The Magical Mystery Tour
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''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP was issued in the UK on 8 December 1967 on the Parlophone label, while the
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
LP release in the US and Canada occurred on 27 November and features an additional five songs that were originally released as singles that year. In 1976, Parlophone released the eleven-track LP in the UK. When recording their new songs, the Beatles continued the studio experimentation that had typified ''
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 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
'' (1967) and the psychedelic sound they had pursued since ''
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'' (1966). The project was initiated by Paul McCartney in April 1967, but after the band recorded the song " Magical Mystery Tour", it lay dormant until the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, in late August. Recording then took place alongside filming and editing, and as the Beatles furthered their public association with Transcendental Meditation under teacher
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 1918
. The sessions have been characterised by some biographers as aimless and unfocused, with the band members overly indulging in sound experimentation and exerting greater control over production. McCartney contributed three of the soundtrack songs, including the widely covered " The Fool on the Hill", while John Lennon and
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
contributed " I Am the Walrus" and "
Blue Jay Way "Blue Jay Way" is a song by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles. Written by George Harrison, it was released in 1967 on the group's ''Magical Mystery Tour'' Extended play, EP and album. The song was named after a street in the Hollywoo ...
", respectively. The sessions also produced " Hello, Goodbye", issued as a single accompanying the soundtrack record, and items of
incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...
for the film, including "
Flying Flying may refer to: * Flight, the process of flying * Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft Music Albums * ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997 * ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008 * ''Flying'' (UFO album), 1971 * ''Fl ...
". Further to the Beatles' desire to experiment with record formats and packaging, the EP and LP included a 24-page booklet containing song lyrics, colour photos from film production, and colour story illustrations by cartoonist Bob Gibson. Despite widespread media criticism of the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' film, the soundtrack was a critical and commercial success. In the UK, it topped the EPs chart compiled by ''
Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The title ...
'' and peaked at number 2 on the magazine's singles chart (later the UK Singles Chart) behind "Hello, Goodbye". The album topped ''
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''s Top LPs listings for eight weeks and was nominated for the
Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regar ...
in 1969. With the international standardisation of the Beatles' catalogue in 1987, ''Magical Mystery Tour'' became the only Capitol-generated LP to supersede the band's intended format and form part of their core catalogue.


Background

After the Beatles completed ''
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 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
'' in April 1967, Paul McCartney wanted to create a film that captured a psychedelic theme similar to that represented by author and LSD proponent Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters on the
US West Coast The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U ...
. Titled '' Magical Mystery Tour'', it would combine Kesey's idea of a psychedelic bus ride with McCartney's memories of Liverpudlians holidaying on
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
tours. The film was to be unscripted: various "ordinary" people were to travel on a coach and have unspecified "magical" adventures. The Beatles began recording music for the soundtrack in late April, but the film idea then lay dormant. Instead, the band continued recording songs for the United Artists animated film '' Yellow Submarine'' and, in the case of " All You Need Is Love", for their appearance on the '' Our World'' satellite broadcast on 25 June, before travelling over the summer months and focusing on launching their company Apple. In late August, while the Beatles were attending a Transcendental Meditation seminar held by
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 1918
in Wales, their manager Brian Epstein died of a prescription drug overdose. During a band meeting on 1 September, McCartney suggested they proceed with ''Magical Mystery Tour'', which Epstein had given his approval to earlier in the year. McCartney was keen to ensure the group had a point of focus after the loss of their manager. His view was at odds with his bandmates' wishes, with
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
especially eager to pursue their introduction to meditation. According to publicist Tony Barrow, McCartney envisaged ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as "open ngdoors for him" personally and as a new career phase for the band in which he would be the "executive producer" of their films. John Lennon later complained that the project was typical of McCartney's "tendency" to want to work as soon as he had songs ready to record, yet he himself was unprepared and had to set about writing new material.


