Sound Design Analysis

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

The first thing I would like to note is how well the tracks flow together. Especially

between the first and second track. The opening track “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts

Club Band” is mixed to sound like it is a live concert recording. There is background

noise in the beginning to represent a crowd being present. There’s also applause and

laughter throughout the track. Within this song, the lead singer announces/introduces

the singer for the next track. Although it’s actually Ringo Starr, he is introduced as Billy

Shears. The start of the next song “With a Little Help from My Friends” includes the

same applause from the first song and John Lennon and Paul McCartney singing “Billy

Shears” connecting the two songs.

The songs are generally recorded in a Los Angeles style of mixing, some songs

are exceptions. Most of the songs sound just as they would if they were being played

live. An exception to this I think would be “Within You Without You” which is more

London style. There’s a lot going on. Many instruments, vocals with a slight reverb,

certain instruments are panned to one side create the London sound.

“Good Morning Good Morning” is a really interesting song. This one has a

dynamic range in the drums which are panned heavily to the left. During the verses the

drums are quieter but build during certain parts of the songs. It’s primarily driven by the

brass instruments panned heavily to the right. There’s some sound effects including

chickens, dogs, cats, and other animals that take away from this being a Los Angeles

Sound Design Analysis

styled song. I would almost say its New York style because of the compression on the

horns.

The last two songs are similar to the first two. There is a reprise of the first track

that seamlessly flows into the last song. The reprise is a sort of hint that the end of the

album is near just like they might hint before the last song in a live show.

The last song has some really cool mixing in it. Starting with the audience

applause to link to the previous song. The vocals start with heavy compression. There’s

reverb and it’s weighted toward the right. This is happening as the singer is looking back

on the past making it seem almost dreamy. Then toward the middle there’s instrumental

chaos eventually interrupted by an alarm clock. Then the vocals don’t have the

compression or the reverb giving them a much more authentic sound. It also sounds like

there may be some of a low-pass filter on. The vocalist then says he goes into a dream

bringing back the highly compressed vocals and reverb.

The album as a whole features a few consistent edits. The vocals often have a

reverb and are usually panned unevenly in favor of one side. Similarly the instruments

tend to favor one side or the other as well.

Emotionally this album goes from a fun concert vibe to dreamy to sad a couple of

times. This can be credited to how it was mixed. The strong reverb presence and the

authenticity of the instrumentals are two of the greatest factors.

According to my sources, this was one of the first albums to focus on sound

design. It takes many styles of music with many influences, different dynamics and EQs

and puts them all together. It is also one of the first albums to be regarded as a whole

Sound Design Analysis

piece of work instead of a collection of songs thanks to the faux concert in beginning.

This album was an ignition to a new way of recording.

.

Julien, Olivier. "Sgt. Pepper and the Beatles: It Was Forty Years Ago Today." Perfect

Beat: 79-80. Pro Quest. Web. 3 Feb. 2015.

Sound Design Analysis

<http://ezproxy.nwmissouri.edu:2099/docview/1487694817/fulltextPDF/

BA6D9D32B7C242A3PQ/1?accountid=12912>.

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Review by: JONATHAN W. BERNARD

Music Theory Spectrum, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Fall 2003), pp. 375-382

Published by: Oxford University Press

Article DOI: 10.1525/mts.2003.25.2.375.1

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/mts.2003.25.2.375.1

Street, John. Popular Music 19.2: 257-59. Web. 1 Apr. 2000.

<http://ezproxy.nwmissouri.edu:2068/stable/853673?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>.