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Beatles forums => Albums => Topic started by: DaveRam on April 11, 2008, 12:18:18 PM

Title: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: DaveRam on April 11, 2008, 12:18:18 PM
I don't know what it is about  " Revolver " , but i've been falling out of love with it for sometime and although i think it as some great songs on it , it's begining to decline as  favourite Beatles album for me .
The expression "Old Hat " springs to mind , and i know it's maybe heresy to say such a thing, but i'm been truthful it just does'nt grab me like it used to .
I suppose it's quite normal to fall in and out of love with albums and i have  had a similar thing happen with other records in the past , i used to love Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde " but now it's not one that i really like anymore  .
I think you can become over familiar with an album and i have played " Revolver " for 35 years and got a lot of pleassure from it , it maybe a temporary thing and this " Old Hat " feeling  with regard to  " Revolver " it  might pass .
Do i need to see " Doctor Robert " ? or should i put the album to one side and come back to it in 12 months with fresh ears ?
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Kevin on April 11, 2008, 12:48:00 PM
^ Good points. It used to be my favourite album, but not any more, but for different reasons. I used to see its eclecticness as a strong point, now I see it as a weakness. A great collection of individual songs, but as an album it lacks a feel. It's a band looking for new directions.
Rubber Soul now tops my list. There is a mood running through it (grass?) and a joy that makes me smile everytime I listen to it.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Klang on April 11, 2008, 12:52:21 PM

I think the 'fresh ears' factor applies here. I've gone through this with various albums and over the years I always tend to find a time when I'll go 'Wow' once again. Not to worry, I think it's natural.

And...

...I never tire of 'RS'.

 :)
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Geoff on April 11, 2008, 01:30:37 PM
Quote from: 971
Do i need to see " Doctor Robert " ? or should i put the album to one side and come back to it in 12 months with fresh ears ?

Is your Dr Robert any good? If he is, let me know. ;D

I tend to go on and off things myself. Right now I'm actually playing a lot of Dylan that I haven't listened to much lately, but six months from now, who knows?  :)
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Andy Smith on April 11, 2008, 01:46:42 PM
i've never got Revolver & why its as big as people make it out to be, i think Rubber Soul has
much better songs. that's just my opinion. it was only about 4 -5 years ago that i've really
took to Rubber Soul as i haden't listened to it for a long time.
my most played Beatles album is maybe Pepper, & after all these years, i've never got
tired of it, & i still go 'WOW' to myself after the album has finished!  :)
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Sgt. Pepper 45822 on April 11, 2008, 05:51:35 PM
I used to be obsessed with HELP, but after a while I got tired of the songs. I am beginning to love the songs again.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: DaveRam on April 11, 2008, 06:50:34 PM
Think i'm going to stop listening to  " Revolver " for a while , wait for the remasters to arrive it should sound fresher then?
It's good it's not just me that falls in and out of love with certain Beatles Albums .
It could be that i'm playing "Rubber Soul" a lot myself these days and  " Revolver " just lacks the fizz and energy of RS.
My Doctor Robert is really good Geoff (smoking3)(smoking1)
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: adamzero on April 11, 2008, 07:46:13 PM
The Beatles are such a great "phase" band.  Each phase is equally great.  The early stuff.  The middle stuff.  The late stuff.  The sub-phases in-between.  I think Revolver is a bit over-hyped at this point.  None of the songs has the lyrical weight and pure realized musicality of "A Day in the Life" or "Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane."   "Eleanor Rigby" is starting to get there.  "Tomorrow Never Knows"--the creation of a unique sound for each song.  But "Rain" has much more punch than "Dr Robert" or "And Your Bird Can Sing" (well, maybe equal to the latter, but better lyrics).  Not to mention, "Paperback Writer."
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Rising Starr on April 12, 2008, 12:09:15 AM
I was getting tired of Revolver too, along with some of my other albums.  I put all my music on an ipod shuffle.  When you shuffle all the songs, they sound new and fresh.  It's amazing, if the order is mixed up- the songs are unexpected and less predictable.  I'm enjoying them all over again.  Try it.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Geoff on April 12, 2008, 04:48:40 AM
Quote from: 971
It could be that i'm playing "Rubber Soul" a lot myself these days and  " Revolver " just lacks the fizz and energy of RS.
My Doctor Robert is really good Geoff (smoking3)(smoking1)

