Was the psychedelic move a coverup?

[DayTripper]

Is it possible that, beginning with Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles went to a psychedelic style to cover up the fact that Paul had been replaced? Was the idea that if everything sounded different overall, nobody would notice the change in "Paul?"

Just a thought.

[OPD]

In french we say something like 'getting two targets with one stone''

I do think the psychedelic move was to cover up and at the same time was to give a perfect hiding place to tell part of the story

In this colorful make up(constrasting with R-Evolver, black and white)it was possible to hide ''meanings''
easily, making the outfit only looking ''stone''

But the music never went psychedelic
When I think psychedelic I think ' Hendrix Experience'
not Lovely Rita
But only those who had eyes could see that something was wrong with the picture,,, with or withoutLSD
It is a matter of fact that here,in North America,LSD,Mescaline,Marijuana came to us before Pepper, directly from high grade school teachers
Remember Leary!
I remember my science teacher introducing me to LSD and Rosicrucian Order in the same year(i was fifteen)I quit both 3 years later,
still listening to Beatles albums and with all the stuff I read on the forum about Paul voice and Faul attempt I can say that from Pepper to Abbey Road it is a new approach and now I get the big part that I didn't get before,,Thank you all of you you are most interesting and helpfull and I hope I will be able to bring a little grain of sand , Keep on...We are working it out

[JoJo]

And it was introduced with great fanfare in Life magazine, with the headline, "The New Far Out Beatles". That marijuana must be pretty amazing stuff to do that to Paul's face!

[byrdsmaniac]

OPD said:

I remember my science teacher introducing me to LSD and Rosicrucian Order in the same year(i was fifteen)

OMG! That's very a-typical and peculiar my friend! It wasn't like that in most places.

[Perplexed]

I thought already Rubber Souls and Revolver were keeping up with trends; the Beatles would have reacted to trends (IMO) anyway. Of course, the complete Jenny Jones make-over that they experienced in music, clothes, and behavior was convenient, and I suspect exxagerated to help. I think some of the more severe things might have not been as edgy. But John and George must have been edgy; and the world took the edginess as great creativity (which most of it probably was.) JMOs.

I am listening in the car this week to MMT the CD. I think JP is in the vocals on "Your Mother Should Know" in a blend. The title track is all Bill, until the last chorus when John is the loudest. These vocals have that same tebilyness that a lot of Pepper had. Also, is that a phase-shift on the initial vocals (and subsequent repeats of that idea) in the title song Magical Mystery Tour?

The fusionny piano ad lib on the end has a nice effect.

"Fool on the Hill"---is this all Bill? I had previously agreed(from memory) with a post here saying its George, and the initial "Day after Day" line reminds me of George, but I really don't think it is. Maybe its another sped up track of JP. I'll try slowing it down a step or two sometime. I suspect it's another mixed combination---this is perplexing............could this track have th third singer? Draper?

[IanSingleton777]

JoJo said:

And it was introduced with great fanfare in Life magazine, with the headline, "The New Far Out Beatles". That marijuana must be pretty amazing stuff to do that to Paul's face!

FAUL LOOKS DECIDEDLY FRENCH-CANADIAN IN THIS FAMOUS LIFE 1967 COVER. IT'S IN THE EYES....

[IanSingleton777]

And, no..I personally don't think the psychedelic genre was a cover for the introduction of Faul.

Beatles went psychedelic on Revolver via 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and 'She Said, She said' and 'Taxman,' also 'Love you too.'

Psychedelic= Good! ;D
Faul= Bad!

[Darkhorse]

Yeah I agree with Ian. Revolver was more psychadelic that Sgt. Pepper was. In fact, it was the most psychadelic album they made! I would say even more so than Magical Mystery Tour.

Perhaps had Paul lived they would have continued for awhile with the psychadelic material but they wouldn't have needed the mustaches which were definitely used to disguise Bill.

[IanSingleton777]

Darkhorse said:

Yeah I agree with Ian. Revolver was more psychadelic that Sgt. Pepper was. In fact, it was the most psychadelic album they made! I would say even more so than Magical Mystery Tour.

Perhaps had Paul lived they would have continued for awhile with the psychadelic material but they wouldn't have needed the mustaches which were definitely used to disguise Bill.

And, it is worth noting that the mustaches, for the most part, only survived long enough to serve their purpose; the cover photographs for Sgt. Peppers.
Within days of that, most Beatles shaved them off.