Editing Magical Mystery Tour

{{Short description|1967 EP/soundtrack and LP by the Beatles}}
{{About|the Beatles' double EP and LP|the song|Magical Mystery Tour (song)|the film|Magical Mystery Tour (film)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2010}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Magical Mystery Tour
| type         = EP
| longtype     = and [[soundtrack album|soundtrack]]
| artist       = [[the Beatles]]
| cover        = MagicalMysteryTourDoubleEPcover.jpg
| alt          = 
| caption      = UK release
| released     = {{Start date|df=y|1967|11|27}} (US LP)<br>
{{Start date|df=y|1967|12|8}} (UK EP)
| recorded     = *25 April{{snd}}3 May and 22 August{{snd}}7{{nbsp}}November 1967
*(LP: 29 November 1966{{snd}}7{{nbsp}}November 1967)
| studio       = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]] and Chappell, London
| genre        = {{flatlist|
*[[Psychedelic music|Psychedelia]]<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Douglas|last=Wolk|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/magical-mystery-tour-inside-beatles-psychedelic-album-odyssey-118466/|title='Magical Mystery Tour': Inside Beatles' Psychedelic Album Odyssey|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=27 November 2017|access-date=29 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830204946/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/magical-mystery-tour-inside-beatles-psychedelic-album-odyssey-118466/|archive-date=30 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Stereo|last=Williams|title=The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour' at 50|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/navy-seal-tony-dedolph-was-promoted-after-choking-green-beret-logan-melgar-to-death?ref=scroll|website=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=26 November 2017|access-date=29 January 2020|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803185013/https://www.thedailybeast.com/navy-seal-tony-dedolph-was-promoted-after-choking-green-beret-logan-melgar-to-death?ref=scroll|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[rock music|rock]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=British Rock Modernism, 1967-1977: The Story of Music Hall in Rock|first=Barry|last=J. Faulk|date=23 May 2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|page=75|isbn=9781317171522|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oG43DAAAQBAJ|accessdate=16 November 2023}}</ref>
* [[art pop]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beatles-magical-mystery-tour/|first=Michael|last=Gallucci|title=45 Years Ago: The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour' Tops the Charts|publisher=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|date=January 2013|access-date=15 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629155502/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/beatles-magical-mystery-tour/|archive-date=29 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> }}
| length       = {{Plainlist|
*{{Duration|m=19|s=08}} (EP)
*{{Duration|m=36|s=35}} (LP)
}}
| label        = *[[Parlophone]]
*[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]
| producer     = [[George Martin]]
| chronology   = [[The Beatles]] EPs
| prev_title   = [[Nowhere Man (EP)|Nowhere Man]]
| prev_year    = 1966
| next_title   = 
| next_year    = 
| misc         = {{Extra album cover
| header = Alternative cover
| type = studio
| cover = Magical_Mystery_Tour_US_Cover.jpeg
| caption = US release
| alt = A colour photo depicting two band members in front of the other three, set against a blurred black background
}}
{{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[The Beatles]] [[The Beatles' North American releases|North American]]
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title = [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]
 | prev_year  = 1967
 | title      = Magical Mystery Tour
 | year       = 1967
 | next_title = [[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]
 | next_year  = 1968
}}
}}

'''''Magical Mystery Tour''''' is a record by the English [[rock music|rock]] band [[the Beatles]] that was released as a [[double extended play|double EP]] in the United Kingdom and an [[LP album|LP]] in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 [[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|television film of the same title]]. The EP was issued in the UK on 8 December 1967 on the [[Parlophone]] label, while the [[Capitol Records]] LP release in the US and Canada occurred on 27 November and features an additional five songs that were originally released as singles that year. In 1976, Parlophone released the eleven-track LP in the UK.

When recording their new songs, the Beatles continued the studio experimentation that had typified ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967) and the [[psychedelic music|psychedelic sound]] they had pursued since ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'' (1966). The project was initiated by [[Paul McCartney]] in April 1967, but after the band recorded the song "[[Magical Mystery Tour (song)|Magical Mystery Tour]]", it lay dormant until the death of their manager, [[Brian Epstein]], in late August. Recording then took place alongside filming and editing, and as the Beatles furthered their public association with [[Transcendental Meditation]] under teacher [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]].

The sessions have been characterised by some biographers as aimless and unfocused, with the band members overly indulging in sound experimentation and exerting greater control over production. McCartney contributed three of the soundtrack songs, including the widely covered "[[The Fool on the Hill]]", while [[John Lennon]] and [[George Harrison]] contributed "[[I Am the Walrus]]" and "[[Blue Jay Way]]", respectively. The sessions also produced "[[Hello, Goodbye]]", issued as a single accompanying the soundtrack record, and items of [[incidental music]] for the film, including "[[Flying (Beatles instrumental)|Flying]]". Further to the Beatles' desire to experiment with record formats and packaging, the EP and LP included a 24-page booklet containing song lyrics, colour photos from film production, and colour story illustrations by cartoonist [[Bob Gibson (artist)|Bob Gibson]].

Despite the mixed reception of the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' film, the soundtrack was a critical and commercial success. In the UK, it topped the EPs chart compiled by ''[[Record Retailer]]'' and peaked at number 2 on the magazine's singles chart (later the [[UK Singles Chart]]) behind "Hello, Goodbye". The album topped ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'}}s Top LPs listings for eight weeks and was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]] in 1969. With the international standardisation of the Beatles' catalogue in 1987, ''Magical Mystery Tour'' became the only Capitol-generated LP to supersede the band's intended format and form part of their core catalogue.

==Background==

After the Beatles completed ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' in April 1967, [[Paul McCartney]] wanted to create a film that captured a psychedelic theme similar to that represented by author and [[LSD]] proponent [[Ken Kesey]]'s [[Merry Pranksters]] on the [[US West Coast]].{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=254}}{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=439}} Titled ''[[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|Magical Mystery Tour]]'', it would combine Kesey's idea of [[Furthur (bus)|a psychedelic bus ride]] with McCartney's memories of Liverpudlians holidaying on [[coach (vehicle)|coach]] tours.{{sfn|Stark|2005|p=218}} The film was to be unscripted: various "ordinary" people were to travel on a coach and have unspecified "magical" adventures.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=90}} The Beatles began recording music for the soundtrack in late April, but the film idea then lay dormant. Instead, the band continued recording songs for the [[United Artists]] animated film ''[[Yellow Submarine (film)|Yellow Submarine]]'' and, in the case of "[[All You Need Is Love]]", for their appearance on the ''[[Our World (TV special)|Our World]]'' satellite broadcast on 25 June,{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=276–77}} before travelling over the summer months and focusing on launching their company [[Apple Corps|Apple]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=354}}

In late August, while the Beatles were attending a [[Transcendental Meditation]] seminar held by [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] [[The Beatles in Bangor|in Wales]], their manager [[Brian Epstein]] died of a prescription drug overdose.{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=276–77}} During a band meeting on 1 September, McCartney suggested they proceed with ''Magical Mystery Tour'',{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|2002|pp=252–53}} which Epstein had given his approval to earlier in the year.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=263}} McCartney was keen to ensure the group had a point of focus after the loss of their manager.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=230}}{{sfn|Gould|2007|pp=439–40}} His view was at odds with his bandmates' wishes, with [[George Harrison]] especially eager to pursue their introduction to meditation.{{sfn|Stark|2005|p=217}} According to publicist [[Tony Barrow]], McCartney envisaged ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as "open[ing] doors for him" personally and as a new career phase for the band in which he would be the "executive producer" of their films.{{sfn|Greene|2016|p=38}}{{refn|group=nb|Barrow also said that McCartney was concerned that if the others travelled to India to study with the Maharishi, it would mean the end of the Beatles.{{sfn|Stark|2005|p=217}}}} [[John Lennon]] later complained that the project was typical of McCartney's "tendency" to want to work as soon as he had songs ready to record, yet he himself was unprepared and had to set about writing new material.{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=263, 285}}

==Recording and production==
===Recording history===
The Beatles first recorded the film's [[Magical Mystery Tour (song)|title song]], with sessions taking place at [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI Studios]] in London between 25 April and 3 May. An instrumental jam was recorded on 9 May for possible inclusion in the film, although it was never completed.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=274}} According to Beatles historian [[Mark Lewisohn]], the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' sessions "began in earnest" on 5 September; filming started on 11 September, and the two activities became increasingly "intertwined" during October.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=122}} Most of the 16 September session was dedicated to taping a basic track for McCartney's "[[Your Mother Should Know]]", only for McCartney to then decide to return to the version he had previously discarded, from 22–23 August.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|pp=122, 126}} The latter sessions marked the Beatles' first in close to two months{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=117}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=179}} and took place at a facility new to the band&nbsp;– Chappell Recording Studios in central London&nbsp;– since they were unable to book EMI at short notice.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=122}}

Many Beatles biographers characterise the group's post-''Sgt. Pepper'' recording sessions of 1967 as aimless and undisciplined.<ref name="Harris/Mojo">{{cite magazine|last=Harris|first=John|title=The Day the World Turned Day-Glo!|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=March 2007|page=89}}</ref> The Beatles' use of psychedelic drugs such as LSD was at its height during that summer{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=129}} and, in author [[Ian MacDonald]]'s view, this resulted in a lack of judgment in their recordings as the band embraced randomness and sonic experimentation.<ref name="Harris/Mojo" />{{refn|group=nb|According to MacDonald, the Beatles' "native sharpness" began to re-emerge in late August, after their two-month holiday, but "never fully returned after ''Sgt. Pepper''".{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|pp=263–64}}}} [[George Martin]], the group's producer, chose to distance himself from their work at this time, saying that much of the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' recording was "disorganised chaos". [[Ken Scott]], who became their senior recording engineer during the sessions, recalled, "the Beatles had taken over things so much that I was more their right-hand man than George Martin's".{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=173}}{{refn|group=nb|Martin said the band's "undisciplined, sometimes self-indulgent" method of working during ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was preceded by the "anarchy" they had introduced to the recording of the ''Sgt. Pepper'' track "[[Lovely Rita]]". Then, an entire session was dedicated to overdubbing backing vocals, sundry noises and a paper-and-comb "orchestra".{{sfn|Heylin|2007|pp=153–54}}}}

