Remember the Nightman Scoring System ©? My system for reviewing music as fairly as possible, an attempt to remove as much inherent bias as possible? That system where I break up an album into twenty evenly weighted categories so that when you score each one out of five, trying to base the score as much on fact as on opinion, you get a fair total out of 100? It’s the best scoring system in the world and you should use it. So should I in fact, hence this post. Anyway, if you want to read the rules about the system click this link and it will reveal all. There’s one for movies too, at this link. Check them both out – I say with absolutely no hyperbole that it will unquestionably change your life, make you an astonishingly brilliant human being, and also get you the ladies (regardless of your gender or orientation).
Sales: 5. It goes without saying.
Chart: 5. It goes without saying.
Critical: 5. Whenever Revolver is not listed as the greatest album ever, this one is.
Originality: 5. The band took the experimentation from the last couple of albums and blew the doors off by incorporating all manner of sounds from around the world, from their own lives and experiences, and wrapped it all up in a loose concept while totally re-inventing their own look and sound.
Influence: 5. There’s an argument that it’s the most influential rock album ever.
Musical Ability: 5. The first time that it wasn’t overwhelmingly performed by the band, as they incorporated a load of session musicians to bulk out the sound. But each person still plays a huge array of instruments and get some of the most well-known melodies and hooks from them.
Lyrics: 5. I’m not the biggest fan in the world of the band as lyricists, but if we’re ever going to give them a 5, it has to be for this album.
Melody: 5. You already know every song. And even if you haven’t heard one, you’ll know it after a single listen.
Emotion: 4. The album is so focused on being this ground-breaking thing, that it does lose a little of the emotional side for me, but then songs like She’s Leaving Home pick up the slack.
Resilience/Lastibility: 5. People still play it, people still buy it, people still reference it, and it has been (successfully) re-released multiple times. It’s Sgt Pepper; it’s eternal.
Vocals: 4. Hmm, do I give this a 5? I have to call out that a few of the vocal decisions and effects don’t sit nicely with me, the whimsy infused in the overall sound puts me at a distance.
Coherence: 5. Their first real push into Concept territory, the idea of this travelling band showcasing a variety show spectacle of sounds just about holds together. When taken at a closer glance, so many of the songs are so disparate that you could argue that the whole thing doesn’t hold together at all – I’m not of that opinion, but I get it.
Mood: 4. Similar to Revolver, not a mood piece by any means but that whimsy does come near to overriding any other central mood.
Production: 5. It’s Revolver continued.
Effort: 5. The array of sounds and ideas, the performances, the ground-breaking, all done in a relatively short and frantic period – it’s a five.
Relationship: 4. Honestly, it’s a low 4 for me. In my original run through of The Beatles albums, I didn’t feel a lot for Sgt Pepper and it was the album I knew least songs from. It was quickly a grower, but it never clicked with me on a personal level. I recognise its greatness, but it doesn’t make me feel as much as say Help!
Genre Relation: 5. Pff, no idea. Did it create a new genre? Did it take all of the counter-culture sounds and condense it into a single bizarre thing? Anything from 1-5, I guess.
Authenticity: 5. The band had nowhere to go other than entirely re-invent themselves. They did just that, and as with everything they did, they did it with full vision and commitment.
Personal: 5. It took me a little longer to get to the five, but when I look at the amount of songs that I love, and the amount of songs that I have loved at some point even if they have slipped a little for me, it has to be a five.
Miscellaneous: 5. Everything surrounding the album and including the artwork and promotion is great.
Total: 96/100
It’s a strange one as I feel like I could have dropped a couple of these scores down by a point, but as it is, it’s our highest score. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The Spac Hole 