A$# 048 Beatle| Magical Mystery Tour

As the second album by the Beatles during the heady year of 1967, Magical Mystery Tour lies in the shadow of the era-defining Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. But of course it's got some of the best rock music on it ever recorded by anybody.

In the UK, MMT was not originally released as an album, just as an EP with the six songs from the film of the same name .The album, originally just a US release, collects the six new songs, plus other a-sides and b-sides from 1967, including the most ground-breaking and sophisticated release, the double a-side Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane, and the anthemic All You Need Is Love.

(The album was released in many other countries, including the UK in 1976. Issues in the US and Canada did not have Penny Lane in true stereo. I got a copy from Austria in 1980 so that I could have it in true stereo. When the Fabs' album were released on CD in 1987, the album became part of the standard worldwide catalogue, all tracks in stereo.)

The Beatles kept up such a constant pace in the recording studio that some of the MMT songs – not just SFF and PL, which were recorded during the early Sgt. Pepper sessions, in late 66 and early 67 - were in the can even before the June 1 Pepper release. They worked quickly to get backing tracks done for All You Need Is Love for the historic June 25 Our World telecast and prepare it for release as a single in early July. (Its b-side, Baby You're A Rich Man, was already recorded.) After a respite of just under two months, they returned to the studio on August 22 to record Your Mother Should Know.

Not even the tragic death of manager Brian Epstein kept them from the studio for long. On September 5, they started on another of their great masterpieces, John's I Am The Walrus, with its cryptic lyrics, sound effects and sophisticated orchestration. Work continued in and around the filming of the group's strange bus tour...

Six new songs would ultimately end up in the film, and a seventh, Hello Goodbye, would be a no. 1 a-side. Paul's The Fool On The Hill is an elegant ballad, and Your Mother Should Know displays his penchant for music hall style. The title song is a great classic rocking song. George provided the moody Blue Jay Way, and the four Beatles collaborated on the interesting Flying instrumental.

The Magical Mystery Tour film may have been a disappointment to some – indeed, many critics pounced on it – but the music was first rate. When it was topped up with their other, brilliant non-album tracks from that year, it meant another masterpiece that capped off the Summer Of Love.

Track listing:
1. Magical Mystery Tour
2. The Fool On The Hill
3. Flying
4. Blue Jay Way
5. Your Mother Should Know
6. I Am The Walrus
7. Hello Goodbye
8. Strawberry Fields Forever
9. Penny Lane
10. Baby You're A Rich Man
11. All You Need Is Love