Early, pre-overdub mixes of some of the film songs were prepared on 16 September,{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=126}} before the Beatles performed the music sequences during a six-day shoot at [[RAF West Malling]], a [[Royal Air Force]] base in Kent.{{sfn|Winn|2009|pp=79, 117}} The recording sessions continued alongside editing of the film footage, which took place in an editing suite in [[Soho]] and was mostly overseen by McCartney.{{sfn|Black|2002|pp=137–38}} The process led to a struggle between him and Lennon over the film's content.{{sfn|Frontani|2007|p=161}}{{refn|group=nb|Harrison began working on the soundtrack to the psychedelic film ''[[Wonderwall (film)|Wonderwall]]'' in November 1967.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=283}}{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=151}} According to director [[Joe Massot]], Harrison accepted the commission because ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was "Paul's project" and he welcomed the opportunity to have a free hand in creating a film soundtrack.{{sfn|Harry|2003|p=265}}}} The Beatles also recorded "[[Hello, Goodbye]]" for release as a single accompanying the soundtrack record.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=128}} That his film song "[[I Am the Walrus]]" was relegated to the B-side of the single, in favour of McCartney's pop-oriented "Hello, Goodbye", was another source of rancour for Lennon.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=232}}{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=138, 144, 340}} He later recalled, "I began to submerge."{{sfn|Stark|2005|p=220}}

[[File:Aankomst Maharish Makesh Yogi op Schiphol. M. M. Yogi vergezeld van Dramayari Do, Bestanddeelnr 920-6591 (cropped2).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.6|[[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] in September 1967]]
During this time, the band's commitment to the Maharishi's teachings remained strong.{{sfn|Reck|2008|pp=69–70}} Barrow later wrote that Lennon, Harrison and [[Ringo Starr]] were "itching" to travel to India and study with their teacher, but they agreed to postpone the trip and complete the film's soundtrack and editing.{{sfn|Barrow|1999}} Harrison and Lennon promoted Transcendental Meditation with two appearances on [[David Frost]]'s TV show ''The Frost Programme'', and Harrison and Starr visited the Maharishi in Copenhagen. All four band members attended the 17 October memorial service for Epstein, held at the New London Synagogue on [[Abbey Road, London|Abbey Road]], close to EMI Studios, and the 18 October world premiere of ''[[How I Won the War]]'', a film in which Lennon had a starring role.{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=280–82}} Recording for ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was completed on 7 November.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=130}} That day, the title song was given a new [[Barker (occupation)|barker]]-style introduction by McCartney (replacing Lennon's effort, which was nevertheless retained in the version used in the film){{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=176}} and an overdub of traffic sounds.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=130}}

Three pieces of [[incidental music]] were recorded but omitted from the soundtrack record.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=142}} In the case of "Shirley's Wild Accordion", the scene was cut from the film.{{sfn|Carr|Tyler|1978|p=70}} Featuring an [[accordion]] score by arranger [[Mike Leander]], it was performed by Shirley Evans with percussion contributions from Starr and McCartney,{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=128}} and recorded at [[De Lane Lea Studios]] in October.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=189}} "Jessie's Dream" was taped privately by the Beatles and copyrighted to McCartney–Starkey–Harrison–Lennon,{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=128}} while the third item was a brief [[Mellotron]] piece used to orchestrate the line "The magic is beginning to work" in the film.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=142}}{{refn|group=nb|The film also included  "[[She Loves You]]", played on a fairground organ; an orchestral version of "[[All My Loving]]"; and "[[Death Cab for Cutie (song)|Death Cab for Cutie]]", performed by the [[Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band]].{{sfn|Womack|2014|pp=600–01}} In addition, the coda of "Hello, Goodbye" played over the end credits.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=129}}}}
{{Clear}}

===Production techniques and sounds===
{{quote box|quote=They half knew what they wanted and half didn't know, not until they'd tried everything. The only specific thought they seemed to have in their mind was to be different.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=167}}|source=&nbsp;– EMI engineer [[Ken Scott]] on the band's approach to recording ''Magical Mystery Tour''|width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}
In their new songs, the Beatles continued the studio experimentation that had typified ''Sgt. Pepper''{{sfn|Prendergast|2003|p=194}} and the psychedelic sound they had introduced in 1966 with ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]''.{{sfn|Reising|LeBlanc|2009|pp=94, 98–99}}  Author [[Mark Hertsgaard]] highlights "I Am the Walrus" as the fulfilment of the band's "guiding principle" during the sessions&nbsp;– namely to experiment and be "different".{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=167}} To satisfy Lennon's request that his voice should sound like "it came from the moon", the engineers gave him a low-quality microphone to sing into and saturated the signal from the preamp microphone.{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=430}} In addition to the song's string and horn arrangement, Martin wrote a score for the sixteen backing vocalists (the [[Mike Sammes Singers]]), in which their laughter, exaggerated vocalising and other noises evoked the LSD-inspired mood that Lennon sought for the piece.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|pp=166–67}} The orchestral arrangement and the vocal score were recorded on a separate four-track tape, which Martin and Scott then manually synchronised with the tape containing the band's performance.{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=430}} The track was completed with Lennon overdubbing live radio signals found at random, finally settling on a [[BBC Third Programme]] broadcast of Shakespeare's ''[[The Tragedy of King Lear]]''.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=128}}

According to musicologist Thomas MacFarlane, ''Magical Mystery Tour'' shows the Beatles once more "focusing on colour and texture as important compositional elements" and exploring the "aesthetic possibilities" of studio technology.{{sfn|MacFarlane|2008|p=40}} "[[Blue Jay Way]]" features extensive use of three studio techniques employed by the Beatles over 1966–67:{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=436}} [[flanging]], an audio delay effect;{{sfn|Womack|2014|pp=156–57}} sound-signal rotation via a [[Leslie speaker]];{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=122}} and (in the [[stereophonic|stereo]] mix only) reversed tapes.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=141}} In the case of the latter technique, a recording of the completed track was played backwards and faded in at key points during the performance,{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=437}} creating an effect whereby the backing vocals appear to answer each line of Harrison's lead vocal in the verses.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=141}} Due to the limits of [[Multitrack recording|multitracking]], the process of feeding in reversed sounds was carried out live during the final mixing session.{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=437}}{{refn|group=nb|Described by Lewisohn as "quite problematical",{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=130}} the process was not repeated for the [[monaural|mono]] mix of "Blue Jay Way".{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=437}} Lewisohn adds that, like Lennon's "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]" and "I Am the Walrus", the song "makes fascinating listening for anyone interested in what could be achieved in a 1967 recording studio".{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=123}}}} A [[tape loop]] of decelerated guitar sounds was used on "[[The Fool on the Hill]]"{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=132}} to create a swooshing bird-like effect towards the end of that song.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=138}} Lennon and Starr prepared seven minutes' worth of tape loops as a coda to "[[Flying (Beatles instrumental)|Flying]]", but this was discarded,{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=127}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=182}} leaving the track to end with a 30-second burst of Mellotron sounds.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=122}}

Although he recognises ''Sgt. Pepper'' as the highpoint of the Beatles' application of sound "colorisation", musicologist [[Walter Everett (musicologist)|Walter Everett]] says that the band introduced some effective "new touches" during this period. He highlights the slow guitar [[tremolo]] on "Flying", the combination of female and male vocal chorus, cello [[Glissando|glissandi]] and found sounds on "I Am the Walrus", and the interplay between the lead vocal and [[viola]]s on "Hello, Goodbye".{{sfn|Everett|2006|p=88}} In MacFarlane's description, the songs reflect the Beatles' growing interest in stereo mixes, as "remarkable sonic qualities" are revealed in the placement of sounds across the stereo image, making for a more active listening experience.{{sfn|MacFarlane|2008|pp=40–41}}

==Songs==
===Soundtrack===
''Magical Mystery Tour'' included six tracks, a number that posed a challenge for the Beatles and their UK record company, [[EMI]], as there were too few for an [[LP record|LP album]] but too many for an [[Extended play|EP]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}} One idea considered was to issue an EP that played at 33'''⅓''' [[Revolutions per minute|rpm]], but this would have caused a loss of audio fidelity that was deemed unacceptable. The solution chosen was to issue the music in the innovative format of a double EP.{{sfn|Neaverson|1997|p=53}} It was the first example of a double EP in Britain.{{sfn|Neaverson|1997|p=53}}{{sfn|Larkin|2006|p=488}}

According to music journalist [[Rob Chapman (journalist)|Rob Chapman]], each of the new tracks "represents a distinct facet of the group's psychedelic vision". He gives these as, in order of the EP's sequencing: celebration, nostalgia, absurdity, innocence, bliss and dislocation.{{sfn|Chapman|2015|p=298}} Musicologist Russell Reising says that the songs variously further the Beatles' exploration of the thematic links between a psychedelic trip and travelling, and address the relationship between travel and time.{{sfn|Reising|LeBlanc|2009|pp=102–03, 105–06}} Ethnomusicologist David Reck comments that despite the Beatles' association with Eastern culture at the time, through their championing of the Maharishi, just two of the EP's songs directly reflect this interest.{{sfn|Reck|2008|pp=70–71}}

===="Magical Mystery Tour"====

"[[Magical Mystery Tour (song)|Magical Mystery Tour]]" was written as the main theme song shortly after McCartney conceived the idea for the film.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|pp=109–10}} In [[Hunter Davies]]' contemporary account of the 25 April session, McCartney arrived with the chord structure but only the opening refrain ("Roll up / Roll up for the mystery tour"), necessitating a brainstorming discussion the following day to complete the lyrics.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=103}} Like "[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (song)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]", the song serves to welcome the audience to the event and uses a trumpet fanfare.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|pp=90–91}}{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=684}}

===="Your Mother Should Know"====
"[[Your Mother Should Know]]" is a song in the [[music hall]] style{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=141}} similar to McCartney's "[[When I'm Sixty-Four]]" from ''Sgt. Pepper''.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=121}} Its lyrical premise centres on the history of hit songs across generations.{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=454}} He originally offered it for the ''Our World'' broadcast, but the Beatles favoured Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" for its social significance.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=224}} McCartney later said he wrote the song as a production number for ''Magical Mystery Tour'',{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=355}} where it provides the film's closing, [[Busby Berkeley]]–style dance sequence.{{sfn|Greene|2016|pp=39–40}} In author Doyle Greene's view, the lyrics advocate generational understanding in the manner of "[[She's Leaving Home]]" but, unlike in the latter song, to the point of "maternal authority and youth compliance", and contrast sharply with the confrontational message of the EP's next track.{{sfn|Greene|2016|pp=40–41}}{{refn|group=nb|Greene adds that the sense of old-fashioned compliance in "Your Mother Should Know" is lessened in the film sequence for the song. He cites the entrance of a group of female RAF cadets, amid a crowd of formally dressed ballroom dancers, as an example of the scene having "a satirical undercurrent and [addressing] the fissures of late 1960s politics".{{sfn|Greene|2016|pp=39–40}}}}