Recording and production


Recording history

The Beatles first recorded the film's title song, with sessions taking place at EMI Studios in London between 25 April and 3 May. An instrumental jam was recorded on 9 May for possible inclusion in the film, although it was never completed. According to Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' sessions "began in earnest" on 5 September; filming started on 11 September, and the two activities became increasingly "intertwined" during October. Most of the 16 September session was dedicated to taping a basic track for McCartney's "
Your Mother Should Know "Your Mother Should Know" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 EP and LP, ''Magical Mystery Tour''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Titled after a line in the 1961 film '' A Tast ...
", only for McCartney to then decide to return to the version he had previously discarded, from 22–23 August. The latter sessions marked the Beatles' first in close to two months and took place at a facility new to the band – Chappell Recording Studios in central London – since they were unable to book EMI at short notice. Many Beatles biographers characterise the group's post-''Sgt. Pepper'' recording sessions of 1967 as aimless and undisciplined. The Beatles' use of psychedelic drugs such as LSD was at its height during that summer and, in author Ian MacDonald's view, this resulted in a lack of judgment in their recordings as the band embraced randomness and sonic experimentation. George Martin, the group's producer, chose to distance himself from their work at this time, saying that much of the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' recording was "disorganised chaos". Ken Scott, who became their senior recording engineer during the sessions, recalled, "the Beatles had taken over things so much that I was more their right-hand man than George Martin's". Early, pre-overdub mixes of some of the film songs were prepared on 16 September, before the Beatles performed the music sequences during a six-day shoot at RAF West Malling, a Royal Air Force base in Kent. The recording sessions continued alongside editing of the film footage, which took place in an editing suite in Soho and was mostly overseen by McCartney. The process led to a struggle between him and Lennon over the film's content. The Beatles also recorded " Hello, Goodbye" for release as a single accompanying the soundtrack record. That his film song " I Am the Walrus" was relegated to the B-side of the single, in favour of McCartney's pop-oriented "Hello, Goodbye", was another source of rancour for Lennon. He later recalled, "I began to submerge." During this time, the band's commitment to the Maharishi's teachings remained strong. Barrow later wrote that Lennon, Harrison and
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
were "itching" to travel to India and study with their teacher, but they agreed to postpone the trip and complete the film's soundtrack and editing. Harrison and Lennon promoted Transcendental Meditation with two appearances on
David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...
's TV show ''The Frost Programme'', and Harrison and Starr visited the Maharishi in Copenhagen. All four band members attended the 17 October memorial service for Epstein, held at the New London Synagogue on Abbey Road, close to EMI Studios, and the 18 October world premiere of '' How I Won the War'', a film in which Lennon had a starring role. Recording for ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was completed on 7 November. That day, the title song was given a new
barker Barker may refer to: Occupations * Barker (occupation), a person who attempts to attract patrons to entertainment events * Barker (coachbuilder), a builder of horse-drawn coaches and later of bodywork for prestige cars * a person who strips tanbar ...
-style introduction by McCartney (replacing Lennon's effort, which was nevertheless retained in the version used in the film) and an overdub of traffic sounds. Three pieces of
incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...
were recorded but omitted from the soundtrack record. In the case of "Shirley's Wild Accordion", the scene was cut from the film. Featuring an
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
score by arranger Mike Leander, it was performed by Shirley Evans with percussion contributions from Starr and McCartney, and recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in October. "Jessie's Dream" was taped privately by the Beatles and copyrighted to McCartney–Starkey–Harrison–Lennon, while the third item was a brief
Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
piece used to orchestrate the line "The magic is beginning to work" in the film.


Production techniques and sounds

In their new songs, the Beatles continued the studio experimentation that had typified ''Sgt. Pepper'' and the psychedelic sound they had introduced in 1966 with ''
Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
''. Author Mark Hertsgaard highlights "I Am the Walrus" as the fulfilment of the band's "guiding principle" during the sessions – namely to experiment and be "different". To satisfy Lennon's request that his voice should sound like "it came from the moon", the engineers gave him a low-quality microphone to sing into and saturated the signal from the preamp microphone. In addition to the song's string and horn arrangement, Martin wrote a score for the sixteen backing vocalists (the Mike Sammes Singers), in which their laughter, exaggerated vocalising and other noises evoked the LSD-inspired mood that Lennon sought for the piece. The orchestral arrangement and the vocal score were recorded on a separate four-track tape, which Martin and Scott then manually synchronised with the tape containing the band's performance. The track was completed with Lennon overdubbing live radio signals found at random, finally settling on a BBC Third Programme broadcast of Shakespeare's ''
The Tragedy of King Lear ''King Lear'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes ...
''. According to musicologist Thomas MacFarlane, ''Magical Mystery Tour'' shows the Beatles once more "focusing on colour and texture as important compositional elements" and exploring the "aesthetic possibilities" of studio technology. "
Blue Jay Way "Blue Jay Way" is a song by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles. Written by George Harrison, it was released in 1967 on the group's ''Magical Mystery Tour'' Extended play, EP and album. The song was named after a street in the Hollywoo ...
" features extensive use of three studio techniques employed by the Beatles over 1966–67: flanging, an audio delay effect; sound-signal rotation via a
Leslie speaker The Leslie speaker is a combined amplifier and loudspeaker that projects the signal from an electric or electronic instrument and modifies the sound by rotating a baffle chamber ("drum") in front of the loudspeakers. A similar effect is provided ...
; and (in the
stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...
mix only) reversed tapes. In the case of the latter technique, a recording of the completed track was played backwards and faded in at key points during the performance, creating an effect whereby the backing vocals appear to answer each line of Harrison's lead vocal in the verses. Due to the limits of multitracking, the process of feeding in reversed sounds was carried out live during the final mixing session. A tape loop of decelerated guitar sounds was used on " The Fool on the Hill" to create a swooshing bird-like effect towards the end of that song. Lennon and Starr prepared seven minutes' worth of tape loops as a coda to "
Flying Flying may refer to: * Flight, the process of flying * Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft Music Albums * ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997 * ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008 * ''Flying'' (UFO album), 1971 * ''Fl ...
", but this was discarded, leaving the track to end with a 30-second burst of Mellotron sounds. Although he recognises ''Sgt. Pepper'' as the highpoint of the Beatles' application of sound "colorisation", musicologist Walter Everett says that the band introduced some effective "new touches" during this period. He highlights the slow guitar
tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are two types of tremolo. The first is a rapid reiteration: * Of a single Musical note, note, particularly used on String instrument#Bowing, bowed string instrument ...
on "Flying", the combination of female and male vocal chorus, cello glissandi and found sounds on "I Am the Walrus", and the interplay between the lead vocal and violas on "Hello, Goodbye". In MacFarlane's description, the songs reflect the Beatles' growing interest in stereo mixes, as "remarkable sonic qualities" are revealed in the placement of sounds across the stereo image, making for a more active listening experience.


