MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

Following the death of manager Brian Epstein in summer 1967, the band made one of their few logistical errors in judgment, deciding to shoot a new film with no script and little in the way of professional direction or planning. In other words, the LSD was doing the talking. With Epstein gone McCartney seemed willing to step up and begin to assume the role of leader which eventually would cause problems. At this time though Lennon gave little opposition to the film project although he did sour on the experience of being stuck in traffic on the bus, at one point losing his cool and tearing the placards off the side of the bus in disgust. The film itself turned out to be a critical disaster although it can be a fun experience for adults who choose to surf the same wavelengths the boys were surfing at the time. Musically however, the "mistake" turned into their best work between Rubber Soul and Let It Be. This album is full of fantastic music and easily outshines the Sgt. Pepper album that so many people believe is their best work.

MMT is not really a proper album by definition, but more a collection of songs and bits recorded from late 1966 to late 1967. Some of the material was obviously conceived alongside the production of Pepper which gives the two works a uniquely connected feel. But with the exception of Lucy/She's Leaving Home/Day in the Life, Magical Mystery Tour clearly possesses stronger material. The title track has a very similar feel to Pepper announcing the grand festivities at hand. "Fool on the Hill" is classic Paul McCartney with a surreal physical vibe that envelopes the listener thanks to the vocal and the flute. Note the way his voice can change from sunny to very dark literally instantly, which can leave the listener subconsciously off balance. "Flying" is a fantastic instrumental lead-in to Harrison's trippy and disconcerting "Blue Jay Way" which is the Beatles poster child for hallucinogenic tracks. Distorted vocals, strange keyboard washes and lurking cellos leave one with a rather cold, lost feeling. "Your Mother Should Know" is another Paul killer throwback piece embracing nostalgia in a completely convincing manner, I never get the feeling he's ridiculing the subjects of these kinds of tracks. The highlight of the album is the inclusion of the "Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane" single which is psych-pop Beatles at their absolute highest point. Both tracks recall moments in their collective history with a longing warmth and present those feelings with the blurred vision of the psychedelic experience: Strawberry's time shifts and haunted vocals making one almost experience time travel, and Penny's incredible horns and exaltations of "blue suburban skies" being perhaps the sunniest vibe ever recorded. Some believe Penny Lane an intentional lyrical play on sexual references contrasting suburban boredom. It doesn't mean that to me as the listener, for me it is more about accumulated memories as described in this quote:

"Penny Lane is a study in mundanity, the simple sights and sounds of a suburban British neighborhood; it's also one of the most stunningly gorgeous songs in the world. The descriptions of completely generalized, almost homogeneous people and practices off set with small details and punctuated by a central contradiction, all set to that rich melody, with the horns, the flute, augh! Splendid! Additionally, it contains the lines that probably most influenced my own artistic point of view: "Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes/There beneath the blue suburban skies..." The persistence of memory, the importance of experience, the way the smallest visual and aural details build up to form and inform this amazing thing we call A Life, all summed up in these simplest of lines." [Journal of Mundane Behavior, February 2001]

The album closes with "All you need is love" which became an anthem thanks to a live television feed and period star sing-along, more importantly it would become a recurring personal theme to John Lennon, the man. Very close to a masterpiece, MMT is essential for Beatles fans and highly recommended to any deep rock collection. Their 3rd finest album behind only Let It Be and Rubber Soul.

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