Post by henryj on Apr 15, 2014 1:45:50 GMT
Until hearing the 14-song original version of Revolver, there were three Beatle albums tied as my favorite—Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Abbey Road. After hearing the “real” version, there are now four such albums, with Revolver joining that group.
Original plans were to record the album in the Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. However, word of this plan was leaked; so, with all the publicity, the Stax idea was called off. Revolver was recorded in the same studios as their previous releases.
As can be said of most other Beatle albums, Revolver was a ground-breaking release, just more so than previous albums. Not every song was accessible to every listener. I believe cuts such as the closer, Tomorrow Never Knows, aided in the popularity of the Monkees, the prefab four who glad took on the love of the 11-year-old girls alienated by the closing cut and others on this album.
The songs:
“Taxman”
Were the Beatles really in the 95% tax bracket? This was the hardest-rocking Beatle tune I ever saw referenced in the positive way in a Barry Goldwater newspaper opinion column. Senator Goldwater acted as though he liked this tune. The leadoff cut is the first of three George Harrison songs on Revolver. Paul plays lead guitar on Taxman; did Paul give George an additional song in exchange for getting to play lead guitar? Just wondering. Backup vocals mention Mr. (Harold) Wilson, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Mr. (Edward) Heath, leader of the Conservative Party and future Prime Minister.
Paul’s guitar solo has a couple of licks taken from ending guitar solo in Robert Parker’s early 1966 hit “Barefootin’.”
One of George’s better songs. Begins with audible countoff.
“Eleanor Rigby”
Another classic Beatle song. I believe this is the first Beatle recording on which no Beatle plays any instrument. Somewhat of a follow-up to “Yesterday,” which featured Paul on vocal and acoustic guitar with a string quartet, on this one Paul is accompanied by only a string octet; no guitars. The accompaniment provides a strikingly driving beat, considering the absence of any rock instruments. Good song written by Paul.
According to the Philip McDonald biography of John Lennon, when John was a lad being brought up by his Aunt Mimi, he once asked Mimi what happens when one dies. Her explanation of what it is like to be dead was to take John to a nearby cemetery where the word “asleep” appears at the base of a tombstone. The person was “only sleeping.” The name on the tombstone was Eleanor Rigby. So the memory of that supplied parts of three songs on Revolver, Eleanor Rigby, I’m Only Sleeping, and She Said She Said (the line “she said, I know what it’s like to be dead”).. Purportedly, Eleanor Rigby the song was named for Eleanor Bron, the Beatles’ rather attractive co-star in Help!
“I’m Only Sleeping”
Most critics attribute the Lovin’ Spoonful’s song “Daydream” as in influence on “Good Day Sunshine,” but “Daydream” has just as much, if not more influence, on “I’m Only Sleeping.” For starters, both songs have a lazy feel about them. Secondly, the Spoonful song has an electric guitar played through a volume pedal; since the Beatles had used such as effect on “Yes It Is,” “I Need You,” and “Wait,” they got a similar effect by just recording the electric guitar solo backwards.
Lennon would in later years write “I’m So Tired,” for the white album, and “Watching the Wheels” in his final non-posthumous release, which features the line “people say I’m lazy.” So maybe John had begun to lose the energy he and the others showed America on the Capitol release Meet the Beatles. (A 12-cut release with 8 of the cuts from With the Beatles.)
Also, see “Eleanor Rigby,” above.
“Love You To”
Sitar song from George, influenced by the music of India. As such, there are no chord changes. Not particularly accessible. This is the only one of the 14 songs on this album that I do not really like. “Yellow Submarine” I can tolerate because of Ringo’s charm.
“Here, There, and Everywhere”
A very sweet Paul ballad. The underlying subdivisions of the beat keep this from plodding along boringly.
“Yellow Submarine”
The Ringo song on this album, this cut, released on the other side of the Eleanor Rigby single, was extremely popular and successful.
“She Said She Said”
The story goes that the title of this song came from a conversation John Lennon had with actor Peter Fonda when the two were dropping acid. (For you younger listeners, it has nothing to do with two females presenting opposing sides of a conflict.) However, I can’t help but think about the above-mentioned story of John Lennon asking Aunt Mimi about what happens at death, with the line “She said she knows what it’s like to be dead.”