===="I Am the Walrus"====
"[[I Am the Walrus]]" was Lennon's main contribution to the film and was primarily inspired by both his experiences with LSD and [[Lewis Carroll]]'s poem "[[The Walrus and the Carpenter]]"{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=721}} from ''[[Through the Looking Glass]]''.{{sfn|Gould|2007|pp=443–45}} The impetus came from a fan letter Lennon received from a student at his former high school, [[Calderstones School|Quarry Bank]], in which he learned that an English literature teacher there was interpreting the Beatles' lyrics in a scholarly fashion. Amused by this, Lennon set out to write a lyric that would confound analysis from scholars and music journalists.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=133}} In addition to drawing on Carroll's imagery and Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', he reworked a nursery rhyme from his school days,{{sfn|Courrier|2009|p=191}} and referenced [[Edgar Allan Poe]]{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=267}} and (in the vocalised "googoogajoob"s) [[James Joyce]].{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=138}} Author Jonathan Gould describes "I Am the Walrus" as "the most overtly 'literary' song the Beatles would ever record",{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=444}} while MacDonald deems it "[Lennon's] ultimate anti-institutional rant&nbsp;– a damn-you-England tirade that blasts education, art, culture, law, order, class, religion, and even sense itself".{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=267}}

===="The Fool on the Hill"====
McCartney wrote the melody for "[[The Fool on the Hill]]" during the ''Sgt. Pepper'' sessions but the lyrics remained incomplete until September.{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=121}} The song is about a solitary figure who is not understood by others, but is actually wise.{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=455}} In Everett's interpretation, the fool's innocence leaves him adrift from and unwilling to engage with a judgmental society.{{sfn|Everett|1999|pp=138, 139–40}} McCartney said the idea was inspired by the Dutch design collective [[the Fool (design collective)|the Fool]], who derived their name from the [[The Fool (tarot)|tarot card of the same name]], and possibly by the Maharishi.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=343, 365–66}}{{refn|group=nb|In the recollection of [[Alistair Taylor]], a former assistant of Epstein, the song originated after he and McCartney were walking on [[Primrose Hill]] in north London and a man appeared before them but suddenly vanished. According to Taylor, he and McCartney later discussed the existence of God, which led McCartney to write "The Fool on the Hill".{{sfn|Womack|2014|pp=280–81}}}} A piano ballad, its musical arrangement includes flutes and [[bass harmonica]]s,{{sfn|Ingham|2006|pp=200–01}} and a recorder solo played by McCartney.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=138}} The song's sequence in ''Magical Mystery Tour'' involved a dedicated film shoot, featuring McCartney on a hillside overlooking Nice, in the South of France,{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=282}} which added considerably to the film's production costs.{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|2002|p=254}}

===="Flying"====
"[[Flying (Beatles instrumental)|Flying]]" is an instrumental and the first Beatles track to be credited to all four members of the band. It was titled "Aerial Tour Instrumental" until late in the sessions{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|pp=123, 127}} and appears in the film over footage of clouds{{sfn|Courrier|2009|p=193}} and outtakes from [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]''.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=131}}{{refn|group=nb|Recorded three days before shooting on ''Magical Mystery Tour'' began, "Aerial Tour Instrumental" was originally intended to accompany a scene in which the Beatles' psychedelic coach took flight with the aid of [[special effect]]s.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=278}}}} The track's musical structure is similar to a [[12-bar blues]]{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=142}} and set to what music historian [[Richie Unterberger]] terms a "rock–soul rhythm".{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=180}} It consists of three rounds of the 12-bar pattern, led first by guitars, then Mellotron and organ, and finally a chanted vocal chorus.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=142}}

===="Blue Jay Way"====
{{listen
|filename=Blue Jay Way.ogg
|title="Blue Jay Way"
|description= Led by Harrison's Hammond organ, "[[Blue Jay Way]]" features an arrangement in which Western instruments capture an Indian setting,{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=91}}{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=286}} with a cello evoking a [[sarod]].{{sfn|Courrier|2009|p=194}}
}}

"[[Blue Jay Way]]" was named after a street in the [[Hollywood Hills]] of Los Angeles where Harrison stayed in August 1967. The lyrics document his wait for music publicist [[Derek Taylor]] to find his way to Blue Jay Way through the fog-ridden hills, while Harrison struggled to stay awake after the flight from London to Los Angeles.{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=454}} MacDonald describes the song as Harrison's "farewell to psychedelia", since his subsequent visit to [[Haight-Ashbury]] led to him seeking an alternative to hallucinogenic drugs and opened the way to the Beatles' embrace of Transcendental Meditation.<ref>{{cite book|last=MacDonald|first=Ian|author-link=Ian MacDonald|year=2002|chapter=The Psychedelic Experience|title=Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days That Shook the World (The Psychedelic Beatles&nbsp;– April 1, 1965 to December 26, 1967)|location=London|publisher=Emap|pages=35–36|title-link=Mojo (magazine)#Special editions}}</ref> The composition marked a rare example of the [[Lydian mode]] being used in pop music{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=340}} and, in Reck's view, incorporates scalar elements from the [[Carnatic raga]] [[Ranjani]].{{sfn|Reck|2008|p=70}}{{refn|group=nb|Alternatively, Everett considers "Blue Jay Way" to be related to the Carnatic raga [[Kosalam]] and to [[Multani (raga)|Multani]], a [[Hindustani raga]].{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=141}}}}

===Singles===
Because EPs were not popular in the US at the time, [[Capitol Records]] released the soundtrack as an LP by adding tracks from that year's non-album singles.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}}{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=285–86}} The first side contained the film soundtrack songs, although in a different order from the EP.{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=422}} Side two contained both sides of the band's two singles released up to this point in 1967, along with "Hello, Goodbye", which was issued as a single backed by "I Am the Walrus". Three of the previously released tracks&nbsp;– "[[Penny Lane]]", "[[Baby, You're a Rich Man]]" and "All You Need Is Love"&nbsp;– were presented in [[duophonic]] (or "processed") stereo sound on Capitol's stereo version of the LP.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}}

The Beatles were displeased about this reconfiguration, since they believed that tracks released on a single should not then appear on a new album.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}}{{sfn|Greene|2016|pp=41–42}} Lennon referred to the LP at a May 1968 press conference to promote Apple Corps in the US,{{sfn|Winn|2009|pp=164–65}} saying: "It's not an album, you see. It turned into an album over here, but it was just [meant to be] the music from the film."<ref>{{cite web|first=Jay|last=Spangler|url=http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1968.0514pc.beatles.html|title=John Lennon & Paul McCartney: Apple Press Conference 5/14/1968|publisher=Beatles Interviews Database|access-date=21 July 2020|archive-date=24 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624045759/http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1968.0514pc.beatles.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Artwork and packaging==
[[File:Your Mother Should Know still from the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour EP booklet.jpg|thumb|The booklet's still from the scene for "Your Mother Should Know". That McCartney wore a black carnation while Lennon, Harrison and Starr wore red carnations served as a clue for proponents of the [[Paul is dead]] conspiracy.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=1053}}]]
As part of the unusual format, the Beatles decided to package the two EPs in a gatefold sleeve with a 24-page booklet.{{sfn|Neaverson|1997|p=53}}{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=92}} The record's cover featured a photo of the Beatles in animal costumes, taken during the shoot for "I Am the Walrus", and marked the first time that the band members' faces were not visible on one of their EP or LP releases.{{sfn|Shaar Murray|2002|pp=130–31}} The booklet contained song lyrics, photographer John Kelly's colour stills from the filming,{{sfn|Shaar Murray|2002|p=130}} and colour story illustrations in the [[comic strip]] style{{sfn|Neaverson|1997|p=53}} by ''[[The Beatles Book|Beatles Book]]'' cartoonist [[Bob Gibson (artist)|Bob Gibson]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}} It was compiled by Barrow, with input from McCartney.{{sfn|Black|2002|p=138}}{{refn|group=nb|The EP credits read, "Book Edited by Tony Barrow", while [[Neil Aspinall]] and [[Mal Evans]] were listed as "Editorial Consultants (for Apple)".<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Magical Mystery Tour|others=[[The Beatles]]|year=1967|page=1|type=EP booklet|publisher=Parlophone/NEMS Enterprises}}</ref>}} Of the double-EP package, film studies academic Bob Neaverson later commented: "While it certainly solved the song quota problem, one suspects that it was also partly born of the Beatles' pioneering desire to experiment with conventional formats and packaging."{{sfn|Neaverson|1997|p=54}} In line with the band's wishes, the packaging reinforced the idea that the release was a film soundtrack rather than a follow-up to ''Sgt. Pepper'', which was still receiving critical plaudits and enjoying commercial success in late 1967.{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=452}}

When preparing the US release, Capitol enlarged the photos and illustrations to LP size inside a gatefold album sleeve.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=92}} The cover design was done by [[John Van Hamersveld]],{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=598}} the head of Capitol's art department, working from the artwork sent from EMI in London.{{sfn|Kubernik|2014|pp=127–28}} He recalled that Capitol's vice-president of distribution was concerned about how to market a record where the Beatles' faces were hidden behind their costumes, since cover portraits had been key to the success of the group's US LPs. Van Hamersveld therefore augmented the "underground graphic" cover image with a design concept that highlighted the songs.{{sfn|Kubernik|2014|pp=128–29}}

