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Beatles under a microscope - Revolver

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tkitna:
Revolver

Where do I start with this album? In my opinion, the Beatles were at their creative pinnacle here. The studio was becoming their playground. Until recently, I’ve always announced Revolver as my favorite album (SF Sorrow from the Pretty Things holds that distinction now) and I still think its one of the greatest records ever recorded in popular music. I don’t think they have ever topped this one.


Taxman - What an opener. The quiet Beatle got p*ssed off. Its great when George actually has something to say and conveys it through his music. Here, he’s upset about all the money he’s lost to the taxman and the song indicates how he feels. The count in beginning is cool. The bass is powerful and pronounced. Guitar tone is fantastic. Georges voice even carries some urgency as he tells his story. 0:32 love the tambourine, but the studio stopping and starting it back over is pretty abrupt. 0:46 dig the cowbell. 0:55 Pauls bass is incredible. Backgrounds sound great. Pauls raunchy, distorted guitar solo is freaking awesome. The song would have failed without something like that. Its all about the emotion. 1:32 I like how Pauls guitar comes back in. Nice. Great song and its always good seeing the lads working as a team.

Eleanor Rigby - I don’t use the word masterpiece very loosely, but I think this song borders on that line. Maybe I think too highly of it. I don’t know, but I think its one of their best songs ever. Paul doesn’t get much credit as a lyricist and to be honest, he probably shouldn’t. I do think he is capable when he puts his mind to it and this song would be strong proof of it. I think its up there with anything John ever did. Again, maybe I think too highly of it. Anyways, to the review. I was super excited to listen to this song due to the poor production on the initial CD. I figured the remaster would have everything fixed. Nope. At 0:14 the studio screwed up Pauls vocal with a doubletrack that didn’t belong. Its still there. Why? If your going to remaster a Cd, fix the damn mistakes. 0:31 Love Pauls voice when it comes in. Speaking of his voice, it feels as if he’s telling a story instead of actually singing. Cool. What can I say about the strings? Thanks George Martin. Fantastic as usual. When the ‘I look at all the lonely people’ vocals happen, is that Paul tripletracked, doubletracked, the rest of the Beatles? I don’t know, but I like it. 1:48 really dig Pauls background chorus and lead vocals together. Awesome song.

I’m Only Sleeping - Another great song in my opinion. I’ve always loved this one. Really like the opening guitar strum. Johns voice is so good its almost eerie. Bass sounds good as it plods along. Paul and Georges backgrounds are top notch. 0:45 backwards guitar is nice and fits perfectly. Like how Ringo’s crash cymbal takes up space. 1:10 love Ringo’s ride and Pauls bass here. The backwards guitar solo is psychedelic and cool. 1:56 voice in background moaning. 2:00 voice (John I think) in background saying ummm or something like that. Neat. 2:04 Pauls voice coming in with John is awesome. This might have happened earlier too, but I didn’t go back to see. 2:33 somebody starts tapping on something. I’m not sure what it is, but I never noticed that before. Ending is sweet with the sitar sounding guitar. Another strong song.

Love You To - As you all know, I’m not a huge fan of George’s Indian music, but this song actually seems to fit here. I really like the sound sitars make. it’s a cool instrument. 0:58 dig the volume controlled guitar. George’s monotone voice works on this song. I don’t have much else to say except that its an alright song that I don’t go out of my way to hear.

Here, There, and Everywhere - I never used to like this song. Its warmed up to me a little since, but not totally. My buddy, who’s a Beatle freak too, loves it and has tried to justify it to me and so forth. It worked to a degree, but I think my biggest problem with it is that it killed the momentum of the album. We started off with three really strong songs and one that fit the mood and then this song comes in out of nowhere. Oh well. The opening guitar tone doesn’t work for me. Pauls voice actually bothers me here too. I don’t like the higher register he sings with. I don’t even like the sound of Ringo’s toms when he has the small, little fills. 1:03 mark the guitar does sound nice. 1:09 theres a high squelch or Paul swallows before singing or something. Not very noticeable, but its there. The doubletracked voice isn’t very tight throughout the song. 1:54 the doubletracked voice is weird. Paul sings in lower notes against higher notes (best I can explain it) and it doesn’t work. Theres snapping fingers here too at this point. Still on the fence with this song. When I hear it in the context of the album, it doesn’t work. When I hear it by itself, its fine. Weird.

