Elton John shares previously unreleased 'Sgt. Pepper's'-esque song from 1968

Once Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band hit in 1967, just about every band either wanted or felt pressured to make some whimsical psychedelic pop of their own, from The Rolling Stones to Herman’s Hermits to The Four Seasons, and Elton John wasn’t immune either. In 1968, he and Bernie Taupin wrote the extremely Sgt. Pepper’s-esque “Regimental Sgt. Zippo,” which was supposed to appear on his 1969 debut album, but it was shelved for the next 51 years. Now, Elton finally released it for his upcoming box set Jewel Box (due 11/13), which will feature eight CDs of music that Elton himself curated, including rarities, demos, B-sides, and more. It comes with a very ’60s psych pop-looking video, and it’s genuinely cool to hear Elton doing this kind of music. The song’s description from Elton/Universal reads:

The title track of an unreleased debut album, this track captures Elton and Bernie in full 60s psychedelic mode. Recorded and produced at the DJM studios, the same building that housed the Beatles’ publishing company, Northern Songs, the song is an affectionate nod to Sgt Pepper and the era. Within six years of this May 1968 recording Elton John would be a superstar the size of the Beatles, and close friends with John Lennon, something that would have been hard to predict at the time Regimental Sgt. Zippo was recorded.

Elton also recently put out the previously unreleased 1969 song “Sing Me No Sad Songs.” Check out the “Regimental Sgt. Zippo” song/video here: