The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The album a contemporary critic called fraudulent
Released in the UK on 26 May 1967. A contemporary hostile review by Richard Goldstein in The New York Times, alongside chart results with their dates.
The verdict at the time
Goldstein dismissed the album as 'an album of special effects, dazzling but ultimately fraudulent': 'Like an over-attended child Sergeant Pepper is spoiled. It reeks of horns and harps, harmonica quartets, assorted animal noises and a 41-piece orchestra.' He attacked 'the obsession with production, coupled with a surprising shoddiness in composition' and found 'nothing beautiful' on the record, though he praised 'A Day in the Life' as 'a historic pop event'.
Chart peaks
European positions are listed by country. Later chart entries are labelled separately.
Sources & context
One critic's opinion, summarised from Richard Goldstein's original New York Times review of 18 June 1967. The album is now ranked among the greatest records ever made and recognised as a landmark of psychedelic and popular music.
