Sgt. Pepper Is Not A 10 

Anthony I know you think the Beatles are overrated but that doesn't mean you can blame Sgt Pepper's for killing the Queen

The first two tracks recorded for Sgt Pepper were Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane, however these two were then not included on the LP because they got released as singles instead due to the record label itching to release something. In an alternative universe, two of the weaker tracks of Sgt Pepper are dropped and we instead have Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane on the record, and I think the album would be so much better for this! The concept of the album would be so much clearer and fulfilled.

Dear Anthony, Your "She's Leaving Home" takes are criminally insane. Paul is clearly mocking the parents throughout the track, and the daughter is really only a secondary character to expose their failure and squareness. Further, the melody is ICONIC paul with top tier harmonic counterpoingt and the strings are breathtaking, even better than the accompaniment for Yesterday and Eleanor Rigby imo. Anthony, for your own sake, I encourage you to share your takes on this cal-assic 10/10 track with your primary care physician ASAP, so that whatever underlying problem is causing them can be identified and treated. Sincerely, Me

Probably the dumbest criticism of she’s leaving home I’ve ever heard. The song is about how the parents are controlling and how she should be able to have autonomy. Read the lyrics again, the parents are clearly in the wrong, all of the lines from their perspective are supposed to be absurd.

Hi Anthony, please do a Beatles Tier List!! I’m curious to see where your more detailed opinions between Revolver, The White Album, Abbey Road and all their studio albums stand!

Saying she’s leaving home doesn’t age well conceptually doesn’t make a lot of sense . Anxiety around a child leaving and parents becoming empty-nesters is extraordinarily common still and never will not be

I love this series where Fantano decides each decade's MBDTF

You know the man’s going through it when sgt peppers doesn’t sound good anymore

bruh how can someone dislike "she’s leaving home” the arrangement is so elegant and lush. A beautiful score with the help of george martin. the strings are absolutely gorgeous, i was taken to another world when i first listened to this song

Imagine hearing this album for the first time in 1967, arriving at the reprise, and then, after thinking it's over, having your mind blown by possibly the greatest Beatles song of all time.

Can't beleieve you didn't mention Fixing a Hole. Incredible tune.

Melon: "Sgt. Pepper is not a 10 because it doesn't flow very well." Also Melon: Me and the bestie 🥰❤️⬜️

I've never read 'She's Leaving Home' as necessarily sympathetic to the parents. Sure, it's _from_ their perspective, but when I first heard it, I felt it was sympathetic to their child.

I've always felt that Within You Without You was one of the Beatles' most underrated songs. I'm not a very spiritual person or subscribe to hindu philosophy, but I still think the song provides a good lesson in selflessness and humility. It's also just a damn beautiful tune. "When you've seen beyond yourself then you may find peace of mind is waiting there. And the time will come when you see we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you."

She's Leaving Home isn't sappy. It's mocking the parents for buying their daughter things but depriving her of fun and making her feel alone, and then having the audacity to feel betrayed that she would leave in the middle of the night. There's a heavy subtext of a dysfunctional family, but because it's from the parents' perspective the story is warped to try to make the listener feel bad for them.

Man how can Melon misunderstand "she's leaving home" so badly. The song is clearly very sarcastic, it's not even that hard to get

this may be just me but I’ve always interpreted the chorus of she’s leaving home to be a sarcastic commentary on how manipulative some parents can be when a child leaves a home. Specifically the line “she’s having fuuuuuunnn” feels very self aware

You've made some valid points, though I disagree with all of them. To be honest, I'd give Sgt. Pep at 9/10 or so, but for different reasons. Allow me to make a single counter-argument, regarding "She's Leaving Home," which is surely the lowest of the hanging fruit on this record (especially for us millennials). I think this song is clearly meant to be ironic, to be sour hidden inside saccharine. Hear me out. It takes the parent's perspective in order to all the more thoroughly twist the knife in their guts: the parents are positioned as the cause of their daughter's leaving, not the victims. The key lyric that pulls the rug out from under your take is in the chorus, the crux of the song: "She's leaving home/*after living alone*/for so many years." This lyric reveals the unnamed heroine of the song as having suffered through years of emotional isolation whether in spite of or because of her parents doting on her. The wailing of the parents (from "never a thought for ourselves" to "How could she do this to me?") are selfish and pathetic. The daughter escapes her stifling, manipulative, shitty mid-1960s parents and sets off to author her own life. This, at any rate, is how it has struck me over the years.