“Good Day Sunshine”
All the critics say this was influenced by the Lovin Spoonful’s song “Daydream.” It does have a similar beat; just a more energetic feel. Piano-based rock. And it’s a good song.
“And Your Bird Can Sing”
It may be an urban legend. Legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who once said “Learn Every Beatle Song,” supposedly learned to play both lead guitar parts before learning that there were actually two guitars playing that harmonized guitar part. Most sources state that Paul and George played the lead guitar parts, and played them together with no overdubbing. .
Very engaging John Lennon song played at a driving tempo. Could have been a hit single, in my opinion.
“For No One”
Moderate tempo pop tune from Paul. The music is not nearly so depressing as the lyric—hey, the girl doesn’t care for you the way you care for her. Alan Pollack believes that the French horn part, played by Alan Civil, was recorded at half-speed, just like the piano part on Rubber Soul’s “In My Life.” The French horn is a relatively difficult instrument to play, particularly in the register heard on “For No One.” The French horn part melody sounds classical.
“Dr. Robert”
Not about the dentist who gave the Beatles LSD. Nice vocal work on this, moderate two-feel.
“I Want to Tell You”
George Harrison song that fades in with one of those slightly extended guitar intros much like “Paperback Writer” or “Day Tripper” influencing the likes of the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” The piano accompaniment plays what sounds like a wrong note until you hear the lick repeated and you realize the song was written that way. (Perhaps this was what George was referring to in his Yellow Submarine song “Only a Northern Song.”)
Alan W. Pollack has stated that he free-associates “I Want to Tell You” with Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression,” where “I feel hung up and I don't know why” reminds him of Hendrix’s line “I know what I want but I just don’t know how to go about gettin’ it.”
I disagree. Whereas “Manic Depression” would ostensibly be about bipolar disorder, “I Want to Tell You” is about social anxiety disorder. If I were to free-associate this to another song, it would be “You’re Going to Lose That Girl,” the John Lennon song from Help! John sings “If you don't take her out tonight
She's going to change her mind And I will take her out tonight And I will treat her kind.” My conspiracy-style theory leads me to suspect that the Help! song may well have been John’s “Layla.”
See www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/iwtty.shtml
At any rate, the lyrics are about not knowing what to say to a girl. And no, it wasn’t that Indian influence that turned George into a proto-Raj from the Big Bang Theory. George was always “The Quiet Beatle” and this certainly reflects that. As does his first recorded composition “Don’t Bother Me.”
Quite Beatle. Shy Beatle. Social Anxiety.
Despite the discord and odd-length phrases, this is a rather accessible George song, and the last song with such accessibility until the white album two years later.
“Got to Get You into My Life”
An engaging, up-tempo pop rock Paul song featuring horns. Paul sings the last line of each verse in his Kansas City/She’s a Woman/I’m Down voice.
On the vinyl copy we had, the guitar solo seemed to come from nowhere, just sort of fading in with no discernible beginning. On subsequent media (CD) the guitar has a well-defined beginning, at the last, sustained horn chord. To determine if it was a different mix or just our modest playback equipment (ceramic cartridge), Capitol would have to release Revolver in its American release form, but I don’t really want to spend money on that since I already have the 14-cut British Parlophone version on CD, the remaining 11 songs being the same.
“ Tomorrow Never Knows ”
This is a George Harrison-type song that was probably given more care and creativity from George Martin since it was written by John Lennon. No chord changes, in other words. Arguably, this is where psychedelia begins. Lots of snippets of tape from outside sources. There is an electric lead guitar that was overdriven to the point that the fact it was recorded backwards is difficult to detect. Paul played it. When played backward, it has some of the same licks that Paul played in Taxman, but it is not the same recording simply played backward.
Love Ringo’s drum sound in this. I believe he is hitting closer to the rim than the middle of the snare drumhead, as hard as the skinny little guy could hit. I once saw Los Lobos covering this song on a Disney channel show of some sort, and their drummer nailed Ringo’s drum sound.