Songs


Soundtrack

''Magical Mystery Tour'' included six tracks, a number that posed a challenge for the Beatles and their UK record company, EMI, as there were too few for an
LP album The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of  rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...
but too many for an EP. One idea considered was to issue an EP that played at 33⅓ rpm, but this would have caused a loss of audio fidelity that was deemed unacceptable. The solution chosen was to issue the music in the innovative format of a double EP. It was the first example of a double EP in Britain. According to music journalist Rob Chapman, each of the new tracks "represents a distinct facet of the group's psychedelic vision". He gives these as, in order of the EP's sequencing: celebration, nostalgia, absurdity, innocence, bliss and dislocation. Musicologist Russell Reising says that the songs variously further the Beatles' exploration of the thematic links between a psychedelic trip and travelling, and address the relationship between travel and time. Ethnomusicologist David Reck comments that despite the Beatles' association with Eastern culture at the time, through their championing of the Maharishi, just two of the EP's songs directly reflect this interest.


"Magical Mystery Tour"

" Magical Mystery Tour" was written as the main theme song shortly after McCartney conceived the idea for the film. In Hunter Davies' contemporary account of the 25 April session, McCartney arrived with the chord structure but only the opening refrain ("Roll up / Roll up for the mystery tour"), necessitating a brainstorming discussion the following day to complete the lyrics. Like "
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 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
", the song serves to welcome the audience to the event and uses a trumpet fanfare.


"Your Mother Should Know"

"
Your Mother Should Know "Your Mother Should Know" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 EP and LP, ''Magical Mystery Tour''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Titled after a line in the 1961 film '' A Tast ...
" is a song in the
music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
style similar to McCartney's " When I'm Sixty-Four" from ''Sgt. Pepper''. Its lyrical premise centres on the history of hit songs across generations. He originally offered it for the ''Our World'' broadcast, but the Beatles favoured Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" for its social significance. McCartney later said he wrote the song as a production number for ''Magical Mystery Tour'', where it provides the film's closing, Busby Berkeley–style dance sequence. In author Doyle Greene's view, the lyrics advocate generational understanding in the manner of " She's Leaving Home" but, unlike in the latter song, to the point of "maternal authority and youth compliance", and contrast sharply with the confrontational message of the EP's next track.


"I Am the Walrus"

" I Am the Walrus" was Lennon's main contribution to the film and was primarily inspired by both his experiences with LSD and Lewis Carroll's poem " The Walrus and the Carpenter" from '' Through the Looking Glass''. The impetus came from a fan letter Lennon received from a student at his former high school,
Quarry Bank Quarry Bank is an area in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, West Midlands, England, covered by the Brierley Hill DY5 postal district. Locally, the name is often pronounced, "Quarry Bonk" (in the Black Country dialect). History Original ...
, in which he learned that an English literature teacher there was interpreting the Beatles' lyrics in a scholarly fashion. Amused by this, Lennon set out to write a lyric that would confound analysis from scholars and music journalists. In addition to drawing on Carroll's imagery and Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', he reworked a nursery rhyme from his school days, and referenced Edgar Allan Poe and (in the vocalised "googoogajoob"s) James Joyce. Author Jonathan Gould describes "I Am the Walrus" as "the most overtly 'literary' song the Beatles would ever record", while MacDonald deems it " ennon'sultimate anti-institutional rant – a damn-you-England tirade that blasts education, art, culture, law, order, class, religion, and even sense itself".


