The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper - Why was Harrison only allowed One song?

Weirdly enough all the songs on pepper people think are sub-par are the ones I love, lovely rita, good morning, kite & WYWY. The funny thing about pepper to me is that although we all disagree on which songs are the best and which ones are weak, The consensus generally is that SPLHB as a whole is a great album, take away those pieces I think we lose that texture that somehow just works. although I think george martin was right, it was a mistake to leave of SFF & PL off of the album. If they were put on in whatever order or sequence without losing any other tracks I think SPLHB would be considered one of The Beatles best or THE best album they made.

 

I always skip it. I don't like it. It's too long, too. For my opinion, George may have just as well not been on the album at all.

 

Still one of my favourite Beatles songs. And yes, I agree the lyrics were too negative for Sgt. Pepper's....

 

What is it - four and half minutes long? I hope no one ever gives you a Yes album.

 

must be marijuana... it changes the perception of time

 

And yet it FEELS as long as one of the sides on TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS...

 

I've always thought Northern was a funny sour grapes song. Someone posted the title is because of Liverpool. Wrong.

I'd agree that Harrison putting out a song questioning his contribution to Lennon & Mac follows in line with the negativity of Taxman, walls, spaces, etc. also somewhat mirrors Lennon's, not all positive, reflectivity in SFF. I always thought Northern was a ballsy dig to Lennon, Mac, and Martin and with Harrison's recent successes with his songwriting, I guess he had some firm ground to stand on but, Northern is not that great. Good, but not that great.

 

I've come to the conclusion that this album isnt as psychadelic as everyone thinks it to be. With the exception of Lucy In The Sky and Within You Without You, it's pretty much your straightforward rock/pop album.

 

I've always thought Northern was a funny sour grapes song. Someone posted the title is because of Liverpool. Wrong.

Have you never heard of a double entendre?

 

"Northern" is just is silly little song George was asked to compose for a cartoon movie- "Yellow Submarine"

 

Right. I think that George may have been more upset about Paul usurping so much of his guitar duties on PEPPER than about the number of his compositions on the album.

 

Yeah, GH should play gtr on all his own songs.

 

Well was the reason Paul did some of the guitar work because he decided to or was it because George wasn't that interested, wasn't around or his stuff didn't fit in or wasn't good enough?

I don't think he just went "actually George I'll be doing this bit" just as he plugged in his guitar...

 

Pardon me if I should have read everything first (!), but I think this is a very likely explanation, as much as I would have find the track listing more psychedelic and cooler with OaNS added in.

Nevertheless, I think they gave WYWY an honorable position considering the original LP format. A side opener is a very important job! I have always loved it! It also seems to me like it received an inordinate amount of working on the arrangements. Our daughter (in her early twenties) finds it one of the most important, defining songs on the album.

 

Originally Posted by AudiophilePhil View Post
George Harrison had only offered the group two new songs during the making of the Sgt. Pepper album. They were "Only A Northern Song" and "Within You Without You."

Producer George Martin has decided to exclude "Only A Northern Song" from the album because it was inappropriate to the album's concept or vibe as the song is about Harrison's personal denunciation of the Beatles' music publishing business.
He has no other choice but to include only one Harrison song which is "Within You Without You".

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That is what I read last night in the Anthogoy book. But if you skip ahead to the Yellow Submarine "chapter", it explains how the song wound up there.

 

Well I am going with the fact that George was not interested in McCartney's Pepper and getting more enjoyment from pursueing his Indian dream! and now my thread title is wrong because I believe George was allowed more than one song but choose the fact the whole Indian philosophy thing is much more important to him than the latest Beatles record and getting more songs on the record - I never really reliesed it before, but probally the reason why Sgt.Pepper is my least favourite Beatles album is because the lack of George's guitar and songs etc

 

Yes..."A Day In The Life" has a good beat and I can dance to it. I give it an 80, Dick.

 

George wasn't interested IMO, so Paul did the parts himself, George was into deeper things and IMO couldn't be bothered with the Pepper concept!

 

What "deeper things" was George into than playing on and contributing to what many consider to be the greatest pop album of all time? Was he working on a cure for cancer or ending world hunger maybe?

 

The whole Indian religion, culture and learning the sitar is pretty deep for a Liverpool working class lad, and when recording Pepper it was just the next Beatles album, they were not sure it was to become so Iconic etc

 

No.

And I'm not sure if you are right regarding Isn't It A Pity.

 

McCartney's Pepper?

I've always thought they worked as a group from square one.

 

I think all this McCartney x Harrison thing is nothing but plain bull-****.

You and I may disagree on something but if we've been forever together, that's all about that.
Proof is that George wrote See Yourself in 1967 on Paul's defense.
George also defended the whole Magical Mystery Tour project whilst every UK paper was trashing it.
So I don't believe they disputed madly for the right of playing a guitar lick on a song.

 

I think in a way, maidenpriest, you have hit it on the head.

George, after smoking Mary Jane, dropping acid, and visiting India, "thought" he was a very self-aware and "deep" cat, certainly deeper than that square McCartney who lived with his girlfriend's parents. I mean, come on! This happens a lot to college freshman who come home for Christmas break and find themselves to be so much more "aware" than their parents, siblings and other home-town folk, when in fact, they are just full of themselves.

George's lack of quality material in 1967 was simply his "Freshman 15".

 

Vinyl

Seven tracks per side.

Makes better use of the original PePPer concept.

Surley this version would hold it's own against Revolver & Abbey Road not to mention the White Album.

side 1
1- Sgt Pepper
2- With A Little Help From My Friends
3- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
4- Getting Better
5- Fixing A Hole
6- She's Leaving Home
7- Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite
side 2
1- Penny Lane
2- Strawberry Fields Forever
3- When I'm Sixty Four
4- Lovely Rita
5- Good Morning Good Morning
6- Sgt Pepper (reprise)
7- A Day In The Life