Recommended Pressing of Sgt Pepper's

Mono? Sgt Peppers was intended as a stereo recording, released on mono only to accommodate those who did not yet have stereo equipment.

Interesting take Uranium. Nevertheless, here's what the liner notes of the re-issued mono version have to say (FWIW):

"The only real version of Sgt. Pepper is the mono version," says former Beatles sound engineer Richard Lush. "There are all sorts of things on the mono, little effects here and there, which the stereo didn't have."
Because stereo wasn't as commonplace in the 60's, the mono mixes were always given top priority. That meant in this case the mono mixing was done with much love and care, with the Beatles in attendance, whereas the stereo mixes were made in just a few hours afterwards by Producer George Martin alone. Of course, stereo was soon to take over and this meant that this original mono mix with all its subtle differences (like, for example, She's Leaving Home played at the right speed rather than slowed down as it is on the stereo) was soon deleted.

I guess the debate rages on.

Sgt Peppers was quite innovative in its stereo effecrs.

IMHO
The early UK pressing are the best and most expensive then the Japanese, then other European recordings and last are the US pressing. Mono is best in the same order. The Beatles records, all of them up to the White Album were recorded in mono then channeled or remixed into stereo. They were mixed to sound there best in mono because at that time young people listened to there music on mono transister radio's or on there car radio's that were mostly mono also. IMHO they sound best in mono not stereo.

04-08-07: Hevac1:

Were you even alive when Sgt. Pepper's came out? You obviously don't know anything about it. The Sgt. Pepper's album was among the first to use multi-channel tape, and there was quite a bit of news about it at the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgt._Pepper's_Lonely_Hearts_Club_Band