The "Sgt Pepper's" Album Cover Quiz

Answer: Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller was the superstar of his day, winning five gold medals in the swimming pool at the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games. He successfully changed careers and became an actor in the 1930s and 1940s, starring as 'Tarzan' and 'Jungle Jim'. He died in 1984.

This question written by ozzz2002.

Answer: Stu Sutcliffe

Scottish by birth, Sutcliffe became friends with John Lennon when both were attending Liverpool Art College. He was a very talented artist, managing to sell one of his paintings for 65 pounds, an enormous sum in 1959. He was coerced into using the money to buy a bass guitar and joining the group, but unfortunately his artistic talent did not extend to music.
On the band's first tour of Hamburg, Sutcliffe fell in love with Astrid Kirchherr. After their second tour of Hamburg, in 1961, Stu stayed in Germany with Astrid and his art.
Sadly, he died on April 10, 1962, due to a brain haemorrhage, believed to be related to a beating he'd taken after a show one night, in Liverpool, in January 1961. At that time he'd been brutally kicked in the head but had refused treatment.
Pete Best was the group's original drummer. Brian Epstein was their manager - the man who saw their potential and helped them become famous. George Martin was their producer and musical collaborator. All three of these men have, at some point, also earned the right to be called the fifth Beatle.

Question contributed by skunkee.

Answer: Mae West

Peter Blake was ultimately hired to gather the great collage of pictures for this magnificent album. Many of the images were of people who still lived. Hence, it was required that permission be obtained for the images. Mae West objected at first, but relented at the bequest of personal letters from the Beatles.

By christopherm

Answer: English horn

The English horn (or cor anglais) is a member of the oboe family and is mostly black in colour--a colour which is often associated with death. The other Beatles are holding metallic instruments: John Lennon (Wagner tuba) and Ringo Starr (trumpet) are holding brass instruments, and George Harrison is holding a flute. The flute, like the English horn, is a member of the woodwind family, but its colour is notably silver.

Another famous 'clue' to Paul's death appears in the lyrics to the song 'Strawberry Fields Forever', which was originally intended to be included in the 'Sgt Pepper's' album but was instead released as a single. The rumours claimed that Lennon could be heard uttering the phrase 'I buried Paul' at the end of the song, although what he's actually saying is 'cranberry sauce'. Why? Well, according to Paul McCartney in a 'Rolling Stone' magazine interview, that's just Lennon's sense of humour: 'John would say something totally out of sync, like cranberry sauce. If you don't realise that John's apt to say cranberry sauce when he feels like it, then you start to hear a funny little word there, and you think, "Aha!"'.

Question by LadyCaitriona.

Answer: Lewis Carroll

The image of Lewis Carroll, also known as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, appears on the right side of the album cover. He is portrayed in a ghostly fashion, though. If you observe the album cover, he is in the third line and appears on the right side of the album cover. Lewis Carroll was a brilliant mathematician, chess player, word maven and superb author. He passed away in England at the age of 65. His works have been transformed into film and he well deserves a place on this cover.

contributed by christopherm

Answer: The Rolling Stones

The sweatshirt actually belonged to the young son of Michael Cooper, the photographer responsible for the "Sgt. Pepper's" album cover, and paid tribute to the iconic British rock band with the words "Welcome The Rolling Stones". The Stones would return the compliment later that year with the release of "Their Satanic Majesties Request" in December 1967. The cover artwork for that album featured a psychedelic 3D photo of the band (also shot by Cooper) that included images of the faces of each of The Fab Four carefully hidden in the foreground. John Lennon and Paul McCartney also contributed background vocals and percussion to "Sing This All Together", the opening track of the album.

Question by jmorrow.

Answer: Aldous Huxley

The novel "Brave New World" written by Aldous Huxley describes a war-less society where people are indoctrinated since they are fetuses to live in different classes and therefore are not given the same opportunities as their peers. Sex is considered recreational and the use of the hallucinogenic drug 'soma' is encouraged. Throw into this society John the savage, a savage only because he was raised outside this society, and you're bound to have conflict arise. The struggle between society and John intensifies throughout the novel, and utopian principles are called into question.

Aldous Huxley is found on the cover of the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in the second row, third from the left.

Question added by LeoDaVinci, who loved the novel "Brave New World" and recommends it to everybody.

Answer: Sonny Liston

Sonny Liston was a very talented fighter with a tainted past. Liston was the heavyweight champion of the world in 1962. His image on the cover is a wax figure borrowed from Madame Tussuad's' Wax Museum.

by christopherm

Answer: Aleister Crowley

Crowley appears in the second position from the left on the top row. He published a great deal of poetry. He was also an established mountain climber. It's possible that Crowley was a relatively accomplished chess player, perhaps approaching Master level strength. There is little doubt that he was a brilliant man. Nevertheless, he is most notably renowned for his association with the occult.

submitted by christopherm

Answer: Laurel and Hardy

On the album cover, Stan Laurel is partially obscured. Oliver Hardy exhibits a clown-like visage. One of their most memorable lines was, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"