I actually think mystery tour remains more thematically consistent and cohesive throughout than sgt pepper does, but even putting that aside, I just think the album as a whole has more GREAT songs than sgt. Pepper does. A day in the life is a masterpiece, but, in my opinion, it kind of carries the album on its shoulders. I think lucy in the sky, with a little help, and the benefit of Mr Kite are all very good, but quite a few of the other songs on the album just feel a little underwhelming. On the other hand, strawberry fields is just as much of a masterpiece as a day in the life, and it’s supplemented with the greatness and charm of penny lane, I am the walrus, all you need is love, the fool on the hill, and your mother should know. Even the other tracks have their own magic to them. I just never see magical mystery tour praised or talked about in the way sgt. Peppers is, and I’m not sure why that is (besides the album coming later).
Am I the only one who thinks magical mystery tour is better than sgt. peppers?
Wow! And I'm a Boomer and agree that Sgt.Pepper is, as an album, better than MMT. And I love the songs on MMT, except for the title track. I think it's just okay. But Pepper is by far the better album, IMHO
That’s a great explanation. My only nitpick is I don’t think we need to call a song rock because it was released by a band considered rock. I think most of what the Beatles released was not rock. It was outstanding pop.
I Saw Her Standing There, Revolution the single and others I can’t be bothered to type since I am on my phone are rock as I define it.
I feel like a band’s genre should be defined by what they release, not what they call themselves
None of this is relevant to OP's opinion about song quality.
Song quality is entirely subjective. The title of the post is actually able to be quantified.
MMT is always going to have an asterisk beside it, since it's not a real album as the Beatles envisioned it. The album is a mashup of an EP and singles that Capitol put together. It eventually got their blessing by default when it became part of the official catalog but it wasn't their creative intent.
Agreed. Mmt and sgt. pepper aren’t really comparable. One is an album, the other is the film soundtrack with a bunch of singles added on.
That, and the decision to include it in the official catalog was highly questionable. It was driven in part by laziness (by the logic of the catalog standardization, every track on MMT should have been included in Past Masters in correct order, but then Past Masters would not have fit on two discs) and in part by cynicism (MMT was more recognizable and would sell more than a third volume of Past Masters). To this day, I don't consider MMT to be an integral part of the catalog on its own, but rather as a footnote to Past Masters vol. 2.
That's pretty hardcore.
Just finding out about this. Magical mystery tour is my favourite “album”😦
It's still a lot of people's favorite, nothing wrong with that.
Yeah song for song MMT is absolutely one of if not their best 'album'.
But you could say the same thing about their 1967 - 1970 Blue album.
And... Yellow Submarine is a real album?
I mean, I guess? According to the band. Does anyone listen to the flip side more than once? Doubtful.
Personally, I put the MMT and YS songs on a playlist to make it easy.
"Magical Mystery Tour is one of my favorite albums, because it was so weird. I Am The Walrus one of my favorite tracks, cause I did it of course, but because it has enough little bitties to remain interesting 100 years later." - John Lennon
I call it a real album, because the songs on MMT were all made during same sessions. Not just a compilation of hits like some would put it. I get what you're saying though.
It’s not necessarily a popular opinion but you at not alone for sure.
Although I love MMT, it is an EP completed with a collection of singles. It has outstanding singles and songs but is not really cohesive in my book. Sgt Pepper is a masterpiece of an album, MMT is an awesome compilation.
Because EPs were not popular in the US at the time, Capitol Records released the soundtrack as an LP by adding tracks from that year's non-album singles. The Beatles were displeased about this reconfiguration, since they believed that tracks released on a single should not then appear on a new album.
John Lennon referred to the LP at a May 1968 press conference to promote Apple Corps in the US, saying: "It's not an album, you see. It turned into an album over here, but it was just [meant to be] the music from the film."
It’s a little like saying you like ‘Best of the Beach Boys’ better than ‘Pet Sounds’.
Downvoted because...it's correct?
edit: Thanks everybody!
A lot of comments here along the lines of, "MMT is better because it has more great songs," but yeah, naturally, it's an EP/singles compilation. You could say the same thing about a collection like "1" but what would be the point of the comparison?
