Universal Music GroupWith the 50th anniversary reissue of The Beatles‘ landmark 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band arriving next Friday, May 26, the band has offered up a new preview of one of the expanded release’s bonus tracks. You can check out a “Take 1” version of the Fab Four’s psychedelic classic “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” at the band’s official VEVO YouTube channel.
There’s banter between the various Beatles at the track’s start, as well as Paul McCartney noodling around on the Lowrey organ and George Harrison strumming an acoustic guitar. The song then begins proper, with McCartney’s well-known keyboard riff soon joined by John Lennon‘s vocals. Lennon sings a melody that’s slightly different than the final version of the tune. There are no vocals at all on the chorus sections, and no bass and electric guitar appear on the track.
At the end of the song, McCartney plays some off-kilter organ chords as the track breaks down. After the music stops, McCartney is heard apparently giving Lennon a suggestion on how he should sing the line “cellophane flowers of yellow and green.”
The 50th anniversary edition of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band will be released May 26 in various configurations and formats, including a Super Deluxe box set featuring a newly remastered version of the album, a mono mix of the record, 34 previously unreleased recordings from the sessions, a making-of documentary, and much more.
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