Beatles revolver cd cover4/7/2023 While the previous year's “ Yesterday” had definitely broken new ground by utilizing a string quartet to accompany Paul on acoustic guitar, “ Eleanor Rigby” was the first Beatles track to have no guitar, or any Beatles playing any instrument at all. Instead, we had a predominant brass section, Indian instruments, tape loops, backward guitars, comical sound effects, a French horn solo, and strings. What most people viewed as the standard Beatles formula, comprising two guitars, bass and drums, was more often than not thrown by the wayside. “This time, for our new album, our record company let us use the studio almost whenever we wanted, so that we could work on until we were satisfied.” “We spend more time on recording now because we prefer recording,” George explained in 1966. Their distaste for touring left them with the unanimous opinion that the studio was where they wanted to experiment, which appeared extremely exciting to them. ![]() In fact, they seemed to purposely record music that couldn’t be reproduced live. Given their disenchantment with live performances by this time, they paid little attention to whether they would be able to perform these new compositions on stage. ![]() “One thing’s for sure,” Lennon stated in early 1966, “the next LP is going to be very different…Paul and I are very keen on this electronic music.” George Harrison relates: “We gained more control each time that we got a Number One, and then when we’d go back in the studio we’d claw our way up until we took over the store.” They also were developing ideas sonically for use in the recording studio. With no need to hurry into the recording studio, no tour scheduled until June, and an almost empty schedule, the group had time to "recharge their batteries." With “ Rubber Soul” monopolizing the top of the album charts worldwide in the early months of 1966, and with radio airplay of “ We Can Work It Out,” “ Day Tripper,” “ Michelle” and “ Nowhere Man” (among others), they could now sit back a little and enjoy their labors.Īfter experiencing the "rush job" of putting together sixteen new compositions within a month’s time for their previous album (and accompanying single), they primarily used this "down time" to hone their songwriting craft. While plans were in the works for a United Artists follow up to the previous years’ blockbuster movie “ Help!” (a western derived from the book “A Talent For Loving” was considered but then scrapped), this didn’t materialize. The beginning months of both 19 had been spent writing and recording songs for a motion picture they were to star in followed by the actual filming of the movie. “The Beatles had come into the ‘Revolver’ sessions completely refreshed and rejuvenated after a few months off recharging their batteries,” stated engineer Geoff Emerick, adding, “It was just magic, pure serendipity.” Then came “Revolver.” This is where the line is drawn. ![]() Their growth and maturity was gradual as we can hear ourselves by listening through their catalog chronologically, but there must certainly be a discernable point in time where they, so to speak, "switched over." There is such an obvious chasm between, for instance, “ I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “ Come Together” that if someone had been living under a rock and had not known better, it could easily have been perceived that these were two completely different bands when in fact they were the exact same songwriters, musicians and singers. ![]() One might ask, though, what marks the dividing line between the early period and the later period. Those who were adolescents or teens who remember being transfixed in front of their television sets on February 9th, 1964 watching these new British icons on The Ed Sullivan Show usually prefer hearing songs like “ She Loves You” over the music that they explain away as “when they got weird.” On the other hand, the “flower children” of the late 60’s claim that they got “turned on” to The Beatles’ later psychedelic period and explain away their "mop-top" days as “bubblegum crap.” Then there is the growing number of later generation fans who also gravitate toward their later period, eventually discovering that the early years had much merit as well. While a growing number of Beatles enthusiasts claim that they have grown to like their entire catalog, most are still divided into two camps – the early Beatles or the later Beatles. This is where the line is drawn in the sand.
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