What's On

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

"Let me tell you how it will be..."



"Ah look at all the lonely people" 

If you put into a melting pot R&B, Rock, Pop and Indian Influenced Music you'll get the seventh album by The Beatles. Revolver is considered the most diverse and underrated Beatles album released. Taxman is possibly one of the best album starters of any Beatle's album. George Harrison wrote this song as an attack against the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour Government of Harold Wilson. The angry tone of the song really helps set the tone and makes it a real enjoyable song to listen to. Eleanor Rigby is by far the most interesting track on the whole entire album. This is one of the many Beatle songs that don't feature any percussion instruments and has a darker more meaningful tone in lyrics and music arrangement. Eleanor Rigby was considered the most important evolution from a pop live-performance band to a more experimental studio-oriented band. The track contains little studio trickery. When Eleanor Rigby was released it came as quite a shock to the pop listeners of 1965. It's bleak message of depression and almost funeral-like backing took number one spot on the pop charts. These bleak lyrical style wasn't the first deviation from love songs from the band, but were some of the most explicit. 

"We all live in a yellow submarine" 

I'm Only Sleeping was John Lennon's take on a his joy of staying in bed and being lazy. This track was the first of the many Beatle songs that featured backwards guitar playing by George Harrison. The lazy tone of the song and the carefree vocals of John Lennon gave the impression to many that it was a drug induced acid trip. Love You To is the Indian Influenced song of the album. George Harrison used Sitar, tabla and a tambura to provide the drone in this track. The lyrics again are very dark and moody. This was one of the first of many Indian Influenced tracks by George Harrison. This is one of my favorite songs by George Harrison in this genre. Yellow Submarine is one of the few tracks that was sung by Ringo Starr. The simple lyrics and studio effect sounds really give the song more of a Children's Song, but the catchy melody and simple memorable chorus helps make the song a enjoyable listen. Yellow Submarine reached number two in the U.S. Pop Charts. It would've made number one but John Lennon remarks towards Christianity hurt the song's chances of reaching number one. 

"She said, I know what it's like to be dead" 

The album favorite is She Said, She Said, which is John Lennon and George Harrison singing duet in. This is one of the first tracks that Paul McCartney didn't appear in. She Said, She Said was written as a last minute song for the album when they seen that the album appeared one track short. I know what it's like to be dead was said by Peter Fonda while tripping on acid. This gave John Lennon inspiration to write the track, changing the male perspective to a female perspective. In my opinion this is the best track on the album. It's quite catchy and flows through from beginning to end very smoothly without being repetitive. For No One is again one of the more dark and rather moody tracks by The Beatles on the album. Paul McCartney sings lead in this song and is also the lead vocals for the song. John Lennon cited that this was one of the favorite songs by Paul and considered it a nice piece of work. Got to Get You into My Life is one of the more R&B inspired songs of the album. Even though the song has been said to be about Paul's addiction to Marijuana. Earth Wind and Fire covered the song in 1978. Got to Get You into My Life wasn't released until six years after the album was released and while The Beatles had split up. It reached number six and was the last single by the band to reach the top ten before Free as a Bird was released in 1995. 

"Turn off your mind relax and float down stream" 

Tomorrow Never Knows is the most experimental track on the entire album. It featured backwards guitar solo and many tape loops that created the trippy sound effects. The lyrics were inspired by Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert and Ralph Metzner. This track itself is the most interesting due to the fact that it has the most distinct sound out of the whole album. It sounded as if the whole entire band were in the recording studio and decided to have an acid trip while recording the instruments of the song. The  backwards tape loops and guitars give the Psychedelic vibe from beginning to end. An interesting track and again one of the many strange songs by John Lennon. Revolver is one of the most underrated Beatle's album ever released. It blends many genres together in one album and is one of the most diverse albums ever released. It didn't get as much attention as Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road. But this album is a classic and well worth considering if you want to expand your Beatle's collection. 

"Everybody seems to think I'm lazy. I don't mind I think they're crazy."

Favorite Tracks: 
Eleanor Rigby
I'm Only Sleeping
Love You To
She Said, She Said 
Tomorrow Never Knows 

Devon M 

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