Not quite the strong thematic accomplishment of Sgt. Pepper's, but this collection certainly holds its own. The Beatles were still up to their studio tricks, using lots of orchestration, backwards cymbals, unusual instruments, etc. and each song is again unique. This disk also has some of Ringo's finest drumming.

5 star songs include:
"Strawberry Fields Forever" with John Lennon singing about a place near his home in Liverpool. A great thing about Lennon penned tunes was that he always included the listener on the journey. "Let me take you down..." Trippy and introspective, with slowed down tape to deepen lower his voice, then pieced together with another faster track in a different key. Great combo of rock instruments and orchestra. Great drum dynamics, especially the ending reprise and fadeout.
"Penny Lane" is Paul's Liverpool trip, a cheerful tune with some nice lyrical twists like "four of fish and finger pies" and "a pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray." Also like the horns, especially that solo.
"All You Need is Love" is a perfect ode to the 1967 "Summer of Love."
"The Fool on the Hill" ranks among Paul's better lyrical efforts. "The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud." Nice recorders.
"I Am The Walrus" is one John Lennon's all-time best Beatle tunes, with, as another reviewer stated, nonsense lyrics that somehow make sense. This is the quintessential combo of rock meets orchestra that has been imitated very since the Beatles perfected it. Great drum performance by Ringo.

4 star tunes:
"Hello Goodbye" has a catchy, singalong melody, nice harmonies, cool guitars, but lyrically doesn't have much substance.

"Magical Mystery Tour" is a good intro piece, with horns, harmonies, and great drums. I always wondered what it would have been like to hear an extension of that piano jam at the end fadeout.
"Baby You're a Rich Man" Nice beat and piano line. This must be an early use of the expression "one of the beautiful people."

The rest:
"Flying" is a trippy little instrumental with a good bass and drum groove and slinky guitars that transforms into a spacey trip of sound effects.

"Blue Jay Way" is a hazy George Harrison piece about waiting for someone in L.A. I like the progressive building of tempos and drums.
"Your Mother Should Know" is another catchy, piano-driven Paul tune that was probably considered a "granny song" by John.

Listen to these tunes and consider how much the Beatles had evolved in only five years! Amazing.


John Lennon's Favorite Beatles Album   June 4, 2000
failing star (Maryland)
34 out of 36 found this review helpful

John Lennon thought this was the best Beatles album...what better praise could "Magical Mystery Tour" get? John liked it because it was "so wierd", and that's my main reason for liking it too. It's quirky but solid. Despite the wonderfully odd songs such as "Blue Jay Way", the lovely "Flying" and the title track, this album also features some of the Beatle's best songs. I mean, come on - "Strawberry Fields Forever", "I Am the Walrus", "Fool on the Hill", "Penny Lane" on the same album? Wierd songs, great songs, it was an extension of Sgt Pepper, but the music here is more personal, heartfelt and meaningful. This album, "Magical Mystery Tour", is often knocked by critics, mostly because its songs are gathered from many sources, (EP's, singles) and because it came from a film which was not well liked, (though I think the film was marvelous fun!) Plus, the Beatles had just released "Sgt Pepper". Nevertheless, you've got to admit, "Sgt Pepper" was kind of a tough act to top! MMT was brilliant in its own right. Extra points for the Beatle's fabulous use of the mellotron throughout this record, truly one of the most haunting & beautiful instruments. And one final bonus point for "I Am the Walrus"...the Beatle's best song ever recorded!


Strawberry Fields Forever   September 16, 2006
Jeffrey J.Park (Massachusetts, USA)
29 out of 32 found this review helpful

As a progressive rock fan who happens to have an interest in the genre that extends beyond listening to albums by the major players themselves, e.g. Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson etc., I have started exploring those psychedelic bands that gave rise to the progressive rock style, e.g. The Beatles. Although the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album (1967) is widely recognized to have laid the groundwork for prog, not to mention providing inspiration for English psychedelic/proto-prog bands such as the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd (debut album only), and even the Nice (debut album only), it is the Beatle's Magical Mystery Tour album (1967) that is a personal favorite.

As an editorial comment, my first exposure to the Beatles took place in the late 1970s when my parents bought me the "blue album" (1967-1970) - on blue vinyl no less. In fact, many of the songs off of Magical Mystery Tour appeared on that compilation. One other thing - Magical Mystery Tour was the album that had the famous car crash sound effect and the "I buried Paul" comment - both of which led the more gullible among us to believe that Paul McCartney had in fact died in a car crash. I guess it is worth noting that John Lennon in fact said "cranberry sauce" and not "I buried Paul", although what is heard on the album sounds a great deal like "I buried Paul". In addition to Magical Mystery Tour, various "clues" perpetuating the urban myth of Paul's death are scattered across several Beatles albums.

