Tuesday, January 6, 2009

POS: Sgt. Pepper



Part A: Over winter break, you listened to The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album in its entirety. Based on the listeners' form we discussed in class, identify the most "poetic" song on the album. Using the attached Song Rating form to assess it, provide a final score along with an explanation of the major poetic attributes and deficits. And, finally- do you think Sgt. Pepper deserves consideration for the greatest album of all time? Why/why not? If not, offer a suggestion for an alternate.


Part B: Click here to visit Rolling Stone's complete list of the "Top Albums of all Time". Listen to 3 songs from 3 separate albums from the top 10. Post a brief observation here regarding content, sound and poetic merit.


Part C: Click here to visit Oxford's interactive Sgt. Pepper album cover. (Thanks to Doug V. for finding it)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey Mr. Kefor (K-mac) it's me Julian (Jdubz).

I believe that the Album cover art is good but some i say that the songs could have been been sung a little better. But anyone the song are good.

Anonymous said...

PART A:
I think the most poetic song on the album was "Lucy in the sky with Diamonds." It contained a lot of poetic devices such as imagery and local color. While I enjoyed the album, I don't think it should deserve consideration for the greatest album of all time. I think of the songs were boring. I would suggest that The Beatles 1 be considered for the greatest album of all time because it combines all The Beatles greatest hits.

PART B:

Jimi Hendrix-Are you experienced?
I like this song, the lyrics contain imagery and make the listener think. I like the music and singing. The laughing in the background is scary though.

The Eagles-Hotel California
I really like this song and the lyrics. It sounds peaceful and the lyrics contain a lot of imagery. This whole song seems to be a symbol of being trapped in society.

Pink Floyd-Brain Damage
This song is mellow and depressing at the same time. There is also a lot of imagery in this song as well as hinting that the singer is going crazy.

I think the most poetic song is Hotel California because it has a lot of imagery and it represents a more general aspect of the world and society.

ALYSSA said...

A. I said that the most poetic song on the Sgt. Peppers album was Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. The song has a lot of imagery whille it has social relevance of that time period and a deeper meaning behind the words. Rating this song, I gave it a 77.
I think that this album definatley desevrves recognition for one of the greates albums of all time but I do not know if it should be number one because this is the only album that i have entirely analyzed. It is a great album because it was one of the first concept albums and the songs have complexity to them. The songs tell a story and hold a lot of deeper sginificance to them while most songs from that timee period were all very simple and straight forward.

B. I listened to The Doors Album. I hesard the songs Five to One and People are Strange. I thought these songs were both very poetic while they were also a good listen. I enjoyed listenin to both of thes songs and I imagine that there are other songs on the album that are just as good. Thus, I think that this is an appropriate album to be on the list of top 500 albums of all time.

I think that Michael Jackson's Thriller album should be on the top 500 list. I listened to the song Thriller and it is easy to see why this song was one of his biggest hits at the time. This song is very different than mostg other songs.

I am glad to see that Bob Dylans albums were on the top 500 albums list. His songs are very poetic and he is also siad to be a music legend, despite his whiney voice. The song Tangled Up of the Blood on the Tracks albums uses many poetic devices.

Tom said...

The most poetic song on the Sgt. Pepper album was "Lucy in the Sky with diamonds." It scored a 92 out of 100. The major points were gained in the imagery category and i felt like the instrumentals were mastered. There weren't many major negative scores, they lost a couple points on whiny and thats about it.
I think that the album is definatly one of the best albums ever but I wouldn't say it is the best. There is a few other albums that surpass it. i think that Abbey Road is one of the best. I think that, "Bat out of Hell" by Meatloaf is one of the greatest because it sold so many albums and produced so many hits.

The first song I listened to was What's Going On by Marvin Gaye. This is one of the clasic songs and i really like it. It is very laid back and just relaxes your mind. It also has poetic merit.
The second song i listened to was Back in the U.S.S.R by the Beatles. It is very different, and shows the versatility of the Band. There is a lot of imagery and it would score very highly on the song rating system. It provides a lot of imagery about the Beatles flying back to the U.S.S.R, i get the feel of the Beach Boys when listening to this album.
The Last song i listened to was Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan. This song was rated the number one song ever by ROlling Stone and Billboard. It has such strong vocal and so much poetic merit. I really liked this song but i wouldnt consider it as the best song of all time.

Nicole N. said...