First time I’ve ever seen anyone criticise She’s Leaving Home; thought people unanimously agreed that it was criminally underrated!

She's Leaving Home is so obviously not on the parents' side that's it's straight up unbelievable Mr Fantano interpreted it that way. It's not sentimental or weepy at all - it's a quiet, bitter tragedy, where the parents can't reconcile the part they played in pushing their daughter away and put all of the blame solely on her

Within You, Without You is not cultural tourism. In the hands of a lesser artist it would be, but it merges some of the Beatles’ most complex songwriting and most profound lyricism with an authentic instrumental performed by real Raga musicians. It’s one the band’s most underappreciated songs and one of the moments where they really transcend pop and create music on a whole different level, imo. Edit: oh, and the juxtaposition of When I’m 64 is one of my favorite moments on the album!

Really? Dissing "She's Leaving Home"? It's a gorgeous song, masterfully composed by lads who were simple Merseybeat players not 5 years earlier. It shows their growth and maturity as musicians

“She’s Leaving Home” might be my favorite Beatles song of all time. You’re crazy. Brian Wilson and his wife said they cried when Paul played this for them on the piano.

I will not take any Within You and Without You slander. That song is fucking magical. The percussions are unbelievable.

I’ve never seen Anthony’s career and credibility drop from a 10 to a Not Good this fast

if it was called sgt melons ridge wallet band it would be a 10

Damn, she’s leaving home is actually one of my favorite songs on the album, I was literally crying when I first heard it.

Revolver is a 10. I actually think the non-transition from "Within You Without You" to "When I'm 64" is one of the best moments on any Beatles album. I love the whiplash.

The switch from Within You Without You to When I'm Sixty-Four is always something I've admired. The amount of genre variety on the album is its charm and partially why it stands out as such an outstanding record. The "flow" of the album is that it almost does not have a flow, but is rather a mosaic of different musical aesthetics. This concept would be perfected on the White Album, but Pepper is their first album that emphasizes this idea.

In April 1967, McCartney visited Brian Wilson in L.A. to preview Sgt. Pepper, playing "She's Leaving Home" on the piano for him and his wife. "We both just cried," Wilson said. "It was beautiful." PS George Martin’s piano solo on “Lovely Rita” kills!!!

I’ve always understood She’s Leaving Home to be critical of the parents and thereby affirming the girl’s autonomy. “We gave her everything money could buy,” “Fun is the one thing money can’t buy”…. isn’t that obvious?

Assuming it hasn't been said, but it surely has been: I think you're missing the irony on She's Leaving Home. It's too clear in the way Lennon sings "we gave her everything MONEY could buuuuy" or "how could she treat us so thoughtlessly" The song is saying the parents are a couple of dicks who've failed to give their child anything substantial besides material wealth. "Byeeeee byeeeee" It all comes off so insincerely weepy bc it's supposed to be. There is a sincere sad element to the song in the girl's estrangment from her parents and their lack of emotional intimacy with her, but the song is premised on the duality of the ironic /and/ sincere sides of that sadness. This isn't just the Eleanor Rigby sequel; it's the parody.

No mention of how, in Mr. Kite, the band surrounds the listener with a flurry of immersive sounds until you can practically smell the sawdust in the air? The atmosphere is so vivid and the production is leagues ahead of its time. Few people were doing that 1967.

She’s Leaving Home is an UNDERRATED gem. In the context of the albums offers such as Good Morning, Good Morning & Within You Without You, I feel it offers much more.

