Would "Sgt. Pepper's" be a better album if.....

SP was pure creative genius, particularly the work done in the studio at a time when recording electronics were archaic by today's standards.  I agree with several here that a couple of the songs are not the Beatles best, but in usual Beatles fashion they seem to make them better than they are.

One of my favorite stories I recall reading at the time was Brian Wilson of Beach Boys relating that he was at a party when someone showed up with a newly released SP LP and  they started playing it.  He stated the Beach Boys were completely blown away.

No

Actually I think Within You Without You is far and away the best song on the album and, in hindsight, one of the very best Beatles’ songs. That said, Sgt Pepper was an album that was more influential than good (compare the 1963 Beatles with the 1969 ones and note how far they pulled rock music up from the style of the 50s). Yes, there are some good tracks (WYWY, LSD, A Day In The Life) and some really bad ones (Rita and 64), and adding the wayward high spots from the US release of Magical Mystery Tour (The Fool on the Hill, I Am the Walrus, Hello, Goodbye, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love) to WYWY, LSD and Life does create a far more consistent album that positively shines by comparison...in hindsight.

Agree with the guy above. Within You Without You is one of my favorite Beatles songs. George Harrison was a highly original songwriter.

Fixing a Hole and She’s Leaving Home also run close favorites from this particular album.

At least Yellow Submarine isn’t on Sgt. Pepper’s. No desire to hear that song again.

Interesting topic.  I beg to differ with the earlier comments about Squeeze.  I mean, the Beatles are the ones who essentially led the transformation of Rock to an art form going from rockabilly (Elvis, Bill Haley, etc...) to concept albums.  Heck, they even led the transformation of hairstyles and dress!  To say that Squeeze has had anywhere near that impact to Rock and music in general, is really missing the scope of the impact the Beatles had.  It's like a comparison of Beethoven to John Williams.