I thought that "Within You Without You" was the most poetic song because it had a variety of metaphors, and even a paradox, as well as some imagery. After rating the song with our system, I gave it a 78. As for Sgt. Pepper's album being the best album ever, I'd disagree; I agree that it should be considered, but what about Led Zeppelin and other classic rock which is awesome?! Or even better albums from The Beatles.

Once I looked at the other albums, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” by the Beach Boys, on the second best album ever, has such a sweet message, and not overly intense instrumentals. There aren’t huge amounts of literary devices, but there are a few hyperboles and metaphors, nothing major though. I think the message that it sends is greater than the literary devices. The song, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, is also a very moving song, what is going on in the world? The song still applies to today’s world. Some songs are more about their message than their poetic devices, which I think is more important. It doesn’t matter what metaphors can be picked out, it only matters if the song makes you think. The Clash’s “London Calling” is an extended metaphor and may have more poetic devices than the other songs, but the message is important, yet again, clearly talking about warfare.

Anonymous said...

Jdubz again.

I looked at the list and i'm surprised at how many spots the Beatles took in The top 500 albums list at #1,3,5,10,and 14.

Now i am of The Baetles myself also my dad is a big fan of The beatles and he owns a whole VHS anthology on the Beatles.

Doug said...

http://www.iamthebeatles.com/article1044.html

Anonymous said...

http://www.beatlesagain.com/btsgtppr.html- pat traverse

marier said...

1. Album: Highway 61 Revisited; Artist: Bob Dylan; Song: Like A Rolling Stone - very poetic, tells a story, one of the better Bob Dylan songs, interesting and fun to listen to, familiar sounds means that it is still listened to/used today
2. Album: Pet Sounds; Artist: The Beach Boys; Song: Wouldn't It Be Nice - very upbeat, a love story-ish, nice singing voices, interesting and fun to listen to
3. Album: Exile on Main St.; Artist: The Rolling Stones; Song: Shake Your Hips - rock, fun to listen to, very repetitive but it works for the song, use of electric guitar is nice, interesting instruments used in music but don't over-power the song

Anonymous said...

Part A: The most poetic song on the album, in my opinion, is 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. The song contains multiple times the use of alliteration, allusions, imagery, and even virtuosity. When rating this song it earned an 82. I would not call the Sgt. Peppers album one of the greatest ablums of all time because I believe the Beatles have constructed better one's, and not everyone likes the Beatles unique style of singing and different types of songs.
Part B:
-'What's Going On' by Marvin Gaye:contains a catchy rythm and harmony, alliteration is present multiple times, along with the allusion to peace on earth.
-'Highway 61' by Bob Dylan: whinny voice, contains diction, revolves around the idea that Highway 61 will cure all problems
-'London Calling' by The Clash: alludes to the end of London, possibly because of pollution and other harm to the environmnet
Part C: I observed the cover. Thanks Doug!

- Laura Ready

LauraR. said...

Part A: The most poetic song on the album, in my opinion, is 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. The song contains multiple times the use of alliteration, allusions, imagery, and even virtuosity. When rating this song it earned an 82. I would not call the Sgt. Peppers album one of the greatest ablums of all time because I believe the Beatles have constructed better one's, and not everyone likes the Beatles unique style of singing and different types of songs.
Part B:
-'What's Going On' by Marvin Gaye:contains a catchy rythm and harmony, alliteration is present multiple times, along with the allusion to peace on earth.
-'Highway 61' by Bob Dylan: whinny voice, contains diction, revolves around the idea that Highway 61 will cure all problems
-'London Calling' by The Clash: alludes to the end of London, possibly because of pollution and other harm to the environmnet
Part C: I observed the cover. Thanks Doug!

- Laura Ready

Doug said...

Lucy in the Sky : 91
It is a really great song with tons of imagery and symbolism. Just found out the LSD reference which makes it even better. It's people like me that make this the greatest CD ever, because the more I look at it, the more I find.

In regaurds to the to 100. I really think the bands should only be limited to their very best work, whether or not they have more than one good album should be a factor, limiting the top 100. There are plenty of great albums in the last 400 that could easily just replace some of the 20 Beatles albums found in the top 100.


I looked at the intereactive and have found another fun site for the cover of Sgt. Pepper and Abbey road.
http://www.iamthebeatles.com/article1044.html

Anonymous said...

Part A: The most poetic song in the album, in my opinion, is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. I think that Sgt. Pepper does deserver consideration for the best album ever.


Part B: What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye was slow and easy going. Pet sounds by the Beach Boys was boring, and I don’t think that it should have been number 2. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan was also boring.


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