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This fan/reviewer trope came back to mind after we lost Chris Cornell. I remember a crap load of ink talking about how Superunknown was Soundgarden's Sgt. Pepper's.

WTF does that mean? Never been entirely sure. Weird because Sgt. Pepper's is kind of controversial. Revolver arguably has better songs. But Sgt. Pepper's has better album flow and sequencing, and better production. So generally some notion of a band hitting a new level of songwriting, production, and whole-album composition. And maybe popular accessibility? I remember Chris or Kim cracking wise about Superunknown being their album that soccer moms were listening to or some such.

I don't know how much legs the formulation ever had or if it was something of that moment that people got over. I remember Fishbone's Reality of My Surroundings being their Sgt. Pepper's, which made sense, but the band also chalked it up to the trumpet on the album (always there through the band's history, but maybe more Beatles-reminiscent on Sunless Saturday).

Any other albums and bands you've seen get this commonplace? I'm thinking more of an at-least-three-professional-reviewers thing (no matter how dumb the reviewers) than fan gushing on the interwebs.



I ask in part just to talk about it, in another part to seed an insane idea that I will never have the chance to properly execute myself. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Cover Band, not a normal Beatles cover band. Do two sets, the first playing [band's] Sgt. Pepper's-compared album in the style of the Beatles, the second playing Sgt. Pepper's in the style of [band]. Era-ish style for each band preferred. Maybe more fun for conceptual challenge than actually making it work for an audience. How would you tackle Fishbone's Junkies Prayer as the Beatles?

Anyone who suggests Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for the cover band concept gets a demerit.

Voivod's Nothingface was their Sgt. Peppers (Dimension Hatross was their Revolver), it would be fun to hear those two bands cover each other. I'd probably be more interested in hearing what the Beatles would do to Nothingface than the other way around though.

Penis Envy.

Gone Fission wrote:Anyone who suggests Yankee Hotel Foxtrot for the cover band concept gets a demerit.

The problem with this whole ide-er is the contex of Sgt. Pepper's in terms of popcultural and popmusical importance.
When you talk to people [like your parents and stuff] about this album there is this thing about it that transcends it's self as what it is because it was a milestone for production as well as the way the music was presented. People talk about the before and the after that album came out, they talk about the first time they got to hear it.. My Mum still has it on 1/4 reel to reel So when someone says "their Sgt. Pepper's" they usually are referring to ideal of perfection in the form of a rock album. A good example is Ozzy has said he has never achieved his Sgt. Pepper's.. and sure we could all start yelling WELL Paranoid!!!!.. well... except they didn't get to call it WAR PIGS.. and the artwork sucked and whatever else they didn't like about it even though for me it is just as important if not more so as Sgt. Pepper's as the impact it had one music since it came out

What if I like (as you mentioned) Revolver or The White Album better?

I love the mental exercise of something like this. I'll have a go!
"Joe's Garage" is FRANK ZAPPA's "Sgt. Pepper's". I say this because it is arguably his ,out popular album (currently) outside of Zappa fans. The music is arguably his most accessible for non fans. Perhaps most recognizable (for non fans)?

I can think of at least 10 Zappa albums just off the top of my head that I STRONGLY prefer to "Joe's Garage".

Zappa could easily do BEATLES style and DID actually prove so on his earlier albums. I think the BEATLES covering FREAK OUT (technically MOTHERS OF INVENTION) would be interesting. I think Zappa covering "Sgt. Pepper's" would have been insanely boring for him and would probably come off as sarcastic and/or uninspired.

"Houdini" is THE MELVINS "Sgt. Peppers". THE MELVINS covering "Sgt. Peppers" would be awesome. They could probably also pull off in the style of THE BEATLES. I would not be interested in the inverse.

"Electric Warrior" is Marc Bolan's (T. Rex) "Sgt. Peppers". This one fascinates me because even though they were making records around the same time and had similar rockabilly influences I don't think one doing the other would sound very good. They also recorded in more or less the same studios. In my opinion Marc Bolan was a much better guitar player than any of THE BEATLES. He had a much larger sound to (starting with the self-titles [technically not T. REX]). They both did vocal harmonies very well (Marc would harmonise with himself). I think a Lennon, McCarthy version of Mamo Sun would be akin to the Shobinjin singing to Mothra.

Oh goodness, please excuse all the typos. Autocorrect serves to make me look like a bigger dumbass, Soy Boy than a I already am.

Chankgeez wrote:What if I like (as you mentioned) Revolver or The White Album better?

I'm with Chank, prefer "White Album".

One more, Ziggy Stardust for BOWIE. I know we're all entitled to our opinion but (and I don't get me wrong I LOVE Ziggy) I think we can all agree LOW is superior.

Also, I tend to think of this as Fishbone's Sgt. Pepper's:



Also, not that I really like Belle and Sebastian, but I used to know a lot of people who did like Belle and Sebastian and I was thinking the other day that If You're Feeling Sinister is probably the only album of theirs I ever need to listen to.

Regarding Belle and Sebastian, 100% agree. Although I do love his (the main guy) side project, album, and movie GOD HELP THE GIRL.

Thread's really about being catapulted to fame/breaking through to the mainstream/reaching the pinnacle of one's art all at once or something.

Chankgeez wrote:What if I like (as you mentioned) Revolver or The White Album better?

What if agreeish?

$harkToootth wrote: the Shobinjin singing to Mothra.

Mothra

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfeC-w7SUbM[/youtube]

Blackened Soul wrote:

Chankgeez wrote:What if I like (as you mentioned) Revolver or The White Album better?

What if agreeish?

It's tough though because contemporary fans of a band may have a totally different perspective from fans looking back in hindsight. I mean, we all heard and listened to those albums way after they were originally released. Revolver is definitely more solid than The White Album though.

Lol "Monoliths And Dimensions" is SUNN O)))'s "Sgt. Peppers's".

I would love to hear someone using the equipment the BEATLES had doing SUNN O))) guitar parts.

Chankgeez wrote:Thread's really about being catapulted to fame/breaking through to the mainstream/reaching the pinnacle of one's art all at once or something.

In that case "Visions" is GRIMES' " Sgt. Peppers"
THE BEATLES doing GRIMES would be pretty sweet. As would the inverse but only if Molly Soda is the on stage dancer (not being sarcastic).