1.) The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Vinyl, LP, Album, Flipover GatefoldOdeon – Germany - 1973 - SHZE 401, HÖR ZU – SHZE 401 Media: NM / Sleeve & Cut-out : EX to NM A1 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band A2 With A Little Help From My Friends A3 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds A4 Getting Better A5 Fixing A Hole A6 She's Leaving Home A7 Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite B1 Within You Without You B2 When I'm Sixty-Four B3 Lovely Rita B4 Good Morning Good Morning B5 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) B6 A Day In The Life With Revolver, the Beatles made the Great Leap Forward, reaching a previously unheard-of level of sophistication and fearless experimentation. Sgt. Pepper, in many ways, refines that breakthrough, as the Beatles consciously synthesized such disparate influences as psychedelia, art-song, classical music, rock & roll, and music hall, often in the course of one song. Not once does the diversity seem forced -- the genius of the record is how the vaudevillian "When I'm 64" seems like a logical extension of "Within You Without You" and how it provides a gateway to the chiming guitars of "Lovely Rita." There's no discounting the individual contributions of each member or their producer, George Martin, but the preponderance of whimsy and self-conscious art gives the impression that Paul McCartney is the leader of the Lonely Hearts Club Band. He dominates the album in terms of compositions, setting the tone for the album with his unabashed melodicism and deviously clever arrangements. In comparison, Lennon's contributions seem fewer, and a couple of them are a little slight but his major statements are stunning. "With a Little Help From My Friends" is the ideal Ringo tune, a rolling, friendly pop song that hides genuine Lennon anguish, à la "Help!"; "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" remains one of the touchstones of British psychedelia; and he's the mastermind behind the bulk of "A Day in the Life," a haunting number that skillfully blends Lennon's verse and chorus with McCartney's bridge. It's possible to argue that there are better Beatles albums, yet no album is as historically important as this. After Sgt. Pepper, there were no rules to follow -- rock and pop bands could try anything, for better or worse. Ironically, few tried to achieve the sweeping, all-encompassing embrace of music as the Beatles did here. 2.) The Beatles – Rubber Soul Vinyl, LP, Album, Repress, Stereo, french contract pressing - 1973 - UK - Parlophone – PCS 3075 Media: EX / Sleeve: EX A1 Drive My Car A2 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) A3 You Won't See Me A4 Nowhere Man A5 Think For Yourself A6 The Word A7 Michelle B1 What Goes On B2 Girl B3 I'm Looking Through You B4 In My LIfe B5 Wait B6 If I Needed Someone B7 Run For Your Life While the Beatles still largely stuck to love songs on Rubber Soul, the lyrics represented a quantum leap in terms of thoughtfulness, maturity, and complex ambiguities. Musically, too, it was a substantial leap forward, with intricate folk-rock arrangements that reflected the increasing influence of Dylan and the Byrds. The group and George Martin were also beginning to expand the conventional instrumental parameters of the rock group, using a sitar on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)," Greek-like guitar lines on "Michelle" and "Girl," fuzz bass on "Think for Yourself," and a piano made to sound like a harpsichord on the instrumental break of "In My Life." While John and Paul were beginning to carve separate songwriting identities at this point, the album is full of great tunes, from "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and "Michelle" to "Girl," "I'm Looking Through You," "You Won't See Me," "Drive My Car," and "Nowhere Man" (the last of which was the first Beatle song to move beyond romantic themes entirely). George Harrison was also developing into a fine songwriter with his two contributions, "Think for Yourself" and the Byrds-ish "If I Needed Someone." ____________________________________________________ These records have been cleaned with a professional ultrasonic machine. New inner and outer sleeves included. Fast & careful shipping.