Solid album chock-full of strong cuts.
Original plans were to record the album in the Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. However, word of this plan was leaked; so, with all the publicity, the Stax idea was called off. Revolver was recorded in the same studios as their previous releases.
As can be said of most other Beatle albums, Revolver was a ground-breaking release, just more so than previous albums. Not every song was accessible to every listener. I believe cuts such as the closer, Tomorrow Never Knows, aided in the popularity of the Monkees, the prefab four who glad took on the love of the 11-year-old girls alienated by the closing cut and others on this album.
The songs:
“Taxman”
Were the Beatles really in the 95% tax bracket? This was the hardest-rocking Beatle tune I ever saw referenced in the positive way in a Barry Goldwater newspaper opinion column. Senator Goldwater acted as though he liked this tune. The leadoff cut is the first of three George Harrison songs on Revolver. Paul plays lead guitar on Taxman; did Paul give George an additional song in exchange for getting to play lead guitar? Just wondering. Backup vocals mention Mr. (Harold) Wilson, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Mr. (Edward) Heath, leader of the Conservative Party and future Prime Minister.
Paul’s guitar solo has a couple of licks taken from ending guitar solo in Robert Parker’s early 1966 hit “Barefootin’.”
One of George’s better songs. Begins with audible countoff.
“Eleanor Rigby”
Another classic Beatle song. I believe this is the first Beatle recording on which no Beatle plays any instrument. Somewhat of a follow-up to “Yesterday,” which featured Paul on vocal and acoustic guitar with a string quartet, on this one Paul is accompanied by only a string octet; no guitars. The accompaniment provides a strikingly driving beat, considering the absence of any rock instruments. Good song written by Paul.
According to the Philip McDonald biography of John Lennon, when John was a lad being brought up by his Aunt Mimi, he once asked Mimi what happens when one dies. Her explanation of what it is like to be dead was to take John to a nearby cemetery where the word “asleep” appears at the base of a tombstone. The person was “only sleeping.” The name on the tombstone was Eleanor Rigby. So the memory of that supplied parts of three songs on Revolver, Eleanor Rigby, I’m Only Sleeping, and She Said She Said (the line “she said, I know what it’s like to be dead”).. Purportedly, Eleanor Rigby the song was named for Eleanor Bron, the Beatles’ rather attractive co-star in Help!
“I’m Only Sleeping”
Most critics attribute the Lovin’ Spoonful’s song “Daydream” as in influence on “Good Day Sunshine,” but “Daydream” has just as much, if not more influence, on “I’m Only Sleeping.” For starters, both songs have a lazy feel about them. Secondly, the Spoonful song has an electric guitar played through a volume pedal; since the Beatles had used such as effect on “Yes It Is,” “I Need You,” and “Wait,” they got a similar effect by just recording the electric guitar solo backwards.
Lennon would in later years write “I’m So Tired,” for the white album, and “Watching the Wheels” in his final non-posthumous release, which features the line “people say I’m lazy.” So maybe John had begun to lose the energy he and the others showed America on the Capitol release Meet the Beatles. (A 12-cut release with 8 of the cuts from With the Beatles.)
Also, see “Eleanor Rigby,” above.
“Love You To”
Sitar song from George, influenced by the music of India. As such, there are no chord changes. Not particularly accessible. This is the only one of the 14 songs on this album that I do not really like. “Yellow Submarine” I can tolerate because of Ringo’s charm.
“Here, There, and Everywhere”
A very sweet Paul ballad. The underlying subdivisions of the beat keep this from plodding along boringly.
“Yellow Submarine”
The Ringo song on this album, this cut, released on the other side of the Eleanor Rigby single, was extremely popular and successful.
“She Said She Said”
The story goes that the title of this song came from a conversation John Lennon had with actor Peter Fonda when the two were dropping acid. (For you younger listeners, it has nothing to do with two females presenting opposing sides of a conflict.) However, I can’t help but think about the above-mentioned story of John Lennon asking Aunt Mimi about what happens at death, with the line “She said she knows what it’s like to be dead.”
