A few weeks back we reported that in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles would be releasing an epic anniversary edition of the seminal record. The six-disc super deluxe box set will feature a whopping 33 rare, unreleased outtakes from the Sgt. Pepper sessions – a dream for any serious Beatles fan.
We’ve just gotten the first taste (via The Guardian) a previously unreleased version of the album’s title track.
Listen to a rare, unreleased take of the Beatles recording ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, nabbed from deep in the Abbey Road vaults.
This version – ‘Take 9’ – doesn’t feature the horns or crowd fanfare from the original and appears much more stripped back. In breaks between passages you can hear the band fooling around, yelping and trippy voices echoing towards the end, saying “I feel it, I feel it, oh baby now I feel it … Gotta be free now”.
At the very end there’s a brief chat between John and Paul about singing technique while the tape is still rolling.
It feels far more intimate than the album version, an almost eerie insight into the creation of one of the most monumental records of all time.
Following the release of the 50th anniversary edition, a new documentary is coming out focusing on the 12 months surrounding the recording of Sgt. Pepper.
Directed by Alan G. Parker, the film will feature rare archival footage along with a range of interviews with subjects including original drummer Pete Best, John Lennon’s sister Julia and Hunter Davies. Watch the trailer below:
