REVOLVER

If you've NEVER heard this album, please allow me to pull you out from underneath that rock. This genius "Pop" album not only technically qualifies as one of the seeds that gave birth to the genre of Progressive Rock, it also holds a collection of wonderful melodies that simply stick with you forever.

I don't care what style of music you prefer-- if you can't find SOMETHING enjoyable on this album, you're probably dead.

Oh-- and if you haven't heard the Beatles' Sgt.Pepper album either-- First, you should be completely ashamed of yourself... Second, you need to check that one out too!

I will concede that this isn't necessarily PROG music in "style". In its historical context, however, it was certainly progressive in nature.

2 stars on the Prog-ometer

5 stars on the Personal Taste Meter

The Beatles' finest hour. 14 songs of genius, each one a carefully crafted classic. The drugs are clearly in evidence here, but didn't distract from the musc. Most of these songs are well-known to everyone, so here's some interesting facts about the album.

1) Taxman - the guitar solo is by McCartney and it also features (backwards) in "Tomorrow Never Knows"

2) Eleanor Rigby - the name "Eleanor" may have come from Eleanor Bron who was in "Help", but there is a gravestone for a real "Eleanor Rigby" near where McCartney lived.

3) I'm only sleeping - early use of backwards guitar.

4) Love you to - one of the few Beatles song where the title is not in the lyric. Harrison's first Indian song.

5) Here, there and everywhere - supposedly Macca's favourite of his songs. Just listen to the backing vocals and don't forget they were recorded live, not overdubbed.

6) Yellow submarine - written as a children's song, great sound effects.

7) She said, she said - "I know what it's like to be dead" is a quote from Peter Fonda during a trip.Covered to great effect by Lone Star.

8) Good day sunshine - barrelhouse piano, innovative use of panning in the intro.

9) And your bird can sing - brilliant guitar riff, played in parallel thirds by Lennon and Harrison. Very oblique lyric.

10) For no one - a beautiful McCartney number. Features the famous Alan Civil horn solo.

11) Dr Robert - the dentist who introduced the Beatles to LSD.

12) I want to tell you - Harrison's third song (the first time he'd had that many on a single album).

13) Got to get you into my life - McCartney's Motown number. The "you" in the title supposedly refers to drugs.

14) Tomorrow never knows - another song whose title is not in the lyrics. Lennon didn't get the Tibetan monks choir he wanted, but he got numerous tape loops instead. This was mixed live in the studio by a number of people standing at tape machines dotted around Abbey Road with the tape loops wrapped round pencils! The tape loops include McCartney laughing, an orchestra and a Mellotron. Also features stunning drums from Starr. One of the Beatles greatest works of genius.

This is possibly the most "progressive" album of all time - don't forget it was made 40 years ago without the benefit of computers and samplers. Has to be a 5-star album.

The real (forgotten) gem.

Many states Pepper as the first real progressive effort of the Beatles; I strongly disagree. Revolver has such a high level of ingenuity and freshness, this was a record way, way ahead of it's time, done with a ridiculous amount of technology.

Many times the Beatles shines with great advancing thinking, linking symphonic majestic with popish choruses with classics like Eleanor Rigby or For No One. But again, the magic operates miracles of mind opening with Love You To (precursor of Pepper's Within You Without You, on top with rather explicit lyrics...oh you naughty boys!), Yellow Submarine.

But the special mention of this album is because (and mostly) the best song ever created by the Fab Four is in Revolver: Tomorrow Never Knows. The title's been founded by Ringo, and the lyrics by Lennon, referring to Tibet's Book of the Dead. Oh wow! This is a step in the future, with multiple drumming repetitions (excellent job Ringo), pre-vocoder voices and hypnotic riffs and seagulls cries. Oh man, just writing about it is giving me the need to listen again!

Not the record for teen bops with lollipops chanting "I want you Paul!". The 'girls girls girls" period was almost buried alive with this fantastic record. Time to think in 3D now.

The craziest ride before the Pepper era.

This is the only Beatles album I ever get out. It has some fine songs (particularly Eleanor Rigby, Here There and Everywhere, And Your Bird can Sing and I Want To Tell You) in amongst some less sophisticated efforts (does anyone REALLY like Yellow Submarine, honestly?). As usual, it's Harrison who gives the band its class with some fine musicianship and some of the best songs but there are some innovative ideas from the others which make it worthy of inclusion in proto prog. A good album but definitely no masterpiece.

This is it - the absolute masterpiece in every aspect of its idea! "Revolver" is IMHO the best album of THE BEATLES and probably among the top 10 albums of all time (although I have not put it in my top 10 prog albums at my collab page here because they are not considered prog). Each and every song is excellent and has its own distinction, but the album overall is more than just a collection of good singles. Most of the experiments and proggie ideas usually associated with "Sgt. Pepper" actually started here. Songwriting and composing at its best! 5+

What I consider their best album with Rubber Soul close behind. The Beatles assaulted the senses from all directions with this one. While Pepper may be their most flamboyant and copied production, there were still some weak songs on that album. The pure genious that lies here is in the strength of the songs themselves. Not a single dud in the bunch. Everyone of them to this day still perks your ears up with or without the indulgence of studio technology. Even Tomorrow Never Knows would sound good unplugged. Ok, maybe that's stretching things a bit, but you "never know"!

We start off with George's Taxman. Now how's that for something different? George with the opening cut?! Not only that, he has 3 cuts instead of his usual 2. Watch out John and Paul, "something" is coming! This is probably The Beatles first anti- government protest song with odes to Brit politicians Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath. Did you ever hear Dylan mention Kennedy or LBJ? George decided to give the lead guitar slot to Paul on this one and to correct Chopper's review, this was not used backwards for TNK. TNK was recorded and dubbed on April 6th, where Taxman was recorded 2 weeks later as per Mark Lewisohn's book Beatles Abby Road Recording Sessions. Sorry Chopper!

Paul got back on the strings binge after the success of Yesterday with Eleanor Rigby, a beautiful ballad about a lonely spinster. This is one of only two songs that John and Paul disagreed on who wrote what (the other being Rubber Soul's "In My Life"). Paul claims he wrote the whole song, where John claimed he helped with about half the lyrics. No big deal though, Paul was later quoted "Hey, we wrote about 80 songs together and to only disagree on 2 is pretty good!"

I'm Only Sleeping is probably the closest touch to jazz The Beatles ever came to. John was singing about the exhaustive toll Beatlemania was taking on him and how he would just sleep for days at a time. The song just wisps you away into a dreamy state with it's backward guitars. This was the first song of theirs to actually catch Miles Davis' ears.

Love To You is George's first full blown Indian influenced song and probably his best (with 68's The Inner Light about neck and neck). Hiring professoinal Indian musicians to create an Eastern sound, the song runs through exotic and complex tempos complimenting George's double-tracked vocals. No other Beatles performed.

Here, There and Everywhere is one of Paul's best love ballads. John always considered this one of his favorite Macca compositions. The three-part harmony vocals are nothing short of perfection.

Now we come to one of The Beatles' most novelty of songs. Basically a children's song with Ringo being the perfect choice for the vocal spotlight. Pretty much the whole recording crew got involved on this one, blowing bubbles through a straw, swishing rags in bucketful of water and rattling chains to creat the effect of actually being on a submarine. Little did we and the Beatles themselves knew at the time that 2 years later it would be the subject of an animated feature film.

She Said, She Said was one of John's first LSD inspired songs. Kicking off with George's rock-hard guitar playing and Ringo's most bombastic and inventive drumming, John throws an of the cuff line he earlier laid on Peter Fonda while tripping on acid that he knew what it was like to be dead.

Good Day Sunshine is a probably the most minor of songs on this album but still a gem. Pretty leisurely played with George Martin's barrell-house piano accompanient. Basically a walk in the park song with a great double-tracked vocal ending.

And Your Bird Can Sing is a song John always thought was just crap but everybody else loves. George claims it was either him and John or him and Paul doing the double lead guitar playing.

For No One is another Macca favorite of John's. Paul wrote it one night and recorded it next day in one take and later dubbed in Alan Civil's French Horn. A very haunting and beautiful melody.

Dr Robert is another drug induced song giving reference to Dr Charles Roberts of New York who gave unorthodox perscriptions to New York elites like Andy Warhol and the Beatles themselves as per Lennon close friend Pete Shotton. Sorry again Chopper, it's not about the infamous dentist that served the sugar cubes to John and George. Great use of Hammond organ here.

George's 3rd and final cut on the album I Want To Tell You features some George's best guitar work. George said it's about the avalanche of thoughts you sometimes get that are hard to transmit.

Go To Get You Into My Life is Paul's ode to the Motown sound that was so prominent on the airwaves at the time. Using beefy horns, this is about the most soulful song the Beatles have done to date with a blistering vocal by Paul.

The closing track, Tomorrow Never Knows (a title John picked up from Ringo to lighten up the mood) is considered by many the first psychedelic acid-rock song. With lyrics taken from the Tibetan Book Of The Dead John initially wanted a thousand Tibetan monks chanting during this which of course resulted in George Martin shaking his head saying "Forget it!" more or less. John also wanted his voice to sound like it was coming from a distant hilltop so to achieve this, his voice was fed into a rotating Leslie speaker to give a more strangled sound. This effect was later used by Jethro Tull on the title cut of Aqualung. After the basic track was laid down, each of the Beatles went home and created tape loops of anything that sounded strange. Paul's contribution was of himself laughing played backwards. Once done, Paul took the task of editing the tapes together into a collage of sounds against Ringo's thunderous drumming and George's droning Sitar. The result is absolute mayhem. A real head feast!

In closing, this album has more than stood the test of time. It is still considered by many the staple of rock's progress into experimentation. The fact that they've been able to achieve these results with just 4 track machines is amazing enough. The Beatles had embarked into a new realm at this point and this album gives you good peek of things to come.

Wow! What are the Beatles doing on here - not that I'm complaining because this is one of the great albums of all time. The reviewers above have analysed the tracks in depth and so I don't aim to repeat them. The Beatles were progressive in that they led the way where others followed throughout their career and Revolver in particular demonstates how innovative they were and how they looked to push back the musical boundaries of the time. Maybe its success should be judged by the number of bands including the Jam and Oasis whose own music has been clearly influenced by this album. Whether prog started here I don't know but for me a masterpiece of pop/rock. Love it!

As I told yesterday in my review about the Sgt. Pepper album, this week I borrowed The Beatles CD's in order to review these for this site, for me it's a challenge to write an objective analysis from this legendary and highly acclaimed band. To many progheads Revolver deserves five stars and it is often named as "their finest hour" and "their best progressive effort". I have listened to Revolver a few times, ready and eager to make notes but how embarrassing: to me Revolver sounds nothing more than a bunch of pleasant and varied songs, alternating between pop and rock with some progressive elements (adding classical instrumentations, folk instruments like tablas and sitar and using a sophisticated studio sound). Eleanor Rigby is a wonderful track (I prefer Streetmark their rendition) and Tomorrow Never Knows has its moments but sounds superior in the version by Phil Manzanera his 801 Live band. There is some good rock guitar, the vocals by Paul and John are good and distinctive. But what is so innovative about Revolver, I really don't know, I have done my best to get into their music but I can name many bands from the late Sixties that are way more progressive and captivating and still has to be added to this site. Perhaps subjective? Ok but in my opinion the euphoric reviews about The Beatles too.

Finally, The Beatles are considered a part of this site. I have waited a long time for them to be recognized as they should be among the other prog bands listed here. The works of art that this legendary band produced over their career always added something new and fresh to the rock industry, and this album is no exception. "Revolver" brings out more progressive-style techniques, and rocket launches music into the next generation.

This album is by far my favorite album by the Beatles, second only to Sgt. Pepper. Why? Because it is truly a masterpiece in many ways. The different effects that are achieved in this album were impossible to accomplish at the time it was recorded, and yet somehow The Beatles dulled it off. All of the different types of editing and mixing done here were on many occasions the first times anything in that vain was ever attempted. If it hadn't been for the four (or should I say five?) musical geniouses pushing the envelope, we may not have the same type of music out today. This album is the perfect example for The Beatles' influence in music, and if anyone wants to claim that The Beatles were nothing more than a dumb brit pop band with a few good hits, then I suggest they listen to this album.

The real genious in this album is in the song "Tomorrow Never Knows". It was accomplished by a group of people holding tape loops in all corners of the studio on pencils, and such (The technology at that time was not able to give them the equipment they needed, so this was the alternative they came up with). The result is nothing short of astounding. I know that many people say that Ringo was not a great drummer, but the ones who say that, and the ones who crictisize The Beatles for that matter, obviousely haven't truly listened to the music, or seen the perfection that is contained within. Ringo's drumming on this album is astounding as well, and all of the band members seem to be at the top of their game.

I won't review every song in detail, because I honestly feel that this album is much more enjoyable as a whole, and should be reviewed as such. If anything, this album will satisfy those of us who know how great The Beatles really are, and most likely it will convert those who seem to always bash the band. This album shows just how progressive in style The Beatles became, and how much of an influence they undoubtedly had upon the rock world. If only more people would allow themselves to see that, maybe The Beatles wouldn't be as underrated and misunderstood as they are.

This is one of my favourite records from The Beatles` discography.

The first version of this album that I bought, in January 1982, was the U.S. version which lacked three songs in comparison to the original English version: "I`m Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "Doctor Robert" (coincidentally the three songs were composed by John Lennon). As I knew months later when I listened to a series of FM Radio programmes about the history of The Beatles, the original English album has these three songs, and despite how good the U.S. L.P. version sounded (very good quality in sound), I was disappointed that these three songs were not included, but were previously included in an U.S. album called "Yesterday...and Today", with different mixes . Also, it was until then than I learned that their English and U. S. discographies were somewhat different. So, it was until 1987, when the original L.P. was released in the C.D. version, that I finally had the original "Revolver" album as it was released in England in 1966.

I consider this album as very influential in the development of Progressive Rock music. By 1966, The Beatles were a "mature" band, they had a lot new ideas to experiment in the studio, they were tired of touring, and they couldn`t play many of their new songs on stage as a quartet, because their new songs included a lot of instruments and arrangements which a quartet couldn`t play without additional musicians. George Martin again was very important in the production ideas and in the arrangements done with the Beatles. His role became even more important with this album.

The album starts with "Taxman", composed by George Harrison. This song has very good lyrics, IMO, and maybe these lyrics were not liked very much by the taxmen themselves in England and in othe parts of the world!

"Eleanor Rigby", composed by Paul McCartney, also has very good lyrics about loneliness and a very good string quartet arrangement by George Martin..

"I`m Only Sleeping", composed by John Lennon, is a "dreamy" song, maybe linked to the use of some "substances". It has a lead guitar part played "backwards".

"Love You To", composed by Harrison, is a song played with sitar and other instruments from India with the help from Indian musicians. It is also an interesting song. Harrison`s influence started to be more important to the band. He contributed with his own musical ideas to the development of the music of the band.

"Here, There and Everywhere" is a ballad composed by McCartney, played by the band without the help from other musicians. A simple but very good ballad, but I have listened to better versions recorded by other bands, one in particular recorded by a band called The Lettermen, which includes a very good orchestral arrangement. (If someone is interested, this version was released in a various artists Capitol Records album called "Greatest Songs of The Beatles", in 1972; this was one of the first Quadraphonic albums that I listened in 1973, when my father bought it to play it in his own Quadraphonic sound system).

"Yellow Submarine" is a Lennon-McCartney song sung by Ringo Starr. It is a simple song but it has interesting sound effects and arrangements.

"She Said She Said", composed by Lennon, tells the story of a drug trip using LSD. I read that McCartney didn`t like the lyrics very much and wasn`t interested to record the song, but in the end he played the bass guitar, but Lennon sang the lead vocals accompanied by Harrison on backing vocals.

"Good Day Sunshine", composed by McCartney, has very good vocal arrangements sung by Paul, George and John, but the instruments were only played by Ringo and Paul plus George Martin playing another piano part.

"And Your Bird Can Sing", composed by Lennon, has strange lyrics, but musically it is a more "conventional" Rock song.

"For No One", composed by McCartney, is one of my favourite songs from this album. It has very good arrangements, particularly a horn arangement played by Alan Civil.

"Doctor Robert", composed by Lennon, has lyrics about a real Doctor which prescribed psychedelic drugs to his patients.

"I Want to Tell You" is a song composed by Harrison. It is also a good song which includes a piano part played by McCartney.

"Got to Get You Into my Life", composed by Paul, has very good wind instruments arrangements.

"Tomorrow Never Knows", composed by John, was the very first song tried for "Revolver", but the song had many changes in arrangements, with the final version being this one. The first version, more "experimental", was finally released in the "Anthology 1" album in 1995.

"Revolver" was released in August 1966, when The Beatles were doing their last tour, which was problematic due to very known facts. In that tour they didn`t play any songs from his album, but they played "Paperback Writer", a song recorded during the same recording sessions but which was only released as a single in 1966.

This is it, if someone as to hown only one album by The Beatles, this is the one to have. Every song here is way ahead of it's time!!! Just listen to "Tomorrow Never Knows" and i defy someone to find something that came out in 66 that was as ingenius and inventive then that. For me, the force of the band was the ginius melody writhing of Lennon & McCartney, the fact that they had lots of freedom creatively + they had the best producer, George Martin, to reproduced all of their idea into recording. Revolver shows that perfectly, Lennon whanted some backwards effects into a song, he had just to ask George Martin to do it, and he would do it. I like all of the song in it, even "Yellow Sumarine". But my favorite are the groovy opener that is "Taxman", "Eleanor Rigby", "Doctor Robert" and of course "Tomorrow Never Knows".

So in the end, 5/5 for the music, 5/5 for the production and 5/5 for the impact it had in 66 and still as a lot in the music today. The first truly progressive album. Essential, a must!!! 5 Stars.