“Good Day Sunshine”
All the critics say this was influenced by the Lovin Spoonful’s song “Daydream.” It does have a similar beat; just a more energetic feel. Piano-based rock. And it’s a good song.
“And Your Bird Can Sing”
It may be an urban legend. Legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who once said “Learn Every Beatle Song,” supposedly learned to play both lead guitar parts before learning that there were actually two guitars playing that harmonized guitar part. Most sources state that Paul and George played the lead guitar parts, and played them together with no overdubbing. .
Very engaging John Lennon song played at a driving tempo. Could have been a hit single, in my opinion.
“For No One”
Moderate tempo pop tune from Paul. The music is not nearly so depressing as the lyric—hey, the girl doesn’t care for you the way you care for her. Alan Pollack believes that the French horn part, played by Alan Civil, was recorded at half-speed, just like the piano part on Rubber Soul’s “In My Life.” The French horn is a relatively difficult instrument to play, particularly in the register heard on “For No One.” The French horn part melody sounds classical.
“Dr. Robert”
Not about the dentist who gave the Beatles LSD. Nice vocal work on this, moderate two-feel.
“I Want to Tell You”
George Harrison song that fades in with one of those slightly extended guitar intros much like “Paperback Writer” or “Day Tripper” influencing the likes of the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” The piano accompaniment plays what sounds like a wrong note until you hear the lick repeated and you realize the song was written that way. (Perhaps this was what George was referring to in his Yellow Submarine song “Only a Northern Song.”)
Alan W. Pollack has stated that he free-associates “I Want to Tell You” with Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression,” where “I feel hung up and I don't know why” reminds him of Hendrix’s line “I know what I want but I just don’t know how to go about gettin’ it.”
I disagree. Whereas “Manic Depression” would ostensibly be about bipolar disorder, “I Want to Tell You” is about social anxiety disorder. If I were to free-associate this to another song, it would be “You’re Going to Lose That Girl,” the John Lennon song from Help! John sings “If you don't take her out tonight
She's going to change her mind And I will take her out tonight And I will treat her kind.” My conspiracy-style theory leads me to suspect that the Help! song may well have been John’s “Layla.”
See www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/iwtty.shtml
At any rate, the lyrics are about not knowing what to say to a girl. And no, it wasn’t that Indian influence that turned George into a proto-Raj from the Big Bang Theory. George was always “The Quiet Beatle” and this certainly reflects that. As does his first recorded composition “Don’t Bother Me.”
Quite Beatle. Shy Beatle. Social Anxiety.
Despite the discord and odd-length phrases, this is a rather accessible George song, and the last song with such accessibility until the white album two years later.
“Got to Get You into My Life”
An engaging, up-tempo pop rock Paul song featuring horns. Paul sings the last line of each verse in his Kansas City/She’s a Woman/I’m Down voice.
On the vinyl copy we had, the guitar solo seemed to come from nowhere, just sort of fading in with no discernible beginning. On subsequent media (CD) the guitar has a well-defined beginning, at the last, sustained horn chord. To determine if it was a different mix or just our modest playback equipment (ceramic cartridge), Capitol would have to release Revolver in its American release form, but I don’t really want to spend money on that since I already have the 14-cut British Parlophone version on CD, the remaining 11 songs being the same.
“ Tomorrow Never Knows ”
This is a George Harrison-type song that was probably given more care and creativity from George Martin since it was written by John Lennon. No chord changes, in other words. Arguably, this is where psychedelia begins. Lots of snippets of tape from outside sources. There is an electric lead guitar that was overdriven to the point that the fact it was recorded backwards is difficult to detect. Paul played it. When played backward, it has some of the same licks that Paul played in Taxman, but it is not the same recording simply played backward.
Love Ringo’s drum sound in this. I believe he is hitting closer to the rim than the middle of the snare drumhead, as hard as the skinny little guy could hit. I once saw Los Lobos covering this song on a Disney channel show of some sort, and their drummer nailed Ringo’s drum sound.
Solid album chock-full of strong cuts.