"The Fool on the Hill"

McCartney wrote the melody for " The Fool on the Hill" during the ''Sgt. Pepper'' sessions but the lyrics remained incomplete until September. The song is about a solitary figure who is not understood by others, but is actually wise. In Everett's interpretation, the fool's innocence leaves him adrift from and unwilling to engage with a judgmental society. McCartney said the idea was inspired by the Dutch design collective the Fool, who derived their name from the tarot card of the same name, and possibly by the Maharishi. A piano ballad, its musical arrangement includes flutes and bass harmonicas, and a recorder solo played by McCartney. The song's sequence in ''Magical Mystery Tour'' involved a dedicated film shoot, featuring McCartney on a hillside overlooking Nice, in the South of France, which added considerably to the film's production costs.


"Flying"

"
Flying Flying may refer to: * Flight, the process of flying * Aviation, the creation and operation of aircraft Music Albums * ''Flying'' (Grammatrain album), 1997 * ''Flying'' (Jonathan Fagerlund album), 2008 * ''Flying'' (UFO album), 1971 * ''Fl ...
" is an instrumental and the first Beatles track to be credited to all four members of the band. It was titled "Aerial Tour Instrumental" until late in the sessions and appears in the film over footage of clouds and outtakes from
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
's '' Dr. Strangelove''. The track's musical structure is similar to a
12-bar blues The 12-bar blues (or blues changes) is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. In its basic form, it is predominantly based on ...
and set to what music historian Richie Unterberger terms a "rock–soul rhythm". It consists of three rounds of the 12-bar pattern, led first by guitars, then Mellotron and organ, and finally a chanted vocal chorus.


"Blue Jay Way"

"
Blue Jay Way "Blue Jay Way" is a song by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles. Written by George Harrison, it was released in 1967 on the group's ''Magical Mystery Tour'' Extended play, EP and album. The song was named after a street in the Hollywoo ...
" was named after a street in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles where Harrison stayed in August 1967. The lyrics document his wait for music publicist Derek Taylor to find his way to Blue Jay Way through the fog-ridden hills, while Harrison struggled to stay awake after the flight from London to Los Angeles. MacDonald describes the song as Harrison's "farewell to psychedelia", since his subsequent visit to Haight-Ashbury led to him seeking an alternative to hallucinogenic drugs and opened the way to the Beatles' embrace of Transcendental Meditation. The composition marked a rare example of the
Lydian mode The modern Lydian mode is a seven-tone musical scale formed from a rising pattern of pitches comprising three whole tones, a semitone, two more whole tones, and a final semitone. : Because of the importance of the major scale in modern music ...
being used in pop music and, in Reck's view, incorporates scalar elements from the
Carnatic raga Carnatic raga refers to ''ragas'' used in Carnatic music. A Carnatic raga has several components - primordial sound (''nāda''), tonal system (''swara''), pitch (''śruti''), scale, ornaments ('' gamaka'') and important tones. Origins and histo ...
Ranjani.


Singles

Because EPs were not popular in the US at the time,
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
released the soundtrack as an LP by adding tracks from that year's non-album singles. The first side contained the film soundtrack songs, although in a different order from the EP. Side two contained both sides of the band's two singles released up to this point in 1967, along with "Hello, Goodbye", which was issued as a single backed by "I Am the Walrus". Three of the previously released tracks – " Penny Lane", " Baby, You're a Rich Man" and "All You Need Is Love" – were presented in duophonic (or "processed") stereo sound on Capitol's stereo version of the LP. The Beatles were displeased about this reconfiguration, since they believed that tracks released on a single should not then appear on a new album. 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 eant to bethe music from the film."