It's totally illegitimate to compare MMT to Pepper or any actual Beatles studio albums. If you want to make a comparison, try comparing it to other compilations like 1, Hey Jude, A Collection of Beatles Oldies, etc.
I made this exact point a while ago and got buried in downvotes. People seem quite attached to the idea of MMT as an album for some reason.
Attachment is just it. People like what they're used to hearing and what's been marketed to them. When the catalog was standardized in 1987, there was similar reaction to the US albums overall (and there is still a lot of nostalgia for them among the older generation), even though the tracklists of those albums often made no sense. The attachment to the MMT LP is really a holdover from that, since it's the one US album that survived the standardization of UK LPs and singles. Despite the MMT LP's obvious lack of coherence, it has carried forward into the listening habits of new generations of Beatles fans.
As an elder millennial who grew up listening to cassette copies of my dads Capitol albums, the track lists of the official albums still make no sense (with a few exceptions for the movie soundtracks and Revolver).
No. People say that often enough here.
MMT is my personal favorite. Never thought it would be when I first dove into their discography, but it's so creative. I come back to those songs more than any on Sgt Peppers, besides maybe When I'm 64
Does that mean you like Sixty-Four? Because that's a bop. All of their "let's mimic a style from our parents' era" songs are great, but were underappreciated at the time.
Yeah I mean that's one of the few songs I revisit often from Sgt Peppers. I also have been playing the Beatles around my 6 yr old, and she also loves that one, although she sometimes sings 54 instead of 64 lol
I grew up on it as well because it was on a compilation record my folks had, so it has extra personal nostalgia. Honestly, the Beatles made music that kids would like as well and that's a great strategy for making adult fans for life lol.
MMT has better songs. Penny Lane and Pepper are arguably the two greatest Beatles songs or at least way up there. Then you add All You Need Is Love. Way better songs. It's only not respected because it wasn't an official album.
I think Sgt Pepper's flows better, myself.
i'm not going to get into "better," but i like the songs more. my favorite Beatles 45s were "Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane" and "Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus" so i'm pretty well sorted there.
It’s not a real album. Half of it is a compilation album.
I like MMT way more than Sgt. Pepper. I don't really like the entire middle portion of Sgt. Pepper.
I just think the album as a whole has more GREAT songs than sgt. Pepper does
That's the point of a compilation... This whole comparison is pointless, MMT even contains two songs from the Sgt. Pepper sessions.
No. I’m with you.
It’s got everything you need! Satisfactions guaranteed
I love it, but to me it will always remain Sergeant Pepper's bonus disc.
Sgt. Pepper revolutionized the music scene for all that followed. Though MMT is a great album in its own right Pepper is a thing of absolute genius.
I just can't see Magical Mystery Tour as a proper LP regardless of which country anyone comes from because Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane were released before Sergeant Pepper, so belong to the Pepper project more than the MMT one.
I definitely don't care enough to try and dissuade anyone from thinking MMT is not an LP if they're from the States or wherever, but for me, it's not a wholly correct comparison.
They're both fantastic documents though!
I would go further and say that SFF is transitional between Revolver and Pepper. Including it with MMT destroys that chronology. The only track that was added to the original double EP that has a good argument for being there is Hello Goodbye.
Yep, I'd take that all day long. And I'm clearly preaching to the choir here, but christ they were prolific!
No. It’s a much better album thematically and content wise. The second side of singles is the real kicker.
I also prefer MMT over Pepper. Not sure how Pepper ever became so lauded to be honest with you as it seems like a musical dead compared to the other legendary albums of ‘67.
No it's not. Magical Mystery Tour is only an EP.
Not where I live. An album was purchased in 1967.
Magical Mystery Tour isn’t a real album. Side A is the soundtrack to the movie and side B is all their non album singles and b-sides together.
Well it is a collection of hit singles.
I think a lot of people agree with you. Including me. More good songs on MMT. John has more edge.
