3. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Best Song: A Day in the Life Worst Song: When I'm Sixty Four The concept album that McCartney says was heavily influenced by The Beach Boys Pet Sounds. Sgt Pepper was ahead of its time in all aspects ranging from the production behind it to recording techniques being too advanced for live performance. The album opens with the title song, introducing the fictional band to the audience,. The song then introduces a member named Billy Shears (Ringo) who continues into singing "With a Little Help from My Friends" a song about friendship and getting high with friends. Continuing the theme of drugs is Lennon's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", a song including hallucination imagery. McCartney follows with the feel good "Getting Better" and the harmonious "Fixing a Hole", which is proceeded by the melancholy "She's Leaving Home". Continuing with his heavily influenced Indian sound Harrison contributed "Within You Without You", a philosophical track combining Hare Krishna views. "A Day in the Life" closes this iconic album. The lyrics weave a story of headlines you would read in the newspaper, the song is split into two halves by a crescendo of heavy pianos. "A Day in the Life", has been praised by critics over the years for its originality, lyrical structure and mixed composition.