Glad to hear that your encounters with the medical profession are satisfactory.  ;D

Critical opinions change, too: when I was a kid in the seventies, it seems to me that Rubber Soul and Sgt Pepper were both better esteemed than Revolver. Could have just been my scattershot reading, though.

Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Chris on April 15, 2008, 11:06:21 PM
Good grief...if one of the greatest, most influential albums of all time is starting to strike anyone as "old hat," it's time he took a very long break from it!
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: tkitna on April 16, 2008, 06:52:31 AM
Quote from: 911
Good grief...if one of the greatest, most influential albums of all time is starting to strike anyone as "old hat," it's time he took a very long break from it!

I agree. Its the greatest album they ever did in my opinion. 'Revolver' was the album that created a voice for the Beatles that said,,,,'Look, we're better than you are'. 'Rubber Soul' is a great album too, but I always felt it was weaker or maybe even a 'Revolver Lite'.

As for growing tired of listening to 'Revolver',,,,hell, I get tired of the Beatles period at some points. Its only natural.

Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Mairi on April 16, 2008, 10:04:37 PM
yeah, I think you should just give that album a rest. You can get sick of anything if you play it too often in my opinion.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: BlueMeanie on April 17, 2008, 10:28:46 AM
I must say that over the last 5 years or so Rubber Soul has overtaken it for me. I can however, highly recommend the addition of Paperback Writer and Rain to the beginning, as on the Purple Chick version that I listen to as my 'official' CD.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: DaveRam on April 17, 2008, 10:46:08 AM
I think it's a move towards Rubber Soul with me , thats made me fall out of love with Revolver , but like the wind i'm bound to change my opinion in time (rolling2)
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Sgt. Pepper 45822 on April 18, 2008, 02:39:30 AM
I think I like rubber soul better because its so different. It's their first different album. I love to hear the transition. That's just me.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: digna on April 24, 2008, 06:00:24 PM
Quote from: 1247
I used to be obsessed with HELP, but after a while I got tired of the songs. I am beginning to love the songs again.

The sgt pepper was the first album I've listened (for a very long time), so I knew/know every song of that album exactly. After a while I didn't like it as much as in the begin. Now I like it again (as the most albums), but not listening for a while avail (is that a good wordchoice? ). I play most of the time the songs Itunes in shuffle.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: Sgt. Pepper 45822 on April 24, 2008, 07:55:44 PM
that's what i have started to do, the only problem is that I have mostly their early stuff, so I never want to hear half of it.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: lwildcatz22 on June 24, 2009, 03:48:13 AM
Never!
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: stevie on June 25, 2009, 12:44:35 AM
My opinion is simple on this: Revolver is the best album ever made.

Another thought: imagine Paperback Writer and Rain on this album as well. They were done in the same sessions but released as singles before it. Geoff Emerick's book, Here, There and Everywhere shows the joy of Revolver. Every day, the boys would bring in new material and conjure up the wonderful songs.
Title: Re: " Revolver " Old Hat ?
Post by: JonnyBeatle on July 18, 2009, 04:54:41 AM
I think it's just a matter of you over listening to the album. Any album will get old if you listen to it too much. Variety is good. As much as I love The Beatles (my favorite band ever) I don't just listen to The Beatles, y'know? That would get old fast. And I definitely don't just listen to one Beatles album over and over again. I like to go away from them and then come back and they are fresh and exciting all over again. The amazing thing about The Beatles stuff is that I can keep coming back to it and it still sounds fresh to me.

Right now I'm trying not to listen to any Beatles stuff actually because I want 9/9/9 to be fresh.