_-
The Beatles went through their Eastern Religion phase and it happened to be when the album SERGEANT PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND album came out. Today we will take a look at the article “The Gurus of Sergeant Pepper,” by Richard Salva and then look at some of the thoughts of Francis Schaeffer on this topic.
I have dedicated several posts to this series on the Beatles and I don’t know when this series will end because Francis Schaeffer spent a lot of time listening to the Beatles and talking and writing about them and their impact on the culture of the 1960’s. In this series we have looked at several areas in life where the Beatles looked for meaning and hope but also we have examined some of the lives of those writers, artists, poets, painters, scientists, athletes, models, actors, religious leaders, musicians, comedians, and philosophers that were put on the cover of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. We have discovered that many of these individuals on the cover have even taken a Kierkegaardian leap into the area of nonreason in order to find meaning for their lives and that is the reason I have included the 27 minute episode THE AGE OF NONREASON by Francis Schaeffer. In that video Schaeffer noted, ” Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band…for a time it became the rallying cry for young people throughout the world. It expressed the essence of their lives, thoughts and their feelings.”
Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Album really did look at every potential answer to meaning in life and to as many people as the Beatles could imagine had the answers to life’s big questions. One of the persons on the cover did have access to those answers and I am saving that person for last in this series on the Beatles.
IN THE VIDEO BELOW take notice at the 14:00 minute mark Schaeffer talks about the BEATLES and at the 22:30 minute mark Schaeffer mentions the Hindu god Kali.
How Should We then Live Episode 7 small (Age of Nonreason)
The Beatles – Within you without you (speed up)
The Gurus of Sergeant Pepper
In June of 1967, the Beatles released what many claim to have been the greatest rock/pop album of all time. “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” took the world by storm with its creative imagery and innovative orchestration. And though the Fab Four later denied the claim, numerous rock historians dubbed Sgt. Pepper as the first in a long line of “concept albums.”
On the front cover, scattered among the matinee idols, writers, comedians, and the Beatles themselves, were four faces that had music fans scratching their heads.
Who were these exotic individuals and what were they doing on a Beatles album?
Those who searched the album casing discovered the word “guru” applied to the four men. Nine months later, when the Liverpool lads began to arrive at the Maharishi ashram in Rishikesh, India, the words “Beatles” and “guru” would be closely joined, but at this time the appearance of four “mahatmas” came as a surprise.
In time, diehard fans would hear the whole story. How George Harrison came to India in September 1966 to take sitar lessons from master musician Ravi Shankar. How Shankar gave Harrison a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda.
And how that book impressed George so much that he borrowed the images of its four principal gurus, including Yogananda himself, for the Sgt. Pepper cover.
The Gurus Revealed
The stories of these great masters of yoga are told in Yogananda’s autobiography in poetic detail. Their lives were intertwined with one another, and together they comprised some of the brightest stars in the celestial firmament of Indian saints – recharging the sacred soil of Mother India with their teachings, their presence, and their uplifting influence.
Paramhansa Yogananda
Situated on the Sgt. Pepper cover in the upper right corner below Bob Dylan is the author of Autobiography of a Yogi. This great saint was given the title of “Paramhansa” (highest swan) by his guru, and called “premavatar” (incarnation of divine love) by his most advanced disciple… (Read Full Bio)
Swami Sri Yukteswar
In the upper left corner of the Sgt. Pepper group photo we see the serene face of Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri. This great sage was the guru of Yogananda, and the disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya. His penetrating mind and the depths of his spiritual perceptions earned him the title of “gyanavatar” (incarnation of wisdom).
… (Read Full Bio)
Lahiri Mahasaya
If we look closely we can spot this advanced yogi on the Beatles album cover, his half-closed eyes peeking out at us to the left of Lewis Carroll, in the third row from the top … (Read Full Bio)
Babaji
The guru of Lahiri Mahasaya can be found in the second row to the right of writer William S. Burroughs. Like Lahiri, Babaji’s image is partly hidden on the cover. This is perhaps appropriate, for Babaji’s powerful, sublime influence wafts over an unknowing world without fanfare – secret and sacred, like the reclusive master himself … (Read Full Bio)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Richard Salva is the author of Soul Journey from Lincoln to Lindbergh.
