In 1965, "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones and "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan, two of the greatest singles during the rock era, came out. These may have challenged the songwriting team of Lennon-McCartney; hence, Rubber Soul. Two great singles...and the Beatles answered a great and a landmark album. And it was unmatched.
Meanwhile, Brian Wilson was impressed by it and wanted to come out with something better. With "Pet Sounds, " Wilson found it very hard to convince his record label to have it released. It was a very ambitious album, deviating from the usual beach songs, Pet Sounds was finally released in 1966. McCartney took notice of it.
I'm not sure if at that time, "Sgt. Pepper's" was on the verge of getting conceptualized. But the Beatles 1966 sessions gave birth to it. And, Pet Sounds somewhat contributed to the same. Of course, this is not the entire story. May be others can shed light to this. Beatles liner notes on Sgt. Pepper's tells only the chronological story of the sessions. RStone simply described the sessions. I have yet to read 1001 albums you must hear (before you die)....
Sgt. Pepper was never meant to be a concept album per se. The only songs that link together if you will analyze it very well was the first to tracks and the title track reprise. Because on so many times, the Beatles are always tight not only in playing but in musical thinking as well, the songs they compile for this album have a sort of "continuity" in them.
Paul just thought of packaging this album as a way to imagine what if it was a different act and not them. Also a message implying they are sick and tired of the old Beatles persona.
If you look at the cover there are two images of the Beatles, one as the moptops and one with the colorful military costumes. It signifies that the band is already in a different page altogether. If you look at the pictures behind them, a lot of them are no longer active in their career or chosen profession or worse dead (with a few exceptions - Marlon Brando has yet to peak on his acting career but a lot thought he was passe in the 60s). That also means that the wax figure of the Beatles means that version of the Beatles is gone.
The album session started on November 1996. The first track they rehearsed was Strawberry Fields Forever. To discuss this song demands a completely new article or thread altogether. Had Brian Epstein, never demanded a single at the beginning of 1967 (they were already taking TOO LONG to record this album), Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane would have been included on the album.
Sgt. Pepper has a lot of "firsts"
1. The first album to have printed lyrics excluding the sing-a-long albums (like Mitch Miller's)
2. The first album to have no banding gaps between songs
3. The first Beatles album to have simultaneous US and UK release with no alteration of tracks on the US version
4. The first Beatles album not to have a typeset on the front (the band name and the album title were part of the photograph itself)
5. The first to have an inner groove message
6. The first Beatles album to have a melodic reprise (the last was Abbey Road)
7. The first Beatles album to have less than 14 tracks
but
1. It was the last unified album of the band - this album signifies the beginning of the end.
2. The last album to have an exclusive mono mix. The white album was the last to have a mono release but this was just a mono reduction of stereo master.
3. The last to exclusively use The EMI studios. After this album, they record occasionally on other studios in their quest for an eight track machine which therefore means
4. The last Beatles album to be exclusively recorded on 4 track machine
5. The last Beatles album Brian Epstein lived to see