The Three Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Records I Bought — Masumi Usui

Table of Contents

1. UK Edition / US Edition / Japanese Edition — An Era When Covers, Songs, and Track Orders Were All Different
2. The Picture Record I Bought at Age 15
3. For Some Reason, I Wanted Them Again Starting a Few Years Ago
4. US Edition and the "KP" Stamp — Ken Perry's Sound
5. Japanese Mono Red Vinyl — The Mix the Members Were Present For
6. Listening Through Entirely, A One-of-a-Kind Album
7. Editor's Note

UK Edition / US Edition / Japanese Edition — An Era When Covers, Songs, and Track Orders Were All Different

The early Beatles albums had different jacket designs, song contents, and track orders between those released in Britain (UK edition), those released in America (US edition), and those released in Japan (Japanese edition). This is fundamentally what has caused my confusion regarding Beatles records over the past few years.

The Beatles released 13 studio albums in the UK if you include Magical Mystery Tour, but various types of original albums exist all around the world.

However, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was a concept album with the Beatles' "fictional band show" setting, incorporating techniques like eliminating gaps between songs, and elevated the album format to the realm of "artistic work." As a result, it was released worldwide with unified standards for jacket design, song content, and track order.

Actually, in the 1960s, having different album covers, song contents, and track orders by country wasn't unique to the Beatles—it happened regularly with the Rolling Stones and other bands too. I think record companies' marketing intentions were releasing what we'd now call playlist-style albums tailored to each country.

In a sense, this is why this album has become legendary as a milestone that clearly defined the presence an album should have.

The Picture Record I Bought at Age 15

Enough of the historical background—I think the first Beatles record I ever purchased was the picture disc of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" released in 1978.

That record should be at my family home, but I haven't been able to find it yet. A classic case of "old records I used to own."

Why did 15-year-old me buy a picture disc that didn't sound very good? It seems strange to me now, but when I asked AI Gemini about it, there was apparently a global picture disc boom at the time. Being trendy, I probably rode that wave and bought that record.

It came in a die-cut jacket (with the center cut out in a circle) so you could see the picture disc inside. I thought that presentation was unusual. Come to think of it, I remember buying the "Let It Be" album in box format back then. That album has also disappeared to parts unknown. I can infer that I probably liked novelty releases like that back then.

For Some Reason, I Wanted Them Again Starting a Few Years Ago

Then, starting a few years ago, I somehow wanted Beatles records again.

The Beatles have released 216 songs including their recent track "Now and Then," with 13 original studio albums. And I've roughly counted that I've bought 38 Beatles albums over the past few years. I haven't counted carefully, so there might be a few more.

How did this happen? Moreover, I have an Apple Music subscription, so I can listen to Beatles songs anytime, anywhere, unlimited. I'm completely infected with record disease. The only prescription is frequenting used record stores. Beatles records especially have a deep rabbit hole.

When I spoke with Kunihiko Fujimoto, famous for translating Beatles books and documentary films, a few years ago, he told me that compared to the Rolling Stones, Beatles records have better sound quality. Indeed, especially the early ones—Stones records generally have muffled sound with barely audible bass. In comparison, Beatles records have clear sound with well-separated parts, and the bass has warm contours that are soothing. This and that led me to become hooked on the sound of Beatles records.

US Edition and the "KP" Stamp — Ken Perry's Sound

Let's return to the story of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record.

Since I used to be a bassist, I like sounds rich in low frequencies. US editions are said to have good bass, so I found and purchased a US edition at a used record store.

And this record turned out to be quite something.

Records have what's called a matrix number—symbols near the label that indicate when and where they were manufactured. Beatles records have been thoroughly researched by fans worldwide, and you can determine these details from those symbols. When I looked it up, the US edition I bought was pressed in the early 1970s at the Winchester plant in Virginia. It's a record with a very tough sound.

Moreover, when I looked closely, there were hand-carved initials "KP". This is the stamp indicating that master engineer Ken Perry handled the cutting for this record.

Records don't simply transfer the master tape sound directly to the disc—cutting engineers make on-the-spot judgments while making fine adjustments like equalization as they cut the grooves. Apparently the sound differs depending on which engineer worked on it. Ken Perry's cutting is characterized by thickness in the mid-low range and exceptionally powerful, resonant sound.

After researching this information and listening to the record again, it's strange how you can sense the aroma of 1970s America from the sound originally recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Japanese Mono Red Vinyl — The Mix the Members Were Present For

Then I encountered another wonderful Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band record. It was a reissue released in Japan in 1982, a record from the "Red Vinyl" mono series released as a limited edition colored record.

Beatles records exist in both stereo and mono versions. The Beatles themselves checked the sound on the mono versions. At the time, songs were broadcast in mono on AM radio. Mono was apparently the mixing standard.

When you're told that, mono records become intriguing. Still being trendy, I started collecting mono Beatles records. However, mono records of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band are apparently rare, and I especially couldn't find original pressings, so I had given up. But when I encountered an affordable record, I purchased the mono version.

And I'm savoring this record with the mono mix sound that the Beatles members were enthusiastically present for during the mixing process.

Listening Through Entirely, A One-of-a-Kind Album

I haven't talked about the songs on the album at all, but that's okay.

Actually, since my teens, I haven't been the type to earnestly listen to albums from beginning to end at home. Of course, I do listen to albums from start to finish many times. But depending on my mood and the flow, I often select and mix songs like a DJ while playing them on the turntable.

When I think about it, I've always listened to the Sgt. Pepper's album from beginning to end in order, and I never selected and played just individual songs from the middle. I think it's a truly one-of-a-kind album where you can enjoy the entire worldview. I'd like you to listen to it from beginning to end again. I'm sure you'll find new discoveries.

And so, depending on my daily mood, I enjoy those two albums with the same title. And sometimes when I see a Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band picture disc at used record stores, I remember being 15 years old.

Editor's Note

Masumi Usui, nicknamed "Belushi," is a friend from way back when I (Namio) was playing in a blues band in Matsuyama. We called him that because he resembled John Belushi from the Blues Brothers. Now he's working on the front lines of the advertising industry in Hiroshima, but when we meet face to face, we're just band buddies. He plays great bass.

Even when I throw impossible requests at him, he always responds with apparent enjoyment. This time too, when I asked him to "write a column," he sent me the story of three Sgt. Pepper's complete with record numbers, matrix numbers, and cutting engineer names. I started reading thinking it was writing by someone from the advertising industry, but a bass player's ear was mixed in. "KP stamp," "thickness in the mid-low range," "the bass sound has warm contours and is soothing"—lines like these can only be written by someone who has properly listened to low frequencies.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released on June 1, 1967. Nearly 60 years later, the three records that Bell collected are the same title but each sounds different. Japanese picture disc, US Apple edition, Japanese mono red vinyl—the same songs carry the air of three eras and three places.

And "I haven't talked about the songs on the album at all, but that's okay"—this Belushi-like defiance is good. It's an honest memoir from someone deep in the record rabbit hole. The way it properly returns to the conclusion that it's "a truly one-of-a-kind album where you can enjoy the entire worldview" is also very Bell-like.

Thanks to Bell. Please listen to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from beginning to end. Preferably on vinyl.