Artwork and packaging

As part of the unusual format, the Beatles decided to package the two EPs in a gatefold sleeve with a 24-page booklet. The record's cover featured a photo of the Beatles in animal costumes, taken during the shoot for "I Am the Walrus", and marked the first time that the band members' faces were not visible on one of their EP or LP releases. The booklet contained song lyrics, photographer John Kelly's colour stills from the filming, and colour story illustrations in the
comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
style by '' Beatles Book'' cartoonist Bob Gibson. It was compiled by Barrow, with input from McCartney. Of the double-EP package, film studies academic Bob Neaverson later commented: "While it certainly solved the song quota problem, one suspects that it was also partly born of the Beatles' pioneering desire to experiment with conventional formats and packaging." In line with the band's wishes, the packaging reinforced the idea that the release was a film soundtrack rather than a follow-up to ''Sgt. Pepper'', which was still receiving critical plaudits and enjoying commercial success in late 1967. When preparing the US release, Capitol enlarged the photos and illustrations to LP size inside a gatefold album sleeve. The cover design was done by
John Van Hamersveld John Van Hamersveld (born September 1, 1941, Baltimore, Maryland, United States) is an American graphic artist and illustrator who designed record jackets for pop and psychedelic bands from the 1960s onward. Among the 300 albums are the covers of ...
, the head of Capitol's art department, working from the artwork sent from EMI in London. He recalled that Capitol's vice-president of distribution was concerned about how to market a record where the Beatles' faces were hidden behind their costumes, since cover portraits had been key to the success of the group's US LPs. Van Hamersveld therefore augmented the "underground graphic" cover image with a design concept that highlighted the songs. In Gould's description, the LP cover "had the garish symmetry of a movie poster" through the combination of the Beatles' animal costumes, the "rainbow" film logo, and the song titles rendered in art-deco lettering "amid a border of op-art clouds". The artwork was later cited by proponents of the Paul is dead theory as evidence of McCartney's alleged demise in November 1966. Clues included the appearance of a black walrus (Lennon in costume) on the front cover, which was thought to signify death in some areas of Scandinavia; McCartney wearing a black carnation in an image from the "Your Mother Should Know" film sequence; and, on another page from the booklet, McCartney seated behind a sign reading "I WaS".


Release

In advance of the EP's release, Lennon promoted the soundtrack in an interview on the BBC Radio 1 show ''Where It's At''. Lennon discussed the studio effects used on the new songs, including "I Am the Walrus", which received its only contemporary airing on BBC radio when disc jockey Kenny Everett played it as part of the interview broadcast on 25 November 1967. According to author John Winn, because the lyrics included the word " knickers", the song "remained unofficially prohibited from BBC playlists for the time being". "I Am the Walrus" was also banned from American airwaves. ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was issued in the UK on 8 December, the day after the opening of their Apple Boutique in central London, and just over two weeks before the film was broadcast by
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
. It retailed at the sub-£1 price of 19s 6d (equivalent to £ today). It was their thirteenth British EP and only their second, after 1964's '' Long Tall Sally'', to consist of entirely new recordings. With the broadcast rights for North America assigned to NBC, the Capitol album was scheduled for a mid-December release. The company instead issued the album on 27 November. In Britain only, the film was then screened on
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to an audience estimated at 15 million. It was savaged by reviewers, giving the Beatles their first public and critical failure. As a result, the American broadcaster withdrew its bid for the local rights, and the film was not shown there at the time. In its first three weeks on sale in the US, ''Magical Mystery Tour'' set a record for the highest initial sales of any Capitol LP. It was number 1 on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s Top LPs listings for eight weeks at the start of 1968 and remained in the top 200 until 8 February 1969. It was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regar ...
in 1969. In Britain, the EP peaked at number 2 on the national singles chart, behind "Hello, Goodbye", and became the Beatles' ninth release to top the national EPs chart compiled by ''
Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The title ...
''. In the UK singles listings compiled by ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' magazine, it replaced "Hello, Goodbye" at number 1 for a week. The EP sold over 500,000 copies there. Walter Everett highlights its UK chart performance as a significant achievement, given that the EP's retail price far exceeded that of the singles with which it was competing at the time. As an American import, the Capitol album release peaked on the ''Record Retailer'' LPs chart at number 31 in January 1968. In the US, the album sold 1,936,063 copies by 31 December 1967 and 2,373,987 copies by the end of the decade. According to music historian Clinton Heylin, the release of ''Magical Mystery Tour'' and of the Rolling Stones' '' Their Satanic Majesties Request'', which was the Stones' answer to ''Sgt. Pepper'', inadvertently brought an end to psychedelic pop. Music journalist John Harris cites the critical maligning of the film as the excuse the British authorities were looking for to begin targeting the Beatles, despite the band's status as MBE holders, for their wayward influence on youth. Within the Beatles, McCartney's role as the group's ''de facto'' leader, a role he had assumed with Lennon's withdrawal before ''Sgt. Pepper'', was destabilised as individual creative agendas were increasingly pursued over 1968. In 1968, jazz musician Bud Shank released the album ''
Magical Mystery ''Magical Mystery'' is an album by the saxophonist Bud Shank recorded in 1967 for the World Pacific label.
'', which included five of the EP's tracks and "Hello, Goodbye". "The Fool on the Hill" was highly popular among other artists, particularly cabaret performers, and became one of the most covered Lennon–McCartney compositions.


