George Martin stands up to EMI regarding Strawberry Fields Forever

i was watching a documentary on the making of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In it, George Martin said one of his biggest regrets was allowing EMI to issue SFF as a single, and therefore keeping it off of the SPLHCB album (in those days EMI had a policy that songs issued as singles did not appear on albums).

So, let’s say George Martin, with the Beatles backing, tells EMI to stuff it. Now SFF will be on the album, but where?

Put yourself in their shoes and adjust the SPLHCB song list to include SFF. You can add it as an additional track, or delete another track to make room.

Of course now Paul is miffed because Penny Lane is not released (it’s side B of the SFF single). So alternatively, you can add PL as well. Or to placate EMI, issue PL as the single, with a track you delete from SPLHCB as the B side. Remember though that issuing a single with both songs written by Paul, could raise tensions in the band!

To help, here are the existing SPLHCB tracks:

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds
Getting Better
Fixing a Hole
She’s Leaving Home
Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite
Within You and Without You
When I’m Sixty-four
Lovely Rita
Good Morning, Good Morning
SPLHCB Reprise
A Day in the Life

How would you release SPLHCB to include SFF?

Ric350
 
Epstein was involved in this too. I don't think The Boys would have told Epstein to shove it, and he was minded to release something because no Beatle product had been released in 6 months, they'd stopped touring and EMI were kicking off. Hang on til Sgt Peppers and you're almost at the 12 month mark which is absolutely unheard of for the 60s.

I'd include PL and SFF

Ditch Good Morning, Good Morning (even Lennon didn't like that one) and When I'm 64. No excuse for that from Paul in 1967.

If we need a Beatle single just tell them and I'm sure they'd pull something out the bag. They wrote Hard Day's Night in about 4 hours.
 
Preferably Penny Lane/When I'm Sixty Four, on the Single and SFF replacing WI64 on the LP but if Lennon objects to two Paul songs on a single (and he might not in this one case), then Penny Lane/Good Morning, Good Morning and SFF in between When I'm Sixty Four and Lovely Rita.
 
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