I used to call Sgt. Pepper my favorite album ever, and that’s solely because it was so influential in discovering my love for music. It was the first album I ever listened to in its entirety, per recommendation from my mom (who played Beatles for me all the time growing up). I remember that final piano chord on A Day in the Life blowing my mind, capping an experience that showed me the variety of sounds and emotions albums could provide. Nowadays I hardly listen to much of it outside of its key songs, but I’ll always remember that first listen and how it made me feel. Also that haunting record skip sound collage at the very end terrifies me to this day.

You're right! It's an 11. All those negative comments you make about some of the tracks are a plus in my eyes. Lovely Rita in particular has some moments that I've never seen repeated in modern music. This album as a whole take me to another place, a very comfortable world that transcends the individual songs. As a body of music it works so well together.

Fantano was like those critics that said the album was "ok" in 1967, but 60 years later

Anthony, you can’t just say that Sgt. Pepper isn’t a 10 because you want to protest “British imperialism”

This entire video is a great example of why being a musician is entirely different than being a music critic.

Do people really not like Good Morning? I think of it as one of the Beatles hardest hitting rock tunes. Them playing around with time is fun, the guitar licks are cool, the theming and lyrics are all there. Definitely one of my favorites on the album.

Sgt. Pepper's is easily a 10, and this is coming from someone who much prefers Forever Changes and The Velvet Underground & Nico. Even if we set aside the song criticism (She's Leaving Home not a classic? Are you kidding me?), it is the best produced album of 1967. Compare it to any summer of love contemporaries like Are You Experienced?, Surrealistic Pillow, The Doors, or Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and the production absolutely blows them out of the water. It still sounds fresh today. In addition, it set the template for what all other blockbuster albums could be. It's in the same vein as Dark Side of the Moon, Rumours, Thriller, Nevermind, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. There's a reason publications like Rolling Stone often cite it as the greatest album of all time: it defined the concept of an album.

Highly disagree. Sgt. Pepper is fantastic, incredibly produced and a cultural landmark. If this isn’t a 10. Then I don’t know what is. Edit: This is the most likes my comments have ever gotten. Thank you.

Sgt Peppers, simply put, is one of the greatest albums ever made and no one can tell me otherwise

Anthony really said george's newfound relationship with God was cultural tourism. Anthony can read people's hearts apparently

Lovely Rita is one of my favorites. I get the song flow is weird... the whole album is extremely bizarre. When I'm Sixty Four is also a phenomenally written song IMO.

For me, 'Within You Without You' was the sound I hoped The Beatles would deliver on this album when I first listened to it. You're such a stick in the mud, Fantano, seriously. I don't think you even understand music at all. Love this series, please do more.

She’s leaving home is arguably my favorite song on the album

Dont forget Sgt Peppers and magical mystery tour came out in the same year 😵‍💫. Individually they probably both dont get a "10" but the beatles in 1967 deserve at least a 12/10. Some of the most iconic and colorful melodies of all time.

Damn, now I have to destory all my beatles records that my grandma gave me. Look what you made me do Melon

Sgt. Pepper is absolutely a 10, _especially_ given the context that it came out in freakin' 1967. And if it's not a 10, then it's a 9.99 _only_ because of Good Morning Good Morning. lmao Also, how you gonna complain about the flow of this album and then claim the White Album is better? I LOVE the White Album and it has some of the best Beatles tracks ever, but it's a complete mess tonally and has some of their worst tracks as well. And how dare you insult Mr. Kite, that song is awesome. lol

as a 16 yo the first time i listened to sgt peppers i actually cried and was jumping up and down of excitement. It’s insane that something that old can resonate with someone my age and so long in the future

I always thought the narrator(s) of She’s Leaving Home were meant to be old fashioned and wrong. They can’t see that she’s out having fun and that they were controlling.

I can excuse Thriller, but I draw the line at Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

She’s Leaving Home is one of the Beatles’ greatest tracks tbh. Idk if Sgt Peppers is a ten but that’s one of the highlights not just for that album but for their career, not a weak spot by any means.