Critical reception


Contemporary reviews

Reviewing the EP a month before the film's screening,
Nick Logan of the '' NME'' enthused that the Beatles were "at it again, stretching pop music to its limits". He continued: "The four musician-magicians take us by the hand and lead us happily tripping through the clouds, past Lucy in the sky with diamonds and the fool on the hill, into the sun-speckled glades along Blue Jay Way and into the world of Alice in Wonderland ... This is The Beatles out there in front and the rest of us in their wake." Bob Dawbarn of ''Melody Maker'' described the EP as "six tracks which no other pop group in the world could begin to approach for originality combined with the popular touch". In '' Record Mirror'', Norman Jopling wrote that, whereas on ''Sgt. Pepper'' "the effects were chiefly sound and only the album cover was visual", on ''Magical Mystery Tour'' "the visual side ... has dominated the music", such that "Everything from fantasy, children's comics, acid (psychedelic) humour is included on the record and in the booklet." Among reviews of the American LP,
Mike Jahn Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...
of '' Saturday Review'' hailed ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as the Beatles' best work yet, superior to ''Sgt. Pepper'' in emotion and depth, and "distinguished by its description of the Beatles' acquired Hindu philosophy and its subsequent application to everyday life". '' Hit Parader'' said that "the beautiful Beatles do it again, widening the gap between them and 80 scillion other groups." Remarking on how the Beatles and their producer "present a supreme example of team work", the reviewer compared the album with ''Their Satanic Majesties Request'' and opined that "I Am the Walrus" and "Blue Jay Way" alone "accomplish what the Stones attempted". '' Rolling Stone'' was launched in October 1967 with a cover photo of Lennon from ''How I Won the War''; in its fourth issue, the magazine's review of ''Magical Mystery Tour'' consisted of a single-sentence quote from him: "There are only about 100 people in the world who understand our music." Having been one of the few critics to review ''Sgt. Pepper'' unfavourably, Richard Goldstein of '' The New York Times'' rued that the new songs furthered the gap between true rock values and studio effects, and that the band's "fascination with motif" was equally reflected in the elaborate packaging. Goldstein concluded: "Does it sound like heresy to say that the Beatles write material which is literate, courageous, genuine, but spotty? It shouldn't. They are inspired posers, but we must keep our heads on their music, not their incarnations." Rex Reed of '' HiFi/Stereo Review'' wrote a scathing critique in which he derided the group's "farcical, stagnant, helpless bellowing" and "confused musical ideas". Reed said that exchanging drugs for meditation as their subject matter had left the Beatles "totally divorced from reality", and he especially ridiculed "I Am the Walrus" on an LP he deemed a "platter of phony, pretentious, overcooked tripe". In his May 1968 column in ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'',
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
considered three of the new songs to be "disappointing", among which "The Fool on the Hill" "may be the worst song the Beatles have ever recorded". Christgau still found it a valid album, "for all the singles, which are good music, after all; for the tender camp of 'Your Mother Should Know'; and especially for Harrison's hypnotic 'Blue Jay Way,' an adaptation of Oriental modes in which everything works, lyrics included".


