The Beatles were on a roll after their own concept album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band virtually outsold every other album of the time back in 1967 and naturally, the band wished to continue their chart-topping winning streak. Their manager Brian Epstein passed away soon afterwards (from a possible suicide), marking the beginning of the end for The Beatles, although this was not immediately apparent at the time this was released. Once the grieving was done for their manager, The Beatles got busy with their Magical Mystery Tour project. This essentially was a film and soundtrack album project, of which both were released in late 1967. Sadly, the film was deemed a failure and not only performed poorly in a commercial sense but also began to create real friction amongst the band members afterwards, especially between the main duo that was Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The upside, however, was this album release. The Magical Mystery Tour album is still a much loved and appreciated album to this very day. It has some interesting and much-cited songs from this album and served as a backup to the much-loved Sgt. Pepper album released mere months before it. The Beatles were a great unit, when working together in harmony and this was created at a point where the group was still on relatively on terms with one another. That aside, let’s take a good listen to this album and we shall hear what it sounds like.

Magical Mystery Tour begins with some excellent brass sections, percussion and some spacey and awesome singing. This is very much in the vein of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but just a little different. Obviously drug-influenced, this is pure magic as music. The chorus and singing are instantly memorable and catchy and just sound absolutely sensationally great. The bridge is a deep and moody-sounding piece, and Paul McCartney’s bass guitar work is sensationally good as well. John Lennon’s vocals are excellent, and Paul himself sings extremely pure and well here. A great, great song to listen to. This is a killer opening track on this album, and it will take you away indeed. It ends with an unusual piano figure, before fading out in a Psychedelic way. Sweet.

The Fool On The Hill is an outstanding John Lennon song. He sings with piano and flute to a simple yet melodic Pop/Rock tune that is extremely good. It’s about someone who society rejects but is content with his own presence in life. There is more brass present here in this song as well. John Lennon’s nasal voice is at its best here, and the music is extremely awesome to listen to. It breaks into a great solo section with what sounds like a recorder being played. An extremely powerful and different statement from John Lennon. This sounds really fantastic from start to finish and is extremely LSD influenced and surreal throughout. The singing is very pleasant, and one can imagine The Beatles with their moustaches and colourful clothes singing and playing away nicely. A fantastic three-minute-long song, and absolutely worth hearing.

Flying is a straightforward and rather forgettable instrumental. It has guitarist George Harrison playing a Fender Stratocaster and other instrumentation playing along very nicely. This music is powerful, pretty and unique. There is some spacey Mellotron throughout as well, along with some wordless vocals from that keyboard. All recorded on 4 track machines, this sounds epic and brilliant. It ends with some very pleasant reversed melodies and other spacey sounds to boot. Very, very interesting to listen to. It fades out after only just over two minutes in length.

Blue Jay Way begins with an electronic organ in the left channel, which plays the main melody of this song. This is one of the most annoying songs by The Beatles ever made. George Harrison makes some rather druggy musings on this song and sounds like he is high as a kite. The chorus is repetitive to the nth degree, and this song is more textural than a slice of genius that The Beatles were otherwise known for. Still, despite these flaws, this is certainly pleasant and good to hear. There is a touch of violin throughout that is quite nice as well. A really awesome and pretty listening experience, despite the obvious flaws of this song. George Harrison’s efforts in The Beatles were often smothered and underappreciated by the other members of the group, and this is quite clear with this half-baked offering that George Harrison did not feel confident about this fact to make a consistent effort. It’s an okay song, but some fans of The Beatles may wish to skip this particular piece. More textural and sonic-based than song-based. The outro is different with cut-up sounds and textures, however.

Your Mother Should Know is a piano-led piece that is a Paul McCartney centrepiece of this album. It is a look back to the old-fashioned music that pre-dated The Beatles themselves, despite being on such a Psychedelic sounding album. This is more focused but sounds a little odd an offering on this Magical Mystery Tour album. Nonetheless, it is very good. The vocals switch channels throughout from the left channel to the right channel, and this piece does have some interesting layers of instrumentation throughout as well. Eventually, this breaks down into harmonies and gorgeous music throughout which is quintessential work by The Beatles. A truly joyous and lovely listening experience by The Beatles. This is undoubtedly a fine and excellent listen, and the repeated vocals at the end are sweet. Nice to hear.