Francis Schaeffer “BASIS FOR HUMAN DIGNITY” Whatever…HTTHR
At the 20:15 mark in the above video Francis Schaeffer discusses how Eastern Religions unsuccessfully attempt to relieve the tension.
Philosophy and its Effect on Society
“KEITH was a bit mad that one. He was always slightly off the wall. I caught him doing some very funny things,” said former Rolling Stone bass guitarist Bill Wyman of his famous bandmate, who was one of many subjects he photographed over the last 50 years.
Keith Richards photographed by Bill Wyman
“Mick got fed up of my camera. He’d tell me to knock it off and to give it rest. The others never minded, so I focused on them. He lost out in the end. Charlie [Watts] was the really photogenic one, but I got some nice shots of Brian [Jones] too. There’s a really lovely one of Ronnie [Wood] hugging his little daughter. It’s my job to look back at my life, with all these exhibitions now. Of course, there was a lot going on though back then.”
https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/r20151208/r20110914/abg.js//
Mick Jagger photographed by Bill Wyman and reworked by Pam Glew
Wyman’s photography is currently on show at the Rook & Raven gallery in London – juxtaposed with a selection of artists’ interpretations of his work. His love of photography came even before his interest in music, which eventually led to his 57-year-long stint playing with the Stones. His uncle gave him his first camera when he was 11, an item he’d swapped his cigarette ration for during the war. He first started taking pictures of “strange bits and pieces” – mainly local scenery. He still loves wildlife and nature photography.
Keith Richards photographed by Bill Wyman
“I never took pictures of my brothers and sisters – I don’t know why,” he said. “After a while I lost interest in it – buying film was expensive and I couldn’t afford it, but after I’d been in the Stones three years the money started coming in. I was in wonderland – I could photograph how I wanted. If I was high up in a hotel, I’d take pictures of the street, so you could see people’s heads like dots. It was how I filled my time.”
Mick Jagger photographed by Bill Wyman
He became acutely aware of how others framed their shots and is rarely seen in pictures.
“I was with Dylan [Bob] and I thought it might nice to capture it, but I had to ask someone else to take it. I made sure I set it up so that it was exactly how it should be,” he recalled.
Jerry Hall photographed by Bill Wyman and reworked by James Mylne
Although he prefers film, Wyman uses digital now because of his poor eyesight. His attitude towards this more recent medium is much like his feelings about digital vs analogue music.
“It’s very similar,” he said. “With digital music you get that hard, sharp, exact sound. It’s not as warm and it doesn’t have as much humanity to it – it’s exactly the same with digital cameras. I’ve just learnt to take pictures in a different way – I take things off focus to soften it.”
The Rolling Stones photographed by Bill Wyman reworked by Penny & Apple Studios
And his words of advice to aspiring photographers?
“I don’t like taking posed pictures,” he said. “I prefer to keep out the way and get them when they’re not looking. You’re not going to get their character if they’re smiling or posing for you. There’s this picture I took of Charlie Watts were he’s looking straight at the camera pretty bored. Then someone asked him a bit later, ‘What’s it like being in the Rolling Stones?’ And he replied, ‘there’s about five years playing and the other 15 have been about waiting around.’ I think that photo says that.”
Charlie Watts photographed by Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman: Reworked is on display from now until March 31 at the Rook & Raven Gallery, 7 Rathbone Place, London.