Retrospective assessments

In his review for '' Blender'', Paul Du Noyer writes: "They lost the plot with their dopey TV film, but 1967 was still their zenith as songwriters. For once, the U.S. release went better than the British original ... The result was simply the best set of Beatles tunes so far on a single disc." AllMusic critic Richie Unterberger opines that the psychedelia is "even spacier in parts" than on ''Sgt. Pepper'', but "there's no vague overall conceptual/thematic unity to the material, which has made ''Magical Mystery Tour'' suffer slightly in comparison. Still, the music is mostly great." Scott Plagenhoef of '' Pitchfork'' describes the EP-exclusive tracks as "low key marvels". He says that while the album lacks a progressive quality from the band's previous work, it "is quietly one of the most rewarding listens in the Beatles' career", and the mixed nature of the collection "matters little when the music itself is so incredible". Writing in '' The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', Rob Sheffield says that the album is "a lot goopier than ''Sgt. Pepper'', though lifted by the cheerful 'All You Need Is Love' and the ghostly 'Strawberry Fields Forever.' Her Majesty the Queen had the best comment: 'The Beatles are turning awfully funny, aren't they?'" Neil McCormick of '' The Daily Telegraph'' writes that the combination of soundtrack and singles means the album lacks cohesion, but he still finds it an "intriguing psychedelic companion piece" to ''Sgt. Pepper'' and highlights "I Am the Walrus" as a "mad, surrealist epic ... in which Lennon takes the concept of lyrical and musical nonsense and just explodes it all over the speakers". Reviewing for '' Mojo'' in 2002, Charles Shaar Murray said ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was the Beatles album he turned to most often following Harrison's death the previous year and that it evokes an era "when society still seemed to be opening up rather than closing down". Given its experimental qualities, he deemed it "the other half of the double-album that ''Sgt. Pepper'' should have been". Writing for ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'', Mark Kemp views ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as a work of "symphonic sprawl" that marks the culmination of a five-year period in which the Beatles led pop music's expansion into world music, psychedelia, avant-pop and
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
, while bringing the genre a bohemian audience for the first time. He says that while the album resembles a ''Sgt. Pepper'' "Part 2", it "breathes easier and includes stronger songs" and benefits from the lack of a "forced concept". Among Beatles biographers, Jonathan Gould says the album's resequencing of the EP songs heightens the project's "''Pepper'' redux" quality, with its opening title track recalling "Sgt. Pepper" and "I Am the Walrus" providing the "weighty end" in the manner of " A Day in the Life". He similarly views "The Fool on the Hill" as the " Fixing a Hole"–style "cool, contemplative ballad", just as Harrison provides "another droning epic" and McCartney offers "another archaic number" in "Your Mother Should Know", which he finds a "halfhearted attempt at satiric nostalgia". Chris Ingham, writing in ''The Rough Guide to the Beatles'', says that the soundtrack's reputation suffers from its association with the film's failure, yet while three of the tracks are rightly overlooked, "The Fool on the Hill", "Blue Jay Way" and "I Am the Walrus" remain "essential Beatlemusic". ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was ranked at number 138 in Paul Gambaccini's 1978 book '' Critic's Choice: Top 200 Albums'', based on submissions from a panel of 47 critics and broadcasters. In 2000, it was voted 334th in Colin Larkin's '' All Time Top 1000 Albums''. In his book ''The Ambient Century'', Mark Prendergast describes it as "the most psychedelic album The Beatles ever released" and, along with ''Revolver'', an "essential purchase". He ranks the album at number 27 in his list of "Twentieth-century Ambience – the Essential 100 Recordings". In 2007, the album was included in Robert Christgau and David Fricke's "40 Essential Albums of 1967" for ''Rolling Stone''. Christgau wrote in an accompanying essay: "Because it begins with the lame theme to their worst movie and the sappy 'Fool on the Hill,' few realize that this serves up three worthy obscurities forthwith – bet
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
knows the sour-and-sweet instrumental 'Flying' by heart. Then it A/Bs three fabulous singles."


Release history

In 1968 and 1971, true-stereo mixes were created for "Penny Lane", "Baby, You're a Rich Man" and "All You Need Is Love", which allowed the first true-stereo version of the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' LP to be issued in West Germany in 1971. In the face of continued public demand for the imported Capitol album, EMI officially released the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' LP in the UK in November 1976, although it used the Capitol fake-stereo masters of the same three singles tracks. In 1981, the soundtrack EP was reissued in both mono and stereo as part of Parlophone's 15-disc box set '' The Beatles EP Collection''. When standardising the Beatles' releases for the worldwide compact disc release in 1987, EMI issued ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as a full-length album in true stereo. It was the only example of an American reconfigured release being favoured over the EMI version. The inclusion of the 1967 singles on CD with this album meant that the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' CD would be of comparable length to the band's CDs of its original albums, and that the additional five tracks originally featured on the American LP would not need to be included on '' Past Masters'', a two-volume compilation designed to accompany the initial CD album releases and provide all non-album tracks (mostly singles) on CD format. The 2012 remastered ''Magical Mystery Tour'' DVD entered the ''Billboard'' Top Music Video chart at number 1. The CD album climbed to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Catalog Albums chart, number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Soundtrack albums chart, and re-entered at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart for the week ending 27 October 2012.''Billboard'' magazine, week ending 27 October 2012.


Track listing

All tracks are written by Lennon–McCartney, except "Blue Jay Way" by
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, and "Flying" by Harrison–Lennon–McCartney– Starkey.


