The Beatles had little to hang their head about when they released their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. They were at the front lines of the psychedelic rock movement. Their fans loved it, sending the album to the top of the charts worldwide. Decades later, Paul McCartney maintains that they gave the album their best go.
Speaking to Mojo in 2026, McCartney reflected on the legacy of Sgt. Pepper’s, as well as its many lives from all the remasters and reissues. When asked whether he regretted not including songs like “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” on the album, the answer was an easy no.
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“I’m not big into regrets, I must say,” McCartney said. “You make a decision, and you stick with it. [Those songs] were precursors of Sgt. Pepper. It was the start of the whole thing.” With their newfound free time after giving up touring, McCartney said, “We wanted to see what we could do, see how far we could stretch pop music.”
He Doesn’t Regret New Versions of ‘Sgt. Pepper’, Either
When Paul McCartney spoke with Mojo about his lack of regrets about Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the latest reissue had already been out for almost ten years. The 50th anniversary edition of Sgt. Pepper’s came out in May 2017, featuring a new stereo mix by Giles Martin. Martin is the son of the late Beatles producer, George Martin. And while he likely wouldn’t say he regrets any remasterings and reissues, McCartney admitted it took some time to get used to it.
“I’m now very happy with the idea of it,” McCartney said. “When I’m approving the new versions, I always do an A and B thing. I listen to the old ones alongside the new one and switch between them. With this one, there’s really quite a difference.”
The 50th-anniversary album includes five takes of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and three takes of “Penny Lane”, allowing listeners to hear The Beatles lay the groundwork for Sgt. Pepper’s in real time.
The former Beatle told Mojo that he wasn’t sure whether that psychedelic rock album was the band’s best. “But Pepper is the most noticeable,” he admitted, “because it was so different and such a change from what was going on at the time. There were so many little things happening, and it seemed like they all culminated on Sgt. Pepper.”
Photo by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images
More Behind the Album
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George Harrison with wife Patti Boyd arrive at the premiere of Yellow Submarine film, London Pavilion, 17 July 1968. (Photo by Mirrorpix via Getty Images) -
Elvis Presley in a publicity pose from 'Paradise Hawaiian Style' with Suzanna Leigh, Mariana Hill and Irene Tsu 1966. (Photo by Screen Archives/Getty Images) -
Elton John converses with his songwriter partner Bernie Taupin at his Studio 54 party. -
LONDON – 1967: The members of the English supergroup Cream, (from left) English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Eric Clapton, Scottish bass player, singer and songwriter Jack Bruce (1943-2014) and English drummer Ginger Baker (1939-2019), in London, 1967. (Photo by Icon and Image/Getty Images) -
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 18: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Sir Paul McCartney performs at The O2 Arena during his 'Got Back' world tour on December 18, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images) -
UNITED STATES – JUNE 01: Photo of Jimmy PAGE and Robert PLANT and LED ZEPPELIN; L-R. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page performing live onstage (Photo by Robert Knight Archive/Redferns) -
Lindsey Buckingham from the rock group Fleetwood Mac. (Photo by Robin Platzer/Getty Images) -
BIG SUR, CA – SEPTEMBER 13-14: Neil Young plays his guitar during The Big Sur Folk Festival on September 13-14, 1969 at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. (Photo by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)