Yellow Submarine - I catch a lot of flack for this song too, being a Beatle fan. I don’t care though, because I know what it is and I like it. it’s a children’s song and it doesn’t pretend to be anything but that. If they were serious about this song, Ringo wouldn’t have sung it. ‘Drive My Car’ takes itself seriously. This song doesn’t. See the difference? Moving on,,,love the acoustic guitar in the beginning with the tambourine. Ringos voice works well enough. The powerful drum sound is welcome. Water noise and background noises throughout are cool. Background vocals are good. 1:05 always liked when the brass band came in. 1:32 love ‘full speed ahead’. 1:50 really like the voice in the background and how he laughs at the end. 2:03 all the voices singing together is cool. 2:05 never heard the big, stand-up bass drum before. Sweet. Nice song that fit’s the album and helps it pick up some steam again.

She said She Said - So Peter Fonda p*ssed John off? See what drugs do to you. First off, I’d like to start by saying that this is one of Ringo’s greatest drumming songs. Its really hard to play correctly and I don’t do it justice. Love the sitar sounding guitar. Johns voice is great and the backgrounds are good too. 0:20 high pitched organ note or something being played. I’m not sure what it is. Bass and rhythm guitar sounds great. I love when John sings ‘When I Was A Boy’. The ending of the song is sweet too. Good song.

Good Day Sunshine - This song switches the momentum of the album too. It doesn’t kill the momentum, it switches the pace. Here we have a happy, trite song that’s infectious and makes me smile. It starts off with a nice piano/drum build up. 0:07 the cymbal lead in from the studio is harsh. Great beat to the song. Love the double tracked drums during the chorus. Piano solo is nice. Pauls voice sounds good as does the backgrounds. 1:18 handclaps come in. 1:26 Johns voice in the background is cool. Ending is nice also. Good song if not a bit too bubbly.

And Your Bird Can Sing - I’ve always liked this tune too. I like the guitar sound. Tambourine sounds good and was needed. Johns voice is sharp as ever. Bass sounds awesome. Love the following guitar solo’s. 0:35 hi hat is double tracked with splashes on top of regular drum beat. Nice. 0:51 Ringo’s delayed cymbal crash makes the song for me. 1:20 background vocals are great. Pauls bass in the ending is nothing short of awesome. I always hear people say this is nothing more than an average song, but I think its solid and a nice rocker.

For No One - I like this song and other people don’t. So be it. Yeah, its Paul doing his thing as usual and its probably not the right song to follow a rocker, but its still not as bad as the sugar coated ’Here, There, and Everywhere’. I like the opening  harpsichord, electric piano sounding instrument. Pauls voice is nice. 0:24 mark the bass comes in and sounds great. Piano throughout is nice. Ringo plays some intricate drums almost in the background during the entire song. Well played. 0:50 love the french horn (think that’s what it is). 1:36 Paul plays an awkward bass line. Like he tries to add too much. Didn’t work for me. Nice song.

Doctor Robert - Here’s a song that I like, but gets demoralized by the majority. I’m not sure why though. Sure it isn’t their best and could be considered filler if filler even exists at this point, but its not awful by any means. Fun is the word I’d most associate with it. How can people not like a little song about the doctor that the lads got their drugs from? Johns voice is great. I love the drum beat and the bass. Guitar tone is good. Maracas are nice. 0:45 really love when Pauls voice comes in. 0:55 great guitar here. 0:58 high organ note during the ‘Well Well Well’s’. Neat. 1:36 dig when they say Bob Robert instead of Dr. Robert. 2:06 like when they yell Doctor Robert. Come on guys. Lighten up on this song. Its decent enough.

