REVOLVER

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!

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