With the release of this recording a new plateau had been reached in modern music. The overwhelming success of "Rubber Soul" gave them carte blanche to go all out on this album with their imaginations unhindered. The result is a timeless masterpiece of creativity that every fan of music should have in their collection. The Beatles made no pretensions of producing a pop single, choosing to allow their admirers to follow them farther into new territory. Those of us who were still digesting their previous work were startled when this one hit the airwaves because, once again, we realized that they had run far, far ahead of us all and were waiting for us to catch up. We heard string quartets, Indian instrumentation, backwards guitar leads and insanely mixed tape loops. We got beautiful brass sections and lyrics that ran the gamut from existential themes to pill-dispensing doctors. We could see that little George was coming into his own with brave tunes like "I want to tell you" and "Taxman." We also got a beautiful love song and a whimsical trip under the waves. It was like being in a room with 14 doors, each one a different color and shape. And all of this accomplished on four studio tracks. Unbelievable. This is the first album by the foursome that I would definitely consider progressive rock and, as such, more than justifies the band being included on this site.

This was the first album I ever owned- sort of. My parents bought me the American version of this album which has some of the songs removed. I'll let others argue endlessly about whether the Beatles were prog or not. Simply put, this is where prog started in my opinion. Much better than Seargent Pepper's.

The Good: There isn't much on this album which isn't good, even great. There isn't any song here which is filler. "Taxman" is a great Harrison song which shows he is coming into his own as a songwriter. "Eleanor Rigby" is a great song. "Gotto Get You Into My Life" is the kind of song which sounds great with horns(Too bad Mr. Collins didn't write "horny" songs like this in the 80's !) And "Tomorrow Never Knows" ? Tell me THAT wasn't progressive !

The Bad: There wasn't any filler on this album, but "Yellow Submarine" is a bit of a novelty song sung by Ringo. Still, Lennon/Cartney learned how to write better songs for Ringo like this one... ones which didn't have too large of a vocal range.

The Ugly: It's too bad those of us on this side of the Atlantic had to wait 20 years to get "Revolver" as it was meant to be.

So how do I rate Revolver ? As I said above, this is where Prog started, IMHO. I'll go ahead and say it- a masterpiece of progressive music. 5 stars.

The Beatles 1966 record would be one of their most experimental. This would also be the last record that would be followed with a tour, after the show in Candlestick Park in San Francisco in late August 1966 they would become a strictly studio band. The albums that poured forth following Revolver were all of high caliber, and they were all highly experimental. They can all be rooted to this album, though, the often hailed masterpiece Revolver. While I don't think Revolver is a masterpiece, is certainly is an album to look for and it certainly has a lot of progressive tendencies. The Beatles were a creative factory, pumping out album after album of great works, and beginning with Rubber Soul, they really started to get cooking. Throughout the 14 tracks on this album you will be moved, you will hear rocking tunes, you will hear funny children's numbers, and you will hear Raga influenced pieces that really take you to another world, but in all this is a spectacular journey that everyone should take at least once.

The album opens with the first of three George Harrison pieces in Taxman. This song has an incredible bassline from McCartney as well as a killer McCartney guitar solo. Great opener (it might be one of the best opening songs they did). Eleanor Rigby is one of their first flirtations with an orchestra, with this piece being strictly orchestral. It has a nice melodic feel to it and the saddening piece is really heightened with the extensive string sections. I'm Only Sleeping is a playful piece with some intuitve guitar work and some fun vocals from Lennon. Love You To is the first of George Harrison's many excursions into Raga influenced indian music. He hired an array of musicians to help him acquire this atmosphere, and it comes off perfectly. It's my favorite Indian song of his and it really sheds light on his future projects with the Beatles. Here, There, and Everywhere is a wonderful Paul McCartney ballad (he often says it is one of his absolute favorites) with some great backing musicianship. Yellow Submarine is often considered to be a throwaway piece, but in my opinion is a great and fun number that would be the inspiration for an entire film. The entire atmosphere of this song is playful and quirky, with great vocals from Ringo and backing sound effects added to give the illusion of being on a submarine.

She Said She Said is one of the first acid trip songs from John Lennon, the title coming from when Peter Fonda told Lennon he knew what it was like to be dead (obviously changed from he to she). It's a poppy piece that is playful and fun. Good Day Sunshine has a great melody line and a fantastic walking pace to it, as well as uplifting lyrics and fantastic piano play from McCartney. And Your Bird Can Sing has some fantastic unison lead work from Harrison and Lennon as well as some quirky lyrics. The riffing on this song is utterly superb and it's one of my favorites on the album. For No One is another somber McCartney piece with a great french horn solo from Alan Civil. It would pave the way for songs like She's Leaving Home on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Doctor Robert is another fun piece from Lennon, with a great chord progression and some great hammond in the middle sections. I Want to Tell You is the third Harrison piece on the album, and it carries the same sort of sentiments and feelings as songs like Think For Yourself. It has some fun drumming from Ringo and a convincing vocal performance. Got to Get You Into My Life has some fun horn sections and some great vocals from McCartney as well as a nice walking piano line. Tomorrow Never Knows is a psychedelic masterpiece, full of backwards effects, varying sounds and a true sonic attack of music and vocals. It's easily the most creative and experimental song the Beatles had produced up to that point, and it really shows the progressive tendencies of the band.

In the end, Revolver is where things truly started getting progressive for the Beatles. Is it full blown progressive rock? No. What it is is highly experimental and highly original music that challenges the listener with a lot of varying moods, atmospheres, and instrumentation, and it comes off great. It isn't a masterpiece, in my opinion, but it's damn close to one. Comes highly recommended from me for fans looking for early progressive rock at its finest (albeit not 100% progressive rock). 4.5/5.

This is The Beatles first LP as a studio group and one of the first more experimental Pop albums ever. With this and some other albums a whole new era of Rock music began, and era which eventually led to the Prog Rock of the eary 70s. Rock stars at the time began to think of their music more as art than entertainment.

Despite all that, Revolver begins with "Taxman". George Harrison's comment on the british tax-system eating up most of The Beatles incomes sounds more of what have been than what's to come. "Eleanor Rigby" and "Love You To" sounds more like the precursor this record is said to be and maybe so too is the ballad "Here, There and Everywhere". "Yellow Submarine and "She Said She Said" is a little bit less interesting though.

A little less interesting, too, is the beginning of the second side "Good Day Sunshine". "For No One" may not be any more prog or experimental but it's in my opinion better. Plus, it uses horns! Third track is "I Want to Tell You", a piano driven Rock song, and after that the horns come back in "Got to Get You into My Life". Last out, and best on the album (IMHO one of The Beatles best ever.) is the psychedelic anthem "Tomorrow Never Knows". This song must have sounded very new/experimental for a Pop music audience back in 1966.

Although half of the tracks here are Pop Rock numbers (The European version, at least my, doesn't have "I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing", and " Doctor Robert" on it.) it's still good. The album may not be that important for a Prog fan to have heard, but for a fan of Rock, it's essential.

A solid five star rating for ' Revolver'. This and the' Double White' album have to be the best material ever produced by the Beatles. The opener ' Taxman' full of bittersweet lyrics, the nostalgic ' Eleanor Rigby', ' Here There and Everywhere'. Everything about this album is pure class. I cannot really fault it at all. The musicians were at their peak ( even Ringo) and the quality material only eclipsed by the ' White' album. ' Revolver' is regarded as one of the all time great albums and if you don't own it you need to quickley as you will be rewarded 1000fold. 5 Stars like a walk in the park.

After the masterpiece "Rubber Soul" that was a transition album, "Revolver" defenitely launched the new Beatles sound full with psychedelic rock cool guitars riffs and interesting expriments. It was one of the greatest 60's albums and perhaps even of all time.

Harrison's "Taxman" starts this album and it's clearly a psychedelic song in the late 60's spirit. The guitar solo here is great. "Eleanor Rigby" follows and it's a true classic about the lonely girl eleanor and her sad ending. Apart from being a wonderful sing that even the great Ray Charles covered, it also got a impressing orchestra backing them up with violins and cellos, Something you wouldn't have heard 1 year earlier. "I'm Only Sleeping" is a wondeful Lennon ballad, perhaps one of his all time best. "Love You too" from Harrison was the first song where the Beatles discovered the Indian sound, it's also their best indian inspired song with a really addictive sound. "Here There and Everywhere" is Paul's ballad contribution here, a very fine song aswell. Yellow Submarine from Ringo doesn't need any further presentation. "She Said, She Said" is yet another exprimental song, later bands like Oasis started off with music influented by this.

"Good Day Sunshine" is a typical Paul song, we will hear many of simular songs on latter albums. "And Your Bird Can Sing" is a great emotional song with cool riffs and hook in the modern rock sound. "For No One", yet another good midtempo Paul song, a french horn is also used here. "Doctor Rober" from Lennon is wonderful, both the sound and the song. Harrison continues with "I Want To Tell You" that also is modern rock. "Got To Get You Into My Life" is one of the best song here though, it's somehow soulish with a orchestra playing trumpets and saxophones, something we often saw R&B artist do in the 60's. It's one of the best songs from Paul ever released. The last song here is just too odd, it's called "Tomorrow Never Knows" and it's just very phychedelic with a bunch of diffrent instruments used and sounds of shouts in the back.

Overall, this is another masterpiece, before it's time. It influented so many other artists later on and was the final result of what the Beatles started on "Rubber Soul". Both albums should belong to anyone's music collection, not only one of the best beatles albums, but also of all time.

Clearly, this album owes much of its succes to the musical sensibilities of McCartney, and engineer Geoff Emerick, whose fingerprints are everywhere. More listenable than Pepper, this album marks a shift in the Beatles' recording process that made Pepper possible. Long sessions and greater involvement in mixing resulted in a more focused effort. The writing had definitely improved, drug inspired or not. Lennon has many fine moments as well, and Harrison began to emerge as a songwriter to be reckoned with. Along with the single Paperback Writer/Rain, Ringo turns in some of the finest drumming of his career. Great thumping bass, squawking guitars, tape loops, classical instruments, reverse effects, are all used to maximum impact. This album has everything. The Beatles at their best, at, or nearing their creative peak at a very colourful period in history. Likened to the scene in The Wizard of Oz when the film goes from black and white into colour. Only a cynic would grumble at this masterpiece.

I've decided to submit a review on this one because the connexion with the beginning of progressive rock seems a bit more evident than on the other albums. However I continue to think that considering this band as the roots of progressive music is a really "weird" idea. I don't see many convincing arguments for an inclusion. This album reveals a sunny and psych pop vibe with many easy & effective melodies. "Taxman" is a fresh composition dominated by guitars and a nice groove. Not so bad and in the real spirit of the 60s. "Eleanor Rigby" is one of these soft, naive ballads, musically weak with a basic pop structure. "I'm Only Sleeping" is a rather "plaintive" ballad with evident poppy accents. The moderate force of this album comes in part from "tomorrow never knows" with its raga like sonorities and psych flavour. This album is honest but non-creative and really too simplistic to be considered by prog-head CD collections. During the same period The Animals made more adventurous things. The most brilliant works in proto-prog must be captured in Arthur Brown's music, Seventh Sons, Moondog, Third Ear Band, Sun Ra, Oriental sunshine and a few others.

This is favorite Beatles album, probably due to the fact that it is the first album on which the band really begins to flirt with psychedelia (and, coincidently, also LSD). On Revolver, The Beatles finally finish the step, which they began to take with Rubber Soul, away from their early Merseybeat sound, unfolding the intelligent psychedelic pop/rock that was to influence the rest of their career together, and this experimentation, combined with the great songs and melodies found on this album, makes this one of the greatest pop albums of all time.

No weak tracks, but the opener, "Taxman", stands out as my personal favorite.

4/5 stars, as I wouldn't call it a masterpiece when it comes to progressive music, but definitely an album worth owning.

On their previous record "Rubber Soul" the band was singing about girls and love, but on "Revolver" the band has grown up. This is a more adventerous album, especially the final song "Tomorrow Never Knows" an experimental, psychedelic song with tape loops, a backward guitar part, and lyrics borrowed from Timothy Leary's version of "The Tibetan Book Of The Dead".

Of course there are lots of radio friendly songs like the opener "Taxman" with Mr.Harrison complaining about being taxed to death. Some really good scorching guitar as well. "Eleanor Rigby" has long been a favourite of mine, a strings driven song. Some of my other favourites from this record are "Love To You", a Harrison song with sitar and tabla, very Indian sounding. "Here, There And Everywhere" is such a good ballad. "Good Day Sunshine" is a fun, upbeat tune. While "Doctor Robert" is a song that for some reason gets stuck in my head everytime I hear it.

The band's sound is starting to expand even more on this record, yes they are progressing ! A historic record.

Wow. One of the three best The Beatles albums ever made. Along with Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper's, it is an album every progressive rock lover, and really any rock lover, should own. This album shows off The Beatles impressively, and shows some of their deeper side, while also including the light-hearted, fun side of Beatles music.

Some notable songs on it are:

"Taxman", a good look at what exactly the government tries to get away with when they instill taxes. Besides that it is an instantly recognizable, accessible song slightly different from most Beatles songs, and a good start to an album that significantly changes after it uses this song as the intro.

"Eleanor Rigby" is one of The Beatles greatest achievements. In the background, there is no traditional rock instruments. Instead, the song features a string orchestra as its only background! The orchestra makes good listening, especially to a string orchestra player like myself. The depressing lyrics are balanced with extreme catchiness that will have this song memorized on the first two listens. A gem!

"Yellow Submarine", what can I say? You have all heard it, and most love it. It is one of the first songs to use voice and other non-musical sound in it. It is not the best on the album, but still wonderful-and historic!

"Good Day Sunshine" is just a good old fashion hippy song, nothing more to say about it, just hippyrific!

"For No One" is another depressing song, but done very well, with an incredibly unexpected horn part in the middle. Not the best horn playing, but good enough, and it makes you sit back and ask yourself "where did that come from"? An excellent addition.

The last song, "Tomorrow Never Knows" ends the album well. It is highly unconventional, much like Yellow Submarine, it adds completely unexpected non-musical tracks. The mellotron rounds it off as a high point to end the album with.

These were not all the songs on the album, there are many more excellent ones. In closing, this album is an absolute masterpiece, if you don't have it, go get it now! Well, what are you sitting there for? I said NOW!

Taxman is a nice rock song that in a way is almost the origon of Punk. It most certainally has all the anger and political lashings it needs!

Eleanor Rigby is the first highlight of the album, although no Beatle plays a single note! This masterpiece is just the voices of the Beatles and a string quartet. It is very very impressive, and is best played on a rainy day.

I'm Only Sleeping is a trippy song with a lot of backwards guitar effects. It puts me in a very dreamy state.

Love You To is a Harrison song, and it shows the start of the Indian influence on Beatles music.

Here, There and Everywhere is a lot like Paul's big hit Yesterday.

Yellow Submarine. Need I say more? This song is a disgrace.

The Beatles get the drug songs flowing with She Said She Said. This song would lead the way for many more great songs on future albums in the same vain (vein. :-))

Good Day Sunshine is a great song with some clever orchestration from George Martin. He really was the third dimension to the Beatles.

And Your Bird Can Sing is a lot like the old Beatles, just pop songs that are better than pop songs ever were and ever will be.

For No One is, if you can call it that, the low point of the album (excluding of course the sickening Yellow Submarine. I hate Ringo.)

Doctor Robert is a catchy song that is most certainly a great addition to the album.

Got to Get You into My Life is one of my personal favorite Beatle songs (though I like Earth Wind And Fire's version of the song better.) Very catchy.

The Beatles sure know how to close an album. Tomorrow Never Knows is the "A Day In The Life" of Revolver. The sound on this classic is absolutely incredible, and keep in mind that this is 1966! Truely jaw dropping!

The 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" blew the music scene and the public of that time away. It was something no-one had ever heard before. In hindsight "Revolver" should have had the unanimously enthusiastic reception and respect that was credited to "Sgt. Pepper's". You could say REVOLVER was a sheer REVOLution in rock music. The title couldn't be more appropriate. The first progressive song ever is on this record: "Tomorrow never knows". It doesn't have the epic lenght a genuine progsong is supposed to have, but it was certainly revolutionary in the way it was sung and played with the backward guitars and all. The only drawback on this album is the fact that most song are faded out fairly quickly at a point where you think "Mm, that tastes morish"). But I guess that was the way records were produced in these days. In that respect "Sgt. Pepper's" is the real revolution in rock history. Production techniques were far better on the latter. Therefore four stars.

This is...if I may say, a rather good record. The one I am reviewing is the original mono pressing...just to keep in mind. I am currently reading Geoff Emericks book "Here There and Everywhere" and so I have read up a lot on the recording of this groundbreaking album. I would have to say, it merges the quirky catchy hooks of the Beatles early music and introduces a myriad of new techniques and ideas. My appreciation for this band has grown because of this album. I would recommend it to anyone. Not an essential for prog fans...but I don't mean that in a bad way...it simply is just a really great thing that I think everyone should enjoy. I mean...come on, its The Beatles!

Although I'm yet to give my money to Michael Jackson, Revolver is my favorite Beatles album. I really haven't got much to say, I guess the greatness just leaves you without words. From start to finish, the record is full of excellent songs. Taxman rocks. Eleanor Rigby is just one of the best Beatles songs ever in all it's orchestrated glory. I'm Only Sleeping.. Just beautiful. Drugs may be 'bad' but they're responsible for such great songs. This is the case with the LSD inspired "She Said, She Said" and the Mary Jane praising "Got To Get You Into My Life" which are both personal favorites of mine. The only low point on the album is "Yellow Submarine" yet even that is very good and an amusing oddity among all the great songs. The album closes with another classic and a personal favorite, the awesome "Tomorrow Never Knows".

Essential prog? Eh, only two songs are barely over 3 minutes long. But it is a definite 5 star masterpiece.

Peace, love and rock'n'roll to all.

