Hoffman boards the last couple of days:
To sequence Sgt. Pepper, MMT, and Yellow Submarine, to attempt to make them even better albums. For the most part I took the baseline set in those two posts and made a couple of tweaks that seem to make the albums flow just a little better.
Now granted I will admit that my track-listing doesn’t follow the order they where recorded date wise. This was because I was focusing on flow, and attempting to keep a loose story structure, to fit with the progressive styles of these albums, to hopefully keep ones interest, by telling a story. The other thing I paid attention to was the limit of vinyl’s maximum playing length per side, which from what I understand is between 22-26 minutes, and yet still keep them as 2 single LP releases.
Another way to put this can be summed up in this question:
If the Beatles really did create two complete concept albums with a strong narrative story (as found in The Wall and Tommy) in each album, how would you do the track listing, keeping in mind that you are limited to 22-26 minutes per side?
With these limitations I was able to fit every song recorded during this time period except for Across the Universe, which I didn’t see as a lost as it does show up later on Let it Be.
So first off SGT Pepper:
Side A (24:53)
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- With a Little Help from My Friends
- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
- Getting Better
- Fixing a Hole
- She’s Leaving Home
- Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
- Within You Without You
Side B (23:25)
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- Penny Lane
- Lovely Rita
- Blue Jay Way
- Good Morning Good Morning
- Sgt. Pepper’s [reprise]
- A Day in the Life
Even though George Martin would have left Lovely Rita off in place for Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane. I think Thematically/Music style wise, Lovely Rita really fits SGT thematically. The other deviation is that I bounced Blue Jay Way from MMT to SGT Pepper to come after Lovely Rita but before Good Morning Good Morning. I did this because I felt from a lyrical standpoint it sets up the Good Morning Good Morning lyrics nicely due to the line in Blue Jay Way:
Soon will be the break of day
Sitting here in Blue Jay Way.
Now granted, I will admit that this wasn’t the original intent of the Beatles for Good Morning Good Morning to follow Blue Jay Way, but if you knew nothing about their intent or when things where written, you could re-interpret the lyrics to be seen as a story, that starts side B off with strawberry fields forever. This Story is about a person describing a trip through their town on their way to strawberry fields. While the following songs are about the places/people they meet along the way to strawberry fields.
Now for MMT+YS Track Listing:
Side A (24:35):
- “Magical Mystery Tour”
- “Baby You’re A Rich Man”
- “The Fool on the Hill”
- “Flying”
- “Your Mother Should Know”
- “I Am the Walrus”
- “When I’m Sixty-Four”
- “Hello Goodbye”
Side B (24:06):
- “Only A Northern Song”
- “Lady Madonna”
- “Hey Bulldog”
- “The Inner Light”
- “It’s All Too Much”
- “Altogether Now”
- “All You Need Is Love”
For the most part I really liked the track listing found in the post above but I feel that the album works better with MMT starting the album and ending with All you need is love. I feel that it sort of gives a thread in which to interpret the other songs found on this what if album. I see MMT as being the intro to a morality tale, sort of the World’s sales pitch of supposed greatness of the world, the pursuit of fame/money/etc. But in the end we find that all that the world offers is meaningless without love (All You Need is Love).
Now, some may ask why I moved When I’m Sixty-Four to MMT, well the reason I did was because I was having a hard time putting that track anywhere that would make since as the Song just sounded so out of place on SGT. Pepper due to song sounding like a song from the past, I almost didn’t even place it on MMT+YS for the same reasons, until I realized that it works really great as a mini suite between Your Mother Should Know, and I Am The Walrus.
I see the song Your Mother Should Know, as the character’s inner conscience saying hey don’t buy what the world is selling you listen to what your mother taught you. I am the walrus can be interpreted as though the character is being scowled by their inner conscience, which continues the theme from Your Mother should know. Plus, at the end of I am the Walrus something interesting happens as it fades out, you hear what sounds like someone changing a radio station, which fits nicely with this line from Your Mother Should Know
Let’s all get up and dance to a song
That was a hit before your mother was born.
When I’m Sixty-Four, song wise sounds like an old song that could have been a hit from before the character was born, which the character found as they where changing the radio station as heard at the end of I am the Walrus. At this point the Character is at a crossroads and starts to lean towards what their mother taught them, and they try to say goodbye to the world, but the world pulls them right back in again (Hello Goodbye).
Which brings us to Side B that starts off at the lowest point in the Character’s life. They have come to realize that even though they have gained fame and fortune, they have done it at the cost of others (Lady Madonna), and lost their since of passion they once had (Only a Nothern Song), as it doesn’t matter what they do, people still buy their products just because the character’s name is attached to it. Which the character finally realize that despite his/her Success they are now completely alone. This is when the character finally hears their conscience yelling at them “hey don’t forget about me I have the answers to your since of lost, listen to me!” (Hey Bulldog). So the character finally listens and learns what they are missing (The Inner Light). The the whole of life is meaningless without love. The character then finds true love (It’s all too much), and celebrates their finding of true love (All Togther Now), and then later in life passes the lessons they learned in life on to their children (all you need is love).
So what does everyone think? Any places where I could improve the order? or am I completely off my rocker?