In Gould's description, the LP cover "had the garish symmetry of a movie poster" through the combination of the Beatles' animal costumes, the "rainbow" film logo, and the song titles rendered in art-deco lettering "amid a border of op-art clouds".{{sfn|Gould|2007|pp=452–53}}{{refn|group=nb|Van Hamersveld recalled working on the cover alongside his psychedelic poster for the first [[Shrine Auditorium|Pinnacle Shrine]] rock exposition.{{sfn|Kubernik|2014|pp=129–30}}}} The artwork was later cited by proponents of the [[Paul is dead]] theory as evidence of McCartney's alleged demise in November 1966.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=127}} Clues included the appearance of a black walrus (Lennon in costume) on the front cover, which was thought to signify death in some areas of Scandinavia; McCartney wearing a black carnation in an image from the "Your Mother Should Know" film sequence; and, on another page from the booklet, McCartney seated behind a sign reading "I WaS".{{sfn|Womack|2014|pp=597–98}}

==Release==
In advance of the EP's release, Lennon promoted the soundtrack in an interview on the [[BBC Radio 1]] show ''Where It's At''.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=284}}{{sfn|Winn|2009|pp=138–39}} Lennon discussed the studio effects used on the new songs, including "I Am the Walrus",{{sfn|Winn|2009|pp=138–39}} which received its only contemporary airing on BBC radio when disc jockey [[Kenny Everett]] played it as part of the interview broadcast on 25 November 1967.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=284}} According to author John Winn, because the lyrics included the word "[[panties|knickers]]", the song "remained unofficially prohibited from BBC playlists for the time being".{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=138}} "I Am the Walrus" was also banned from American airwaves.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=284}}

''Magical Mystery Tour'' was issued in the UK on 8 December, the day after the opening of their [[Apple Boutique]] in central London, and just over two weeks before the film was broadcast by [[BBC Television]].{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=285}} It retailed at the sub-£1 price of [[Decimal Day#Old system|19s 6d]] (equivalent to £{{Formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|0.975|1967}}}} today).{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}} It was their thirteenth British EP and only their second, after 1964's ''[[Long Tall Sally (EP)|Long Tall Sally]]'', to consist of entirely new recordings.{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=602}} With the broadcast rights for North America assigned to [[NBC]], the Capitol album was scheduled for a mid-December release.<ref name="BB">{{cite magazine|author=Billboard staff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PigEAAAAMBAJ&q=Beatles|title=Beatles' 13th Cap. LP Due Mid-December|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=25 November 1967|page=6|access-date=15 September 2020|archive-date=26 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026163912/https://books.google.com/books?id=PigEAAAAMBAJ&q=Beatles#v=snippet&q=Beatles&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The company instead issued the album on 27 November. In Britain only, the film was then screened on [[Boxing Day]] to an audience estimated at 15 million.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=90}} It was savaged by reviewers,{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=229}}{{sfn|Neaverson|1997|p=71}} giving the Beatles their first public and critical failure.{{sfn|Miles|1997|pp=368–69}}{{sfn|Frontani|2007|pp=161–62}} As a result, the American broadcaster withdrew its bid for the local rights, and the film was not shown there at the time.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=90}}{{refn|group=nb|The film had been scheduled for broadcast in the US over the Easter weekend.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=132}}}}

{{quote box|quote=Any resentment or hostility that the watching audience might have felt towards the Boxing Day broadcast of ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was more than amply counterbalanced by the fact that for three weeks over the Christmas and new year period the "Hello, Goodbye" single and the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' EP were numbers one and two in the UK singles chart. You heard them everywhere and all the time, resplendent in tandem.{{sfn|Chapman|2015|p=303}}|source=&nbsp;– Music journalist [[Rob Chapman (journalist)|Rob Chapman]]|width=30%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}
In its first three weeks on sale in the US, ''Magical Mystery Tour'' set a record for the highest initial sales of any Capitol LP.{{sfn|Harry|2000|p=699}} It was number 1 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'}}s Top LPs listings for eight weeks at the start of 1968 and remained in the top 200 until 8 February 1969.{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=359}}{{refn|group=nb|Due to the alleged clues in its artwork, the album returned to the ''Billboard'' chart in late 1969, at the height of the "Paul is dead" rumours.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=127}}{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=844}} Among several records that exploited this phenomenon,{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=127}} a group calling themselves the Mystery Tour issued the single "The Ballad of Paul".{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=281}}}} It was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year]] in 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1969-243.html|title=Grammy Awards 1969|publisher=Awards and Shows|access-date=15 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105235136/http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1969-243.html|archive-date=5 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Britain, the EP peaked at number 2 on the [[UK Singles Chart|national singles chart]],{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=97}} behind "Hello, Goodbye",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19680110/7501|title=Official Singles Chart Top 50: 10 January 1968&nbsp;– 16 January 1968|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=26 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112548/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19680110/7501|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Ingham|2006|p=46}} and became the Beatles' ninth release to top the national EPs chart compiled by ''[[Record Retailer]]''.{{sfn|Bagirov|2008|p=113}} In the UK singles listings compiled by ''[[Melody Maker]]'' magazine, it replaced "Hello, Goodbye" at number 1 for a week.{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=338}} The EP sold over 500,000 copies there.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=132}} Walter Everett highlights its UK chart performance as a significant achievement, given that the EP's retail price far exceeded that of the singles with which it was competing at the time.{{sfn|Everett|1999|p=132}} As an American import, the Capitol album release peaked on the ''Record Retailer'' LPs chart at number 31 in January 1968.<ref>{{cite web|author=Datablog|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2009/sep/09/beatles-albums-singles-music-rock-band|title=The Beatles: Every album and single, with its chart position|publisher=[[The Guardian|theguardian.com]]|date=9 September 2009|access-date=16 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527110359/http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2009/sep/09/beatles-albums-singles-music-rock-band|archive-date=27 May 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In the US, the album sold 1,936,063 copies by 31 December 1967 and 2,373,987 copies by the end of the decade.<ref name="How many records did the Beatles actually sell?">{{cite web|url=http://deconstructingpopculture.com/2009/04/how-many-records-did-the-beatles-actually-sell|first=David|last=Kronemyer|title=How Many Records did the Beatles actually sell? |publisher=Deconstructing Pop Culture|date=29 April 2009|access-date=11 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306054326/http://deconstructingpopculture.com/2009/04/how-many-records-did-the-beatles-actually-sell/|archive-date=6 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to music historian [[Clinton Heylin]], the release of ''Magical Mystery Tour'' and of [[the Rolling Stones]]' ''[[Their Satanic Majesties Request]]'', which was the Stones' answer to ''Sgt. Pepper'', inadvertently brought an end to [[psychedelic pop]].{{sfn|Heylin|2007|p=245}} Music journalist [[John Harris (critic)|John Harris]] cites the critical maligning of the film as the excuse the British authorities were looking for to begin targeting the Beatles, despite the band's status as MBE holders, for their wayward influence on youth.<ref>{{cite book|last=Harris|first=John|year=2003|chapter=Cruel Britannia|title=Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days of Revolution (The Beatles' Final Years&nbsp;– Jan 1, 1968 to Sept 27, 1970)|location=London|publisher=Emap|page=44|title-link=Mojo (magazine)#Special editions}}</ref> Within the Beatles, McCartney's role as the group's ''de facto'' leader, a role he had assumed with Lennon's withdrawal before ''Sgt. Pepper'',{{sfn|Doggett|2011|p=32}} was destabilised as individual creative agendas were increasingly pursued over 1968.{{sfn|Greene|2016|p=42}}

In 1968, jazz musician [[Bud Shank]] released the album ''[[Magical Mystery]]'', which included five of the EP's tracks and "Hello, Goodbye".{{cn|date=August 2024}} "The Fool on the Hill" was highly popular among other artists, particularly cabaret performers,{{sfn|Ingham|2006|p=48}} and became one of the most covered Lennon–McCartney compositions.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=91}}
{{Clear}}

==Critical reception==
===Contemporary reviews===

Reviewing the EP a month before the film's screening, [[Nick Logan]] of the ''[[NME]]'' enthused that the Beatles were "at it again, stretching pop music to its limits". He continued: "The four musician-magicians take us by the hand and lead us happily tripping through the clouds, past Lucy in the sky with diamonds and the fool on the hill, into the sun-speckled glades along Blue Jay Way and into the world of Alice in Wonderland ... This is The Beatles out there in front and the rest of us in their wake."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Nick|last=Logan|title=Sky-High with Beatles|magazine=[[NME]]|date=25 November 1967|page=14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor=Sutherland, Steve|title=[[NME|NME Originals]]: Lennon|year=2003|publisher=IPC Ignite!|location=London|page=51}}</ref> Bob Dawbarn of ''Melody Maker'' described the EP as "six tracks which no other pop group in the world could begin to approach for originality combined with the popular touch".{{sfn|Shaar Murray|2002|p=130}} In ''[[Record Mirror]]'', Norman Jopling wrote that, whereas on ''Sgt. Pepper'' "the effects were chiefly sound and only the album cover was visual", on ''Magical Mystery Tour'' "the visual side ... has dominated the music", such that "Everything from fantasy, children's comics, acid (psychedelic) humour is included on the record and in the booklet."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Jopling|first=Norman|date=1 December 1967|title=Magical Mystery Beatles|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|page=1}}</ref>

Among reviews of the American LP, [[Michael Jahn|Mike Jahn]] of ''[[Saturday Review (U.S. magazine)|Saturday Review]]'' hailed ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as the Beatles' best work yet, superior to ''Sgt. Pepper'' in emotion and depth, and "distinguished by its description of the Beatles' acquired Hindu philosophy and its subsequent application to everyday life".<ref>{{cite news|last=Jahn|first=Mike|title=The Beatles: ''Magical Mystery Tour''|work=[[Saturday Review (U.S. magazine)|Saturday Review]]|date=December 1967}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beatles-magical-mystery-touri Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402144632/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-beatles-magical-mystery-touri |date=2 April 2015 }} (subscription required).</ref> ''[[Hit Parader]]'' said that "the beautiful Beatles do it again, widening the gap between them and 80 scillion other groups." Remarking on how the Beatles and their producer "present a supreme example of team work", the reviewer compared the album with ''Their Satanic Majesties Request'' and opined that "I Am the Walrus" and "Blue Jay Way" alone "accomplish what the Stones attempted".<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Staff writer|title=Platter Chatter: Albums from The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Cream and Kaleidoscope|magazine=[[Hit Parader]]|date=April 1968}} Available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/platter-chatter-albums-from-the-beatles-rolling-stones-jefferson-airplane-cream-and-kaleidoscope Rock's Backpages] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402131538/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/platter-chatter-albums-from-the-beatles-rolling-stones-jefferson-airplane-cream-and-kaleidoscope |date=2 April 2015 }} (subscription required).</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' was launched in October 1967 with a cover photo of Lennon from ''How I Won the War'';{{sfn|Frontani|2007|p=208}} in its fourth issue, the magazine's review of ''Magical Mystery Tour'' consisted of a single-sentence quote from him: "There are only about 100 people in the world who understand our music."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Album Reviews|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/magical-mystery-tour-19680120/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=20 January 1968|page=21|access-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210042237/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/magical-mystery-tour-19680120|archive-date=10 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Lennon made the remark following the December 1965 TV special ''[[The Music of Lennon & McCartney]]'', in reference to other artists covering their songs.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=220}}}}