Thing is MMT isn't really an album
its not BETTER
you just enjoy it more.
it doesn't get the same praise because the Capitol Records LP release in the US and Canada features five songs that were originally released as singles that year, whereas the UK release was a 2 record EP with only the new tracks from the film.
that said it gets plenty of praise here on Reddit
If they like it more, then it's better to them
better to them
doesn't make it better as it is all subjective
if you want to quantify it you need numbers for that
37 million copies sold of Pepper vs 7 million of MMT
Pepper sold more - Pepper is more loved
Pepper is better
Selling more doesnt mean its better, it just means it sold better. "Better" is not quantifiable, so it can never be truly objective
It's getting "better" all the time!
i agree "Better" is not quantifiable that was my first point i made.
i do not "rank" things nor would i ever say as OP did, that one album is better than another. just can't phrase it that way
my 2nd point was so we could expose that fallacy
More popular pretty obviously does not mean better
then what means better.
i know popular doesn't mean better
liking something doesn't mean its better, just better 4 u
I have given Sgt.Pepper to friends and family quite a few times. I never even thought about gifting MMT
No, you’re not.
You’re wrong, but you’re not alone.
Yes...let's drop "better." While recognizing the brilliance, impact and undeniable influence of Sgt Pepper, I personally prefer the MMT compilation ALBUM.
What is an album? A collection of songs. The songs do not have to be themeatically linked. If they are, great. It was an officially released album by Capitol in the US. I know they all hated those extra Capitol albums...I do too...but MMT was the exception.
If I listen to MMT straight through, I never skip. When I listen to Sgt Pepper...I'm sorry everyone...I sometimes skip She's Leaving Home, Within You Without You and occasionally When I'm 64. These are not favorites of mine...not saying they're good or bad...I just prefer the MMT songs to Sgt Pepper.
I made a 14-song (traditional # of UK album tracks) combining MMT and Sgt Pepper. It's one of my favorites.
An album is a collection of songs, yes, but there is a big difference between a studio album and a compilation album. A compilation album is a curation of already released material. A studio album ideally has more coherence than that - the songs do not necessarily have to be thematically linked, but typically they at least reflect artistic intent and/or derive from the same sessions. MMT deviates from artistic intent and derives from sessions that took place both before and after Sgt. Pepper, indeed, after most of the tracks from Yellow Submarine - spanning November '66 to November '67. As long as you remember that it's just a compilation, it's fine, but the illusion that it's on a par with the studio albums gives a really distorted view of Beatles recording history.
I guess I don't strictly agree with the definition of "album."
So....technically, Meet The Beatles, Beatles '65, The Beatles 2nd Album, Yesterday and Today and Something New must not qualify either. They're basically the same thing. Compilations of songs, some new, some previously available elsewhere.
I think you're finally getting it.
The US albums can be difficult to classify. I would categorize Yesterday and Today, Magical Mystery Tour, and Hey Jude as compilation albums, because they are pulling material from a variety of singles and/or studio albums to create a new collection. Capitol albums like Rubber Soul and Meet the Beatles are arguably studio albums with some specific, limited decisions about replacing certain tracks - preserving most if not all of the artistic intent. Then there is an album like Beatles VI, where half the material was previously released on another album, and another half was either recorded specifically for it or pulled early from an upcoming UK release (Help!). I guess that's a studio album, but as far as the artist is concerned, produced under duress.
The difficult question of the US albums overall aside, I would say that MMT is unambiguously a compilation album, because it doesn't recombine or pull material from any previous LP, but exclusively collects EPs and singles into an album-length collection. It follows the same logic as Past Masters (except for incorrect chronology), so it's a compilation in the same sense that Past Masters is, and has less claim to being a studio album than any of the other US LPs except Hey Jude.
I didn't mean this to be a debate over album vs. compilation. I just like MMT better. Album...compilation...doesn't really matter what you call it. I love and respect Sgt Pepper too. ☮️
Gotcha... nothing wrong with liking a compilation. My point is only that it doesn't make a lot of sense to compare a greatest hits record with a studio album.
Its a compilation that does flow like an album, don't you think? Similar, trippy styles. Maybe thats why I like it. It doesnt sound like a compilation.
To some extent, yes, because the period it covers is limited (66-67). It's basically a compilation of singles from their psychedelic period. Side 1 flows because it is supposed to flow (it was a double EP, essentially a mini-album). I don't think Side 2 flows as well, but there's nothing wrong with it.
I can’t think of another Beatles album that has four duds in a row like this.
The Fool on the Hill
Flying
Blue Jay Way
Your Mother Should Know
Harsh.. I love Fool on the Hill.