The Beatles is a pop rock masterpiece it combines very new things in rock music at the time. Psychedelic music was very early in the game when it came out and it is a good arguement for popularizing it. It also combines traditional Indian Music in Love You To, avant garde, backward tape loops and Indian Drone in Tomorrow Never Knows, classical art song in Eleanor Rigby. You hear mixed meters in She Said She Said, and Love You To not really common in rock music at the time and a definite progressive rock feature. You hear also backward guitar solo's in I'm Only Sleeping and Tomorrow Never Knows.

I rate Revolver a 5 because not only you hear early strains of progressive rock in some songs but it also intergrated outsdie sources of music with pop with incredible ease and many future progressive rockers like Yes to Styx have tried this approach. Other innovations or sort of new things the vocals through a leslie box on Tomorrow Never Knows, Automatic Double Tracking on many songs, twin backward guitar parts on I' m Only Sleeping, the tamboura drone on Love You To and to the double string quartet and no rock intruments on Eleanor Rigby. Of course they were the usual pop rock songs like the hard rock protest song in Taxman, the pop gems in Good Day Sunshine and For No One. The Beatles were not exclusively a prog rock band, but they are one of the biggest influences on progressive rock

i consider Revolver to be the greatest Beatles album, and one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

Revolver is short, contains 14 perfect tracks, and has extremely high replay value.

Its influence is obvious and it contains one of the first psychedelic tracks ever released, Tomorrow Never Knows. Its a goofy track with revolutionary production effects.

The famous Yellow Submarine is also on Revolver, all though its my least favorite song on this album. Here, There, and Everywhere stands out as the best track on Revolver, and possibly the Beatles most beautiful songs.

Not much to say about Revolver except that its perfect in nearly every way.

The Beatles are the act most responsilble from turning rock away from it's roots. This album is one of the biggest reasons why. Here are my highlights.

1. Taxman- You have the Hendrix chord distored before Hendrix was out. Mix the funky bass line with the highly distorted Indian style guitar solo. 2. Love You Too- Rock meets world music fusion. The use of exotic microtones. 3. I'm only Sleeping- Backward guitars. Indian sounding detuned guitars. 4. Eleanor Rigby- Music without rock instruments. 5. She Said She Said- Acid Rock with sections in contrasting meters 6. And Your Bird Can Sing- Twin unison guitars. 7. Tomorrow Never Knows- The song is the ultimate fusion pop song. Indian, Avant and Music Concrete and Early psychedelic rock. Two chord drone song that is a modal tune.

Beatles on PA, kind of a stretch. It's like saying any band that did anything new at all should be on here, and that's not the case. I suppose some of their music has some sounds that were influential on The Moody Blues and Procul Harum and even King Crimson, thereby influencing prog, but I dunno, somehow I think John Lennon would be like "haha, WTF" if he knew he was on a prog website, but whatever. The Beatles did influence Transatlantic, and any band that did that is fine by me. This might be my favorite Beatles album, either this or Sgt. Pepper's. So many great songs on here almost every song; Taxman, I'm Only Sleeping, Love You To, She Said She Said, I Want to Tell You, and Tomorrow Never Knows are my personal favorites. For a long time my favorite Beatles song was A Day in the Life, but I Want to Tell You is currently it; I can just feel this song more than any other song by the band; "I get hung up and I don't know why, I don't mind, I could wait forever, I've got time". It's just one of the greatest lines in music, I think, and this album is full of them; one of the essental albums of rock.

The Beatles Revolver contains many tracks that would be influential to progressive rock Taxman- a ancestor to the funk hard rock of The Red Hot Chilli Peppers just listen to the bass line I'm Only Sleeping- backward guitars very influential to many artists including Hendrix himself. Love You To- The Beatles introduce rock music to Classical Indian music not the faux stuff done by the Kinks or the Byrds. True Indian drones and use of Indian ensmeble. Eleanor Rigby- classical music with just vocals She Said She Said- the second song on this album that uses irregular meter Tomorrow Never Knows- the Psychedelic techno of this song is about 25 years ahead of this time. The use of sample like music, vocals through speakers and the exotic Indian drones. An amazing innovative song.

"Revolver" clearly indicates a change of direction of the Fab Four music. More elaborate than anything they have released so far.

It paved the way for "Peppers" and its psychedelic mood. It is the Fab Four seventh release in three years 'time!!! Another top one on both sides of the Atlantic.

For the first time, more credit is given to Georges who is signing three songs and will introduce the use of rare instruments. One of their hardest song "Taxman" is an acid attack about the British tax system. The band was actually paying huge taxes and the violent rhythm depicts quite well their feeling about it. It was not frequent to get a Georges song as an opener (but there will be other ones in the future).

On the other end of the scope, "Eleanor Rigby" is a diamond of a melody featuring an awesome chords section (like during "Yestraday"..

Some psychedelic mood during "I'm Only Sleeping". This describes John's foundness for ...sleeping! Some saw some relation with drug (ab) use, but that seems not to be confirmed.

The band had experienced already some sitar on "Norwegian Wood", so now Georges is introducing another Indian instrument on "Love You To" : the tabla. One of the very few "Beatles" song which doesn't figure neither Paul nor John. Only Georges and Ringo backed up by an Indian musician on the tabla. Very pleasant and fully original.

One of the more melancholic songs from this very good album is "Here, There and Everywhere". It is an extraordinary ballad where the harmonies are just gigantic. A highlight and rather a contrast with "Yellow Submarine". Even if it features some original arrangements, it is not at all one of my fave. The lead vocals is from Ringo, and unfortunately as during each of them I just feel a bit disappointed.

The next good one is a McCartney song : "Good day Sunshine". Vocals are particularly well performed. Actually, Georges and John are just doing the backings here. They don't play any instrument while Georges Martin is playing the piano.

The rocking sound of this album is perpetuated by John. "And Your Bird Can Sing" is a mix of rock and harmony. Another very good song from John which is less known. Just like most of the ones from this "Revolver" album.

"For No One" is another melodic tune. It is also a track in which two members are not involved in the recording (Georges and John). The use of different instrument is also a feature : Paul playing clavichord (a medieval instrument ancestor of the piano in some sort) while Ringo plays tambourine. There is even horn played by a guest.

Lots of horns as well during "Got To Get You Into My Life" which got a strange life cycle. This song was released as a single in ... 1976 in the US to promote a compilation. would you believe that it peaked at the seventh spot in the US charts? Way after they broke up!

The most psychedelic song of all here is "Tomorrow never Knows". Remember this album was released in 1966. Floyd hasn't yet released "Piper" nor "The Doors" their first album and Airplane was in its infancy. This song is really precursory of a whole movement which will soon invade the musical scene. A great and very interesting closing number, although not very well known either.

This album can hardly considered as prog. It was original and influential. And it is a very good one.

Four stars.

I know this isn't prog, but I can't bring myself to give it less than full marks, because it is one of those albums that are so near perfect that it transcends any kind of musical label or genre. There is nothing special about the bands technical skills, they are just four average musicians, but when it comes to composition they have a gift to create some of the most beautiful melodies, sounds and lyrics to be created in the 20th century. Anyway on to the songs...

'Taxman' kicks off the album and it rocks hard. A thunderous bass line and acid-tinged lyrics drive this song. It was probably written about a problem with taxes at the time, but is still relevant now as it outlines a corruption in 'the system'.

'Eleanor Rigby' is perhaps the most beautiful song on the record, and one of the most perfect pop songs created. It does not include any traditional pop/rock instruments, but orchestral strings. The vocals are wonderful and the lyrics are touching. It is a great contrast with the last track, and proves my comment that the music transcends labels and genres.

'I'm Only Sleeping' is a great psychedelic number with John on vocals. This may or may not be a reference to drugs, but I don't care. The music is excellent and that's what counts.

'Love You To' is an experiment in traditional Indian music and uses authentic Indian instrumentation (another deviation away from traditional po/rock). The droning sound of this song sounds and dreamy and it is quite possible for the listener to feel elated purely by listening to this music.

'Here, There and Everywhere' is the first real pop song on the album, but when we're talking about the Beatles that isn't a bad thing. It has a beautiful melody, and showcases the band's talent to create lyrics that you can relate to, rather than the cheesiness that was becoming popular in love ballads at the time.

'Yellow Submarine' is unfortunately the first below average song on the album. It is not terrible, but I must admit this sounds very commercial and seems to be merely a novelty song. But as novelty songs go, it's a good one.

'She Said She Said' is another song with a psychedelic hint to it. The psychedelic genre I think was in its very early stages at this point, and the Beatles contributed a lot to its development. The songs lyrics are quite depressing, but by keeping them simple the band can really make it feel like something you can relate to.

'Good Day Sunshine' is a real feel good song, and is a bit of light relief after the dismal 'she said...'.

'And Your Bird Can Sing' seems like a 'nice' love song at first, but inspection of the lyrics reveals it might be a bit more sinister, contrasting with the upbeat tune.

'For No One' is my favourite song on the whole album and my second favourite by the band. It is a beautiful and melancholic song with perhaps the most harshly realistic lyrics on the album. It is somewhat reassuring though. At one point in my life I found it very eerie that the lyrics perfectly described how I was feeling. Add to this the best melody on the album and we have a perfect pop song.

'Doctor Robert' is my least favourite song on the album, but I can enjoy it when I'm in the right mood. It doesn't really fit in with the rest of the record.

'I Want to Tell You' is a song that is easy to look over but is a real hidden gem, with its ultra catchy chorus and some lyrics which I think any guy can relate to and has understood at some point.

'Got to Get You into my Life' returns to a more rocky sound. Apparently it's about drugs, but it doesn't have to be, and again taking into consideration the strength of the musc it doesn't matter.

'Tomorrow Never Knows' finishes the album in a spectacular array of sounds that are just on the border of what can actualy be called music. It is a strange way to end an album, but the Beatles can pull it off, leaving a sense of completeness to the album.

It is hard to listen to this album without going through many emotions, and it is a journey for me as the different tracks remind me of different times in my life. 5 stars.

"Revolver" made the name of the band sky rocketing because through this excellent album they can even make much more depth of their arrangements. Look at "Eleanor Rigby" which has all the dimensions of progressive music: the melody, the vocal harmonies and the arrangements are all excellent. In fact, this song has been taken by many progressive bands to be re-arranged based on their own version. My best favorite arrangement is those by Esperanto from the album "The Last Tango". The arrangement is using violin with dynamic rock music. The second one that I like is the one re-arranged by God Bless from my country. The "Eleanor Rigby" interpretation is so dynamic. But let's come back to the original version of this song by The Beatles. The song contains challenging notes that build a strong composition.

"Taxman" is a great rocker and it has simple arrangement and rhythm section. It's very clear that Lennon and McCartney collaboration in songwriting has proven to be very effective. This song with pondering beats is well-suited as opening track. "Here, There and Everywhere" is also another excellent example of how The Beatles paid attention in details so that the song has a solid composition. "Yellow Submarine" experienced tremendous success as major hit followed with "Got to Get Into My Life" which once was popular being covered by funky brass section band Earth, Wind & Fire. I personally love "For No One" and "Dr Robert". These two songs have great groove and tight bass lines. There are ambient notes that lead to prog music elements.

Overall, this is a truly excellent music offering by The Beatles where the band had solidified their music style since "Help" was released. As far as prog concern, "Eleanor Rigby" can be considered as the band's exploration into prog scene. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

I don't know much about the history of music, but from a cursory glance at the prog albums released pre-1967, we can see that there was nothing until God said: Let there be Revolver. This is thus the definitive proto-prog album, if not the ultimate inspiration of the entire genre, if such generalizations can be made. So it is absolutely deserving of the full 5 stars. However, this album is not merely a great prog album, it one of the best albums in the history of popular music.

1. Taxman (2:39) - There's never been a better opener...the tension builds up with all sorts of studio noises, a recognizably Liverpudlian voice counts off...1, 2, 3, and then comes the most gratifying OH! you can hear while not in bed with someone. 2. Eleanor Rigby (2:07) - An early example of symph rock. 3. I'm Only Sleeping (3:01) - Sounds a bit like Beck...psychedelic slacker anthem, the sitar is great, but used more interestingly on the next song, I think. 4. Love You To (3:01) - The Beatles pioneered the use of the sitar in Western pop music, and thus raga rock. This song the sitar in a genuinely Indian way, not as a strange folksy instrument (like on 'Norwegian Wood, from Rubber Soul) 5. Here, There and Everywhere (2:25) - Beautiful. 6. Yellow Submarine (2:40) - A misunderstood song. Some people like to mention this song whenever the Beatles are brought up, because it is supposed to persuade us that they were nothing but a boy band. This ignores the rest of the album, and the entirety of the Beatles discography post-Rubber Soul. The song was, in fact, innovative for its musique concrete influence. 7. She Said She Said (2:37) - Hilarious psychedelic lyrics. Just imagine a bunch of people on hallucinogens having a conversation like this... 8. Good Day Sunshine (2:09) - My favorite song, which isn't really a prog track. It's just amazingly simple and uplifting. 9. And Your Bird Can Sing (2:01) - An inspiring pop track. 10. For No One (2:01) - a perfectly subtle piece of melancholy. 11. Doctor Robert (2:15) - The song title refers to the dentist who introduced The Beatles to LSD. 12. I Want to Tell You (2:29) - Searing, manic, and totally speaks to the geek in all of us. 13. Got to Get You into My Life (2:30) - lots of brass, definitely a pop number. Not my favorite, though I suppose it's fine. 14. Tomorrow Never Knows (2:57) - One of the earliest, and best, psychedelic tracks of all time. It heralded a new age. It's hard to know just how vitally important this song must have been.

As far as Psychedelia goes, this is a masterpiece along with The Zombies - Oddesey & Oracle. Here There and Everywhere always reminded me of Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant and some of GG's other ballads like Think Of Me With Kindness and His Last Voyage. I happen to think Dr. Robert is one of the best rock tunes ever written on Revolver, and it's a wonder to me why no one ever covers it. Tomorrow Never Knows also gets a mention for coolest drum track(simple it is not...although it sounds simple). Revolver gets 5 stars for _psychedelic masterpiece_, 3 stars for prog. fans, though.

First let me say that in my music library i took out the children's song pop garbage that is Yellow Submarine and made it a 13 track album and it is maybe ten times better, i suggest it. Now to the review. This is THE ONLY Beatles album i enjoy. Interesting timbre, very middle Eastern influenced in the music and voal stylings. Short and to the point songs make it not a prog album but rather a proto prog album which i would agree whole heartedly about. I still stand, despite my fondness of this album, that the Beatles are for people not intelligent or not patient enough to understand real progressive rock music that they need to be force-fed verse chorus verse chorus corporate radio rock. R.I.P. Beatles. you made one decent album.

Although "Sergeant Pepper" often wins polls as the "best album ever", in reality the quality of songs is even better on their earlier album "Revolver", in which the prog related element of this album is illustrated no better than the wildly experimental and hugely influencial "Tomorrow Never Knows".

"Revolver" shows John and Paul at their song writing peak, with Paul writing more first rate tracks in this album than he ever did in previous or future albums. John had achieved this feat himself on the previous album "Rubber Soul" and was becoming more experimental in "Revolver". Ironically there are so many good songs on this album that many of Paul's best tracks (and indeed Johns) do not appear on the Red compilation album (62-66). Even George was on top form with 3 self penned tracks including the satirical "Taxman".

Paul experiments on this album to fine effect with soul based sounds ("Got to get you into my life") as well as string quartets (The haunting "Elanor Rigby"), whilst John produces complex electric guitar harmonies on "she said she said" and in "And your bird can sing" whilst creating the beautifully lazy "I'm only dreaming".

I'm not being original here in saying that this is the best album ever, but you can't really argue with such quality. If any album deserved five stars, it's this one.

This is a great album with a few prog elements in it.....but mostly it is a pop album.....Eleanor Rigby is simply an amazing song....that has different instuments and was probably influential to future prog artists. As strictly a pop rock album this would probably be 5 stars.....but there are not enough progressive elements for me to rank 5 stars....Still a great album though.

Genre- Psychedelic Rock, Baraque Pop, World Music, Proto-Prog Rock, Experimental Rock and Psychedelic Pop

This is really the beginning of the Psychedelic Rock movement as we know it today and it came a full year earlier in 1966! This LP introduces pop fans to things that were to come in rock music way before they became a staple. Case in point: The horn section that was later to be a constant in the Chicago Transit Authority's first and subsequent Lps ( in the tune Got To Get You Into My Life), the first Drum-n-bass recording (with no machines, in Tomorrow Never Knows, rock-meets-world music (Love To You with it's pre-Sgt. Pepper sitar/tabla workout), the heavily distored Indian style guitar solo by Paul on the Harrison penned, Taxman....the backwards guitar in I'm Only Sleeping.

Tomorrow Never Knows Psychedelic/ Electronic Rock fusion was the most radical departure from previous Beatles' recordings for its skeletal bass/drums propulsion enhanced only with tape loops (contributed by all four Beatles and added in the mix-down process), more backwards guitar, mellotron and an eerie John Lennon vocal.

Eleanor Rigby with it's chamber music. It is quite unlike anything previously recorded by The Beatles, or by any other main-stream guitar-rock artist, not so much an extension of In My life's baroque beauty, but something quite of its own.

Many other recording techniques and devices that were previewed on this LP for the first time. Overall this record they upped the ante for groups that came after which led to the world getting to hear the most advanced musicians in rock with the dawning of the Progressive rock and later the fusion era.....for better or worse...

I must admit I am a little surprised to find the Beatles covered in your website, as the hippyish youngsters I knew when I was a teenager simply couldn't accept that the Beatles were a (possibly) the major frontrunning band for hippy music/ psychedelia. They were so huge, and it's very important that they took this path into psychedelia - as everyone else always kind of followed what they did. I'm not really sure whether they invented psychedelia or not, but they had the great advantage of being the biggest band in the World ever, the best recording equipment at the time and the greatest producer in George Martin. They led the way into what happened next with the development of the hippy music scene (and ultimately Progressive rock)

This truly is essential listening if you want to understand the roots of Prog rock. its birth and how it developed . This is a wonderful album, and was and remains my favourite Beatles album. I bought it in the late 70's when I was only 12, and played it and played it without getting up from my chair (6 1/2 times in one day!). I think I must hav eplayed this hundreds of times altogether.