In terms of the overall feel of the album itself, all of the pieces flow together very nicely so there is a sense of a total "program". This was one of the hallmarks of the mature prog rock style in fact - a unifying thread or concept that linked all of the pieces together. On Magical Mystery Tour, there are instrumental interludes (Flying) and a number of very psychedelic numbers that give the whole album an overwhelmingly psychedelic feel. Of course, the very colorful and surrealist cover art speaks volumes too and meshes perfectly with the music - reinforcing the link between cover album art (back when it meant something) and the music. Not to forget the most important aspect however, the lyrics are also peppered with cryptic references and surrealist imagery, making this one of the more interesting total packages I have come across lately.

In terms of the music, keyboard instruments such as the mellotron are used on a few tracks and duplicate the sounds of flutes and a string section. Although real strings are used on this album, along with brass instruments, the mellotron had a very distinctive sound and became one of the main instruments in the progressive rock keyboard arsenal. Various sound effects and studio manipulations are also used, which lend the pieces a somewhat otherworldly feel. This is especially apparent on some of the electric guitar parts and the vocal sections. The Beatles of course were absolute masters when it came to melodies and especially vocal harmonies, and they are both used to best effect on tracks like "The Fool on the Hill", "Penny Lane", "Your Mother Should Know", and "Hello Goodbye" - snippets from these pieces have been bouncing around my head for the past few days. My favorite tracks include the dark and psychedelic "Blue Jay Way" and "Strawberry Fields Forever", although I do not feel there is a single weak track on this album.

Listening to this great music after so many years was a very pleasant experience and reminded me of the significant contribution the Beatles made to popular music in the 20th century and to this very day I suppose (even though I don't listen to current pop music). It was also very educational in the sense that I understand more about the influence the Beatles had on the progressive rock style that I hold so near and dear. Although Sgt. Pepper's is certainly the more famous and frequently cited example, I think Magical Mystery Tour certainly holds its own and is a wonderful piece of 1960's psychedelia. As such, Magical Mystery Tour is very highly recommended along with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).


Underappreciated...   September 15, 2005
Ricky J. Perrotta II
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

It's hard to say that any Beatles album is underappreciated, but I believe this one is. It did not make the Rolling Stone top 500 albums of all time, and a lot of people may actually try and tell you it's not very good.

I could not disagree more. Despite the fact that it is "basically a soundtrack," it features not only some of the best songs in the Beatles catalogue, but some of the greatest songs ever written. "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane," "All You need is Love," "Hello,"...pretty much the entire album.

The other thing about this album is that it is weird, and I think that turns a lot of people off. Sgt. Pepper's and Revolver were experimental, but Magical Mystery Tour is seriously psychadelic, and I don't think people were ready for the Beatles to sound this out there.

Another common arguement is that Magical Mystery Tour sounds like a collection of singles, rather than an "album," that all of the songs could be hits. To this day, I will never understand how you can criticize an album for being too good.


Perfect blend of pop hooks and cutting-edge experimentation   September 16, 1999
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

With all of the attention that Sgt. Pepper and the "White Album" get, the temptation is there to underrate the landmark, Magical Mystery Tour. And yet, it is probably the best example of the marriage of the Beatles' enthusiasm for innovation and new sounds with their mastery of popular song structure. It really does play like a greatest hits package, and, although Magical Mystery Tour does not follow as seamless a "conceptual" path as Sgt. Pepper does, its songs are undeniably more cutting-edge than most other popular recordings in that era, Velvet Underground notwithstanding. (In believe Magical Mystery Tour is worth purchasing for two songs alone: Strawberry Fields Forever and I Am The Walrus.)

If I had a choice of only two Beatles albums, they would be Revolver and MMT. In the 1960s, seldom did melodic pop hooks join with a spirit of restless innovation to reach such profound and inspiring heights. These two recordings amply demonstrate this.

Not to be overlooked, of course, is the self-effacing and genuinely humble "fifth Beatle," George Martin. His sense of good taste, along with his technical wizardry, knowledge of and enthusiasm for both popular and high culture, and curiosity for new sounds, no doubt inspired the Beatles themselves, resulting in such timeless works of art.

Very highly recommended.