Creating Your Masterwork

The Beatles' masterwork, 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' was released 40 years ago. It marked the turning point when pop became rock and could be regarded as an art-form and as something that would endure. No other album has been celebrated as much and we're still talking about it now. The question I'd like to pose is, what can you create or achieve that people will still be talking about in 40 years time? What ideas or changes could you make to your life or business that would take it to the next level. What would be your 'Sgt Pepper', your masterwork? Are you working on it, if not, why not?

It's interesting to examine the Beatles methods for their relentless creativity and reinvention throughout the 60s. In a recent interview, Paul McCartney was asked how the Beatles were so prolific:

"We were writing 'She Loves You' because we'd been told by our manager that we needed a single. And we were just, 'OK.' It was great. We just responded well to direction. They'd say, 'You're going into studio next week, so you'll need to write the album.' And we'd go, 'OK.' Never once do I remember us going, 'A whole album in a week?'. We were just so innocent and enthusiastic. That's what we did all the time. We wrote just under 300 songs, and that was done in about 300 sessions. We never had a dry session. We were very good. The good thing is, now you can say that. People used to say, 'Don't you think you're a bit conceited?' And I'd say, 'I know what you mean, you could say it's conceited, but I really do know we're good. I can feel it every time we write a song.' Because John and I were very good collaborators. We really helped each other massively and admired each other greatly. It was a joy."

So tight deadlines and high expectations actually helped. So too did self belief, enthusiasm and an atmosphere of joy. A great lesson on how to be prolifically creative.

(To read the full interview click here). Paul McCartney has released a new LP, 'Memory Almost Full' his 21st solo album. The delux version has an extra CD revealing the creative process of writing and recording the songs.

To read the fascinating original review for Sgt Pepper in the Times from 1967, click here.