50 years after Sgt. Pepper, rock world still enjoys the show

New York

FIFTY years ago, The Beatles transformed from floppy-haired boy wonders who wanted to hold your hand to abstruse philosophers whose vision spanned civilisations. And the effect is still being felt.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been called the original concept album and even the greatest album of all time. Either way, its release half a century ago represented a landmark in music history, with stars once focused on churning out radio-friendly singles newly imagining albums as intricate pieces of art.