Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles. Released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label, and produced by George Martin, the album is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. Including songs such as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "A Day in the Life", the LP was recorded over a 129-day period beginning in December 1966. During the Sgt. Pepper sessions, the band improved upon their production quality, and explored experimental recording techniques. Martin's innovative, and lavish production included the use of an orchestra. The songs on the album range from music hall, rock and roll, pop rock, and traditional Indian music. The album's cover idea was sketched by McCartney, and then designed and executed by English pop artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth. It depicts the band posing in front of a collage of some of their favourite celebrities, and has been widely acclaimed and imitated. Sgt. Pepper was a worldwide critical and commercial success, spending a total of 27 weeks at the top of the UK Album Chart and 15 weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200. A defining album in the emerging psychedelic rock style, the album was critically acclaimed upon release and won four Grammy Awards in 1968. It frequently ranks at or near the top of published lists of the greatest albums of all time. In 1994, it was ranked number one in the book All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2003, and again in 2012, the album was placed at number one on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Sgt. Pepper is one of the world's best selling albums; 32 million copies have been shipped