Beatles fans mark 50 years since release of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Fans of The Beatles are marking 50 years since the release of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - one of the band's most iconic albums.

Half a century on from its first appearance on June 1, 1967, the album is widely regarded as one of the most influential pop music records of all time.

Featuring classic songs such as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and With a Little Help from My Friends, the 39 minute-long record's album cover is as well known as its track listing.

Sgt Pepper was The Beatles eight studio album. Credit: PA

Designed by two pop artists, the cover features the Fab Four - dressed colourfully - in front of dozens of famous figures, including Edgar Allen Poe, Bob Dylan, Fred Astaire, Marilyn Monroe, Aldous Huxley, Tony Curtis, Karl Marx, James Joyce, Sir Robert Peel, Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, George Bernard Shaw and Albert Einstein.

Upon its release, Sgt Pepper spent 27 weeks at Number One in the UK charts.

Sgt Pepper facts:

  • More than 32 million worldwide sales as of 2011

  • 5.1 million copies sold in the UK

  • Ranked number one in Rolling Stone magazine list of "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time" in 2003

In Liverpool, 13 art projects have been commissioned to mark each track on the album as part of "Sgt Pepper at 50".

Taking place from May 25 to June 16, internationally renown artists will work together with local talent to produce dance, music, art and theatre features in a tribute to the album.

The Beatles in 1967, the year Sgt Pepper was released. Credit: PA

Meanwhile in London, graffiti artists have decorated the site of another well-known Beatles album - Abbey Road - to mark the 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper's release.

Abbey Road zebra crossing was painted in yellow, pink, light blue and red to reflect the prominent colours used on the Sgt Pepper album cover.

Walls along Abbey Road were also decorated to mark the occasion.

Sgt Pepper was The Beatles's eight studio album, releasing four more records before the band disbanded in 1970.

Sgt Pepper track-list: