spreading the word

[MrGongGong]

I can't stand the Beatles
but 'Sgt Pepper' IS one of the most significant musical creations of western culture

parading ones ignorance as some do just makes one look old and out of touch with the rest of the world
the "never heard of it" stuff is on the same level as those who do the "classical music is boring" crap

and

It's not one or the other you know
one can have both

to my ears

Beefheart and Bruckner
Cage and Can

complexity doesn't necessarily equate with quality
Allegri's Miserere for example (to pick up on an earlier comment) is very simple indeed

[Flosshilde]

Last thursday on R5 breakfast Rachel Burdon described `Sgt Pepper` as one of the most important cultural creations `in the history of mankind.`

Laz

As I'm reading 'A history of the world in 100 objects' at the moment I'd say that the most important cultural creation `in the history of mankind.` was the cooking pot.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

As I'm reading 'A history of the world in 100 objects' at the moment I'd say that the most important cultural creation `in the history of mankind.` was the cooking pot.

Good choice.



But is it better than the Finale of K551?

[MrGongGong]

Good choice.



But is it better than the Finale of K551?

Better
Good
and
Significant

are three things that aren't necessarily the same at all

[Flosshilde]

Good choice.



But is it better than the Finale of K551?

Anything would be better than the finale of K551 (or the beginning, or the middle)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Anything would be better than the finale of K551 (or the beginning, or the middle)

... ooh! ... you ... FLOSSIE!!!!

[Flosshilde]

I think you set that one up, Ferney

[laz]

But that is not the criterion Ms Burdon was using if your OP quotes her accurately, laz. Regardless of its many musical merits (and, like cloughie, I prefer Revolver and Rubber Soul) Pepper's cultural status is remarkable. No other cultural artefact "spoke" to so many people so quickly - nor, before mass media, could any. The album marks a change in the way people approach and disseminate "Culture", and the ways in which that Culture reflects their values . In this way, Ms Burdon (whether or not she meant it so) was quite correct.

Well i can agree Sgt Pepper was representative of a cultural phenomenon but as music..It`s rhythms and harmonies are hardly `pushing the envelope`
Whether the cultural phenomenon that the album represents was universally beneficial ( as Monteverdi or Tallis were representative of the renaissance or Beethoven and Mozart the age of enlightenment ) is a larger question

[MrGongGong]

Well i can agree Sgt Pepper was representative of a cultural phenomenon but as music..It`s rhythms and harmonies are hardly `pushing the envelope`
Whether the cultural phenomenon that the album represents was universally beneficial ( as Monteverdi or Tallis were representative of the renaissance or Beethoven and Mozart the age of enlightenment ) is a larger question

When I was learning the Sitar my teacher came to hear the college orchestra playing a Schubert Symphony
he thought it was hilarious that such advanced music students would be playing music that was so rhythmically simple


i'm not sure (and i'm a musician ) that ANY music is "universally beneficial" ?

and "Rhythm" & "Harmony" are only 2 of the many things that music can contain

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well i can agree Sgt Pepper was representative of a cultural phenomenon but as music..

But, again, this is not what Ms Burdon was saying (if your OP contains an accurate representation of what she said; as I don't listen to R5, I didn't hear the comment).

Whether the cultural phenomenon that the album represents was universally beneficial ( as Monteverdi or Tallis were representative of the renaissance or Beethoven and Mozart the age of enlightenment ) is a larger question

Indeed it is; but what has this to do with Ms Burdon's claims as reported in your OP?

[MrGongGong]

music IS a

cultural phenomenon

i'm not sure what the problem with that is ?

[Lateralthinking1]

Regardless of its many musical merits (and, like cloughie, I prefer Revolver and Rubber Soul) Pepper's cultural status is remarkable.

I completely agree. The 1960s is full of remarkable cultural icons, often mass produced and hence not to everyone's taste. Earlier there were insufficient markets. Later there were too many. New consumption patterns defined them.

Pepper has its place alongside the mini, Twiggy, domestic appliances, Warhol, frozen food.......the list is almost endless. Consider the 1990s and, well, what have you got? Actually, I also like side two of Abbey Road but not for its symbolism.

[doversoul1]

When I was learning the Sitar my teacher came to hear the college orchestra playing a Schubert Symphony
he thought it was hilarious that such advanced music students would be playing music that was so rhythmically simple

I hope you told him/her not to be such a narrow minded, ignorant idiot who couldn’t appreciate anything other than his/her own music. Or is it perfectly admirable for ‘others’ to laugh at ‘our’ music?

[teamsaint]

I completely agree. The 1960s is full of remarkable cultural icons, often mass produced and hence not to everyone's taste. Earlier there were insufficient markets. Later there were too many. New consumption patterns defined them.

Pepper has its place alongside the mini, Twiggy, domestic appliances, Warhol, frozen food.......the list is almost endless. Consider the 1990s and, well, what have you got? Actually, I also like side two of Abbey Road but not for its symbolism.

I agree about Abbey Road. I like the whole album a lot.

Thought i would share that .

[IRF]

Last thursday on R5 breakfast Rachel Burdon described `Sgt Pepper` as one of the most important cultural creations `in the history of mankind.`

That's actually hilarious.

I love the music of that era, and even I think that's ridiculous. Even with the qualifier 'in the sphere of pop music' it would still be wrong.