An inside look at The Beatles Sgt. Pepper Anniversary Edition Box Set

Time flies. It’s hard to believe it has been 50 years since The Beatles released their acclaimed album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The year was 1967, the world had its eyes on the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and the Summer of Love had begun.

“Sgt. Pepper seemed to capture the mood of that year, and it also allowed a lot of other people to kick off from there and to really go for it,” Ringo Starr recalls in the new 144-page book that accompanies the band’s celebratory new Super Deluxe box set.

The special reissue comes equipped with 34 unreleased tracks, brand new song mixes and the original artwork. With three different iterations of this re-release (Deluxe, Deluxe Vinyl, and Super Deluxe), there’s something exciting for the casual Beatles fan as well as the die-hard fanatic.

“It’s crazy to think that 50 years later we are looking back on this project with such fondness and a little bit of amazement at how four guys, a great producer and his engineers could make such a lasting piece of art,” says McCartney in his newly written introduction.

The book also comes packed with comprehensive song details and detailed histories behind the recording of the record, the design of the cover, the album’s musical innovations and its historical context by Beatles historian, author and radio producer Kevin Howlett; composer and musicologist Howard Goodall; music producer and writer Joe Boyd; and journalists Ed Vulliamy and Jeff Slate.

Upon its release, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band spent 148 weeks on the British charts, including 27 weeks at No. 1. During its first U.S. chart run, the album held the No. 1 spot on the Top 200 Chart for 15 weeks. Sgt. Pepper won four GRAMMY Awards®, including Album of the Year, and it remains one of the most influential and bestselling albums of all time.

Order the box set (and much more!) by clicking here.

The Beatles Channel (Ch. 18) will celebrate “Pepper Day” on Thursday, June 1, the 50th anniversary of the band’s acclaimed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, playing the album’s new Anniversary Edition 2017 stereo mix in its entirety at 5pm ET. This will be followed at 10pm ET by the “Alternate Pepper,” an airing of the entire album reimagined with previously unreleased alternate takes and instrumental versions found on the new Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Anniversary Edition Super Deluxe Box Set.

The celebration continues throughout the weekend with “Sgt. Pepper Forever,” a new two-hour documentary special written and produced by Beatles historian Kevin Howlett in the UK. Hosted by Martin Freeman, the special reveals the revolutionary studio techniques used during the remarkable sessions dating from November 1966 to April 1967 and also examines the album’s huge impact on the history of music. Featuring interviews with Paul, George, Ringo and Beatles producer George Martin, “Sgt. Pepper Forever” will premiere on Friday, June 2 at 1pm ET, with encore airings Friday, June 2 at 8pm ET; Saturday, June 3 at Noon ET; and Sunday, June 4 at 10pm ET.

Also, be sure to check out “Sgt. Pepper’s Musical Revolution,” a new documentary special that will premiere Saturday, June 3 at 8pm ET on PBS (check local listings).