They were really experimenting - they had the facilities to do so - with new instruments and styles (some inklings of this may be heard in the previous Rubber Soul). In Tomorrow Never Knows you get a true spacey psychedelic track, fantastically advanced for its time. I won't bore you by going through all the tracks - just lie back, listen and enjoy

I mean Pink FLoyd practically worshipped them, and recorded Piper at the Gates whilst the Beatles were doing Sargeant Pepper in another studio in the same building.

Without the Beatles, this all may never have been....

Essential listening for those who want to understand.....Unforgettable

And now everything marched rightly when we compared the Brazilian release with its British equivalent: same name, same cover, same track listing and order, same release year. and as a paean to so much agreement: a superb album! Something was under preparation inside Beatles' factory, and it could be perceived just after thanks to the previous album, Rubber Soul, and a couple of singles containing exquisite moods like 'We can work it out' and 'Rain'. Also the guys were being more and more influenced by producer George Martin and were working with a vast array of musicians that brought new trends to their sound.

One of these trends came directly from India, with raga tunes, sitars & tablas, etc, and was discreetly noted in some songs heard previously but with Revolver they came really noticeable with the frenzy 'Love you to' - this oriental flavor, together with other great tracks like 'Tomorrow never knows', 'She said, she said' and 'I'm only sleeping' helped to make Revolver a clear psychedelic work which is part of the prog- rock roots.

But the plethora of marvels continues with great proto-symphonic songs like 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'For no one', folk tunes like 'Good day sunshine', the funky 'Got to get you into my life' and pure rocks like 'Taxman' and 'And your bird can sing'. Even average songs like 'I want to tell you' and 'Dr. Robert' or the extremely cheesy 'Here, there and everywhere' run smoothly amid so good companions. The only disappointment is just the disjointed 'Yellow submarine', actually one of the most remembered songs done by the quartet.

All in all, considering how (r)evolving Revolver was if we check the era it was issued and the high quality of the songs displayed, it becomes clear that we are facing a timeless masterpiece.

First words: My REVOLVER rewrite is occurring on Sept. 12, 2009, just a few days after Beatle-mania gets revived for a short time.

REVOLVER is highly lauded by fans, critics, and people alike as one of the best overall examples of recorded music. I've convinced myself that if we ever discover intelligent life on other planets, we'll send them a Beatles record (maybe this one...) to show them what we call ''music''. I respect the opinion of people crowning this album the best ever, but I can't see eye-to-eye with them.

A good bulk of the album is what I consider very good pop, even at times progressive pop. There's the incorporation of the sitar on songs like ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' and ''Love to You'', the string orchestrations on ''Eleanor Rigby'' and the brass things on ''Got to Get You Into My Life'' that makes this album special and innovative for 1966. There are also a few good doses of hard rock like ''Taxman''.

Somehow, I can't understand the whole majesty of REVOLVER. I blame the hype surrounding the Beatles and everything they've done to me not getting full enjoyment out of this. Too many sleepy ballads such as ''For No One'' and unnecessary oddities like ''Yellow Submarine'' prevent me from giving the album a high rating. For the most part, I really can't get any enjoyment out of this album; it's missing an aura that I just can't explain.

The Beatles are definitely an important band to include in any type of music collection. REVOLVER may have a spot in your heart, but don't expect it to be the ''be all, end all'' of all albums. Historically significant, not much more.

People so often credit the incredible Sgt. Pepper to the invention of the beginning of progressive music. Somehow, I find that very difficult to believe. While Sgt. Pepper is more experimental, this is really where thier experimintantion with Indian music, going against typical music layout, and having more complexity and a pshycadelic feel began. They also used backward tape loops, which indicate experimintation. The opening, TAXMAN is a great hard rock song with a great solo by Harrison. While everything here's great (with the exception of YELLOW SUBMARINE), the standout on the album are the two songs using more Indian-type classical music. The better of the two is LOVE YOU TO, though both are great. In fact, the whole album's incredible. This is where the first prog band started making progressive-type music, and is an incredible album, not just on a progressive scale.

Really, this is a must own for anyone. For prog historians, collectors, or just average people who listen to prog, this is something that will make anyone's prog collection better.

This album is the 60's in an album...not Sergeant Pepper's which like the White Album has moments of brilliance and moments of self-indulgent waste. On the other hand, the excellent Rubber Soul was starting to incorporate more experimentation into the deceptively not-so-simple songcraft of the early Beatles, but only in a rudimentary way. Revolver (along with the several similar timed singles like Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane) represent the balance point where it all comes together and it all works.

Fifth Beatle George Martin is all over this album, and George Harrison also has a strong hand. As in later releases, new recording techniques were created for the album, and here it all works. Heavy psychedelics (the Fabs had moved from speed and weed to LSD at this point in earnest) and some of the best depictions of tripping are on this album. And yet this is the album of the timeless Elenor Rigby and the best Ringo-romp Yellow Submarine.

This is the album that cracked open the gates to the flood of experimentation that changed what an album could be. Brian Wilson has said that Pet Sounds was an attempt to match this album, and was hailed as a masterpiece of redefining what an album was. Sergeant Pepper was the Beatles return volley, and really just finished the job that Revolver started.

The songs have been described individually and most people know them already. I simply want to put my vote in for this album as the beginning of the experimental rock album, the apex of the essential late 60's era.

The Beatles were showing signs of Psychedelia and studio experimentation on Rubber Soul. Revolver is an important step in Progressive Rock while none of the songs can be actually be called Prog, this was still 1966 it was very progressive. It is the first album in Rock where the studio as an instrument is used in preoccupation with psychedelic effects, including electronic/tape effects rather than the Brian Wilson/Phil Spector wall of sound strategy.

The Beatles use Indian instruments or sounds; particularly the Sitar, tamboura, and Tabla on Love You To. The song Tomorrow Never Knows introduces the concept of psychedelic. The lyrics influenced by Leary are The Psychedelic Experience and the studio manipulation of sounds resulted in abstract sonic environments. The Beatles created a wall of sound of tape loops backwards, sped up, on Tomorrow Never Knows with a raga-drum style pattern and it became one of the most influential songs not only to Art-Rock but in electronica.

Other tracks include Taxman with its funky bass line, distorted slashing chords and fuzz raga styled guitar solo. Classical influences are heard in Eleanor Rigby and the use of clavichord on For No One. "Psychedelic effects are heard in the backward guitar parts on "I'm Only Sleeping which became an important technique in Rock Music. A special shout for the harmonized guitar parts on And Your Bird Can Sing a really great power pop type of song.

Revolver might not be out and out Prog but it fuses pop, Psychedelia, World Music, and studio techniques with ease. It's basically a master class for future rockers to use for experimentation

'Revolver' - The Beatles (8.5/10)

Before releasing 'Revolver' in 1966, The Beatles were still basically a completely-pop oriented band. The songs were pretty in tune with the common style of the day, and while the songwriting was obviously far superior to alot of the material generally being released (hence the band's overwhelming popularity and acclaim) there wasn't really a big factor of true innovation about their music. Suddenly, 'Revolver' comes along, and all of a sudden, The Beatles are experimenting; push the barriers of popular music to new heights. In context, this could be considered one of the most prog albums of all time, simply because it was so ahead of it's time. The psychedelic era wouldn't start for at least another year, and the prog movement in general was practically unheard of. A truly forward-thinking release from one of the most popular groups of the time was sure to cause a stir.

This is (possibly disregarding 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.') my favourite Beatles release, and there's good reason as to why. There are obvious pop-oriented tunes, but there are also more creative techniques used in some of the material. The most progressive song on here, without a doubt is the psychedelic 'Tommorow Never Knows.' Despite being a relatively short piece, it's my favourite Beatles song, and one of the most progressive songs ever recorded. The song is essentially designed in order to emulate an acid trip, and a great deal of effects are used. The lyrics are very cerebral/cryptic, and discard alot of the romantic leanings they have with alot of their material. It's a song that I can listen to over and over again and still be amazed.

The fact that all of the songs fall under being four minutes long might turn off some progressive listeners, but one must accept 'Revolver' for what it is, a 'pop' album that helped pave the way to more progressive things. I find the poppier numbers quite enjoyable to listen to (especially the ones that incoperate hefty doses of psychedelia.)

'Revolver' would be the first Beatle's album that could be considered a 'masterpiece.' While it's critically overshadowed by 'Sgt. Peppers,' it forever holds a place in my heart as being one of the inaugural works of progressive rock. An obvious essential.

I Could Wait Forever-I Got Time

Well I was going to review some more Yes, then I heard this album on shuffle. Needless to say I had to throw down everything and write a review about this landmark release by the Beatles. Now it seems like it will be a simultaneous reviewing of Beatles and Yes recordings.

Anyway, this album sees the continued maturation of their mid 60's sound: exploratory, edgy, and well egregious to old fans! To say this music is as diverse as popular music ever got may not be that far from the truth. This album was released before the Beatles last tour in 1966; the fact they chose not to perform any of the material live is a testament to the drastic shift in complexity found on their newest album. Excellent songwriting, some of the finest compositions by Lennon/McCartney and then some Harrison pieces as well.

The timbre is beyond anything the Beatles had used on Rubber Soul; George Martin's orchestral arrangements in 'Eleanor Rigby' are set against Paul's vocals, which are double tracked doing the chorus (first time such a technology was availible and the Beatles would use it to perfection), the tone of the strings establishes a elegiac mood alongside lyrics that were unique for a Beatles piece. 'For No One' features a lovely french horn solo and is a modest yet overwhelming piece of music.

Love to You' utilizes tabla, tamboura and sitar, creating a droning effect in George's first Indian influenced number. 'Tomorow Never Knows' incorporates reverse guitar, doubled track and processed vocals (recorded through a Leslie speaker), tape loops and similar instrumentation to 'Love to You' with a hypnotic drum beat (also containing the solo of 'Taxman' during an instrumental break).

The experimentation on this album ushered in a new genre of music: pyschedelic rock. There is a wealth of great music to be found here, extremely diverse with melodies to die for folks and I would advise anybody to get this album if they do not particularly think much of the Beatles. It is truly one of the greatest albums the rock genre produced compacted into 35 minutes. Enjoy!

"Revolver" is the 7th full-length studio album by UK pop/rock act The Beatles. The album was released through Parlophone Records in August 1966. The material for the album was recorded from April to June 1966 at Abbey Road Studios and the album was produced by George Martin. The Beatles had begun their transformation from a single based act to an album based act on their previous album "Rubber Soul (1965)" and that development was continued on "Revolver".

Stylistically "Revolver" is also the natural successor to "Rubber Soul (1965)", but it sees The Beatles experiment even more with various recording effects and studio technology innovations (reverse tape loops, backwards played sections, the use of automatic double tracking) and also incorporates the band´s (particularly George Harrison´s) new found interest in Indian music and culture, and ethnic Indian instruments like citar and tambura. The latter instruments and the experimental use of effects and recording methods often give the songs on "Revolver" a psychadelic twist.

"Revolver" opens with the hard rocking and quite angry sounding "Taxman" but immediately changes into a somber melancholic mood on "Eleanor Rigby". A track featuring only Paul McCartney´s lead vocals, John Lennon and George Harrison's harmony vocals, and a string octet arrangement by George Martin. Other highlights include "I´m Only Sleeping", "Love You To", "For No One", "Doctor Robert", "Got to Get You Into My Life" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". The latter a particularly innovative track in terms of studio recording techniques and use of Indian instruments and definitely one of the most interesting tracks in the band´s discography. The comedy pop/rock track "Yellow Submarine" needs to mentioned too as it´s a standout track on the album. It´s up for debate if it´s a great track with its childish main melody and flat and slightly out of tune lead vocals by Ringo Starr, but it arguably stands out.

"Revolver" may be a huge step forward for The Beatles in terms of creating a full album experience and the above mentioned innovative recording techniques provides the album with something special (especially considering that it´s a 1966 release), but the core ingredients of The Beatles are still here in abundance. The relatively simple vers/chorus song structures (save for a few tracks), the instantly catchy melodies and sing along choruses, and the exquisite vocal melodies and choir/harmony arrangements.

"Revolver" is a landmark release in The Beatles discography. "Rubber Soul (1965)" introduced some psychadelic ideas, but "Revolver" more fully embraces those ideas, while still retaining their melodic pop/rock sensibilities. It´s the stylistic diversity which is the great strength of "Revolver" (and it´s incredibly detailed and well sounding production), and what makes it such an intriguing listen from start to finish. Every song sounds unmistakably like The Beatles, but can still be very different in sound and style from the track preceding it. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

The Beatles buy a gun and play a game of Russian Roulette.

The first bullet is placed into this specially made Beatles chamber. Blam! We get Taxman. This is a short and rather plodding introduction track to this so revered album. The main repetitive rhythm never changes or progresses, and the main melodies heave more to be desired. With that, we get a "classic" Eleanor Rigby. I never did quite find the added violin to be of much expansive use, and almost felt shtick. They never seem to push for progression in song structure. Rather, they do more experimentation within the confines of sound and instrumentation.

I'm Only Sleeping is more of that nice catchy Beatles pop. It has easily discernible hooks. Psychedelia is a pronounced addition, and levels off the pop "attack". Bang bang. Love To You features more experimentation with sounds, adding Eastern touches that never really amazed me. But when the song picks up it turns into an album highlight.

These people will not be remembered as technical masters. They are rather mediocre in technicality. But, they could craft some fine hooks. Here, There, and Everywhere has more strong harmonies. Then you have one of their most well known songs, and one I can't really stand. The main theme is interesting enough, but those lyrics get to me. This is hardly poetic. I am of course speaking of Yellow Submarine. The main beat is nice, and it sounds pleasing enough, but I always feel something is missing.

She Said She Said has more of that processed fine melody and harmony, that fails to impress me very much. The added horns of the album are pleasant, but they could have done more with it. the songs are quite short, which keeps any one idea from becoming too familiar. There is also quite a bit of diversity. Still, songs like Good Day, Sunshine don't strike me, emotionally. None of these songs affect me very much on that level.

And Your Bird Can Sing features them "rocking out" Truly, the guitar doesn't get the spotlight, and I commend them for that. this is one of the better tracks, as the vocal harmonies are quite good. For No One begins with an unassuming vocal delivery. A nice vocal delivery, but it isn't fantastic. Compared to the other songs on the album, I feel this one is a bit bare, and it shows.

Doctor Robert is also a bit stale to me. I like the main rock premise, but it doesn't add up to much more than a simple rock tune. The lyrics aren't so good, and the singing could have been better, here. I Want To Tell You has perhaps the best overall use of guitar in the album, and the percussion utilized make for something a bit more interesting. There aren't that many different musical ideas present, for a 14 song album. None of the songs seem to evolve in any way, and it is rather bit a face value situation. Some of the small breaks you might find add more depth.

Got To Get You Into My Life is another vocally driven pop song. The sheen is good, and the production is stellar, but I still get this muddy overtone while listening. Perhaps it is the overall simplistic nature of the music, in general. Most of these don't stray too far from more fleshed out basic rock/pop songs.

A Sitar and skillful drum section opens the final song. I also consider this the best moment of the whole album. The seemed cacophony is a bit of a surprise compared to the record's previous work. Everyone seems to take spotlight, and it is the most progressing and complex song out of the 14. It is also the most unique and interesting.

In all, they don't ever stray too far from pop, even if they do use a good bit of sonic exploration here and there. Some of the songs are downright plain. They are fantastic at their art of vocal harmonizing, but this can't make the album an essential masterpiece, alone.

Best Moment - Tomorrow Never Knows

Worst Moment - For No One

*** Revolving stars

Spoiler warning...I am not concerned with presenting this album in its historical context nor in explaining it in terms of the time in which it was released...I am responding to it from my own perspective. Released a year before I was born, I probably was first exposed to the Beatles by my summertime babysitter in the 70s and who loved the Beatles. Not until the early 80s did my own appreciation for rock and pop first develop. I eventually traced back through the work of those artists that I enjoyed and admired and rediscovered the phenomenon that is the Beatles!

This album is largely a collection of portraits of people or moments caught in music either profoundly suited to the lyrical content or not so much. Each song is never more than three minutes long so even with 14 songs you may find this album over sooner than you would expect. There is also a heavy strain of what could be interpreted as a naive attitude towards the glories of drugs and their effects that might offend those who know now all too well the profound suffering that addiction can cause.

Taxman - Tight rocker spelling out how tax collectors are right up there with lawyers and repo men...good ironic humor. Lyrics from the perspective of the evil taxman to a guitar riff that upholds the aggressive indifference of the said taxman's intentions.

Eleanor Rigby - Haunting string instruments march you through elegant portraits of people living in quiet desparation; lyrics portray them without rescuing them; "Ah! Look at all the lonely people!" one of the more evocative chorus' ever sung

I'm Only Sleeping - First of a number of songs taken from moments in the life of a drug user. Good, laid-back shuffle about being sleepy-high and not wanting to be bothered

Love You To - Strikes me as being sincerely influenced by traditional Indian music. The exotic instrumentation is hypnotic and augments the lyrics drug-induced perspective

Here, There and Everywhere - Sounds like a quiet, humble love song on a still, lazy day...could be about getting high! Hard to tell sometimes (see Dr. Roberts, he'll hook you up!). Or could it be akin to the Police's "Every Breath You Take" which is really a song about a stalker!

Yellow Submarine - Who needs drugs when you have...imagination! If you don't sing along you will feel like you are missing out. How else are you going to get to see the "Octopus' Garden"? Great song effects enhance the fun and adventure on this classic that caught my attention as a child.

