| Magical Mystery Tour | |
 | |
| Released | 27 November 1967 (US) 8 December 1967 (UK double EP) |
| Recorded | 24 November 1966 - 17 January, 25 April - 7 November 1967 |
| Studio | EMI Studios, London |
| Genre | Psychedelic Rock, Experimental Rock |
| Length | 36:33 (LP)
19:08 (EP) |
| Label | Parlophone
Capitol |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Album Guide | |
| previous Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band |
next The Beatles |
Magical Mystery Tour is an album by The Beatles, recorded between 25 April – 3 May and 22 August – 7 November 1967, which was made to correspond to the film, Magical Mystery Tour. Its first side contains most songs from the movie such as "I am the Walrus", and "The Fool on the Hill".
The album was released as a double EP in the UK, which only contained the songs in the film. In the United States, the EP was expanded into an album, which contained non-album singles such as "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane", and "All You Need Is Love" as well as the songs from the film. Although the Beatles disapproved of the US album upon its release (due to their "no already released singles on albums" policy), it was added to the core catalogue in 1988.
About[]
Magical Mystery Tour contains songs from the movie of the same name, and the album version (which replaced the UK double-EP version as the international canonical version in 1976) also contains other singles. This movie/album was made to take you away on a "magical" journey with Paul, Ringo, John, and George, or the four magicians.
The cover art portrays the band in costumes, as seen in the I am the Walrus musical segment of the film. John is the walrus, Ringo is a chicken, Paul is a hippo and George is a bunny.
The project of Magical Mystery Tour and the album are considered to be the Beatles' only failure. (It is often said that instead of the unscripted "happenings" on the coach, what ought to have been filmed was the disruption and chaos the project unwittingly caused, as this was often more entertaining than what was actually filmed.)
US LP[]
Side one — soundtrack[]
| No. | Title | Songwriter(s) | Lead Vocal(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magical Mystery Tour | McCartney with Lennon | McCartney | 2:50 |
| 2 | The Fool on the Hill | McCartney | McCartney | 2:59 |
| 3 | Flying | The Beatles | Instrumental | 2:17 |
| 4 | Blue Jay Way | Harrison | Harrison | 3:55 |
| 5 | Your Mother Should Know | McCartney | McCartney | 2:28 |
| 6 | I am the Walrus | Lennon | Lennon | 4:37 |
Side two — 1967 singles[]
| No. | Title | Songwriter(s) | Lead Vocal(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hello, Goodbye | McCartney | McCartney | 3:28 |
| 2 | Strawberry Fields Forever | Lennon | Lennon | 4:07 |
| 3 | Penny Lane | McCartney with Lennon | McCartney | 3:00 |
| 4 | Baby You're a Rich Man | Lennon with McCartney | Lennon | 3:01 |
| 5 | All You Need Is Love | Lennon | Lennon | 3:50 |
UK EP[]
All songs written by Lennon/McCartney, except where noted otherwise.
- Side 1: "Magical Mystery Tour", "Your Mother Should Know"
- Side 2: "I am the Walrus"
- Side 3: "The Fool on the Hill", "Flying"
- Side 4: "Blue Jay Way"
Total length: 19:08
Personnel[]
- John Lennon — rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney — bass guitar
- George Harrison — lead guitar
- Ringo Starr — percussion
Credits[]
- John Lennon — lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar (1964 Gibson J-160E), piano, organ, harmonica, cowbell, tambourine, maracas, handclaps, tape-loops, sound effects
- Paul McCartney — lead and backing vocals, bass (1964 Rickenbacker 4001S), lead guitar on "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "The Fool on the Hill" (1964 Fender Esquire and 1967 Martin D-28), piano, organ, handclaps, tape-loops, sound effects
- George Harrison — lead and backing vocals, lead guitar (1961 Fender Stratocaster, 1965 Epiphone ES-230TD Casino), acoustic guitar (1962 Gibson J-160E), sitar, tambura, organ, maracas, handclaps
- Ringo Starr — lead vocals, drums, tambourine, maracas, congas, chimes, piano, handclaps
- George Martin — producer and mixer, harpsichord, Lowrey organ, harmonium, piano, Hammond organ, pianet and glockenspiel
- Geoff Emerick — recording engineer
- Mal Evans — bass harmonica and piano
- Neil Aspinall — tambura and harmonica
Engineers[]
- Geoff Emerick & Ken Scott
Additional Musicians[]
- "Magical Mystery Tour" - Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall on percussion, David Mason, Elgar Howarth, Roy Copestake and John Wilbraham on trumpets
- "The Fool on the Hill" - Christoper Taylor, Richard Taylor and Jack Ellory on flute
- "I am the Walrus" - Sidney Sax, Jack Rothstein, Ralph Elman, Andrew McGee, Jack Greene, Louis Stevens, John Jezzard and Jack Richards on violins, Lionel Ross, Eldon Fox, Brian Martin and Terry Weil on cellos and Neill Sanders, Tony Tunstall and Morris Miller on horns, Peggie Allen, Wendy Horan, Pat Whitmore, Jill Utting, June Day, Sylvia King, Irene King, G. Mallen, Fred Lucas, Mike Redway, John O'Neill, F. Dachtler, Allan Grant, D. Griffiths, J. Smith and J. Fraser on backing vocals
- "Hello, Goodbye" - Ken Essex, Leo Birnbaum on violas
- "Strawberry Fields Forever" - Mal Evans on percussion, Tony Fisher, Greg Bowen, Derek Watkins and Stanley Roderick on trumpets and John Hall, Derek Simpson, Norman Jones on cellos
- "Penny Lane" - Ray Swinfield, P. Goody, Manny Winters and Dennis Walton on flutes, Leon Calvert, Freddy Clayton, Bert Courtley and Duncan Campbell on trumpets, Dick Morgan and Mike Winfield on English horns, Frank Clarke on double bass and David Mason on piccolo trumpet
- "Baby, You're a Rich Man" - Eddie Krammer on vibraphone
- "All You Need is Love" - George Martin on piano, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Moon, Eric Clapton, Pattie Boyd Harrison, Jane Asher, Mike McCartney, Maureen Starkey, Graham Nash and wife, Gary Leeds and Hunter Davies on backing vocals, Sidney Sax, Patrick Halling, Eric Bowie and Jack Holmes on violins, Rex Morris and Don Honeywill on sax, David Mason and Stanley Woods on trumpets, Evan Watkins and Henry Spain on horns, Jack Emblow on accordion and Brian Martin on cello
Gallery[]
Covers/Parodies[]
- Beatallica parodied the album (along with the title track and "The Fool on the Hill") with their 2009 album, Masterful Mystery Tour. "All You Need is Love" was parodied earlier as "All You Need is Blood" (which was translated into 12 different languages).
- The Rutles parodied the album (and film) in the 1978 television film, All You Need is Cash, as "Tragical History Tour".
- The Simpsons spoofed the name of this album/movie with the Season 15 episode "Margical History Tour".
- My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic spoofed the name of this album/movie with the Season 3 Finale "Magical Mystery Cure".
External links[]
- This album is in the Paul McCartney Project at this page.