Double EP


LP


Personnel

According to Mark Lewisohn and Ian MacDonald, except where noted: The Beatles * John Lennon – lead, harmony and backing vocals; wordless vocals on "Flying"; rhythm and acoustic guitars; piano,
Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
,
Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
, electric piano, clavioline,
harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
; bass harmonica,
Jew's harp Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
,
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
, percussion * Paul McCartney – lead, harmony and backing vocals; wordless vocals on "Flying"; bass, acoustic and lead guitars; piano, Mellotron, harmonium; recorder,
penny whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. ...
, percussion *
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
 – lead, harmony and backing vocals; wordless vocals on "Flying"; lead, rhythm, acoustic and
slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places *Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...
guitars; Hammond organ, bass harmonica, swarmandal, violin, percussion *
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
 – drums and percussion; backing vocals on "Hello, Goodbye"; wordless vocals on "Flying" Additional musicians and production *"Magical Mystery Tour" – Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall on percussion; David Mason, Elgar Howarth, Roy Copestake and John Wilbraham on trumpets *"I Am the Walrus" – Sidney Sax,
Jack Rothstein Jack Rothstein (15 December 1925 – 16 November 2001)''Gramophone'', Obituaries: Jack Rothstein, February 2002. was a Polish-born violinist and conductor, living most of his life in England.''The Independent'', Obituary: Jack Rothstein, 23 Novembe ...
, Ralph Elman, Andrew McGee, Jack Greene, Louis Stevens, John Jezzard and Jack Richards on violins; Lionel Ross, Eldon Fox, Brian Martin and Terry Weil on cellos;
Neill Sanders Neill Joseph Sanders (24 November 1923 – 19 April 1992) was a British horn player, principal horn of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and for 29 years a member of the Melos Ensemble. He was a professor at West ...
, Tony Tunstall and Morris Miller on horns; Mike Sammes Singers (Peggie Allen, Wendy Horan, Pat Whitmore, Jill Utting, June Day, Sylvia King, Irene King, G. Mallen, Fred Lucas, Mike Redway, John O'Neill, F. Dachtler, Allan Grant, D. Griffiths, J. Smith and J. Fraser) on backing vocals *"The Fool on the Hill" – Christoper Taylor, Richard Taylor and Jack Ellory on flute *"Blue Jay Way" – unidentified session musician on cello *"Hello, Goodbye" – Ken Essex and Leo Birnbaum on violas *"Strawberry Fields Forever" – Mal Evans on percussion; Tony Fisher,
Greg Bowen Gregory Bowen (''né'' Gregory Emmanuel Cole Bowen, May 3, 1943) is a Welsh trumpet player. His primary work was done in London before relocating to Berlin, Germany in 1976. Since 1961, Bowen has performed and recorded with jazz, pop artists and ...
, Derek Watkins and Stanley Roderick on trumpets; John Hall, Derek Simpson, Peter Halling and Norman Jones on cellos *"Penny Lane" – George Martin on piano; Ray Swinfield, P. Goody, Manny Winters and Dennis Walton on flutes; Leon Calvert, Freddy Clayton, Bert Courtley and Duncan Campbell on trumpets; Dick Morgan and Mike Winfield on English horns; Frank Clarke on double bass; David Mason on piccolo trumpet *"Baby, You're a Rich Man" – Eddie Kramer on vibraphone *"All You Need Is Love" – George Martin on piano; Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Marianne Faithfull,
Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 19467 September 1978) was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style of playing and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Moon grew ...
,
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
, Pattie Boyd Harrison, Jane Asher,
Mike McGear Peter Michael McCartney (born 7 January 1944), known professionally as Mike McGear, is an English performing artist and photographer who was a member of the groups the Scaffold and Grimms. He is the younger brother of former Beatle Paul McCa ...
, Graham Nash, Gary Leeds, Hunter Davies and others on backing vocals; Sidney Sax, Patrick Halling, Eric Bowie and John Ronayne on violins; Lionel Ross and Jack Holmes on cellos; Rex Morris and Don Honeywill on tenor saxophones; David Mason and Stanley Woods on trumpets and
flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...
; Evan Watkins and Henry Spain on trombones; Jack Emblow on accordion * Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott – audio engineering


Charts

Original release EP 2009 remaster Album


Certifications


Notes


References


Sources

* * ''No page numbers appear''. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (Text also available, in three parts, a
beatlesmovies.co.uk
) * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* *

{{Authority control 1967 EPs 1967 albums 1967 soundtrack albums The Beatles EPs Parlophone EPs Capitol Records soundtracks Albums produced by George Martin Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios Albums with cover art by John Van Hamersveld The Beatles soundtracks Parlophone soundtracks Television soundtracks The Beatles and India Psychedelic pop albums Psychedelic rock albums by English artists Art pop albums