I Am The Walrus is a famous John Lennon piece that begins with organ, weird and Psychedelic string sections and quickly launches into a really great tune to listen to. A fine, interesting and fantastic piece with surreal and contradictory lyrics, this song has been massively influential in the music scene over the decades since this was released. Yes, this is more textural than song-based, yet again, but the sounds and performances throughout sound absolutely fantastic. John Lennon’s vocals are heavily treated and distorted in this song. This launches into a fantastic musical interlude near the midsection which sounds so tripped out that it is very surprising to listen to. Some of the lyrics and sounds present are really wacky, for want of a better description. All in all, this is one of the best cuts from this album, and it sure sounds fresh, fun and different to this very day. The extended outro is weird and LSD-inspired, beyond all belief with chanting, radio-styled sounds and other weird snippets of sound. Very good, and an essential listen by The Beatles. Wonderful.

Hello, Goodbye is another simple and enjoyable Paul McCartney tune that sounds excellent, cheerful and consistently loveable to this very day. Pianos, violins, brass and other interesting sounds abound make for a really excellent listen of this song. All in all, this singalong number is perhaps proof that Paul McCartney wanted to express musically a different direction that the rest of the group already at this point. Despite that, this is a fantastic song to listen to and is one of the more underrated pieces by The Beatles, especially from this album. Nonetheless, an upbeat, spirited and fantastic listening experience that is really excellent. The outro on this is fantastic and quintessentially British in its appeal, with a fast-paced backing group performance. Great. It fades out nicely.

Strawberry Fields Forever is a brilliant song by John Lennon about a childhood haunt in the group’s hometown of Liverpool. It is a fantastic listening experience from the start, with a cool keyboard being played before John Lennon enters with his vocals, drums and Morse code, believe it or not. There is also some tranquil guitar present in this song. This is instantly a great song to hear upon listening, and the lyrics are very self-aware throughout. The middle eight section has horns, reversed percussion and viola galore. This is a sensational listening experience throughout, and John Lennon’s songcraft sounds absolutely wonderful here. This is one of the best and most memorable pieces from John Lennon in The Beatles, and it should put a smile on your face. The music throughout is very intricate and interesting to listen to. Strawberry Fields Forever, indeed. The outro has some expressive guitar work, layers of electronic instrumentation and some Eastern-sounding guitar licks. It fades out early before a second outro launches into action. Fantastic to listen to, with a vocal reference to cranberry sauce in the background. An excellent listen.

Penny Lane is another childhood haunt of The Beatles, this time from Paul McCartney. It is a piano-driven piece with a bunch of really great singing and electronics, along with some sturdy drumming by Ringo Starr. A very memorable singalong song that has a broad appeal to the listener at hand. Nonetheless, this song is really great. The piccolo trumpet solo here is amazing, and it really does sound great and illuminate the song at hand. A nice, gentle and swinging tune that makes just as much sense to listen to today as it did in 1967. The lyrics deal with day-to-day activities from Liverpool, and this is really great listening throughout. There is a nice key change towards the end of this song. Awesome and sweet to hear. This ends with some guitar feedback and hi-hats galore. 

Baby, You’re A Rich Man begins with palm-muted guitar and bass guitar, piano galore and other Psychedelic electronic sounds to enjoy. John Lennon sings this one, and he puts in a very underrated musical statement on this song. A really top-notch listening experience about Psychedelic imagery with a singalong chorus about having a ton of money. Sure, this may sound like Capitalism set to music, but regardless, this is not the case. The drumming from Ringo Starr is very, very good on this song and has wide appeal throughout. A whimsical, lovely and nicely melodic piece of music, this does sound really great. Worth hearing, even for a less famous tune from Magical Mystery Tour. Great music.

All You Need Is Love is a great song, although a bit loud in terms of its musical statement. It begins with brass galore, singing about love and launches into a really great song by John Lennon that makes great sense to the listener. Many layers of sound are present here, and the chorus is definitely worth remembering and singing along to. There is a great guitar solo here, along with brass and a sweet string section present. This is a very enjoyable tune to hear. “All you need is love, love is all you need” is a statement that rings true for fans of The Beatles. Paul McCartney’s bass guitar work is fantastic on this song as well. A gloriously enjoyable song with a repeated vocal section in the outro and a tremendous horn-led finale that is absolutely fantastic. The outro is extremely Psychedelic and fades out nicely. Worth hearing for sure.

This is a very fine album that is singalong, memorable and enjoyable in its overall impact. A great listening experience that, despite being overshadowed by the failure of the movie that this was made for, along with other events and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, is a real winner. Should you listen to this album? Of course, you should. It is a brilliant snapshot of music history in late 1967.

Excellent and sweet.

9/10