I Want To Tell You - Another one of my favorites from George. I love this song. The fade in beginning is great. Paino and tambourine sound good. 0:24 piano notes being played here makes the song. High pitched background vocals work. Like George’s voice throughout. Guitar sounds awesome. 1:11 really like Ringos simple drum fill. Powerful and tasteful. 1:47 handclaps start and gives the impression that they are really into the song. Nice addition. Pauls voice during the ending is sick its so good. Fantastic song.

Got To Get You Into My Life - A breath of fresh air at this point in the album. If any energy was lost along the way, this song picks it up and brings it back. Paul doing a little soul/jazz tune here. Brass beginning is cool. Theres talking in the background faintly. I think it’s a count in, but not sure. Theres a tambourine or a wood block with the little cymbals attached being played throughout. Cool. Bass sounds good. Pauls voice is awesome. 0:33 the remasters brought the drum fill out. Hallelujah! After listening to this song on vinyl for years, the original CD was such a disappointment. The drums were muddled in the background so much, you could barely hear them. At least they fixed that. 1:03 when Paul sings ‘Got To Get You Into My Life‘ I love his voice. Speaking of Pauls voice, the doubletrack throughout is hit and miss. Could have been tighter. 1:44 guitar comes in too early in the background and stops. 1:50 love the rhythm and lead guitar sound. 2:06 when Paul sings ’I was alone I took a ride’,,,that’s just awesome. That’s one of my all time highlights of the Beatles. Great, great song.

Tomorrow Never Knows - Now here’s a song that everybody seems to love way more than I do. Yeah, its largely considered their first psychedelic song and all, but its only alright for me. The drums are powerful and the beat is cool. The constant crash cymbal that fills space is nice. Bass sounds strong. Johns voice is good. 1:08 love the backwards guitar solo. 1:26 I think its really cool how John appears to be singing through a megaphone. Cool effect. 1:50 tambourine comes in out of nowhere. Sweet. Love the saloon piano at the end. Of course all the background noise are neat too. Good song and a building block, but I don’t feel its great.


There it is. My favorite Beatle album. What a record. If Rubber Soul caused musicians and people to take notice that the Beatles were becoming serious musicians, Revolver caused them to scramble and wonder how they could ever hope to keep up. They gave us a sneak peek into their creative process in the studio and they would shortly blow us away with that same process in the upcoming album. This was the beginning when they started to break the boundaries.  

Ovi:
Here, There and Everywhere is probably in my top five all time favourite songs.I just love it. I think beautiful is the perefect word to describe it. The lyrics are just brilliant, Paul's voice great as always, the melody is simple, love the "ooo"-s too. That being said, I agree that it kinda changes the mood of the album, but I really don't care. From the first 10 seconds of "Love You To" I can hardly wait for Here, There and Everywhere (I admit I sometimes skip George's indian tune, too...)

The album is great, probably my favourite Beatle album after "Abbey Road", it definetly changed rock, it started the whole psychedelic thing.

Not really much to say, I used to hate Yellow Submarine, but it's all about them being funny and not taking themselves too seriously, and that's what we all love about them. I pretty much like Good Day Sunshine, but that chorus can really annoy me sometimes.

Taxman, Eleanor Rigby, I'm Only Sleeping, And Your Bird Can Sing, For No One, Got To Get You Into My Life and Tomorrow Never Knows are all brilliant songs, one of the best ones in the Beatles catalogue.

Love You To, I Want To Tell You, She Said She Said and Doctor Robert are fine, decent songs and they seem to fit perfectly well in the album.