The album is about "a day in the life". Its about regular people in regular everyday situations, like "Fixing a Hole" (it's about a dude fixing a hole, literally), "Lovely Rita" (oh no I got fined), and all the tracks are like that. That's the beauty of it, just jumping through different situations, a quick view of the world of regular "boring" people and finding stuff in it worth writting a song about. That's why it seems they wrote a song about anything that crossed their mind. If Paul McCartney wasn't fined, he wouldn't have written Lovely Rita, and maybe they would've made a song about something else. Idk, to me it makes perfect sense and all the tracks are great, and "A Day In The Life" is the perfect close up for the album. Maybe some songs on their own don't stand out as much as other Beatles songs, but on the context of the album and as a whole they're perfect as they are.

the only critique i really disagree with is on being for the benefit of mr kite. The song really feels experimental and psychedelic and i honestly think it fits tonally with lucy in the sky with diamonds. not only does it not feel out of place for this record but i think its a really fun song, with out there instrumentation that keeps it fresh to come back to in the beatles discography.

She's Leaving Home is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, and did he even mention Fixing A Hole? Abbey Road is the best album though.

Alright just from the title, I’m going to say this video is an L, but I’ll watch it and come back Edit: “She’s Leaving Home” is one of the most beautiful songs ever. The L stands

this is like putting your face inches away from monet painting and saying it's only a bunch of random lines.

Woah She's Leaving Home is one of my favorite Beatles songs. Suprised by your take here. The melody and chords are so pretty.

A Day in The Life tho.....that song is a fucking classic and my favorite Beatles song to be honest.

At least we can all agree that 'A day in the life' is a masterpiece.

It's not a 10, but She's Leaving blew my mind as a teenager in the 90s. It's a great telling of story that still resonates with teens today.

Talking about Sgt. Pepper without mentioning even once the word "psychedelic" when describing it is so very very wrong. Not even for "Lucy in the Sky", which is just baffling, and is one of the most hypnotising and sublime psychedelic songs ever recorded.

At the end of Classic Reviews, Anthony never actually rates the album, so it's interesting to see which "classic" albums he thinks are 10s and which aren't

anthony, the transition from within you without you into when im sixty four is one of the greatest transitions in pop music history. your mentality behind it is so foolish. its so seamless and the fact that the transition between two very different songs is so seamless exemplifies just how genius the beatles really were. graduate kindergarten already. love you.

Melon, you need serious help man. In my mind, Sgt Pepper is the greatest album of all time. A colorful collection of musical vignettes strung together so beautifully and cohesively.

She's Leaving has aged amazingly in my opinion. The narrative is told from the perspective of the worried parents and it doesn't necessarily have to be rational. The girl can do well on her own but that doesn't mean the worry and feelings of the parents isn't real.

As long as you think Revolver’s a 10 (not think, but know it is), then we’re good, Lovelythony Ritano.

Not only do I consider the streak of songs from She's leaving home up to and including When I'm 64 absolutely fantastic, in terms of melody, lyrics and emotional impact, it is also what paved the way for albums like Houses of the holy and Angel dust when it comes to being extremely diverse from song to song. The somewhat odd transitions are striking but that's the fun of it.

If Sgt. Pepper isn't a 10 then there are no tens.

It's a 10 for a lot of us, including me.

She’s leaving home is my favourite track of this LP mostly because I have such a personal connection to it. I think it’s really beautiful

Sgt Pepper is an album that i didn't fully "get" until i listened to it on vinyl. Mr Kite and Within You Without You are perfect bookend songs imo. It's not as good as Revolver, The White Album or Abbey Road but it's still a masterpiece and one of the greatest albums ever released in my opinion.

As much as I agree that the album is (to some degree) overrated and is certainly not a 10 (in my opinion), I feel like your argument isn't a great way to look at it...

Sure it is!! It's my favorite album of all-time. Any artist would love to make an album this great.

If you combine the best tracks from Sgt. Peppers with the best of the US Magical mystery tour album, you'd get a track list that's a 9/soft 10 in my opinion. It's a shame that popular singles were often omitted from albums in the UK at the time, since it was considered to be poor taste to re-sell the same songs twice. That changed not much later.

