The 50th anniversary of the most groundbreaking album of all time is upon us. June 1st will mark the landmark release of The Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” from 1967. It was the album that changed literally everything.
So far the only concrete item to mark the anniversary is a new book called “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Album, the Beatles, and the World in 1967″ by Brian Southall, due May 9th from Imagine Press. Southall was director of PR at EMI Records, the Beatles’ label from 1964 until last year when EMI was subsumed into Capitol Records.
Otherwise, Olivia Harrison and other members of the Beatles extended family are talking right now about what they’ll do to mark occasion. It would be swell if there were some kind of concert. Indeed, Paul McCartney is starting his 2017 tour in Japan at the end of April. It’s unclear where he will be on June 1st, or if he’s set aside the date. A TV special seems like a natural idea, too. So far, though, nothing’s been decided. But I’m told to expect an announcement shortly.