Great review tkitna and I have to admit I really look forward to "Abbey Road"  :)

glass onion:
right,revolver,the biggie.i have been playing this album for around a week none stop in my car everywhere i drive.awesome,that's all i can say.i have not listened to the album for maybe 2 years,i'd forgotten how good it was.'taxman' has to be the greatest opener on any beatle record.the cough,the 1-2-3-4,excellent.eleanor rigby is great,although i don't rate it as much as other people do,it is a new,new direction for the band.great stuff.'i'm only sleeping' would be filler were it not for john's excellent vocal.john's vocals on revolver were his best for me.'love you to'.....i'm with todd in the way that georges' indian stuff doesn't groove me that much but it's ok.some nice sounds in there,especially the sound similar to a hammer drill...."love me while you can (GGRRRRRRRR)before i'm a dead old man (GGRRRRRRRRRR).'here there and everywhere',just amazing.the three part 'ooohs' are top drawer.'yellow submarine' is ringos' bit and that is cool by me.i don't like the song that much but ringo must have his song,this one is still sung in nursery schools throughout england.'she said she said'has the ultimate guitar sound of any record,period.jimi hendrix eat your heart out,your guitar never sounded as good as georges' does here.filler?no way.ringo is superb here,way better than his playing on 'rain'.'good day sunshine' is magical,'and your bird can sing' is perfectly passable on revolver,there is no fat on the meat on this album.'for no one' is another excellent number.'dr.robert' is one of my guilty pleasures,never heard a band sound as good as this.'i want to tell you',love the clahing piano part and ringos' fills.'got to get you into my life',great use of the sax for the first time on a beatle song?and what's not been said about 'tomorrow never knows'?never been mad about the album sleeve but with a record this good i'm surprised it didn't come from a wizards' sleeve.it takes some topping,does this.did they manage to?the jury is out...................

Hombre_de_ningun_lugar:
As Rubber Soul was John's peak as a songwriter, I find Revolver as Paul's peak. However, the most innovative songs in the album were John's ones. So, in my opinion Paul wrote the best songs and John the most interesting sounding ones.

Taxman. Also love this one, I think it's one of the very best Beatles opening tracks, one of their funkiest recordings. John actually helped George with this one, it was slightly co-written. Paul's lead guitar makes the song, probably his best non-bass contribution along with his drumming work in "Dear Prudence".

Eleanor Rigby. As a song, it's the truly highest point of the album. The lyrics are just wonderful, no wonder why John and Paul disputed the main credits of them.

I'm Only Sleeping and She Said She Said are those kind of songs that are heavily improved by the way they were recorded. Love them both.

Love You To. I really like George's Indian songs. I think this is better than "The Inner Light" though not as good as "Within You Without You".

Here, There And Everywhere and For No One are both from Paul's garden. I like them both, they're strong tunes, despite not sounding very special.

Yellow Submarine. I've never had problems digging this one. It's a child-like song, not a childish one. Also love the end with all the voices singing, which are from all Beatles plus several guests, including Brian Jones who made some sound effects. Strangely, the bass drum you heard at the end was apparently played by Mal Evans.

Good Day Sunshine. In my opinion the weakest Paul's song in the album, but it's still good. It was his attempt at doing a Lovin' Spoonful-like tune.

And Your Bird Can Sing and Doctor Robert are fillers for me. They are not bad songs, they are enjoyable, but they don't stand out in terms of songwriting or sound, at least in comparison to the rest of the album.

I Want To Tell You. Never felt this song was so good as others seem to think. It has a great fade in beginning and a great fade out ending, but the rest was nothing special for me.

Got To Get You Into My Life. Always liked this very much, especially the cool end. Maybe because it led to the following song...

Tomorrow Never Knows. This is my favourite song ever for two reasons: the heavy philosophical lyrics and all those weird sounds. I also love the simple melody, but without all those effects it wouldn't be great (see the Anthology version as a contrast). From start to finish this song makes me fly without the need of any drug.


This is my second favourite Beatles album after Rubber Soul. I saw many people felt the same way, having Rubber Soul at first and Revolver at second. However, those who have Revolver at first don't use to have Rubber Soul at second, and I can see why.

Hombre_de_ningun_lugar:

--- Quote from: tkitna on April 28, 2011, 03:34:12 PM ---When the ‘I look at all the lonely people’ vocals happen, is that Paul tripletracked, doubletracked, the rest of the Beatles? I don’t know, but I like it.
--- End quote ---


It's Paul plus John and George, though it's barely noticiable. I think those vocals are better heard in the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" remix.

Eleanor Rigby (Yellow Submarine)

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