a, composer-musician-scholar Scott Freiman will present "Deconstructing Sgt. Pepper" on Thursday.
Seen here in a 1967 file photo, The Beatles, from left, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.It took The Beatles less than a day at EMI’s famous Abbey Road studios to record their first album “Please Please Me.” But it took the Fab Four more than 400 hours over a 129-day period to record their groundbreaking “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
On Thursday at Amherst Cinema, composer-musician-scholar Scott Freiman will present “Deconstructing Sgt. Pepper,” a multi-media journey exploring the album which Rolling Stone magazine called “the most important rock & roll album ever made.” Adfmission is $20.
Beginning at 7:30 p.m., he will look at the game-changing concept album from multiple levels by integrating visuals and rare and unreleased recordings as he walks his audience through the construction of songs from take one to the final version.
“The ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album was my introduction to The Beatles. I’m a second generation Beatles’ fan,” said Freiman, who teaches a course on The Beatles at Yale University.
“A tremendous amount of research has gone into preparing this lecture ... reading, listening to interviews, watching videos, and most importantly spending a lot of time listening to the music. I spent months on the presentation, trying to put together a good story and making sure it would be interesting and appealing for those who think they know everything about The Beatles and those who know nothing,” he added.
Freiman has composed original music for film and television, contributing music to the BBC/Discovery Channel 11-part Emmy-award winning series “Life,” and mixing all the music for the series. He is also a sound designer and mixer with many credits, including the award-winning documentaries “Budrus” and “Encounter Point,” and the first 3D made-for-television film, David Attenborough’s “Flying Monsters.”
“Scott’s program is the perfect blend of fun and enlightenment, pitched at just the right level,” said Carol Johnson, executive director of the Amherst Cinema. “He uncovers the reasons why the Beatles’ music continues to be loved by millions.”
Among the highlights of the lecture will be listening to isolated tracks from the album’s classic songs such as “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Listeners will also hear the beautiful string arrangement for “She’s Leaving Home,” the one that producer George Martin didn’t write, and learn about the experimental compositional and studio techniques used to create one of the disc’s standout tracks, “A Day in the Life.”
As for singling out his favorite Beatles’ album, Freiman was coy.
“My favorite is whatever one I’m talking about at the moment. It’s like asking someone to pick their favorite child. I love all of their albums ... they all have their great moments on them. I often say that the songs they thought of as fillers on their albums would have been hit singles for anyone else,” said Freiman.
Freiman also presents lectures on The Beatles’ “Revolver” and “White Album,” as well as a presentation focusing on “Strawberry Fields Forever,” recorded during the “Sgt. Pepper” sessions. He will be introducing a new lecture early next year on the early Beatles, including their infamous Decca recording session passed on by the recording giant before the group was picked up by EMI.