Beatles Documentary ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Musical Revolution’ Scheduled for Summer Debut
PBS will join the 50th anniversary celebration surrounding the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band next month by airing a BBC documentary offering a look behind the scenes of the album's creation and cultural legacy.
Titled Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution and scheduled for a June 3 debut, the hour-long special promises "material never before accessible outside of Abbey Road Studios, including recordings of studio chat between band members and isolated instrumental and vocal tracks" while revealing "the nuts and bolts of how the album came together" and offering "insights into the choices made by the Beatles and George Martin."
Revolution will be hosted by Howard Goodall, a composer and veteran broadcaster whose career credits include a long list of programs for the network. As he's said since filming the show, it was an honor to take the job — and an illuminating experience digging into the history surrounding the album.
"Whatever music you like to listen to, if it was written after 1 June 1967 then more likely than not it will have been influenced, one way or another, by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," said Goodall. "The record’s sheer ambition in its conception, composition, arrangements and ground-breaking recording techniques sets it apart from others of the time. It’s a landmark in 20th century music, and I’ve hugely enjoyed exploring the story behind the music."
"This will be Sgt. Pepper as you’ve never heard it before," added producer Martin R. Smith. "We’ve been granted unprecedented access to the Beatles’ own archive, photographs and multi-track studio tapes so we’ll be able to give an insider’s view into the making of this landmark album and, through Howard Goodall's insight, just why it was so revolutionary."
Although Sgt. Pepper's Musical Revolution is scheduled to debut at 8PM ET, check your local PBS listings for the airtime in your area.
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