Written by Ella Alexander
–
Francis Schaeffer’s favorite album was SGT. PEPPER”S and he said of the album “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band…for a time it became the rallying cry for young people throughout the world. It expressed the essence of their lives, thoughts and their feelings.” (at the 14 minute point in episode 7 of HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE? )
How Should We Then Live – Episode Seven – 07 – Portuguese Subtitles
Francis Schaeffer
______
Related posts:
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE PART 85 (Breaking down the song “When I’m Sixty-Four” Part B) Featured Photographer and Journalist is Bill Harry
One would think that the young people of the 1960’s thought little of death but is that true? The most successful song on the SGT PEPPER’S album was about the sudden death of a close friend and the album cover was pictured in front of a burial scene. Francis Schaeffer’s favorite album was SGT. […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE PART 84 (Breaking down the song “When I’m Sixty-Four”Part A) Featured Photographer is Annie Leibovitz
_________ I think it is revolutionary for a 18 year old Paul McCartney to write a song about an old person nearing death. This demonstrates that the Beatles did really think about the process of life and its challenges from birth to day in a complete way and the possible answer. Solomon does that too […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE Part 83 THE BEATLES (Why was Karlheinz Stockhausen on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s? ) (Feature on artist Nam June Paik )
_____________ Karlheinz Stockhausen was friends with both Lennon and McCartney and he influenced some of their music. Today we will take a close look at his music and his views and at some of the songs of the Beatles that he influenced. Dr. Francis Schaeffer: How Should We Then Live? Episode 9 (Promo Clip) […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE Part 82 THE BEATLES, Breaking down the song DEAR PRUDENCE (Photographer featured is Bill Eppridge)
Mia and Prudence Farrow both joined the Beatles in their trip to India to check out Eastern Religions. Francis Schaeffer noted, ” The younger people and the older ones tried drug taking but then turned to the eastern religions. Both drugs and the eastern religions seek truth inside one’s own head, a negation of reason. […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE Part 81 THE BEATLES Why was Dylan Thomas put on the cover of SGT PEPPERS? (Featured artist is sculptor David Wynne)
Dylan Thomas was included on SGT PEPPER’S cover because of words like this, “Too proud to cry, too frail to check the tears, And caught between two nights, blindness and death.” Francis Schaeffer noted: This is sensitivity crying out in darkness. But it is not mere emotion; the problem is not on this […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE Part 80 THE BEATLES (breaking down the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” ) (Featured artist is Saul Steinberg)
John Lennon was writing about a drug trip when he wrote the song LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS and Paul later confirmed that many years later. Francis Schaeffer correctly noted that the Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s brought the message of drugs and Eastern Religion to the masses like no other means of communication could. Today […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE Part 79 THE BEATLES (Why was William Burroughs on Sgt. Pepper’s cover? ) (Feature on artist Brion Gysin)
______________ Why was William S. Burroughs put on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band? Burroughs was challenging the norms of the 1960’s but at the same time he was like the Beatles in that he was also searching for values and he never found the solution. (In the last post in this […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE PART 78 THE BEATLES (Breaking down the song TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS) Featured musical artist is Stuart Gerber
The Beatles were “inspired by the musique concrète of German composer and early electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen…” as SCOTT THILL has asserted. Francis Schaeffer noted that ideas of “Non-resolution” and “Fragmentation” came down German and French streams with the influence of Beethoven’s last Quartets and then the influence of Debussy and later Schoenberg’s non-resolution which is in total contrast […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE Part 77 THE BEATLES (Who got the Beatles talking about Vietnam War? ) (Feature on artist Nicholas Monro )
It was the famous atheist Bertrand Russell who pointed out to Paul McCartney early on that the Beatles needed to bring more attention to the Vietnam war protests and Paul promptly went back to the group and reported Russell’s advice. We will take a closer look at some of Russell’s views and break them down […]
FRANCIS SCHAEFFER ANALYZES ART AND CULTURE Part 76 THE BEATLES (breaking down the song STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER) (Artist featured is Jamie Wyeth)
Francis Schaeffer correctly noted: In this flow there was also the period of psychedelic rock, an attempt to find this experience without drugs, by the use of a certain type of music. This was the period of the Beatles’ Revolver (1966) and Strawberry Fields Forever (1967). In the same period and in the same direction […]
_______________
_________
The Daily Hatch 