More about the upcoming Sgt Pepper-film

The poster (or DVD cover) of the upcoming film.

Thanks to a new press release, here is some more about the upcoming unofficial “Pepper” documentary. A lot of hoopla about the album itself, not a lot about the film,

It was 50 Years Ago Today… Ltd in conjunction with

A Geezer & A Blonde Productions Ltd presents:

It Was 50 Years Ago Today….: The Beatles, Sgt Pepper & Beyond

A Film by Alan G Parker

On Thursday June 1st 1967 The Beatles released what can arguably be called the greatest album in the history of the world! ‘Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’. It was the first album by a musical artist to be discussed in terms of art, it featured the most expensive sleeve design in record distribution history, the first gatefold sleeve ever, the first time the lyrics ever appeared on a record cover and a host of celebrities, both past and present, looking back at the listener.

It topped the charts all around the world within days of it’s release, went multi-platinum in a matter of hours, and stayed in the UK chart list for 27 consecutive weeks. Additionally it topped the US charts for a staggering 15 weeks. Time Out magazine declared it “a historic departure in the progress of music”, while The New Statesman praised its elevation of pop to the level of fine art. It won 4 Grammy Awards in 1968, including Album Of The Year, the first rock LP to receive this honour.

On June 1st 2017 (ironically also a Thursday) a staggering 50 years after it’s original release A Geezer & A Blonde Productions Ltd are proud to present “It Was 50 Years Ago Today… The Colour Of Dreams” a new film from EMMY nominated Director Alan G Parker (“Monty Python: Almost The Truth”/”Hello Quo!”/”KISS: You Wanted The Best”/”Who Killed Nancy”) which traces the history of The Beatles from the end of their touring days in August 1966, through various solo projects to the release of “Strawberry Fields Forever”/”Penny Lane” on a journey that includes; The Summer Of Love, flower power, John Lennon meeting Yoko Ono, LSD, Meditation, Jimi Hendrix, the death of Brian Epstein, hippie happenings, Abbey Road Studios, a Magical Mystery Tour, the birth of Apple, Paul McCartney meeting Linda Eastman and the release of the biggest selling album in the history of recorded music.

“Sgt Pepper” is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album, that advanced the use of extended form in popular music while continuing the artistic maturation seen on The Beatles’ preceding releases. It has been described as one of the first art rock LPs, aiding the development of progressive rock, and credited with marking the beginning of the Album Era. An important work of British Psychedelia, the album incorporates a range of stylistic influences, including; vaudeville, circus, music hall, avant-garde, and Western along with Indian Classical music.

In 2003, the Library Of Congress placed “Sgt. Pepper” in the National Recording Registry, honouring the work as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. That same year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 1 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. As of 2011, it has sold more than 38 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums ever. Professor Kevin J. Dettmar, writing in the Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature, described it as “the most important and influential rock n’ roll album ever recorded”.

Assembled from hours of newly shot interviews including; Pete Best (Beatle), Freda Kelly (The Beatles Fan Club), Tony Bramwell (friend/Tour Manager), Hunter Davies (Official Biographer), Philip Norman (Biographer), Bill Harry (Merseybeat Editor), Ray Connolly (Sixties Music Writer), Steve Turner (Author of “Beatles 66”), The Bootleg Beatles (Andre & Neil), Tony Crane & Billy Kinsley (The Merseybeats), Steve Diggle (Buzzcocks), Andy Peebles (the last man to interview John Lennon), Barbara Connolly (Apple Secretary) and Julia Baird (John Lennon’s Sister).

Along side the best collection of archive footage and still photographs ever assembled on this subject and it’s era… The projects archivist is none other than, BAFTA nominated, Keith Badman (“The Beatles Anthology”/”Queen: Days Of Our Lives”).

“The Beatles aren’t a rock n’ roll band, they are a force of nature, and they’ve been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember! – I’ve wanted to make this film since I was 9 years old!!!” – Alan G Parker (Director)

So far the press release.

For those of us who have been collecting Beatles stuff on video cassettes since the early eighties, the fact that they are having Keith Badman on board is good news. He used to have a massive archive, and for a number of years, he was in charge of the video shows over at the annual Beatle Week in Liverpool.

However, when they call Andy Peebles “the last man to interview John Lennon”, we start to worry. If that’s the level of research which has gone into the making of the film, we’re in trouble.