Often
described as the most important album of the 20th century, The Beatles' Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a record that needs little introduction,
but with the 50th anniversary of the album's release approaching on June 1st
this year there has been much celebration around the 50 year milestone for the
album, which will include a week-long festival in Liverpool to commemorate the
album's half-centenary.
Rumours of
a reissue have been doing the rounds for weeks now, but today it was announced
that a special 50th anniversary reissue of the album is being prepped and will
arrive just in time for the anniversary on May 26th.
Giles
Martin, the son of The Beatles' producer George Martin, has been presiding over
the reissue, which will be available in several formats. A standard edition CD
will include a new stereo mix of the album, while a deluxe CD will also include
a second disc featuring previously unreleased alternate takes of of the album's
13 tracks, as well as new versions of 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields
Forever', both of which were recorded during the Sgt. Pepper album sessions.
A deluxe
vinyl edition is also available, which will arrive as a 2 LP set on 180g black
vinyl featuring the new stereo mix and alternate takes, sequenced in the
original running order.
Finally
there is a six-disc 'super deluxe' box set edition comprising 4 CDs filled with
33 additional takes (sequenced in the order in which they were recorded) and
some unreleased mono mixes, including a 'lost' mix of 'Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds'.
The box set
also includes a Blu-ray and DVD that feature a 5.1 surround mix of the album's
13 tracks and 'Strawberry Fields Forever', a high-resolution audio version of
the new stereo mix, and a 4K restoration of both the original promo films for
the album and a previously unreleased documentary broadcast in 1992 detailing
the making of the album.
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