Having been one of the few critics to review ''Sgt. Pepper'' unfavourably,{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|pp=83–84}} [[Richard Goldstein (writer born 1944)|Richard Goldstein]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' rued that the new songs furthered the gap between true rock values and studio effects, and that the band's "fascination with motif" was equally reflected in the elaborate packaging. Goldstein concluded: "Does it sound like heresy to say that the Beatles write material which is literate, courageous, genuine, but spotty? It shouldn't. They are inspired posers, but we must keep our heads on their music, not their incarnations."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goldstein|first1=Richard|title=Are the Beatles Waning?|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/music/123167lennon-beat.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|page=62|date=31 December 1967|access-date=6 April 2020|archive-date=6 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406155955/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/music/123167lennon-beat.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Rex Reed]] of ''[[Stereo Review|HiFi/Stereo Review]]'' wrote a scathing critique in which he derided the group's "farcical, stagnant, helpless bellowing" and "confused musical ideas". Reed said that exchanging drugs for meditation as their subject matter had left the Beatles "totally divorced from reality", and he especially ridiculed "I Am the Walrus" on an LP he deemed a "platter of phony, pretentious, overcooked tripe".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Rex|last=Reed|title=Entertainment (The Beatles ''Magical Mystery Tour'')|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Audio/Archive-Stereo-Review-IDX/IDX/60s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1968-03-OCR-Page-0113.pdf|magazine=[[Stereo Review|HiFi/Stereo Review]]|date=March 1968|page=117|access-date=6 April 2020|archive-date=22 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122162743/https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Audio/Archive-Stereo-Review-IDX/IDX/60s/HiFi-Stereo-Review-1968-03-OCR-Page-0113.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In his May 1968 column in ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'', [[Robert Christgau]] considered three of the new songs to be "disappointing", among which "The Fool on the Hill" "may be the worst song the Beatles have ever recorded". Christgau still found it a valid album, "for all the singles, which are good music, after all; for the tender camp of 'Your Mother Should Know'; and especially for Harrison's hypnotic 'Blue Jay Way,' an adaptation of Oriental modes in which everything works, lyrics included".<ref>{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=May 1968|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-aow/column3.php|title=Columns: Dylan-Beatles-Stones-Donovan-Who, Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield, John Fred, California|publisher=robertchristgau.com|access-date=22 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629130741/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-aow/column3.php|archive-date=29 June 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Retrospective assessments===
{{Album ratings
|rev1= [[AllMusic]]
|rev1Score= {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Unterberger/AM">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/magical-mystery-tour-mw0000651227|first=Richie|last=Unterberger|title=The Beatles ''Magical Mystery Tour''|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=23 February 2020|archive-date=30 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530212729/http://www.allmusic.com/album/magical-mystery-tour-mw0000651227|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="DuNoyer/Blender">{{cite magazine|last=Du Noyer|first=Paul|date=2004|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2954 |title=The Beatles ''Magical Mystery Tour''|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060504144642/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=2954 |archive-date=4 May 2006 |access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref>
|rev3= ''[[Consequence of Sound]]''
|rev3Score= A+<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Caffrey|first=Dan|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/album-review-the-beatles-magical-mystery-tour-remastered/|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour (Remastered)|date=23 September 2009|magazine=[[Consequence of Sound]]|access-date=26 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121518/http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/album-review-the-beatles-magical-mystery-tour-remastered/|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="McCormick/DT">{{cite news|last=McCormick|first=Neil|date=7 September 2009|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/the-beatles/6150305/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour-review.html|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour, review|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321132001/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/the-beatles/6150305/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour-review.html|archive-date=21 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev5      = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Larkin|2006|p=489}}
| rev6      = ''[[MusicHound Rock]]''
| rev6Score = 3/5<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/88 88]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/88}}</ref>
|rev7 = ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''
|rev7Score = 94/100<ref name="Kemp/Paste">{{cite magazine|last=Kemp|first=Mark|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/09/the-beatles-the-long-and-winding-repertoire.html|title=The Beatles: The Long and Winding Repertoire|magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=8 September 2009|pages=58–59|access-date=25 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023065059/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/09/the-beatles-the-long-and-winding-repertoire.html|archive-date=23 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
|rev8= ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
|rev8Score=10/10<ref name="Plagenhoef/Pitchfork">{{cite web |first=Scott|last=Plagenhoef|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13436-magical-mystery-tour/ |title=The Beatles ''Magical Mystery Tour''|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=9 September 2009|access-date=23 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912073059/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13436-magical-mystery-tour/ |archive-date=12 September 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{sfn|Brackett|Hoard|2004|p=51}}
| rev10 = Sputnikmusic
| rev10Score = 4.5/5<ref>{{cite web|author=((Med57)) |title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/2108/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour/|date=14 April 2005|publisher=Sputnikmusic|access-date=22 June 2015|archive-date=26 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026163915/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/2108/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour/|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

In his review for ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'', [[Paul Du Noyer]] writes: "They lost the plot with their dopey TV film, but 1967 was still their zenith as songwriters. For once, the U.S. release went better than the British original ... The result was simply the best set of Beatles tunes so far on a single disc."<ref name="DuNoyer/Blender" /> [[AllMusic]] critic [[Richie Unterberger]] opines that the psychedelia is "even spacier in parts" than on ''Sgt. Pepper'', but "there's no vague overall conceptual/thematic unity to the material, which has made ''Magical Mystery Tour'' suffer slightly in comparison. Still, the music is mostly great."<ref name="Unterberger/AM" /> Scott Plagenhoef of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' describes the EP-exclusive tracks as "low key marvels".<ref name="Plagenhoef/Pitchfork" /> He says that while the album lacks a progressive quality from the band's previous work, it "is quietly one of the most rewarding listens in the Beatles' career", and the mixed nature of the collection "matters little when the music itself is so incredible".{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=598}}

Writing in ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'', [[Rob Sheffield]] says that the album is "a lot goopier than ''Sgt. Pepper'', though lifted by the cheerful 'All You Need Is Love' and the ghostly 'Strawberry Fields Forever.' Her Majesty the Queen had the best comment: 'The Beatles are turning awfully funny, aren't they?'"{{sfn|Brackett|Hoard|2004|p=53}} [[Neil McCormick]] of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' writes that the combination of soundtrack and singles means the album lacks cohesion, but he still finds it an "intriguing psychedelic companion piece" to ''Sgt. Pepper'' and highlights "I Am the Walrus" as a "mad, surrealist epic ... in which Lennon takes the concept of lyrical and musical nonsense and just explodes it all over the speakers".<ref name="McCormick/DT" /> Reviewing for ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' in 2002, [[Charles Shaar Murray]] said ''Magical Mystery Tour'' was the Beatles album he turned to most often following Harrison's death the previous year and that it evokes an era "when society still seemed to be opening up rather than closing down".{{sfn|Shaar Murray|2002|pp=128, 130}} Given its experimental qualities, he deemed it "the other half of the double-album that ''Sgt. Pepper'' should have been".{{sfn|Shaar Murray|2002|p=128}} Writing for ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'', [[Mark Kemp]] views ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as a work of "symphonic sprawl" that marks the culmination of a five-year period in which the Beatles led pop music's expansion into [[world music]], psychedelia, [[avant-pop]] and [[electronica]], while bringing the genre a bohemian audience for the first time. He says that while the album resembles a ''Sgt. Pepper'' "Part 2", it "breathes easier and includes stronger songs" and benefits from the lack of a "forced concept".<ref name="Kemp/Paste" />

Among Beatles biographers, Jonathan Gould says the album's resequencing of the EP songs heightens the project's "''Pepper'' redux" quality, with its opening title track recalling "Sgt. Pepper" and "I Am the Walrus" providing the "weighty end" in the manner of "[[A Day in the Life]]". He similarly views "The Fool on the Hill" as the "[[Fixing a Hole]]"–style "cool, contemplative ballad", just as Harrison provides "another droning epic" and McCartney offers "another archaic number" in "Your Mother Should Know", which he finds a "halfhearted attempt at satiric nostalgia".{{sfn|Gould|2007|pp=453, 454}} Chris Ingham, writing in ''The Rough Guide to the Beatles'', says that the soundtrack's reputation suffers from its association with the film's failure, yet while three of the tracks are rightly overlooked, "The Fool on the Hill", "Blue Jay Way" and "I Am the Walrus" remain "essential Beatlemusic".{{sfn|Ingham|2006|pp=47–48}}