She Said She Said - Referring to the same woman as in "She's So Heavy"? Upbeat tune but really a great description of getting your mind blown or your reality shattered.

Good Day Sunshine - Carefree once again...the innocence of this song and its appreciation of a good moment bring some lightness into some of the murky darkness of previous songs...like a breath of fresh air.

And Your Bird Can Sing - Listening to Lennon noodling artfully makes this song for me. Never quite got what the lyrics are about.

For No One - Another character sketch with a catchy, quiet harpsichord and horn accompaniment

Dr. Roberts - This song is about the drug dealer we should be harranging perhaps...reflectes the Taxman's strong guitar line but is less aggressive in tone

I Want To Tell You - Catchy song elegantly creates the mood of having something that you wanted to say but not being able to get it out...the music travels in circles too as if trying to find something...perhaps this is a hidden or unintended theme throughout this album

Got To Get You Into My Life - About love (or lust) or about LSD? You decide.

"I was alone, I took a ride, I didn't know what I would find there Another road where maybe I could see another kind of mind there"

Tomorrow Never Knows - Mystical summary, perhaps, of the vague and potentially perilous moments this album has sketched. Sitar and tape loops create a "revolving" chaos that perhaps this album is meant to unfold in individual sketches like some "Pictures at an Exhibition" made by young and rebellious artists of the age. This song is the most complex by far and stands out instrumentally far above the other songs.

3 stars The songs may be a bit short to more deeply capture my attention but these are high quality pop and rock songs. "Eleanor Rigby", "Yellow Submarine" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" would make good additions to a progressive rock collection as these songs are precursors to the more fantastic or artfully constructed places that prog songs try and take us to.

"the acid album" -John Lennon

Lennon had named Rubber Soul "the pot album" for the band's substance of choice during 1965. Sometime late in that year, John, Cynthia, George, and Pattie drove into London for a social evening with their dentist and his girlfriend. At his house, without their consent, the four of them were "dosed" by this guy and officially sent on their first LSD trip. For the shy and straight-laced Cynthia, the evening was the most horrible thing she'd ever experienced, having to drive around to clubs with loud, crazy people while freaking out on A-bomb. John and George also had some scary hallucinations but unlike Cyn would be left wanting more rather than running from it. And so the period of writing and recording Revolver would become The Beatles LSD experimentation phase, leading Lennon to christen the results "the acid album."

Following the release of the killer Rubber Soul album, the boys played some dates in the UK before taking a break. Returning to Abbey Road Studios in the spring of 1966 they recorded all of the tracks for Revolver and their next single (Paperback Writer/Rain) between April and June. They would spend about three times more recording time on Revolver than on Rubber Soul as their interest in studio trickery, fueled by ever increasing psychedelics, became more doable with the increased time their status allowed. George Martin noted that their pre-8track trick of track "bouncing" increased now to almost every song on Revolver, whereas it was used only once on Rubber Soul. The result was another great album that many people consider their finest though I personally feel the songs were better on Rubber Soul. Yeah Revolver has more tricks up it sleeves, but Rubber Soul was the nicer shirt.

Side one of Revolver was really the great stuff. Harrison's "Taxman" is a scorching opener with a wickedly scranked-up guitar sound and biting lyrics, along with a more aggressive solo. Then came the McCartney masterpiece "Eleanor Rigby" which was a story about a lonely woman whose gravestone John and Paul used to see in their childhood, yes, she did exist. While Lennon dominated Rubber Soul it is McCartney who had the most impressive songs on Revolver. Besides "Rigby" there was the love letter to girlfriend Jane Asher "Here, There and Everywhere" with its gorgeous, velvety vocals. And there is the somber, dramatic "For no one" with its delightful horn part which sort of foretold stuff like "Penny Lane." Paul's triumphs continued with "Good day sunshine" and "Got to get you into my life." John's material was fairly average by his own high standards, which are still better than most of course. The best was "She said she said" featuring a line fed to him by Peter Fonda, the infamous "I know what it's like to be dead." But in my view most of his stuff here is pretty average sans the bells and whistles. "Dr. Robert" sounds more like something from Meet the Beatles than Revolver, pretty stock compared to the exotic "Love you to" with sitar and tabla.

Revolver is a must for Beatles fans and anyone really, but roles were switching a bit and Paul was stepping out front for most of the Beatles second act. It is my opinion that the combination of more drugs, less unity, and nonsense like the Indian spiritual retreat would lead the boys to albums that still had some great material, but would have their share of stuff that may have been "mind blowing" at the time, but may not hold up as well today.

An evolutionary album from the finest ever pop/rock band.

Many people claims this to be their finest hour. Maybe it is, but that is beyond the point. This is an album where The Beatles was using a lot of studio technics nobody had used before. They set a new standard in pop/rock music recordings on this album and it shows. Backwards guitars and loops was a revolution at that time. But as an album, Revolver is just an evolution on their long walk from With The The Beatles to Let It Be. That is what makes a journey through their 13 studio album such a fascinating, enjoyable journey.

This album starts with the rather good Taxman and continues with Eleanor Rigby, one of The Beatles best songs. Both lyrically and musically, that is. Loneliness has never been described better than in this song. The rest of the album includes the rather trippy, childish Yellow Submarine (the movie is great, btw) and some other great songs. They are too many to be mentioned here. There is no waste of space or fillers on this album.

My main impression is that this is one of the great The Beatles albums which has rightfully given them the position they have today. The album is progressive, a bit avant-garde and melodic at the same time. This album has greatly influenced the Canterbury Scene and most other contemporary music scenes today. Revolver is both an icon and a milestone in pop/rock. It is close to being a masterpiece. I prefer Sgt Peppers to Revolver. But Revolver is indeed a very fascinating listening and highly recommended.

4.25 stars

It is hardly seen any review on this album without any reference to its immediate successor "Sgt. Pepper's". Nevertheless, it is much more than a mere appetizer for The Beatles' so-called "masterpiece". In fact, this should be regarded as a masterpiece of its own, a brilliant collection of songs pointing out to the future. And it still points out, just as in 1966! Moreover, "Revolver" should not be thought of only as the turning point that it really represents in The Beatles' discography, but should also be considered in terms of what it means to rock'n'roll history. It contains sounds that had never been heard hitherto, that can only compare to The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" (though with much more urgency). "Revolver" was the first sign that, from then on, rock would not be a "youth fever". It would be "young people's art". What word other than "art" could be used to describe such beautiful songs as "She Said She Said" , "Tomorrow Never Knows" or "Here There And Everywhere"? So, whenever listening to this album, make sure you will pay attention to the fact that you are listening to a legitimate rock classic.

In 1966 you had Frank Zappa Varese-influenced music juxtaposed with a fifties rock and roll parody. You had Pet Sounds still seeped in Phil Spector Wall Of Sound. Bands like the Velvet Underground, and the Doors had yet to release their music.

The Beatles on the other hand though having influences like Stockhausen, Ravi Shankar, Motown, The Beach Boys and the Who were creating sounds that no one ever heard in rock and pop music.

What do the Beatles do they release songs with no rock instruments with strings and vocals in counterpoint "Eleanor Rigby". "I'm Only Sleeping" slows down the vocals, bass and cymbals slightly and have the guitar reversed on playback in out of the song and on the fade-out also creating a surrealistic or trippy effect. "Love You To" sees George Harrison going all Indian classical with spurts of distored guitar effects fading in and out. "She Said She Said" has hazy guitars, changing meter, psychedelic sounding bridge and Ringo relentless drum shot rolls in random all creating a unique psychedelic sound. At this point psychedelic rock was not exactly a house hold name yet. 'For No One" despite it's sparse instrumentation including clavichord and french horn solo sounds almost classical.

The guitars on the album are also bright and gritty at the same time. "Taxman" starts with a spliced countdown opening. The track uses a mock Indian melody, distorted slashing R&B chords with a funky bass line. The guitar solo is a highly fuzzed raga guitar style solo and after the solo the Beatles guitars are in unison creating a powerful sound unlike anything the Rolling Stones or the Who had been doing at the time. The Beatles weren't knows as virtosue guitar players but on "And Your Bird Can Sing" they create twin lead guitar sound harmonized carrying the song a type of guitar sound you would hear in bands like Thin Lizzy.

The final track though on "Tomorrow Never Knows" is really where they distance themselves from the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and basically everyone else in pop music. Tomorrow Never Knows" is where the production and ideas shine through. You have boosted bass and drums right up front, loops, and change of speeds, processed vocals, and automatic double tracking on "Tomorrow Never Knows". All in one chord or two chords. Though not really progressive rock as it has influenced everyone from Krautrock, techno music and all sorts of musicians.

Not really progressive rock but this was 1966 and songs like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" were about as progressive you could be in the three minute pop song format. But the album wide ranging musical styles and recording production influenced basically every type of music that followed including progressive rock. I have to give it a five even it's not a progressive rock album it's experimentation makes it a five on prog web site

Revolver remains, to this day, the Beatles quintessential masterpiece. Recorded in a period of time when the world was young and young minds were alive with wonder. 1966. The sudden entrance to "Eleanor Rigby" is so antique-ish. The Beatles changed the rules of pop music.

When Lennon said the Beatles or the blues was like a chair, what I think he was saying is that the band had crafted a new Old chair. I knew this was going to be difficult. After "Here There and Everywhere" "Yellow Submarine" comes in a such a unique pitch/key. It's remarkable.

This album, unfortunately, is about Death. and taxes. All throughout Lennon is referring to the other side. "Got To Get You Into My Life" is Pauls reference to pot.....(what can I do.. what can I be..... sounds like cannibis.. but who cares. I'm afraid Lennon, this time, decided to end the Band.

When we were young we would listen to the entrance of "Good Day Sunshine" and pretend we were mock Lincoln assasins. We burned army men in the back yard. "Revolver" is full of wonder. I think John was truly saying goobye on this album, somehow knowing what an untimely death he had in front of him. John was, after all, first and foremost, the true leader of this unique, gifted band from Liverpool, England.

The Beatles are probably the greatest band ever- not my favorite by any means, but their influence is titanic, and they have truly earned the praise poured onto them. Now, Revolver is a very enjoyable and well-made album of pop songs- not really prog at all here, I think people confuse "progressive" and "influential" on this site, but that's a discussion for another time. Revolver is diverse and and concise, uses a variety of techniques, and is ultra-catchy-however, I was never much of a devoted Beatles fan, I enjoy their music, but it just isn't the kind of thing I like to listen to often. I don't really know why this is, maybe it's just too simple, though that's not to say Revolver is dull. I think this album earns a solid 4 stars, excellent, if not progressive.

The Beatles "Revolver" album is a romp through psychedelic 60s dystopia.

The great thing about it is the cover that really captured the imagination of the 60s generation, particularly the love-in generation of tune in, turn on, drop out drug culture. On offer is enough psych to appease the trippy hippy masses of the flower power movement.

'Taxman' begins with the coughing spluttering count in and a wonderful crashing guitar riff. 'Eleanor Rigby' is simply a masterpiece with full blown orchestras as a backing under Paul's heartfelt plea, "look at all the lonely people". The dreamy 'I'm Only Sleeping' si intriguing and a real sleeper (no pun, honest!). 'Love You To' is weird and wonderful tripping pysch rock. 'Here, There and Everywhere' is a slow paced track heavily reliant on harmonies and a catchy title line. 'Yellow Submarine' is a silly but infectious children's song from Ringo, similar to 'Octopus's Garden' yet to come on "Abbey Road". 'She Said She Said' is a throwaway but an excellent track nonetheless only found on this album. I love the bridge on this, "no, no, no you're wrong girl, when I was a boy, everything was alright". 'Good Day Sunshine' is a bonafide classic featuring strong harmonies and melodies. 'And Your Bird can Sing' is very melodious and has a powerful riff to drive it. The next three tracks are more forgettable and real curios that you will rarely hear, at least on radio. However 'Got to get you into My lIfe' saves the tracklist from spiralling into obscure numbers, and it all end son a positive high note with the incomparable 'Tomorrow Never Knows' This track could well be the proggiest Beatles number focusing on an eastern mystical feel and very trippy acid fuelled lyrics. The music is incredibly Indian in nature and psychedelic. It is one of the most powerful Beatles songs and sung by the wonderful Harrison.

Overall this is an excellent album with some of the proggiest Beatles moments so worth listening, no matter what your tastes, as a sheer indispensable piece of rock history. 5 solid stars

Trying to evolve is not enough

Many state that "Revolver" is the first Progressive Rock BEATLES release, I strongly disagree with this, even though it's an effort to leave behind the good boys Pop hits from the early years, they still don't manage to start a real transition to Psyche or Proto Prog, and the album is way behind "Abbey Road" and even the overrated "Sgt Peppers"

The album starts with "Taxman" and honestly don't get what they pretend, sounds as Proto Punk rather than Proto Prog, the constant repetition of a couple of chords is simply boring,. even when the vocal work is much better than the instrumental.

"Eleanor Rigby" is a great leap, at last the are trying to create an almost Symphonic mood (before Symphonic Rock even existed), the delicate and melancholic string arrangements adds a perfect touch, because unlike other bands who added artificial orchestral intros and codas, here the orchestration is an integral part of the song, just perfect.

"I'm only Sleeping" is an attempt of early Psychedelia, still they can't live the simplicity of early years but they are advancing, not great result, but as I said before, it's an advance. As usual the underrated George Harrison adds the Eastern sound with Indian instruments and interesting arrangements, THE BEATLES are starting to embrace early Psychedelia, with an interesting fusion of Rock and Ethnic music.

"Here, There and Everywhere" is a nice but non transcendental song, somehow they resist to leave the sound that lead them to be the most important band of the early 60's.

"Yellow Submarine" must be the most boring, repetitive and dull song I ever heard, I simply can't understand how a couple of talented composers like Lennon & Mc'Cartney released something so absurd and ridiculous, sounds almost a caricature.

"She Said" is a nice trippy song with the spirit of the late 60's, a huge improvement since the last previous horrendous track or the following song ("Good Day Sunshine") which doesn't interests me a bit.

"And Your Bird Can Sing" is a nice track, not spectacular, but at least have good timing and doesn't bore the listener like "For No One", which despite the wing arrangements sends me to sleep each time I play it.

"Doctor Robert" is a good Rock song with nothing new to offer, but again it's catchy, now, "I Want to Tell You" is a nice example of experimentation, at last THE BEATLES dare to deal with dissonances, entering into a previously unexplored territory (by them), that's what I expected from all the album.

The album ends with the strong "Got to Get You Out of My Life" and the highly experimental "Tomorrow Never Knows", a good closure for an uneven album, with extremely high moments as in "Eleanor Rigby" and others that offer nothing new.

Reviewing "Revolver" wasn't as hard as I thought, but rating it was a nightmare, being that I was between 2 and 3 stars, so I had to use my usual method, first I compared it with ELP's debut which I rated with 3 stars and "Revolver" is light years behind.

But the definitive decision was taken when I noticed that had rated Sgt Peppers with threw stars and "Revolver" is not remotely in the level, so if I want to be honest, can't rate this album with more than 2 stars.

This awesome album by the Beatles (from a prog fan's point of view) represents the final step towards the band's sound evolution to a more complex, rich, and more mature form in terms of recording, performing, and songwriting. I think that is what defines this album as such a cornerstone for the Beatles. Even though the music before this album is still wonderful and among the best songs ever written, I personally enjoy the more "elaborate" sound that started to show up in Rubber Soul and up to Abbey Road. Excepting "Yellow Submarine" I think every song in this album is a classic worthy of the Beatles. Even though I totally love this album, I don't think it deserves a 5 star, so I'm going with a 4.5 rounded to 4 :D

This is the Beatles second foray into experimental music. Sure, there are some pop songs, and most of the experimental tunes still have a link to their pop beginnings. But still, this was 1966. What do you expect.

Taxman begins the album well. Although it is mostly a straight ahead rock song, the angular guitar style was ahead of it's time. Eleanor Rigby, with it's double string quartet instrumentation, inspired by Vivaldi, is certainly progressive. Love You To with sitar throughout also fills the bill. And She Said She Said is pure psychedelia. And speaking of psychedelia, Tomorrow Never Knows still ranks as one of the best in that genre.

So if someone complains that the Beatles aren't prog, and shouldn't be on this site, point them here.

Revolver was the first truly historically important release from the Beatles that could also be considered their first Proto-Prog album.

It was time for the fab four to transition to a much more rock-oriented sound compared to the almost folky undertones that dominated Rubber Soul. This album is also where, in my opinion, Paul McCartney and George Harrison really started to show their very own distinguishable styles from what their individual songwriting achieved previously. Harrison surprises by writing a more direct and also surprisingly politically charged Taxman. This is also the only time when Harrison made an exception from his 2 songs/album rule by contributing 3 compositions, which also includes the pleasant I Want To Tell You and the more forgettable Love You To.

Paul McCartney offers us some of his best ballads like Here, There And Everywhere and For No One, not to mention, the melancholy-sounding melody of Eleanor Rigby. John might not be my favorite contributor for this release but he does carve out a solid platform for the other members' individual highlights with tracks like I'm Only Sleeping, And Your Bird Can Sing and who can forget that weird outro song Tomorrow Never Knows?

This is the first true Proto-Prog album from the Beatles that has united both the fans and critics in considering it a masterpiece of the '60s music scene. I personally will settle for an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection recommendation on my part since the best is still yet to come!