Within You Without You is a masterpiece. I don’t understand the “cultural appropriation” argument for it, George made that song with great respect for Indian culture. Within You Without You introduced a wider audience to Indian music and I think it’s one of the most beautiful songs of the Beatles discography

welll that’s absurd. It absolutely is a 10. It’s unskippable, full of amazing singles too.

I legitimately don't know how it's possible to think she's leaving home is supposed to be in favour of the parents when a main lyric is "she's leaving home after living ALONE for so many years". To me that's what make the narrative compelling, it's told through the parents even though it's a critique of the parents, which I think allow the lyrics to carry a lot of narrative information. That being said, he has a fair point about the Broadway nature and its fair if that turns people off.

Am I living in bizarro world? Good Morning, Good Morning is a great song: the brass instruments, the DRUMMING, Lennon's flow, that awesome guitar solo!

I can agree with this somewhat but you’re TRIPPING with “she’s leaving home” that song is a masterpiece

Do you think that the way music was digested at the time or the landscape of music as a whole at the time of the records initial release has any impact on track listing arrangement and it’s subsequent enjoyment?

I agree, that the album´s not their absolut best album, and I also think Magical Mystery Tour, Abbey Road, Let it be or Abbey Road are better, but damn. I´ve never heard so much disliking for Sgt. Pepper haha every song fits perfectly into this little world they´ve created and they´re cohesive to each other. It´s definitely a 10/10. By the way, that "She´s leaving home" interpretation? Man, I know everyone can has their perspective, but this song´s obvious like the air to breathe. Now I´m curious, Anthony: Is it a 6 for you?

Okay. Now we have a problem....

It’s simple for me - I don’t get bored listening through the album, despite some weaker cuts.

The bass in Being for the Benefit goes crazy

Your right it's not a 10 it's an 11, and with most critics and musicians calling it there masterpiece, everyone has there own opinion....but you my friend your opinion is wrong.

I was surprised to hear you throw such shade on Good Morning Good Morning, I think it’s a really cool and well written tune with that classic unusual Lennon bar-length, and on top of that the lyrics are very evocative, for me at least. I feel like it’s the most grounded of all the songs on that album and seems to me to be the most reflective of what the swinging 60s felt like, at least to the Beatles. I’ll give it to you that the horns are a bit of an acquired taste, different mixes yield different results for me. There’s a rehearsal take floating around somewhere on a deluxe version of the album that doesn’t have the horns, I think it’s great, almost sounds like a less pained version of something Lennon would do on his first solo album.

Magical Mystery Tour is the most underrated Beatles album by a LOT. You will not change my mind

She's leaving home not a good song?? absolutely asinine. Forget the lyrics, the music alone is EASILY in the realm of top 5 most beautifully written Beatles songs, though interestingly the fantastic string arrangement was not done by George Martin who was absent at the time.

I can't believe Paul McCartney would DM melon and call his life a "light 1". How immature can one man be?

I thought a bassist would appreciate Benefit for Mr. Kite. It's an amazing bass song.

>she's leaving home >tedious musical theater production Never change melonhead. It's got such a great arrangement, and Lennon's backing vocals are incredible.

Hard disagree on Within You and Without you being “weak cultural tourism”. It was so well orchestrated and spiritually rich, one of my favorites.

Yo Anthony! What would you say for Ok Computer or Kid A??????

I've a new found love for Sgt Peppers. I think Giles Martin did an amazing job on the last reissue. There's not a bad track on it in my view. The Beatles continually moved forward in sound and reinventing themselves and Pepper was central to this. It could have been better if Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane had have been on it instead of EMI pushing them for a single. So much care and attention went into the album right down to the album cover and lyrics on the back. Wonderful.

LOL. Sorry Melonhead , youre just wrong on this one.

Excellent video. I like the premise and the arguments are sound. Pepper could very well have been a 10 if the boys had included Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane and perhaps expanded on their themes a bit more with other similar, like minded tracks. Who knows??All I know is that I am glad as hell that Only Northern Song didn't make it on the LP.

Do more of these "not a 10" videos