''Magical Mystery Tour'' was ranked at number 138 in [[Paul Gambaccini]]'s 1978 book ''[[Critic's Choice: Top 200 Albums]]'', based on submissions from a panel of 47 critics and broadcasters.{{sfn|Heylin|2007|p=265}}<ref>Leopold, Todd (7 March 2007). [http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/blogs/marquee/2007/03/really-infuriating-top-200-list.html "A Really Infuriating Top 200 List"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622120007/http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/blogs/marquee/2007/03/really-infuriating-top-200-list.html |date=22 June 2018 }}.''The Marquee'' at [[CNN.com]]. Retrieved 14 November 2019.</ref> In 2000, it was voted 334th in [[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]'s ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]''.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=134}}</ref> In his book ''The Ambient Century'', Mark Prendergast describes it as "the most psychedelic album The Beatles ever released" and, along with ''Revolver'', an "essential purchase".{{sfn|Prendergast|2003|p=196}} He ranks the album at number 27 in his list of "Twentieth-century Ambience&nbsp;– the Essential 100 Recordings".{{sfn|Prendergast|2003|p=478}} In 2007, the album was included in Robert Christgau and [[David Fricke]]'s "40 Essential Albums of 1967" for ''Rolling Stone''. Christgau wrote in an accompanying essay: "Because it begins with the lame theme to their worst movie and the sappy 'Fool on the Hill,' few realize that this serves up three worthy obscurities forthwith&nbsp;– bet [[Beck (musician)|Beck]] knows the sour-and-sweet instrumental 'Flying' by heart. Then it A/Bs three fabulous singles."<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Christgau|first1=Robert|last2=Fricke|first2=David|author-link2=David Fricke|date=12 July 2007|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/rs/albums1967-07.php|title=The 40 Essential Albums of 1967|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=31 March 2020|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=24 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224044735/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/rs/albums1967-07.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Release history==
In 1968 and 1971, true-stereo mixes were created for "Penny Lane", "Baby, You're a Rich Man" and "All You Need Is Love",{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}} which allowed the first true-stereo version of the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' LP to be issued in [[West Germany]] in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/magical-mystery-tour-reconsidered-in-tru |title=Magical Mystery Tour Reconsidered ... In True Stereo » Rock Town Hall<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=16 August 2007 |access-date=23 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701111309/http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/magical-mystery-tour-reconsidered-in-tru/ |archive-date=1 July 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the face of continued public demand for the imported Capitol album, EMI officially released the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' LP in the UK in November 1976,{{sfn|Carr|Tyler|1978|p=121}} although it used the Capitol fake-stereo masters of the same three singles tracks.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|p=131}} In 1981, the soundtrack EP was reissued in both mono and stereo as part of Parlophone's 15-disc box set ''[[The Beatles EP Collection]]''.{{sfn|Womack|2014|pp=107–08}}{{sfn|Bagirov|2008|p=110}}

When standardising the Beatles' releases for the worldwide compact disc release in 1987, EMI issued ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as a full-length album in true stereo.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=286}} It was the only example of an American reconfigured release being favoured over the EMI version.{{sfn|Heylin|2007|p=276}} The inclusion of the 1967 singles on CD with this album meant that the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' CD would be of comparable length to the band's CDs of its original albums, and that the additional five tracks originally featured on the American LP would not need to be included on ''[[Past Masters]]'', a two-volume compilation designed to accompany the initial CD album releases and provide all non-album tracks (mostly singles) on CD format.<ref>{{cite web|last=Blackard|first=Cap|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/27/album-review-the-beatles-past-masters-remastered/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115201612/http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/27/album-review-the-beatles-past-masters-remastered/ |archive-date=15 January 2010 |title=Album Review: the Beatles&nbsp;– Past Masters [Remastered&#93; « Consequence of Sound |date=27 September 2009|access-date=2 March 2020}}</ref>

{{citation span|text=The album (along with the Beatles' entire UK studio album catalogue) was remastered and reissued on CD in 2009.  Acknowledging the album's conception and first release, the CD incorporates the original Capitol LP label design. The remastered stereo CD features a mini-documentary about the album. Initial copies of the album accidentally list the mini-documentary to be one made for ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]''. The mono album was reissued as part of ''[[The Beatles in Mono]]'' CD and LP box sets in 2009 and 2014 respectively. The packaging includes the 24-page booklet from the original, reduced in size in the case of the CD. In 2012 the stereo album was reissued on vinyl, using the 2009 remasters and the US track lineup and including the 24-page booklet.|date=January 2020}}

The 2012 remastered ''Magical Mystery Tour'' [[DVD]] entered the ''Billboard'' Top Music Video chart at number 1. The CD album climbed to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Catalog Albums chart, number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Soundtrack albums chart, and re-entered at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart for the week ending 27 October 2012.<ref>''Billboard'' magazine, week ending 27 October 2012.</ref>

==Track listing==
All tracks are written by [[Lennon–McCartney]], except "Blue Jay Way" by [[George Harrison]], and "Flying"{{sfn|Castleman|Podrazik|1976|p=63}} by Harrison–Lennon–McCartney–[[Ringo Starr|Starkey]].{{sfn|Womack|2014|p=278}}

===Double EP===
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| headline = Side one
| title1 = [[Magical Mystery Tour (song)|Magical Mystery Tour]]
| length1 = 2:48
| extra1 = McCartney with Lennon
| title2 = [[Your Mother Should Know]]
| length2 = 2:33
| total_length = 5:21
| extra2 = McCartney
}}
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| headline = Side two
| title1 = [[I Am the Walrus]]
| length1 = 4:35
| total_length = 4:35
| extra1 = Lennon
}}
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| headline = Side three
| title1 = [[The Fool on the Hill]]
| length1 = 3:00
| extra1 = McCartney
| title2 = [[Flying (Beatles instrumental)|Flying]]
| length2 = 2:16
| extra2 = Instrumental
| total_length = 5:16
}}
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| headline = Side four
| total_length = 3:50 (19:02)
| title1 = [[Blue Jay Way]]
| length1 = 3:50
| extra1 = Harrison
}}

===LP===
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one: Film soundtrack
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1 = Magical Mystery Tour
| extra1 = McCartney with Lennon
| length1 = 2:48
| title2 = The Fool on the Hill
| extra2 = McCartney
| length2 = 2:59
| title3 = Flying
| extra3 = Instrumental
| length3 = 2:16
| title4 = Blue Jay Way
| extra4 = Harrison
| length4 = 3:54
| title5 = Your Mother Should Know
| extra5 = McCartney
| length5 = 2:33
| title6 = I Am the Walrus
| extra6 = Lennon
| length6 = 4:35
| total_length = 19:05
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two: 1967 singles
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1 = [[Hello, Goodbye]]
| extra1 = McCartney
| length1 = 3:24
| title2 = [[Strawberry Fields Forever]]
| extra2 = Lennon
| length2 = 4:05
| title3 = [[Penny Lane]]
| extra3 = McCartney
| length3 = 3:00
| title4 = [[Baby, You're a Rich Man]]
| extra4 = Lennon
| length4 = 3:07
| title5 = [[All You Need Is Love]]
| extra5 = Lennon
| length5 = 3:57
| total_length = 17:33
(36:35)
}}

==Personnel==
According to Mark Lewisohn{{sfn|Lewisohn|2005|pp=88–93, 110–11, 116–30}} and Ian MacDonald,{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|pp=212–23, 253–59, 261–73}} except where noted:

'''The Beatles'''
*[[John Lennon]]&nbsp;– lead, harmony and backing vocals; wordless vocals on "Flying"; rhythm and acoustic guitars; piano, [[Mellotron]], [[Hammond organ]], electric piano, [[clavioline]], [[harpsichord]]; [[bass harmonica]], [[Jew's harp]], [[banjo]], percussion
*[[Paul McCartney]]&nbsp;– lead, harmony and backing vocals; wordless vocals on "Flying"; bass, acoustic and lead guitars; piano, Mellotron, [[Pump organ|harmonium]]; [[recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]], [[Tin whistle|penny whistle]], percussion
*[[George Harrison]]&nbsp;– harmony and backing vocals; lead vocals on "Blue Jay Way"; wordless vocals on "Flying"; lead, rhythm, acoustic and [[Slide guitar|slide]] guitars; Hammond organ, bass harmonica, [[swarmandal]], violin, percussion
*[[Ringo Starr]]&nbsp;– drums and percussion; backing vocals on "Hello, Goodbye"; wordless vocals on "Flying"

'''Additional musicians and production'''
*"Magical Mystery Tour"&nbsp;– [[Mal Evans]] and [[Neil Aspinall]] on percussion; [[David Mason (trumpeter)|David Mason]], [[Elgar Howarth]], Roy Copestake and John Wilbraham on trumpets (trumpet arrangement by Elgar Howarth)
*"I Am the Walrus"&nbsp;– [[Sidney Sax]], [[Jack Rothstein]], Ralph Elman, Andrew McGee, Jack Greene, Louis Stevens, John Jezzard and Jack Richards on violins; Lionel Ross, Eldon Fox, Brian Martin and [[Terence Weil|Terry Weil]] on cellos; [[Neill Sanders]], Tony Tunstall and Morris Miller on horns; [[Mike Sammes Singers]] (Peggie Allen, Wendy Horan, Pat Whitmore, Jill Utting, June Day, Sylvia King, Irene King, G. Mallen, Fred Lucas, Mike Redway, [[John O'Neill (musician, born 1926)|John O'Neill]], F. Dachtler, Allan Grant, D. Griffiths, J. Smith and J. Fraser) on backing vocals
*"The Fool on the Hill"&nbsp;– Christoper Taylor, Richard Taylor and [[Alfred John Ellory|Jack Ellory]] on flute
*"Blue Jay Way"&nbsp;– unidentified session musician on cello{{sfn|Winn|2009|p=131}}
*"Hello, Goodbye"&nbsp;– Ken Essex and Leo Birnbaum on violas
*"Strawberry Fields Forever"&nbsp;– Mal Evans on percussion; Tony Fisher, [[Greg Bowen]], [[Derek Watkins (trumpeter)|Derek Watkins]] and Stanley Roderick on trumpets; John Hall, [[Derek Simpson (cellist)|Derek Simpson]], Peter Halling and Norman Jones on cellos
*"Penny Lane"&nbsp;– [[George Martin]] on piano; Ray Swinfield, P. Goody, Manny Winters and Dennis Walton on flutes; [[Leon Calvert]], Freddy Clayton, Bert Courtley and Duncan Campbell on trumpets; Dick Morgan and Mike Winfield on English horns; Frank Clarke on double bass; David Mason on piccolo trumpet
*"Baby, You're a Rich Man"&nbsp;– [[Eddie Kramer]] on [[vibraphone]]
*"All You Need Is Love"&nbsp;– George Martin on piano; [[Mick Jagger]], [[Keith Richards]], [[Marianne Faithfull]], [[Keith Moon]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Pattie Boyd|Pattie Boyd Harrison]], [[Jane Asher]], [[Mike McGear]], [[Graham Nash]], [[Gary Walker (musician)|Gary Leeds]], [[Hunter Davies]] and others on backing vocals; Sidney Sax, Patrick Halling, Eric Bowie and John Ronayne on violins; Lionel Ross and Jack Holmes on cellos; Rex Morris and Don Honeywill on [[tenor saxophone]]s; David Mason and Stanley Woods on trumpets and [[flugelhorn]]; Evan Watkins and Henry Spain on trombones; [[Jack Emblow]] on accordion{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2013|p=410}}
*[[Geoff Emerick]], [[Ken Scott]]&nbsp;– audio engineering