***** star songs: Eleanor Rigby (2:07) Here, There And Everywhere (2:25) Yellow Submarine (2:40) For No One (2:01)

**** star songs: Taxman (2:39) I'm Only Sleeping (3:01) She Said She Said (2:37) Good Day Sunshine (2:09) And Your Bird Can Sing (2:01) I Want To Tell You (2:29) Got to Get You Into My Life (2:30) Tomorrow Never Knows (2:57)

*** star songs: Love You To (3:01) Doctor Robert (2:15)

The first 'proto-prog' album from the fab four. They had started to experiment a bit on Rubber Soul, but here they get even more experimental. Only Brian Wilson and Frank Zappa were also coming up with adventurous rock music at the time. This is the only studio album they did in 1966; before they released two a year. This was released around the same time that they decided to no longer tour. None of the songs here were ever perfomrd live by the group. For the first time George Harrison gets three of his songs on a Beatles record.

The intro to "Taxman" was added after the song was recorded. McCartney plays the awesome guitar solo. Only John, Paul and George appear on "Eleanor Rigby"...as vocalists. All the music is done by a string section. Lyrically, it's the most 'serious' song they did up to this point. "I'm Only Sleeping" features backwards guitars. The Beatles accidentally invented the backwards tape stuff; when they recorded the B-side to the 1966 single "Paperback Writer" called "Rain" a tape operator by mistake played John's vocals backwards at the end. Lennon loved the effect so much he wanted to release the whole song backwards!

"Love You To" features Indian musicians on sitar and tabla. George does the vocals which at times sound vaguely Indian. Most of the Beatles fans at the time had never heard music like this before. "Yellow Submarine" is of course a great kids song with sound effects. "She Said She Said" has some great drumming from Ringo. Not many Beatles songs make you want to play air drums to them. "Good Day Sunshine" is an underrated song for these guys. I've always liked it. There is an overdubbed Ringo in the chorus(or is it McCartney?).

"For No One" is a McCartney 'love song' with some great French horn. "Got To Get You Into My Life" is an R&B song with a horn section. "Tomorrow Never Knows" was unlike anything else that came out in 1966. Lennon was really getting into LSD by the time Revolver was recorded. At one point he wanted a group of Tibetan monks to sing on the song. The whole song is based around Ringo's hypnotic drum pattern. There is sitar, bass, piano and all sorts of effects. Backwards guitar, backwards Mellotron...backwards everything. Lennon's vocals have been treated as well. Working with 4-track recording technology in early 1966, it's amazing how much effort was put into this song. A great experimental song that should be heard by everyone.

The Beatles influenced many people to want to pick up a guitar. With Revolver, they influenced many who wanted to experiment with the studio. One of the reasons they gave for not playing live anymore was that they could not duplicate the studio recordings on stage. One of the best albums of the 1960s and a great Proto-Prog album. 4 stars.

This album was ever so progressive for its time. In many respects, Revolver is one of the very first psychedelic records. The opener is Harrison's "Taxman", which has some very innovative guitar work. Listen out for the solo here. There are some backwards riffs too on "I'm Only Sleeping" to add to the feeling of the state between wakefulness and sleep. Each song sounds very different to the next and there are so many shifts in moods throughout. You won't know what's coming next.

The melancholy "Eleanor Rigby" was another change in direction for the group. McCartney's lyrical imagery is brewed with a string octet to add more of an emotional effect on the listener. "Love You To" is driven heavily by the sitar combined with Harrison's vocal melody, making it yet another groundbreaking piece for its time. Even "Yellow Submarine" is a classic and of course the ultimate children's song which also includes some unusual sound effects.

"For Noone" is a great melancholy McCartney track with some nice piano, clavichord and a horn solo. There is even some motown influence on the album with "Got to Get You into My Life". Harrison's unusual "I Want To Tell You" is a personal favourite. I have never heard anything like it because noone else writes such music! "Tomorrow Never Knows" is perhaps the biggest eye opener of all. It definitely sounded like something from another planet in 1966. It still sounds very "out there" today. There are many tape effects, including something that sounds like seagull chanting and buzzing drones.This is where the Beatles really started to become interesting and as creative as ever. There is too much to mention here. Everything is unique and you'll simply have to hear it for yourself. This is an essential work of art. 5 stars without question.

In my opinion, Revolver is The Beatles' most consistently good album, and that's including Yellow Submarine. None of the songs are longer than 3 minutes, and there's hardly a time signature change to be seen, yet this may be the most 'progressive' album they released. The word 'progressive' is always hard to define, but usually you will find a mention of a group trying to 'push back the boundaries of rock and pop' and listening to this album, you will find that this is exactly what the Beatles are doing. Gone are the likes of songs such as 'She Loves You' and 'From Me To You'. The Beatles, now satisfied with being one of the most popular groups of all time, decided to try and become more experimental and different with their music, rather than just release pop record after pop record, which is perhaps what makes them one of the most highly regarded bands of all time. What we find on this record are a collection of very mature, well thought out songs. This album was the only one they released in 1966, along with the single 'Paperback Writer/Rain' which implies that they spent more time writing the songs. The idea of pushing the boundaries of rock as far back as 1966 is why I believe the Beatles were one of the earliest 'progressive' groups.

Taxman There are not one, but three Harrison tracks on Revolver. Taxman is a haunting song about a greedy tax collector. While I'm not a fan of the main riff, which repeats for the entire duration of the song, I very much like the way the backing vocals are arranged, and also the guitar solo in the middle and end is very cool.

Eleanor Rigby This is one of the better known songs from the album. Paul is joined by a string quartet for this very melancholic song about 'lonely people'. The lyrics are very memorable, and very mature, for a man who was singing 'For I have got Another Girl' just the year before. This song is great, but personally I'm not a huge fan of the string quartet, and I prefer when the band play their instruments.

I'm Only Sleeping The atmosphere changes completely once again for this very relaxing song. I love the lyrics; how many people haven't thought at one point 'Please don't wake me, I'm only sleeping.'? The highlight for me is when the instruments all cut out, but suddenly come back in for the 'Keeping an eye...' lyric. A very psychedelic song, and easy to get confused with 'I'm So Tired'.

Love You To Harrison's second outing on this album, is extremely influenced by Indian music. I've never been a fan of the Indian side to Harrison's music, as I felt the songs we're sometimes a bit dull and sounded very out of place on the Beatles' albums. While I'm not a great fan of this song, I think it is a lot better than 'Within You Without You' from the Sgt Pepper's album, as it is far shorter (and therefore has a less dominating presence on the album) and also more energised.

Here, There And Everywhere Paul's contributions to this album far outweigh the others in my opinion. This is one of the loveliest songs ever written, such a beautiful melody, and so relaxing. The 'ooh's in the background are exquisite. The perfect love song, wholly original, and in no way cringey.

Yellow Submarine You knew it was coming, they had to let old Ringo have a song to himself. In an album full of mature compositions, one wonders what a childrens' song is doing on here. You'll listen to it, sing along to it, laugh at it on occasions, but in reality it's one of those songs that you'd rather skip when listening to the album. Further boosting Ringo's reputation as the comic relief of the Beatles, this is another song to put in the Beatles bad songs bin. Quite ironic really that it's become one of the most famous songs by the band.

She Said She Said After the childrens nightmare song, we are faced with another truly bizarre song. The lyrics are very incomprehensible, and there is a good chance the Beatles were quite high when they wrote and recorded this. However, it has some very positive qualities as well. Ringo really lets himself go on the drums, performing a different drum fill every 4 bars or so. There is also a time signature change from 4/4 to 3/4 in the bridge section. I personally like this one, but I can imagine it annoying others.

Good Day Sunshine Side 2 opens with the best sounding track on the album. The rich piano sound on this song is very appealing indeed, and the melody played on the piano during the verse is positively fantastic. The instrumental consists of a very short but effective piano solo. Also interesting is Ringo's use of polyrhythms during the chorus. With great lyrics on top, this a brilliant little track, and one of my favourites from the album.

And Your Bird Can Sing While the preceding track is geared towards piano, this one makes a large use of the guitars, with the guitar solo being unforgettable. The lyrics don't make that much sense, but this is still a really good song.

FOR NO ONE At a mere two minutes long, the shortest song on the album is also the best in my opinion. The use of a clavichord, is a truly inspired move on Paul's part, but it suits the song perfectly. Go to Wikipedia and you'll see it describes the song as being Baroque Pop, a funny prospect. The lyrics are mind-blowing, every time I listen to them, I am always moved by their meaning. You can listen again and again, and the emotion is never lost. The French horn solo is also absolutely perfect in this song, and fits perfectly. The best song on the album for me.

Doctor Robert This song has a very similar feel to Taxman. The song has a drug theme, but the lyrics really don't go anywhere and just confuse the listener. Musically, there isn't anything that interesting about this song, and it is very repetitive.

I Want To Tell You Harrison's last contribution to this album is his best. The lyrics are good, but the melody is fantastic. The highlights are Ringo's loud drum fills after the bridges.

Got To Get You Into My Life You have to love the energised feel that the brass section gives this song. This song is a lot of fun to listen to, with the only downside being that the 'chorus' is ridiculously short. The brass section compliment Paul's bass guitar very well, and there is even a spot for some lead guitar in there. This song is another good reason to listen to Revolver.

Tomorrow Never Knows This song shows John's successful experimenting with tape loops. Although brief, the song sucks you into into its world, where you become mesmerised. The drone continues for the entire song, and only one note is played on the bass guitar. Ringo's drumming is also fantastic here, and the repetitive nature adds to the drone. A very cool song to finish the album.

There is truly something for everyone on this album. I particularly enjoy the album cover, which shows how album art was becoming more than just showing a picture of the band, and actually being taken seriously. The fact that the Beatles had the guts to try new things, rather than sticking to the same formula, and also getting it right, is what made them so successful.

The Beatles had made influential albums prior to this one, but this is one of the undeniable milestones of rock music, as well as being their first album which really fits in the "proto-prog" category. Starting with the fairly straightforward Taxman - one of George Harrison's more down to earth numbers - we're still dealing with a major departure from the Beatles' earlier career, especially when you consider the lyrics, in which the Beatles for the first time take on political subject matter. By the time you get to closing track, the phenomenal Tomorrow Never Knows - psychedelic, groundbreaking, and years ahead of its time - the Four have covered classical string quarters (Eleanor Rigby), modernist tape experiments (in Tomorrow Never Knows and I'm Only Sleeping), and everything in between.

Really, what can be said about Revolver that hasn't been said already? We all know that the Four were rising to the challenge posed by albums like the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, we all know how they were enjoying the latest studio techniques and dabbling in musique concrete (perhaps inspired by Zappa's Freak Out!), we all know how important it is both to prog and to rock music in general. What's left to say?

Well, I have to say that whilst I do appreciate everything the album did to put the various musical styles it dabbled in on the map, demonstrating that underground musical subgenres could achieve success with a mainstream audience, I can't any more really say that I love it.

For one thing, there's Yellow Submarine, a jolly children's song sung by Ringo sitting smack in the middle of the running order. It's not terrible as far as children's songs go, mind; I just find that to my ear it doesn't fit. It ruins the flow of the album, bringing the momentum of fast-paced full-steam ahead experimentation to a complete stop. And whilst, like I say, it isn't bad, it's not particularly great either. I can't, in good conscience, give a perfect mark to an album which includes a track so jarring I have to skip it whenever I listen to the thing; by my money, a five-star album ought to be one where you can listen to it from beginning to end and find enjoyment in each and every track.

Moreover, as mindblowing as Revolver is when you first hear it, over time it does begin to wear thin. The sentiment behind Taxman might be presented as the gripe of an everyday person trying to make ends meet, but we all know that this wasn't the case - it was being presented by rich musicians who were making stacks of money and resented having to pay their way societally, and that's a sentiment which I have less and less sympathy for as time goes by. The naivity of the album at points verges on the Pollyannaish, the experiments indulged in increasingly feel like shallow paddling in pools that were more successfully explored in depth by others, and the adventurous rock music the album inspired has long since left Revolver in its shadow. Worth a listen, and most music listeners go through an intense phase of Revolver appreciation at some point in their lives, but there's a hollowness to it (along with much of the late Beatles catalogue) that I increasingly dislike.

Rating: 10/10

The Beatles take the logical step forward from "Rubber soul".

"Revolver" isn't just an album with 85% perfect songs, it's also a revolutionary record.

It's definitively worthy to check the complete list:

"Taxman": Harrison almost at his best, a psychedelic semi-funk wonder.Mc Cartney's bass is essential.

"Eleanor Rigby" the greatest composition using classical music instrumentation -horns and strings- in history of popular music without using even one rock-pop conventional instrument.Enough said.

"I'm only sleeping": Lennon at one of his peaks in psychedelic songwriting.Remarkable stunning Paul's bass performance; interacting bass lines with almost bass riffs.Awesome.

"Love you to": the first Indian experiment by Harrison.Not at the same level as the previous tracks but at least interesting.

"Here, there and everywhere": Mc Cartney keeps setting himself as one of the greatest ballads makers of his time.Deep, cheering, sweet, heavenly, emotive.

"Yellow submarine": definitively the weakest track of the record but, maybe because of the awful but hippie Ringo's vocal interpretation and the silly but happy chorus, one of those who awoke strong sympathy in people.

"She said, she said": Lennon slows down a little bit his glorious experimental vision concerning "I'm only sleeping", but this one also sounds new and progressive.

"Good day sunshine": even the catchiest Mc Cartney's pop tunes here are full of inspiration and "shine".Not a masterpiece but adorable and fully enjoyable.

"And your bird can sing": either Lennon does psychedelic and progressive, or rock,it always sounds like something advanced for his time.This song is the rockiest and guitars sound so yelling and loud that blow you away.

"For no one": another incredible classical Mc Cartney composition.Only matchable with "Eleanor Rigby" (if not better).Enough said 2.

"Doctor Robert": Lennon and a kind of failed attempt in writing a catchy pop song.But indeed has some psychedelic side too.

"I want to tell you": O.K. this is one of the reasons why "Revolver" was a unique record.Not because this is a total masterpiece, but because even when Harrison tries to be psychedelic, he does it right.Very good track.

"Got to get you into my life": Paul finishes his outstanding performance on this album with a killer one.A perfect pop melody with trumpets, full of energy vocal performance.And, of course, another great bass playing.

"Tomorrow never knows": could Lennon go any further in musical research and experimentation? Yes. Although this one doesn't have the great melody and rhythm of "I'm only sleeping" or "And your bird can sing", it is the most advanced, psychedelic and experimental track on the album.The reason why it makes you wanna pump all the volume on your stereo and "end the trip" with him.

"Revolver" represent the biggest step in conformation of actual popular music without giving away sophistication -musically and lyrically- or artistic aspirations in any way.

3.5 stars. This album was very Revolutionary (perhaps that's the point of the title, "Revolver"?) in that it has been very influential to music to this day, and completely transformed the music scape since.

Possibly the biggest thing to notice here is the guitar tone, which, almost in itself, has defined the tone of the 70's and 90's and beyond (not so much the 80's, that was all synths, ya know!) It was such a huge leap forward from the DEFINITELY 60'S sound of Rubber Soul.

Aside from the guitar tone, many other aspects of this album have been greatly influential, such as the whole counter-culture that is detailed in lyrics of songs like "I'm only sleeping" and "Elanor Rigby", or the way the album challenges the concept of what popular music can achieve. I reckon Harrison is the star of the album, not only because of his guitar, but because the opening "Taxman" is a gloriously fun 60's song. "Love you to" is a groovy Indian experiment, and Mr.Harrison has added two of the best songs on the album.

Taxman is followed by Paul's orchestrated criticisms of the Catholic Church "Elanor Rigby", a fine piece of music it is! "I'm so sleepy" is a cool psychedelic song, while "Here There and Everywhere" is a lovely ballad with ethereally pleasing vocal harmonies. So it begins with five excellent songs, and we know it ends with the Wonderful experimentation of "Tomorrow Never Knows", and a personal favourite of mine "Got to get you into my life", a fun 60's pop song that's a real blast!

But come on, to get a really good rating (like five stars) it should be consistent from beginning to end. This sought of runs out of steam about 2/3 the way through; sure "Yellow Submarine" is alright, but, seriously, it gets old after a few spins, when the novelty wears off. "She Said She Said" tries to be so 'psychedelic' and 'ground-breaking' with lyrics about 'I know what it's like to be dead'; well so do I! Especially when I listen to this utterly charmless song! "Good Day Sunshine" is very average indeed, vaguely enjoyable but... "And your bird can sing" might come off as a bit of filler, but it't one of the most FUN songs on the album. "For no one" is anything but fun, seriously dull could be closer to the truth. Sorry Paul, even the trumpet doesn't really save it. "Doctor Robert" is more filler, but still has a nice groove to it, and "I want to tell you" picks things up, a third song from Harrison!

Revolver is a very influential and ground-breaking, but only a few of the songs really carry the album (Tomorrow never knows, I'm so sleep, Elanor Rigby) and to be a truly great album it should be stronger from beginning to end. Three stars, but seeing it's influential (and a good time length, not too long!) I'll go with 3.5.

Revolver is today extremely acclaimed, but in the 60s was never as popular as Sgt Pepper, or even Rubber Soul. It shows The Beatles at the very centre of a heavily creative period, in which, having previously moved beyond simple rock & roll, they would travel from carefully crafted baroque, folk, rock and pop songs through to increasingly experimental and psychedelic material, culminating in the film and album of Magical Mystery Tour. The pairing of Revolver and Sgt Pepper are probably the favourites because they have the best balance of light, friendly folk and pop (Rubber Soul) and crazy, over-produced, psychedelia (Magical Mystery Tour). Of this middle period, Revolver maintains a more guitar-based, rocky sound, but isn't without it's violins and oboes either.

'Taxman'; George's very cool rocker that the band decided was good enough to open an album. 'Eleanor Rigby'; AKA the greatest song ever recorded that only contains a string octet and a vocal. 'I'm Only Sleeping'; well-written psych-folk from Lennon with first ever use of backwards guitar. Talk about a good opening to an album! Then it's 'Love You To', a fine sitar-based ditty from George but weaker than 'Within You Without You', 'Here, There and Everywhere', one of Paul's less interesting ballads, 'Yellow Submarine', the nautical sing-along with Ringo, and 'She Said, She Said', a John number that helped contribute to the very idea of what rock music was, and would become. Side one is great with only a couple of moments of mediocrity.

