SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

Although The Beatles cannot be considered a "pure" progressive band; I think that makes perfect sense to include the "fantastic four" here in ProgArchives. Indeed, if not for them, what would become of the music that we call "progressive" without their (and George Martin) vision of the "progress" of music? That vision stretched the pop and rock music to limits unbelievable in the minds of the mid-sixties performers and producers. Much have been said here about the influence and "progress" that these fabulous boys from Liverpool have brought to modern music. About the album, I would like to remember that it was released in 1967, and if you "investigate" the production about that time, you will easily conclude that it was light years ahead in many things. The orchestration, the inclusion of many unknown instruments in rock albums, the complexity of some arrangements, etc. Ok, is not a "pure" prog album? So what? Think for a minute: where did Yes, Genesis, King Crimson or even Pink Floyd found their principal inspiration? Sgt. Pepper is the "genesis" of progressive rock! Where did you see "a day in the life" previously? Where did you see something like "within you without you" in another record previously? This is not a masterpiece of prog. This is THE masterpiece of rock music. Give it less than five stars would be a sacrilege! (when I see here albums like those of Supertramp with five stars, I would give Sgt. Pepper twenty five stars.).