Revolver Entry

The Beatles broke out on to the scene and started what was largely known as the British Invasion. They mesmerized fans with their fitted matching suits and mop-top haircuts. The Beatles dominated the charts with hits like “She Loves You”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, and “Help”. By 1965, they were enjoying the success of their sixth studio album, Rubber Soul, when they decided to take a break. Instead of having the constant pressure of creating music, the Beatles took time to read, rest, and explore. This time proved to be fruitful, as they would create music only as it came to them. They developed a lot of interests that would later inspire the work of Revolver.

Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys were greatly inspired by The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album and were hard at work trying to create an album that could top that. The Beatles, on the other hand, were inspired by whatever they read or saw to create the album that would eventually outdo their last. For example, the track “Tomorrow Never Knows” was inspired by Timothy Leary’s book, The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead. This would explain the otherworldly, intoxicated feel of the production. It was noted that the track “She Said She Said” was actually a conversation between John Lennon and actor Peter Fonda. In the conversation, Fonda exclaimed, “I know what it is like to be dead”, thus inspiring the lyric. “Taxman” was a song about high marginal rates of income tax that big earners, like the Beatles, had to pay. All of these are examples of the new subject matter the band would take on.

What Revolver was truly remembered for was the innovative use of the studio to create new effects. For one, “Tomorrow Never Knows” introduced the automatic double tracking technique. John Lennon was not too fond of having to sing his lyrics over to layer his voice. It then sparked the thought of having the tape recorder duplicate his voice automatically. Once they found this was possible, The Beatles used it extensively on the Revolver album. Other innovations came on songs like “I’m Only Sleeping”, which had guitars playing backwards using reversed tape, and “Yellow Submarine”, which saw the members utilizing unconventional materials like a pan of water to create special sound effects.

These examples were only a few reasons why Revolver is a classic. I can see why this is this is fans’ favorite Beatle album. The subject matter and the complexity of the production astonished me. This album has left a great and lasting impression on me. These songs are simply relatable and captivating, which are two of the best qualities to have in an album.