'Good Day Sunshine' is potentially the happiest piece of music I've ever heard, which makes me happy too. 'And Your Bird Can Sing', maybe the one throwaway track on the album, because it's just a basic rock song with a forgettable melody. 'For No One' = my favourite. Paul plays the clavichord and sings this dark ballad, with a horn solo. Simple but effective. 'Doctor Robert' is a great song that grows on you, with some cool changes of key and lovely breaks with Hammond organ. 'I Want To Tell You' is George's third on the album, and in the same league as his two cracking rockers on Rubber Soul. Then it's Paul's 'Got To Get You Into My Life', which is an okay piece of 'white soul' but a little enthusiastic on the brass. Finally, 'Tomorrow Never Knows', a philosophical, heavily treated, psychedelic, wonderous, droning journey of tape loops, repetitive vocals and amazing drums. Lennon here reveals that he is not only sleeping, but that he is writing great songs during this period of domination from McCartney.

I consider a Beatles album successful if I find myself wanting to repeatedly listen to at least ten of the songs...... on Revolver I do that with eleven, and it's particularly great if you ever get bored of the over-production on the next two colourful albums. 5 stars, no less.

This album is where McCartney begins to dominate. I believe he isn't always given the credit he deserves for taking over leadership of the Beatles when they were entering their most creative phase. He dominates here in the songwriting, with five absolutely amazing tracks, which are the best on the album. 'For no-one' is complete genius, as is the orchestral 'Eleanor Rigby'. Both these songs and the piano progressions on the happy and effective 'Good day sunshine' show some classical influence in Paul's writing. He also has the ballad 'Here there and everywhere' which is beautiful and has lovely harmonies. 'Got to get you into my life' also utilises a brass section and is his only upbeat song here, about drugs. He has one miss. He is the main writer of the Ringo sung 'Yellow Submarine'. I know it has cult status and is so well known now, but I think this should have been a B side, with Paperback Writer and Rain coming on the album instead. Paul is also worthy of note, as he plays the lead guitar on Taxman, a huge positive for this song, Harrison's first of three excellent compositions. He also worked on the tape loops for 'Tomorrow never knows' and was apparently more into the avante garde scene well before John. Indeed, 'Carnival of Light' was only a year away. George's other two contributions are also successful. I love 'Love you to'. It is so relaxing and transports me to a land of bliss, something modern music just cannot do for me. 'I want to tell you' took some time to grow on me, as it is very dissonant, but I really like it now. John's four remaining tracks are ok, but nowhere near Paul's standard. It seems to be the same sound for all of them, electric guitars and all songs taken at mid tempo. That's not to say I don't like them. I like the backwards guitar in 'I'm only sleeping' and the melody and harmony vocals from George in 'She said she said'. But when you get to the same sound for 'And your bird can sing' then again for 'Doctor Robert', I start to feel Lennon should have experimented with a different style, as Paul just is brimming over with ideas. It is no wonder that Paul took over from this stage and was to totally dominate 1967 and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the Beatles career.

The Beatles's Revolver may be the greatest step forward done by the Beatles. This record sound to my ears as more convincing then their Sgt. Peppers. This record consists of garagerock (Taxman, dr. Robert), art-rock (Eleanor Rigby, For No One, Got to Get You into My Life), a childish song (Yellow Submarine) happy rock (Goodday Sunshine), eastern influenced rock (Love you too ) and psychedelic rock (Tomorrow Never Knows).

The guitar solo in Taxman seems to be influenced by the Byrds 5th Dimension record. The solo is fast and someway freestyl. This record of the byrds may be a main influence for the Beatles going more into the garagerock/psychedelic rock scene, because the Beatles were great Byrds fans.

This record fits really good into the varied psychedelic 60s and belonged to the most influential records of the time. In my opinion this is the best Beatles record ever and deserver 4+ stars.

In 1965 The Beatles, with the release of Rubber Soul, began to move away from being a pop band and started to morph into a more expermental rock band. This is continued on 1966's Revolver. The famous tunes are here -"Taxman", "Eleanor Rigby", "Yellow Submarine", "Here, There. And Everywhere", etc... And the finale of "Tomorrow Never Knows" is a classic John Lennon masterpiece of sound and experimentation. This album, as well as their next few, show the Beatles as a leader in the proto-prog genre. It is easy to see why this is so highly regarded. And what an awesome cover! Not a prog classic but a rock and roll classic in general. Easily worth 4 stars.

Revolver is the band's first forage into the world of psychedelic, and more thought provoking art-rock music. This album takes the blueprints and production of the previous album and lays out some compositionally superior stuff throughout.

Finally, there is quite a variety of styles here that were simply missing in past albums. You have your more psychedelic songs in 'I'm Only Sleeping, Lennon's 'Tomorrow Never Knows,' and Harrison's 'Love You Too, which also has an Eastern inflection.

There are the typical poppy songs in 'Yellow Submarine,' 'Good Day Sunshine,' 'For No One' and 'Got to Get You Into My Life.' The slightly more rocking songs include 'Taxman,' 'She Said, She Said,' 'And Your Bird Can Sing' and 'Dr. Robert.'

But the band also included a variety of instruments and techniques into their composition. Dissonance was used 'I Want to Tell You,' and a special reversal technique was used by Harrison in 'I'm Only Sleeping.' 'Eleanor Rigby' is based on the use of strings, and there is miscellaneous use of trumpet and sax on a few songs.

Revolver is the album that changed it all for the band, and plunged them into the world art-rock and experimenting that would only increase in future efforts.

8/10

REVOLVER and SGT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND both get the highest rating of the Beatles albums in my book. They both demonstrate abundantly why the Beatles were without a dout progressive. REVOLVER, in particular, shows the Beatles incorporating a large variety of influences in one album.

Discussing individual tracks, I'll get my least favorite out of the way. "And Your Bird Can Sing" just doesn't float my boat; I think it's a little ridiclous. "Got to Get You Into My Life" is fun; it has to be one of the loudest songs the Beatles ever recorded. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is George Harrison in a Middlle Eastern mood. Others have said it, but I think it's an important point worth repeating; one of the most "progressive" things about the Beatles is their experiments with the recording technology available to them. "I'm Only Sleeping" is another favorite; I love the atmosphere of the song.

Then there's "Eleanor Rigby". It shows the level of ambition at which Paul and the others were working. "Eleanor Rigby" is practically an Art Song in the classical sense; its my favorite song, ever. As I was finishing this review I was looking at the lengths of the songs and the running time of the album. Has anyone else done as much in 14 songs lasting a little over a half an hour? I intend to use 5 star ratings very sparingly, but this is without a doubt one of the most progressive records in history.

Love them or hate them, The Beatles have left an impression on the music world that I doubt will ever be duplicated. Although they could never be truly considered progressive rock, they were certainly the most progressive in the genre of rock. Just listen to Please Please Me and then to Abbey Road(Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road but released afterward) and it does not seem like a mere six years between the two. Those two albums are light years apart! In fact, it hardly sounds like the same band! Revolver, to me, is the first obvious connection The Beatles have to prog rock. There are three main reasons that I believe why. #1. Studio experimentation. Although The Beatles get all the credit as the songwriters, my hat goes off to George Martin and the studio team at EMI. Things had to be tried in ways never thought of before. Instruments being played and devices being used in ways that they were not intended. Sometimes things had to be invented. Imagine trying to make Lennon "sound like an orange!" Martin may have been the only person on earth that could translate what they wanted to do. So I give him as much credit as The Beatles in the technical aspect. And when listening to the album, don't forget this was done on four track tape! All overdubs had to be dumped down in order to make room for more overdubs. No computers. Loops were spooled by hand and fed into tape machines. There was no sampling. #2. Overindulgence. Spending a lot of time recording one song is common in prog rock, but, back then most bands went into the studio and bashed out their tunes that were either rehearsed on the road, or written by someone else, as quickly as possible. Singles were still more important than album tracks. The amount of attention paid to Tomorrow Never Knows alone for John Lennon to realize his vision is a good example; even though the song would have definitely not been chosen for release as a single at the time. All of the studio experiments, multiple takes and overdubs caused the album to take 300 hours to record and mix. Please Please Me took only 19. However, by the time the Revolver sessions began, money for studio time was not an issue. #3. Cover Art. Almost all rock album covers of the day were a posed picture of the band or artist, but this is an actual drawing/collage by an artist(Their friend Klaus Voormann). It could be said that the Rubber Soul cover with the elongated heads is art. Truth is, that was a happy accident! Later, elaborate artwork on prog rock albums would sometimes become as important as the music itself, with the entire package being art. Often times the artwork almost overshadows the musicians themselves and there are not even photos of the band members at all, but in the mid sixties, for the most part, only jazz album covers would have anything on them that could be considered art. Revolver is an album that is more musically serious than any of The Beatles previous efforts. It is the album that shows them going in a different direction from boy/girl songs riddled with personal pronouns to exploring what was really possible in music. Revolver still has elements of the mop top Beatles, but it was a vision of what was to come.

I don't understand why in the first 100 records of all time there is no single LP by the Beatles ! Not Revolver, Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road or the White. Revolver is the first record that brings The Beatles to another level of composition and expression. We have here a passage to Psychedelic Rock (which is for the 60's what is Progressive Rock for the 70's, and of course, the father of the Prog), but this move, to another level, is made using the main gift that The Beatles had : the power to write beautiful songs, eternal songs. And songs they wrote : from Taxman to Tomorrow Never Ends everything is perfect. Really perfect. There is no need to pass song by song and describe them...The record as a whole is perfect. I think also of the impact they made in 66' on the whole industry, on the artists and the huge influence they had on music yet to come... Viva the psychedelia and The Beatles !! Highly recommended, in fact I think that these are the very basic stones that someone must listen and know by heart before entering the gate of the Prog, it makes the understanding of this phenomena of Prog much easier. And one more thing : I have and know by heart every record by Yes, Genesis, Van Der Graaf, King Crimson, Floyd and so on, but I love Yellow Submarine....It makes me feel forever young...

The seventh album "Revolver" is one of my favourite creations by The BEATLES, both as for the content and as for the sleeve, but simultaneously I guess every Beatlemania might have got bewildered with such a political, introspective, and depressive, and especially innovative soundscape. In 1966, they decided to quit gigging upon stage and to exert much concentration upon studio-based recording. Using tape loops or reverses frequently, they (especially John) would have dug more and more psychic, psychedelic inner world out. Aside from a sweet love song "Here There And Everywhere" or a funky relaxing stuff "Yellow Submarine" (this stuff is flooded with effective sounds or noises quite novelly though), every single track in this album is thoughtful, and tough to digest linearly. And their novelty upon melodic, rhythmic, and directly auditory presentation would have completely ignored the audience's mind (the audience completely followed the bizarre combo, nonetheless!).

The first attack "Taxman" is one of George's masterpieces featuring his loud, powerful, exciting guitar grandeur. Quite dry melody and sound along with political, cynical lyrics is kinda difficulty, we could not often listen to in those days. On the other hand, the following "Eleanor Rigby" composed mainly Paul is crazy introspective and complex, against loneliness around life and death. We can feel such a severity in the life via his simple composition, complicated lyrics, and instrumental set / formation. This severity itself can be heard in another gem "For No One" by Paul. Both tracks feature instrumental simpleness indeed. "Got To Get You Into My Life", covered by Earth Wind And Fire later, is characterized with bombastic brass sounds and Paul's intensive shouts. John launches splendid psychedelia through "She Said, She Said" that notifies us of serious life and death, and "Tomorrow Never Knows" under starry, meditative condition produced by hallucinogenic agents maybe. Even if these songs only are in, this album is worth purchasing and listening to, let me say.

Anyway my fave upon this lp is a superb salubrious, danceable one "And Your Bird Can Sing" honest to say. ;)

"Revolver" is an extremely well-edited album, with no drop in quality, which alternates a wide variety of musical styles and arrangements, especially in the first side. The songs are still all short, contained between 2 and 3 minutes. Compared to "Rubber Soul", which is the continuation, the sound is much drier, electric and metallic, and the arrangements much more varied and always complete: the average quality of the songs is similar, and "Revolver" contains fewer melodic classics than "Rubber Soul", but on the whole is more compact as an album, the songs together give a synergistic effect. As well, Rubber seems to me to consist of slightly more inspired songs, though less carefully treated as a Revolver arrangement.

The Lp starts with a syncopated rock by Harrison, "Taxman (vote 8), one of his best songs, continues with a symphonic pop of McCartney ("Eleonor Rigby", vote 8,5/9), an absolute melodic masterpiece also thanks to the orchestration by George Martin, who wrote the notes for fabulous string quartet. It continues with a beautiful oriental rock ballad by Lennon (I'm Only Sleeping, vote 8), which includes a backward guitar solo and other sound effects.

The first three songs represent the pinnacle of the album and are emblematic of the style of the three composers. In fact in Revolver Harrison, which contributes with three songs, has a very rhythmic style, and shows off a rock song, an Indian pop- raga, and a blues song, all three very well-timed. McCartney, unique in the Beatles record, writes all retro melodic pop songs, with arrangements alien to rock bands, lapping an incredible range of musical styles; in practice each of his songs is an essay of a musical style, from symphonic pop (Eleonor Rigby) to the slow vocal complexes (Here, There and Everywhere), the piano swing (Good Day Sunshine), the refined melodic song with orchestral arrangement (For No One), to the soulful soul (Got to Get You Into My Life). On the contrary, Lennon writes all rock songs: two refined oriental ballads with sound effects (I'm Only Sleeping and Tomorrow Never Knows), his best compositions, and three rather conventional rock songs; none of his songs have a catchy melody. In no other Beatles album there has ever been, and more there will be, such a clear musical difference between Macca and Lennon, such a marked alternation between retro melodic pop songs by McCartney and contemporary rock songs with oriental or psychedelic effects by Lennon. Both McCartney and Lennon write two masterpieces (Macca almost three), and for the rest minor songs; McCartney still writes the best song on the album (Eleonor Rigby), and the weakest songs (Here, There and Everywhere and Good Day Sunshine), while Lennon writes the most refined from the point of view of the arrangement, but his songs have peaks and falls less conspicuous than those of Paul, they are more homogeneous as a quality, in fact a song by John is missing which stands out for its intrinsic quality.

Returning to the sequence of the songs, after the first three the first side repeats the sequence Harrison-Macca-Lennon: "Love You To" (vote 7,5/8) is an excellent fusion between Indian raga and Mersey-beat; "Here, There and Everywhere" (vote 7) is a slow song - styled vocal complexes of the 50s, a little too honeyed but with some delicious (vaguely French) harmonious passages; "She Said She Said" (vote 7,5) is a very rhythmic psychedelic rock, with great work by Ringo and acid guitars, but it does not take off. Among these there is a classic for children, "Yellow Submarine" (vote 6,5/7), written by McCartney and sung by Ringo, which also introduces sounds and naval noises in this colorful first side of the Beatles, which has seen all four members sing very different songs one from the other and yet the smoothness of the sequence is remarkable.

The second side as often happens is slightly lower, due to quality. It starts with the pre-war swing by McCartney "Good Day Sunshine" (vote 6,5/7), cute but stereotyped and without flashes, perhaps the weakest song on the album; it continues with the very fast rock of "And Your Bird Can Sing" (vote 7+), which slips away without giving time to remain imprinted; it continues with "For No One" (vote 8), beautiful melody and French horn solo (in fact the melody has again something of French), fantastic; it goes to the conventional rock of "Doctor Robert" (vote 7+) , which again lacks a real climax, and to Harrison's piano blues (I Want To Tell You, vote 7+), beautiful but without variations. Finally comes the soul of "Got to Get You Into My Life, vote 7,5/8) original composition of McCartney, which will remain unique as an arrangement in the discography of the Beatles, also this very rhythmic and well executed but missing something to get to be great; and lastly "Tomorrow Never Knows" (vote 8+) which is deliberately set on a single chord, contains all avant-garde sounds, reverse tapes, backward guitar solo, filtered voice, sitar in the distance, lyrics from the Tibetan Book of the Dead ... many compare this ending to the ending of the next album, Sgt Pepper, because even in that case the last song is the most refined. Certainly "Tomorrow" is one of the best pieces of Revolver but it is very far from the absolute masterpiece "A Day in the Life", contained in Sgt Pepper; and for the pleasure of listening, "Tomorrow" is under "Eleonor Rigby".

Overall, "Revolver" is an album that while respecting all the canons of the pop song format of 2-3 minutes, manages to show off the maximum care in the search for refined pop songs, I would say art-pop, both for the variety of the arrangement that of musical styles. Revolver is a great record, the most innovative, constant and edited by the Beatles up to that point; it is not an absolute masterpiece because the average quality of the pieces, both melodic and rock, is slightly less than "Rubber Soul" and less than the levels of the albums that will follow; moreover, so many stylistic and sound ideas need songs less harnessed in the strophe structure and pop refrain of 2 and a half minutes, to be better expressed: left more free to be self-indulgent with their own creativity, the Beatles will produce the masterpieces of the years 1967-69. Anyway, the greatness of the album, as a whole, is equal to that of "Rubber Soul".

Medium quality of the songs: 7,59. Vote album: 8,5. Rating: Four Stars.

Had the Beatles broken up after Rubber Soul, they'd be recognized as an all-time great band; just replace the last two songs on the "Red Album" (1962-1966) with "Twist and Shout" and "Rock and Roll Music," or with "The Word" and "You Won't See Me," or with "Do You Want to Know a Secret" and "You're Going to Lose That Girl" and you'll get the idea; in the US alone, the band had already accumulated 41 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including eleven number-one songs. And yet not one George Harrison composition had even "bubbled under" the Hot 100, and they had yet to release their all-time classic single "Penny Lane" / "Strawberry Fields Forever." Their five highest-rated albums were still in the future.