==Charts==
'''Original release'''
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''EP'''
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Chart (1967–70)
!Position
|-
|align="left"|Australian [[Go-Set|''Go-Set'' National Top 40]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1968/19680501.html |title=Go-Set National Top 40 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=1 May 1968 |publisher=poparchives.com.au |access-date=25 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306195202/http://www.poparchives.com.au/gosetcharts/1968/19680501.html |archive-date=6 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|3
|-
|align="left"|Dutch [[MegaCharts|MegaChart Singles]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|publisher=dutchcharts.nl|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=s|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005173035/http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=s|archive-date=5 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|2
|-
|align="left"|[[Irish Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&placement%5Btitle%5D=Magical+Mystery+Tour|title=Search: 'Magical Mystery Tour'|publisher=irishcharts.ie|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215201501/http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&placement%5Btitle%5D=Magical+Mystery+Tour|archive-date=15 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|17
|-
|align="left"|New Zealand ''[[New Zealand Listener|NZ Listener]]'' Chart<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=8#n_view_location |title=Search ''NZ Listener'' > 'The Beatles' |publisher=Flavour of New Zealand/Steve Kohler |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330010454/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=8#n_view_location |archive-date=30 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|align="left"|Norwegian [[VG-lista]] Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=s|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour (Song)|publisher=norwegiancharts.com|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110220953/http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=s|archive-date=10 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|5
|-
|align="left"|Swedish [[Sverigetopplistan|Kvällstoppen Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Swedish Charts 1966–1969/Kvällstoppen&nbsp;– Listresultaten vecka för vecka > Januari 1968|url=http://www.hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200366-0969.pdf|publisher=hitsallertijden.nl|language=sv|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014071353/http://hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200366-0969.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
|3
|-
|align="left"|[[Swiss Hitparade]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hitparade.ch/song/The-Beatles/Magical-Mystery-Tour-6|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|publisher=hitparade.ch|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613142125/http://hitparade.ch/song/The-Beatles/Magical-Mystery-Tour-6|archive-date=13 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|align="center"|6
|-
|align="left"|Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name=Finland>{{cite book|first=Jake|last=Nyman|year=2005|title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja|edition=1st|publisher=Tammi|location=Helsinki|isbn=951-31-2503-3|language=fi}}</ref>
|align="center"|17
|-
|align="left"|UK [[List of Melody Maker number-one singles from 1956 to 1969|''Melody Maker'' Singles Chart]]<ref>
{{cite book| first=Demetri| last=Coryton| year=1990| title=Hits of the 60's: The Million Sellers| publisher=Batsford| location=London| isbn=9780713458510| page=247}}</ref>
|1
|-
|align="left"|UK ''[[Record Retailer]]'' EPs Chart{{sfn|Bagirov|2008|p=113}}
|1
|-
|align="left"|UK [[UK Singles Chart|''Record Retailer'' Singles Chart]]<ref name="UK singles">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/magical-mystery-tour-(ep)/|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|title=Magical Mystery Tour (EP)|access-date=19 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004174515/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/magical-mystery-tour-(ep)/|archive-date=4 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
|2
|-
|align="left"|West German [[Musikmarkt|''Musikmarkt'' LP Hit-Parade]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musikmarkt.de/Charts/Chartsgalerie/Albumcharts/Albumcharts-1968/15.04.1968 |title=Langspielplatten Hit-Parade (15 April 1968) |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=musikmarkt.de |access-date=25 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202054808/http://www.musikmarkt.de/Charts/Chartsgalerie/Albumcharts/Albumcharts-1968/15.04.1968 |archive-date=2 February 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|8
|}
'''2009 remaster'''
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Chart
!Position
|-
|align="left"|Austrian [[Ö3 Austria Top 40|Ö3 Top 40 Longplay (Albums)]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|url=http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|publisher=austriancharts.at|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125172543/http://www.austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|archive-date=25 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|59
|-
|align="left"|Belgian [[Ultratop]] 200 Albums (Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/27ee/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour|publisher=ultratop.be|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731072927/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/27ee/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour|archive-date=31 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|43
|-
|align="left"|Belgian [[Ultratop]] 200 Albums (Walloonia)<ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|url=http://www.ultratop.be/fr/album/27ee/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour|publisher=ultratop.be|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707021202/http://www.ultratop.be/fr/album/27ee/The-Beatles-Magical-Mystery-Tour|archive-date=7 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|61
|-
|align="left"|Dutch [[MegaCharts|MegaChart Albums]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Dutch Album Top 100 (26/09/2009)|publisher=dutchcharts.nl|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?year=2009&date=20090926&cat=a|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005210008/http://www.dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?year=2009&date=20090926&cat=a|archive-date=5 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|89
|-
|align="left"|[[The Official Finnish Charts|Finnish Official Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a |title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour |publisher=finishcharts.com |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316023823/http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a |archive-date=16 March 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|37
|-
|align="left"|Italian [[Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana#FIMI Albums Chart|FIMI Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|url=http://italiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Revolver&cat=a|publisher=italiancharts.com|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418185131/http://italiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Revolver&cat=a|archive-date=18 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|44
|-
|align="left"|Japanese [[Oricon Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/rankmusic/69149/full/|script-title=ja:ザ・ビートルズ"リマスター"全16作トップ100入り「売上金額は23.1億円」|trans-title="All of the Beatles' 'Remastered' Albums Enter the Top 100: Grossing 2,310 Million Yen in One Week"|language=ja|work=[[Oricon|Oricon Style]]|date=15 September 2009|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309122433/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/rankmusic/69149/full/|archive-date=9 March 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
|34
|-
|align="left"|New Zealand [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|RIANZ Albums]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://charts.nz/weekchart.asp?year=2009&date=20090914&cat=a |title=Album Top 40 (14/09/2009) |publisher=charts.nz |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521075032/http://charts.nz/weekchart.asp?year=2009&date=20090914&cat=a |archive-date=21 May 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|37
|-
|align="left"|Portuguese [[Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa|AFP Top 50 Albums]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portuguesecharts.com/archive.asp?todo=show&woche=38&jahr=2009&sparte=a |title=Portuguese Charts: Albums&nbsp;– 38/2009 |publisher=portuguesecharts.com |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012191617/http://portuguesecharts.com/archive.asp?todo=show&woche=38&jahr=2009&sparte=a |archive-date=12 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|24
|-
|align="left"|Spanish [[Productores de Música de España|PROMUSICAE Top 100 Albums]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|publisher=spanishcharts.com|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411144847/http://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|archive-date=11 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|86
|-
|align="left"|Swedish [[Sverigetopplistan]] Albums Top 60<ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|url=http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|publisher=swedishcharts.com|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316025025/http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|archive-date=16 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
|29
|-
|align="left"|[[Swiss Hitparade]] Albums Top 100<ref>{{cite web|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|publisher=hitparade.ch|url=http://hitparade.ch/album/The-Beatles/Magical-Mystery-Tour-10222|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622073653/http://hitparade.ch/album/The-Beatles/Magical-Mystery-Tour-10222|archive-date=22 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|64
|-
|align="left"|UK Albums Chart<ref name="UK chart">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/magical%20mystery%20tour/ |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |title=Magical Mystery Tour" > "Chart Facts |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608043125/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/magical%20mystery%20tour/ |archive-date=8 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|33
|}
{{col-2}}
'''Album'''
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Chart
!Position
|-
|align="left"|[[New Zealand Albums Chart]] <small>(1975)</small><ref>{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour|publisher=charts.nz|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-date=26 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026164040/https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|url-status=live}}</ref>
|12
|-
|align="left"|Norwegian [[VG-lista]] Albums<ref>{{cite web|url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|title=The Beatles&nbsp;– Magical Mystery Tour (Album)|publisher=norwegiancharts.com|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203070153/http://norwegiancharts.com//showitem.asp?interpret=The+Beatles&titel=Magical+Mystery+Tour&cat=a|archive-date=3 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
|13
|-
|align="left"|[[UK Albums Chart]] <small>(1987 CD)</small><ref name="UK chart" />
|52
|-
|align="left"|UK [[UK Albums Chart|''Record Retailer'' LPs Chart]] <small>(1968 US import)</small><ref name="UK chart" />
|31
|-
|align="left"|Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name=Finland/>
|align="center"|6
|-
|align="left"|US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]]<ref name="US">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beatles-mn0000754032/awards|title=The Beatles: Awards|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326001534/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beatles-mn0000754032/awards|archive-date=26 March 2015|access-date=19 February 2020}}</ref>
|1
|-
|align="left"|US ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' Top 100 Albums<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Cash Box Top 100 Albums (January 20, 1968)|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]|date=20 January 1968|page=59}}</ref>
|1
|}
{{col-end}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''Magical Mystery Tour''}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Argentina|type=album|title=Magical Mystery Tour|artist=The Beatles|award=Gold|relyear=1967|certyear=1991|certref=<ref name=capif>{{cite web|url=http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110706084844/http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-date= 6 July 2011 |title=Discos de oro y platino |access-date=30 September 2019 |publisher=[[Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas]] |language=es |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|artist=The Beatles|title=Magical Mystery Tour|award=Platinum|certyear=2009|access-date=15 September 2013}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|artist=The Beatles|title=Magical Mystery Tour|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=1965|access-date=15 September 2013}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=album|title=Magical Mystery Tour|artist=The Beatles|award=Gold|best=no|relyear=1967}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=The Beatles|title=Magical Mystery Tour|nocert=true|salesamount=600,000|note=1968 release|salesref=<ref>{{cite book|title=Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory|url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL120558W/Million_selling_records_from_the_1900s_to_the_1980s|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1985|publisher=Arco Pub.|quote=The Parlaphone two-EP issue in Britain of the six songs from Magical Mystery Tour had advance orders of 400,000, over 600,000 sold by mid-January 1968|isbn=0668064595|page=235}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=The Beatles|title=Magical Mystery Tour|award=Platinum|access-date=15 September 2013|certyear=2013|certmonth=7|id=9382-1786-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=The Beatles|title=Magical Mystery Tour|award=Platinum|number=6|relyear=1965|access-date=15 September 2013}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}

{{small|{{sup|{{Dagger}}}} BPI certification awarded only for sales since 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23927271|title=Beatles albums finally go platinum|work=[[British Phonographic Industry]]|publisher=[[BBC News Online|BBC News]]|date=2 September 2013|access-date=4 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410171041/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23927271|archive-date=10 April 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
{{col-end}}