Fool On The Hill is my favorite Beatles song. I may be in the minority. Brasil 66 did a fantastic version. I like Blue Jay Way better than Within You Without You. It's an awesome collection of songs.
I love all of those, especially BJW
Yes
It’s all up to the listener.
And you may be the only one. /s
MMT (the LP version) has more S-tier and A-tier songs than Sgt. Pepper, though ADITL is better than any of the tracks on MMT IMO.
- ADITL could mean "A Day In The Life - Remix", a track from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Super Deluxe Edition) (1967) by The Beatles.
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Equal with SFF
Sergeant pepper changed the way people viewed a rock album and is kind of a milestone in popular music. Magical mustery tour, in my personal taste have better songs. Just my opinion.
looks to camera and shakes head in disbelief
MMT is an EP with a bunch of hit singles on the B side. George Martin said he regretted not putting Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane on Sgt Pepper.
yes it is. i dont care that it was created as an album at first. i just think the US MMT is a better collection of songs then sgt pepper. also im not referring to its influence! i just find mmt to be far more enjoyable to listen to
Thematically consistent? How?
This 100% and it’s a trend and I was here first. ✌️😎
Not at all. Sgt. Pepper to me is more than a touch overrated. I really just like A Day In The Life and the titular song/little help. While The Magical Mystery Tour has Baby You're A Rich Man, on top of every track you mentioned.
Yes.
I don't think it's "better" but I certainly like it more
I feel like Your Mother Should Know and Magical Mystery Tour really weigh that album down with empty fluff.
“A Day in the Life” elevates Sgt Pepper to a level above MMT, IMHO (and the opinion of many critics, as well).
Sgt peppers was my fave as a kid. Not my favorite anymore but I think probably their greatest “concept” album. Today I like the songs better on MMT and if you got rid of blue jay and flying you’d have a really perfect album.
I prefer Magical mystery tour too, but it’s not an album. It’s half an album with a bunch of singles added on, more like a greatest hits.
Sgt peppers has a lower hit rate than mmt. There are 3 or 4 songs on Sgt pepper that are skippable. MMT it’s only 2.
MMT is the best Beatles record imo. I am the walrus, penny lane, and strawberry fields put it above sgt pepper already.
And don’t go “oh it’s just an album in America“ I don’t give a damn what country it was an album in, it was a fuckin album and a damn good one
Let's not forget Hello Goodbye! Totally agree by the way and don't know why it gets called "not a real album" and why everyone hates the film. Would they rather these songs remain singles?
MMT is just way more musical and doesn't drag on like Pepper. Pepper had a lot of filler.
Another album that gets skipped over far too often... Help is a great album and if you include We Can Work It Out. I don't listen to Pepper or Revolver that much. I'm weird.
No, people say that all the time.
As for why it’s not praised as much, you should talk with as many boomer Beatle fans as you can (they aren’t getting any younger).
What Sgt. Pepper’s did when it came out blew everyone’s mind and acted as a spearhead for the Summer of Love. The entire decade of the 60s was probably the greatest change in culture within 10 years. That year was probably the most pivotal point. Pepper’s was unlike anything most people expected or heard of: rock music with an orchestra on pretty much every track?
It’s practically like what Shakespeare did to English. Before the bard, English was considered a pretty crass language behind Latin and the romantics. The languages in the eastern world had also been developing for centuries or more while English had just gotten out of the great vowel shift and was starting to come into its own.
Shakespeare proved to the world that English can sound beautiful and convey complex ideas of the human condition.
Pepper’s did the same with rock music. Not only did the Beatles prove to the world that rock music doesn’t have to be heavy, but it doesn’t have to carry the same themes, either. It can be artful, too, and carry messages that people never considered to be in the same stratosphere as the genre.
Be indifferent to “She’s Leaving Home,” “For the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” and “Within You, Without You” all you want. What the inclusion of those tracks did on that album was prove to the world how rock music can stand with any other genre of art in how beautiful, diverse, and thought provoking it can be.
It kind of doesn’t matter, anyway. The tracks on MMT were written and recorded in the same period as Pepper’s. I’d just consider it an extension. Still…the Beatles chose the songs they did to release when they did. That’s what gets the historical nod.