Pardon the hyperbole, but Revolver launches the Beatles into the stratosphere. Among its number are four Beatles classics?Harrison's "Taxman," Paul McCartney's "Good Day Sunshine" and "Eleanor Rigby," and John Lennon's "Tomorrow Never Knows"?and a number of songs ("Yellow Submarine," "Here, There and Everywhere," "Got to Get You into My Life," "And Your Bird Can Sing") whose quality is the equal of the classics of most other groups. But beyond the songs themselves is the fact that Revolver is a cohesive artistic work, a superbly sequenced pop album.

Amazingly, the stratospheric Revolver doesn't even represent the Beatles' zenith. Nonetheless it's not only a five-star pop album; it's also an important proto-progressive work. While producer George Martin's genre-defying (or perhaps genre-defining) arrangements on songs like "Eleanor Rigby," "I'm Only Sleeping," and "Yellow Submarine" are historically significant, it's "Tomorrow Never Knows" that solidifies the Beatles' importance as progenitors of progressive rock. A track without rhymes or key changes, "Tomorrow Never Knows" relies heavily on studio trickery. Nonetheless, it's easily recognizable as rock music; the fact that it's been covered by Phil Collins and 801 (among many others) attests to this. And yet its merger of the melodic and the avant-garde is the song's real legacy. Along the same lines but more broadly, Revolver's claim to greatness is both its excellent composition and its groundbreaking approach to studio recording.

THE BEATLES had the perfect title for the seventh album REVOLVER as it truly acted as some sort of revolving door into a completely new dimension for the entire rock genre. Following in the footsteps of the previous album "Rubber Soul" which initiated some new interesting experiments into the unknown, REVOLVER can properly be considered the second of the transition albums that took The Fab Four out of the cut mop top phase of their career into a more serious endeavor that not only was instrumental in technological breakthroughs with all the snazzy recording studio techniques but also found a band weary of simplistic pop constructs and banal lyrics branching out into more philosophical arenas laced with greater emotional depth. While originally intended to be titled "Abracadabra," that title was scrapped after all the bugaboo caused by John Lennon's comment that THE BEATLES were bigger than Jesus, even though in many ways, he was spot on regarding the youth that supported the band.

While not often considered quite the creative apex of the band's career much like the lofty praise heaped upon the following "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," REVOLVER nevertheless provided an important blueprint that bridged the experiments of "Rubber Soul" which would blossom into the magnanimity of progressive forward thinking exhibited by "Sgt Pepper's." The album was a landmark in not only THE BEATLES' own development but in the entire rock world and music industry in general. On a more personal note, this was the album where the dictatorship of the McCartney-Lennon domination of creative duties was beginning to soften. While Ringo Starr was only credited for the one track "Yellow Submarine," George Harrison was finally getting to unleash his true talents with three of his songs appearing on the album: "Taxman," "Love You To" and "I Want To Tell You" thus proving his songwriting abilities were of equal value and an interesting contrast to John and Paul.

On the production side of things, REVOLVER was revolutionary in many ways. Not only did producer George Martin pioneer the technique of artificial double tracking most noticeable on the album's final track "Tomorrow Never Knows" but the album was chock full of pioneering tape reverse techniques, audio loops as well as including an army of new instruments never heard before in a rock music paradigm. Simply perusing the credits of the album will convey the scope of it all where the sensual sounds of Indian sitars and tamburas sit side by side with maracas, cowbells and an infinite supply of keyboard instruments. While many of these techniques have become commonplace in the modern day world of DIY recording toys, all of these techniques were utterly unique upon the release of this album in August of 1966. Add to that the barrage of overdubbing and the extra-miking of Ringo's drums so that every single piece had its own pickup which gave every snare, tom and cymbal a much more dynamic power.

REVOLVER also upped the ante with a diverse delivery of songs where every single track contained its own poetic world of mystery with more dynamic lyricism, heavier doses of Eastern mysticism and in many ways launched the entire psychedelic rock scene that would take the latter half of the 60s by storm and redefine the rock paradigm forever. The band was also becoming more blatantly political which is vehemently declared right off the bat with the opening "Taxman," a song lambasting the outright theft of the public's hard earned money and a constant annoyance for the band members as they continued to enjoy the fruits of their phenomenally lucrative successes. While tracks like "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Doctor Robert" were throwbacks to "Rubber Soul" in style and appeared on the US only release "Yesterday And Today" released the same year as REVOLVER, tracks like "Eleanor RIgby" not only created a much darker atmosphere around THE BEATLES' lyrical content but went for the jugular in experimentations that included a massive string section that included several violins, violas and cellos that took The Fab Four's power pop into more symphonic arenas.

George Harrison was allowed to further explore his fascination with Indian raga music on "Love You To" where he played all guitars and provided lead vocals which demoted Paul to a mere backing vocalist and Ringo to playing tambourine. John was surprisingly completely absent from this track and guest musicians provided the tabla, sitar and tambura. The track was originally supposed to be titled "Granny Smith" after the apple. Good call changing that one! REVOLVER also saw the debut of the track "Yellow Submarine" which would go on to spawn its own animated film and gave Ringo the spotlight as lead singer and purveyor of cute and cuddly nonsensical children's tune which provided a folky pop breather between the more daring tracks. Remember this was 1966 and all of this seems tame by today's standards! Of course this was a BEATLES album so despite entering the period where the band delivered non-album singles such as "Paperback Writer" in conjunct with their albums that contained no singles, many of the tracks on REVOLVER easily could've been chart toppers. Such perfectly crafted pop songs like "Good Day Sunshine" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" kept THE BEATLES firmly planted in the pop world with instantly catchy melodies and ear hooks that penetrated deeply into the soul.

REVOLVER was and remains one of the masterpieces of rock music. Ranging from the feel good pop constructs of their earlier years to the more biting criticism in tracks like "Doctor Robert" as well as the psychedelically infused recording techniques of the album's closer "Tomorrow Never Knows." THE BEATLES unleashed a completely new paradigm into the world of rock and roll with an album that tackled multiple musical genres and an ever expansive range of subject matter to modulate upon. With THE BEATLES reaching unthinkable heights of popularity, REVOLVER marked the point where the band had burned out playing live and tackling all the challenges that went with the whole touring circuit. The Fab Four ended their live performances shortly after this album was released and performed their final concert at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on 29 August 1966 which ended the band's four year run of nonstop touring that included a whopping 1400 concert appearances all across the globe. The band would carry on to indulge in even more ambitious studio recordings that would culminate in the following album "Sgt Pepper's." While opinions vary widely as to which BEATLES album is the best, many have joined the camp that places REVOLVER on the top of the heap for its sheer audacity and boldness to take rock music where it had never gone before. For its sheer ingenuity it genuinely deserves plaudits for such accomplishments but in the end it's just a really great album with not one bad track.

Not one of my favorite Beatles albums, it is much better than The White Album or Yellow Submarine. The hits from the album became known to me before the album due to my mother's acquisition of the "red" and "blue" history albums that came out in the early 1970s. It wasn't until years later that I came to hear, know, and enjoy the full album, with songs like "Im Only Sleeping," "Here, There and Everywhere," "She Said She Said," "And Your Bird Can Sing," and "Dr. Robert" entering my lexicon of familiarity. And I like it! It's still got some of that fresh, innocence the band's earliest stuff while showing their penchant for experimentation in the studio and engineering room. Still, this is not a great, amazing, life-changing album (despite some of the "advances" made by "Eleanor Rigby" and "Tomorrow Never Knows"). Can't wait for stereo!

Revolver is the seventh studio album by The Beatles, which released in August of 1966, Revolver was the first album by The Beatles to have psychedelic songs and a wider variety of instruments, this will of course influence progressive rock bands in the future, the song Eleanor Rigby had classical influence which will also come to influence prog. So id say that this album is very important to the development of progressive rock because it really showed the potential of what rock could be. There is not a bad song on this album in my opinion and since I think its so important to the development of prog I will rate it a 5/5. An essential in any prog or classic rock collection.

Having to review Revolver always made me a bit nervous - which is why it took me so long to get myself together. The reason is simple: Revolver is one of my all time favourite albums. I would normally try to be objective in my reviews, so the question is if I will be able to keep that objectivity here while still giving the album the praise I think it deserves. I don't know, but the following lines will hopefully answer that question.

The Beatles had shown steps towards more sophisticated and studio-oriented music ever since the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night", most prominently on the Rubber Soul album which contains more deep songs than those on their previous records. But Revolver is a giant leap away from the old Beatles sound. The album contains multiple sounds that are (were) only possible to create in a studio: backwards recording, varispeed recording, sound manipulation and tape loops - the inspiration obviously came from avant-garde and musique concrete. The band experimented with different musical styles that are not usually associated with pop or rock and roll, like classical and Indian music. Plus, many of the lyrics go way beyond the traditional love songs associated with pop. If you listen to the first album, Please Please Me, and then Revolver immediately afterwards, it doesn't even sound like the same band.

Revolver begins symbolically with a count in. The first Beatles album had begun in the same way, with Paul McCartney's energetic "one two three four!" introduction to "I Saw Her Standing There", as if to introduce the music of the Beatles for the first time. The first song on Revolver also begins with "one two three four". But it's a very weird count in this time. It doesn't create a pulse, like the one for "I Saw Her..." did. Instead it is held in a slow tempo that's completely unrelated to the actual song; Harrison's voice sounds kind of grumpy, and it is mixed with studio noise, making it clear that the Beatles's music is now all about studio production rather than live performances.

The song is "Taxman", the first opening track to be credited to Harrison, and his first really great contribution to the Beatles. If the count in sounded unfamiliar to the average Beatles listener at the time, then the actual song is no less unusual. It has an unusual rhythmic pattern - something they had already exercised in "Ticket to Ride" from Help!, and something they would take up later on this album in a rather spectacular fashion. Then there are the distorted guitar chords on the off-beats. They sound angry and agressive, but they also create a hypnotic intensity. Other magical moments include the close vocal harmonies, as well as the extra guitar from verse 3 that follows the bass. Also McCartney's guitar solo deserves a lot of praise.

"Taxman" is followed by one of the most heartbreaking songs I can think of. "Eleanor Rigby" is based on a dualty of on one side its sad mood and the sympathy for tragic human destinies ("All the lonely people, where do they all come from"), and on the other side the brutal depiction of the reality: "Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave, no one was saved". This duality is perfectly expressed by the double string quartet with the long soft notes in the chorus versus the agressive staccato in the violins.

"I'm Only Sleeping" is the first in a series of introspective Lennon compositions about his journey into LSD and psychedelia. It's a rather strange song, with Lennons voice speeded up while the instruments are slowed down. It creates a strange atmosphere that is further stressed by the reversed lead guitar. But despite the introspection, he is still "Keeping an eye on the world going by my window". Harrison's "Love You To" [sic] is the first Beatles song to take Indian music seriously while still keeping a Western type of song structure. More songs would follow that pattern in the next coupe of years. "Here There and Everywhere" is a simple understated ballad written by McCartney, and one of his own favourites. There's a classicist feel to the melody.

"Yellow Submarine" is a song many seem to hate for its childishness. I don't understand it. Sure it's a children's song basically, but so what? Both the melody and the lyrics about the life of a submarine is very charming, and there's a lot of humour in it. Just take the cacophonic orgie of sound effects, and especially the distorted nonsense dialogue before the last verse. And everything is kept together by Ringo's down-to-earth singing. I love every bit of it.

Side 1 ends in a spectacular fashion with "She Said She Said" - another one of Lennon's LSD driven songs on the album. It was inspired by a dialogue he had had with Peter Fonda during one of his first acid trips, in which Fonda talked about a near-death experience ("I know what it's like to be dead"). The melody, like several others on the album, has an Indian touch which is further stressed by the hypnotic chords. Also the electric guitars add to the song's hypnotic feel. There's some excellent drumming too. Only the bass is underwhelming - it was played by Harrison because McCartney walked out of the sessions for this song for some reason - but the other instruments make it up for that. In some ways the song resembles the 90's britpop.

If "She Said She Said" is a dark song, then side 2 begins with the exact opposite. "Good Day Sunshine" is as uplifting and optimistic as can be, and the great thing is, the optimism is real; there is nothing fake or superficial about it. But even then there is also a bit of sadness lying underneath, perhaps best expressed in the deep piano drone that starts the track. The song has some amazing key changes, great vocal harmonies, a rather "spaced out" vocal fade-out, plus some excellent playing from everyone. It's a perfect opener for side 2. The next song, "And Your Bird Can Sing", is another stellar example of Harrison's lead guitar, but also the intense melody and chord changes deserve praise. Lennon, who wrote it, later dismissed it for what he considered nonsensical lyrics.

"For No One" is a slightly overlooked song, but it's another great example of McCartney's sense of melody. The sad mood of the lyrics is perfectly captured by the composition which seems to stress descending movements, especially in the bassline and melody in the verse. Even though the chorus is slightly more uplifting from a musical point of view, there's not much comfort to get there in the lyrics: "And in her eyes you see nothing, no sign of love behind her tears". The composition is quite classicist which is perfectly underlined by the piano-based production, whereas the horn solo is probably more baroque than classicist. "Dr. Robert" (about a doctor in New York who prescribed drugs for his patients for non-medical reasons) is probably the least appreciated song on Revolver, but it is a crucial part of the album as a whole (even though it was shamelessly taken out of the North American version of Revolver along with "I'm Only Sleeping" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" - the less said about the Capitol albums, the better). The song has some very intriguing chord changes that don't really make a clear tonic base. The chord structure also contradicts lyric lines such as "No one can succeed like Dr. Robert", suggesting that Lennon actually had a rather critical view on drug intake despite being soaked in LSD at the time.

"I Want to Tell You" kind of builds up to the last two songs. The best parts are probably the guitar riff and the "Indian" vocal harmonies in the outro. "Got to Get You Into My Life" deserves praise for its jazzy wind section, but for me the best part is actually the lead guitar just before the last chorus. And then, finally, the album ends with the most radical song "Tomorrow Never Knows" which is a tour de force in psychedelic effects and cutting edge studio production. Usually I like psychedelic music the best if it is based on avant-garde techniques, and the many tape loops and manipulated sounds used here are simply mindblowing. The avant-garde sounds are combined with (once again) an Indian influence, as can be heard in the drone (played with an Indian instrument whose name I don't remember) as well as in the Mixolydian melody. After "Ticket to Ride" and "Taxman", it's the third great example of what you can get out of an unusual drum pattern. The lyrical content about turning off your mind leaves me pretty scared, especially knowing in what state LSD left a lot of people. But one can not deny that the drug inspired a lot of great art.

Revolver is the first Beatles album with nothing but great songs on it, and even though the songs are not related to each other as such, they still add up to an artistic whole, making it a truely unified record. The album is also a good example of how far you can get with relatively short songs and traditional song structure. The sophisticated melodies and chord changes go way beyond the early Beatles style, as do the many experiments with different musical styles (classical European and Indian music, jazz, musique concrete etc.) as well as innovative studio recording. Judged on its purely musical merits, it is probably The Beatles' most accomplished work, and it remains a true masterpiece.

This was the biggest turning point for The Beatles. After 3 love focused pop songs, and 3 more albums that took the band in a bit of an experimental direction, here we see the cultivation of what the band can lead too and what will follow. While still retaining their early sort of flow, they knew that with a changing time, they knew love songs won't make them as big as they were in their hay day, so they simply got with the times in their own Beatles-ey way. I say Eleanor Rigby has to be their most progressive song they made. It is extremely different and interesting to listen too, and probably was the introduction to so many people back then too a more progressive and interesting music. Heck I say this is their most progressive album, aside from the white album. Not saying there wasn't any progressive rock back then but I feel like The Beatles established the genre to the public, whether they meant it or not. A very good album all around.

This is my most favourite Beatles album even though Rubber Soul and Abbey Road influenced my music direction more. The Beatles were evolving rapidly since embarking on their drug use journey starting with Rubber Soul. What we hear is the last really rocking album until "White Album" where substance is still created by lively instrument without overwhelming studio experimentation. McCartney leads with great melodies and accessible numbers although I would wish for more experimentation rather than diversity. Lennon excels in all directions such as compositions, surreal moods and vocal execution. Starr adds impressive drumming and Harrison has the best songwriting credits up to this point with 3 appearances.

The album starts relentlessly by "Taxman" and features aggressive psychedelic guitar solo and great lyrics. Starr provides good drums. "Eleanor Rigby" is one of the most often covered Beatles songs especially in jazz and soul. The unusual great melody and arrangements were very influential to baroque and psychedelic pop. You don't need rock guitar and drums to make an impressive pop track. "I'm only sleeping" is more about loose psychedelia feeling and lyrics than a strong melody but has traditionally strong harmonies. "Love you to" adds another dimension with its Indian elements and Harrison suiting vocal. "Here, there and everywhere" is one of the most beloved harmony vocals song but I find it overrated in general. Now we're finally coming to strong Lennon's experimental numbers - "She said she said" is one of the most progressive pieces thanks to rhythmical shifts and Starr drumming - this is Lennon at his best, flying in the clouds and kicking away all barriers "Good day sunshine" is another baroque pop track by McCartney with dominating piano and typical McCartney sense of melody. "And your bird can sing" is again on another side of things with extremely strong triple harmonies a la Byrds and inventive Harrison solo. Lennon vocal is so strong here. McCartney is no worse with muscular bass playing. "For no one" shows McCartney's flair for brass instruments with a great trumpet solo. "Doctor Robert" sounds more like it could stem from previous albums due to its old fashioned rhythm side but vocal harmonies save it. "I want to tell you" is another great Harrison's heart-broken bitter song and also employs piano. "Got to get you into my life" showcases high vocal range and soul inspiration. McCartney's vocal at its best. "Tomorrow never knows" has a fascinating beat, a simple melody and tons of psychedelia with its atmosphere. It has been covered by countless styles ranging from progressive rock to jazz.