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The Sgt. Pepper's cover art, co-created by pop artist Peter Blake, is iconic. It depicts The Beatles surrounded by the images of famous figures from history and pop culture — "almost like a giant birthday party or an Irish wake," Fleming says. "Kind of like a death of the 'pop' Beatles and a rebirth, really, of this new, almost populist-avant-garde Beatles."
And while the Sgt. Pepper's cover has prompted its fair share of imitations, Fleming thinks its cultural impact goes beyond that.
"I think it expanded the notion of what was possible," he says. "And the notion of freedom — I think the cover as much as the final, famous chord of 'A Day In The Life' signifies the same kind of idea."
Hear more of Fleming's conversation with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro at the audio link.
Our podcast "Living Downstream" is the recipient of the 2022 Edward R. Murrow Award and has been named by the Global Center for Climate Justice as one of "Five Climate Justice Podcasts You Need to Follow." Wow: 
Satri Pencak is an independent art curator with an M.A. in Art History. She writes about the visual arts for her website, 
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