==See also==
* [[Outline of the Beatles]]
* [[The Beatles timeline]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb|30em}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|first=Alex|last=Bagirov|title=The Anthology of the Beatles Records|year=2008|publisher=Something Books|location=Rostock|isbn=978-3-936300-44-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Barrow|first=Tony|author-link=Tony Barrow|title=The Making of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour|year=1999|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=London|isbn=0-7119-7575-2}} ''No page numbers appear''.
* {{cite book|last=Black|first=Johnny|year=2002|chapter=Roll Up, Roll Up for the Mystery Tour|title=[[Mojo (magazine)#Special editions|Mojo Special Limited Edition]]: 1000 Days That Shook the World (The Psychedelic Beatles&nbsp;– April 1, 1965 to December 26, 1967)|location=London|publisher=Emap|pages=132–38}}
* {{cite book|editor-last1=Brackett|editor-first1=Nathan|editor-last2=Hoard|editor-first2=Christian|year=2004|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|location=New York, NY|publisher=Fireside/Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac}}
* {{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Peter|author-link=Peter Brown (music industry)|last2=Gaines|first2=Steven|author-link2=Steven Gaines|title=The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of the Beatles|publisher=New American Library|location=New York, NY|year=2002|orig-year=1983|isbn=978-0-451-20735-7}}
* {{cite book|last1=Carr|first1=Roy|last2=Tyler|first2=Tony|author-link1=Roy Carr|author-link2=Tony Tyler|title=The Beatles: An Illustrated Record|publisher=Trewin Copplestone Publishing|location=London|year=1978|isbn=0-450-04170-0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Castleman|first1=Harry|last2=Podrazik|first2=Walter J.|title=All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles Discography 1961–1975|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York, NY|year=1976|isbn=0-345-25680-8|url=https://archive.org/details/alltogethernowfi0000cast}}
* {{cite book|last=Chapman|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Chapman (journalist)|title=Psychedelia and Other Colours|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=etmCCgAAQBAJ&q=%22Magical+Mystery+Tour%22|year=2015|publisher=Faber & Faber|location=London|isbn=978-0-571-28200-5|access-date=15 September 2020|archive-date=26 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026163915/https://books.google.com/books?id=etmCCgAAQBAJ&q=%22Magical+Mystery+Tour%22#v=snippet&q=%22Magical%20Mystery%20Tour%22&f=false|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Courrier|first=Kevin|author-link=Kevin Courrier|title=Artificial Paradise: The Dark Side of the Beatles' Utopian Dream|location=Westport, CT|publisher=Praeger|year=2009|isbn=978-0-313-34586-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Doggett|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Doggett|title=You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup|year=2011|publisher=It Books|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-06-177418-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Everett|first=Walter|author-link=Walter Everett (musicologist)|year=1999|title=The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver Through the Anthology|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-19-512941-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Everett|first=Walter|chapter=Painting Their Room in a Colorful Way|editor1-last=Womack|editor1-first=Kenneth|editor2-last=Davis|editor2-first=Todd F.|year=2006|title=Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, and the Fab Four|location=Albany, NY|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=0-7914-6716-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Frontani|first=Michael R.|year=2007|title=The Beatles: Image and the Media|url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesimagemedi0000fron|url-access=registration|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|location=Jackson, MS|isbn=978-1-57806-966-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Gould|first=Jonathan|title=Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America|publisher= Piatkus |location=London|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7499-2988-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Greene|first=Doyle|year=2016|title=Rock, Counterculture and the Avant-Garde, 1966–1970: How the Beatles, Frank Zappa and the Velvet Underground Defined an Era|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn=978-1-4766-6214-5}}
* {{cite book|last1=Guesdon|first1=Jean-Michel|last2=Margotin|first2=Philippe|year=2013|title=All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release| publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-1-57912-952-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Harry|first=Bill|year=2000|author-link=Bill Harry|title=The Beatles Encyclopedia|publisher=Virgin Books|location=London|isbn=978-0-7535-0481-9}}
* {{cite book|first=Bill|last=Harry|title=The George Harrison Encyclopedia|publisher=Virgin Books|location=London|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7535-0822-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Hertsgaard|first=Mark|title=A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles|publisher= Pan Books|location=London|year=1996|isbn=0-330-33891-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Heylin|first=Clinton|author-link=Clinton Heylin|title=The Act You've Known for All These Years: A Year in the Life of Sgt. Pepper and Friends|publisher=Canongate|location=New York, NY|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84195-918-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Ingham|first=Chris|year=2006|title=The Rough Guide to the Beatles|publisher=Rough Guides|location=London|isbn=978-1-84353-720-5}}
* {{cite book|first=Harvey|last=Kubernik|author-link=Harvey Kubernik|title=It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: The Beatles Invade America and Hollywood|year=2014|publisher=Otherworld Cottage Industries|location=Los Angeles, CA|isbn=978-0-9898936-8-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|year=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York, NY|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|isbn=0-19-531373-9}}
* {{cite book|first=Mark|last=Lewisohn|author-link=Mark Lewisohn|title=The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962–1970|publisher=Bounty Books|location=London|year=2005|orig-year=1988|isbn=978-0-7537-2545-0}}
* {{cite book|last=MacDonald|first=Ian|year=2005|title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties ''(2nd rev. edn)''|publisher=Chicago Review Press|location=Chicago, IL|isbn=978-1-55652-733-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/revolutioninhead0003macd}}
* {{cite book|last=MacFarlane|first=Thomas|year=2008|chapter=''Sgt. Pepper''{{'}}s Quest for Extended Form|title=Sgt. Pepper and the Beatles: It Was Forty Years Ago Today|editor-last=Julien|editor-first=Olivier|publisher=Ashgate|location=Aldershot, UK|isbn=978-0-7546-6249-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZ-SB57WBo8C|access-date=18 February 2020|archive-date=26 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026163915/https://books.google.com/books?id=vZ-SB57WBo8C|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Miles |first=Barry |year=1997 |author-link=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |location=New York, NY |isbn=0-8050-5249-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/paulmccartneyman00mile }}
* {{cite book|last=Miles|first=Barry|title=The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years|year=2001|publisher=Omnibus Press|location=London|isbn=0-7119-8308-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Neaverson|first=Bob|title=The Beatles Movies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rn4IAQAAMAAJ|publisher=Cassell|location=London|year=1997|isbn=978-0-304-33796-5}} (Text also available, in three parts, at [https://web.archive.org/web/20091002072940/http://www.beatlesmovies.co.uk/magical-mystery-tour/background.asp beatlesmovies.co.uk].)
* {{cite book|first=Mark|last=Prendergast|title=The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby&nbsp;– The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age|publisher=Bloomsbury|location=New York, NY|year=2003|isbn=1-58234-323-3|url=https://archive.org/details/ambientcenturyfr00pren}}
* {{cite book|last=Reck|first=David|year=2008|chapter=The Beatles and Indian Music|title=Sgt. Pepper and the Beatles: It Was Forty Years Ago Today|editor-last=Julien|editor-first=Olivier|publisher=Ashgate|location=Aldershot, UK|isbn=978-0-7546-6249-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZ-SB57WBo8C|access-date=18 February 2020|archive-date=26 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026163915/https://books.google.com/books?id=vZ-SB57WBo8C|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last1=Reising|first1=Russell|first2=Jim|last2=LeBlanc|chapter=Magical Mystery Tours, and Other Trips: Yellow submarines, newspaper taxis, and the Beatles' psychedelic years|editor-last=Womack|editor-first=Kenneth|year=2009|title=The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-68976-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Schaffner|first=Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Schaffner|title=The Beatles Forever|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York, NY|year=1978|isbn=0-07-055087-5|url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesforever00scha}}
* {{cite book|last=Shaar Murray|first=Charles|author-link=Charles Shaar Murray|year=2002|chapter=''Magical Mystery Tour'': All Aboard the Magic Bus|title=[[Mojo (magazine)#Special editions|Mojo Special Limited Edition]]: 1000 Days That Shook the World (The Psychedelic Beatles&nbsp;– April 1, 1965 to December 26, 1967)|location=London|publisher=Emap|pages=128–31}}
*{{cite book|last=Spitz|first=Bob|year=2005|author-link=Bob Spitz|title=The Beatles: The Biography|publisher=Little, Brown and Company|location=New York, NY|isbn=1-84513-160-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Stark|first=Steven D.|author-link=Steven D. Stark|title=Meet the Beatles: A Cultural History of the Band That Shook Youth, Gender, and the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2j9WO1jVqdsC&pg=PT40|year=2005|publisher=HarperCollins|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-06-000893-2|access-date=3 February 2020|archive-date=19 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119142646/https://books.google.com/books?id=2j9WO1jVqdsC&pg=PT40|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|author-link=Richie Unterberger|title=The Unreleased Beatles: Music & Film|year=2006|publisher=Backbeat Books|location=San Francisco, CA|isbn=978-0-87930-892-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Winn|first=John C.|title=That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970|year=2009|location=New York, NY|publisher=Three Rivers Press|isbn=978-0-307-45239-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Womack|first=Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth Womack|year=2014|title=The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, CA|isbn= 978-0-313-39171-2}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{Discogs master|type=album|54445|name=Magical Mystery Tour (UK EP)}}
*{{Discogs master|type=album|54463|name=Magical Mystery Tour (US LP)}}
*[http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/dba13tour.html Beatles comments on each song]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050915003544/http://www.norwegianwood.org/beatles/disko/uklp/mmtour.htm Recording data and notes on mono/stereo mixes and remixes]
*[http://electricearl.com/BlueJay.html The real Blue Jay Way]

{{Magical Mystery Tour}}
{{The Beatles albums}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1967 EPs]]
[[Category:1967 albums]]
[[Category:1967 soundtrack albums]]
[[Category:The Beatles EPs]]
[[Category:Parlophone EPs]]
[[Category:Capitol Records soundtracks]]
[[Category:Albums produced by George Martin]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by John Van Hamersveld]]
[[Category:The Beatles soundtracks]]
[[Category:Parlophone soundtracks]]
[[Category:Television soundtracks]]
[[Category:The Beatles and India]]
[[Category:Psychedelic pop albums]]
[[Category:Psychedelic rock albums by English artists]]
[[Category:Art pop albums]]