Revolver

Supposedly, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the album where the Fabs broke free of conventional song structure and fully realized the power of the studio as opposed to the live performance. Well, I've always thought that general consesus (conseses? consensuses?) are wrong. When I bought Revolver -- my first official Beatles album, not counting compilations -- I was on American soil and wound up with the truncated Yank version, a record that jettisoned all the catchy singles material ("I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing", "Dr. Robert"), and left all the experimental stuff. This leaves an album where the blistering "Taxman" gives way to the tense "Eleanor Rigby" and the mystic "Love You To". I can only imagine what American fans of the day thought; this was one hell of a followup to Rubber Soul.

In any event, Revolver was the first product of the "adult" Beatles. On Rubber Soul and Help! the Fabs had made a point of rethinking and restructuring the moon-june-spoon love songs they were expected to play; by contrast, less than half of Revolver is even about love. Of those love songs, only the gorgeous "Here, There, and Everywhere" qualifies as a love song. The rest deal with love as adjunct to other things: nature ("Good Day Sunshine"), materialism ("And Your Bird Can Sing"), and joyless servitude ("For No One"). And if we're to believe Paul, "Got To Get You Into My Life" is actually about marijuana and its effect of leading him to "another kind of mind".

Sonically, things were moving apace as well. Whereas the mid-period Beatles would spice up arrangements with exotic elements like foreign instruments and studio trickery; here they were building the songs around them, from the raga of "Love You To" (a real breakthrough for George) to the tape effects of "Tomorrow Never Knows". Their attempt at Motown turned into "Got To Get You Into My Life"; their attempt at classical turned into "Eleanor Rigby". They tried for even more on Sgt. Pepper, but not everything worked as well; Revolver was arguably the first recorded album to attempt so much and achieve it all.

Eleanor Rigby
One of Paul's masterpieces, if not the best of the lot. A chilling character study of wasted lives that was so effectively dark Studs Turkel praised it. Scored by George Martin from Paul's ideas, modeled in part after Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". The main character's name was a compilation of Eleanor Brown, an actress in "Help!", and a name Paul saw on a shop. (The original name of the Father was McCartney, subsequently changed.) John made one important contribution, suggesting that the original meeting of Eleanor and the Father at the end should be of a darker nature. Indeed it is.

I'm Only Sleeping A good example of John Vs. The World. Some think this is specifically about John's marijuana use, which would indeed make him sleepy, but it's really just a metaphor for the artistic mind vs. the practical one. Anyone who makes songs like this should be allowed to sleep in if they like. The first use of backwards guitar effects in recorded music.

Love You To Original title: Granny Smith

Harrison's first and best Indian raga song. Socially aware and sour, as per the norm: "They'll screw you in the ground". Furthermore, "they'll fill you in with all their sins". An early expression of George's spiritual stance. There's some disagreement about the backing musicians on this track. Is George playing that sitar?

Here, There, and Everywhere Definitely one of Paul's loveliest ballads, written as a direct homage to the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" (dig those harmonies). A personal favorite of John's, giving the lie to the old saw that John hated Paul's romantic ballads.

Yellow Submarine Paul's contribution to Ringo on this album, it was specifically written as a children's song, one that would withstand the test of time. It works wonderfully, specifically the sound effects (created by John and Paul blowing bubbles and moving a washcloth around in a tub of water). Donovan came up with the "Skies of blue and seas of green" phrase, and many notables sing on the chorus, including Stones alumni Brian Jones and Marianne Faithfull.

She Said, She Said Certainly the trickiest time signature of any Beatles song, wrapped as it is around an inscrutable transcript of a conversation between John and Peter Fonda. Fonda had said, during an LSD trip, "I know what it's like to be dead." The phrase intrigued John so much he built the song around it.

Good Day Sunshine Another Paul tribute, this time to the feel-good sound of the Lovin' Spoonful (dig that barrelhouse piano). This is muscially and lyrically reminiscent of the Spoonful's "Daydream", giving the lie to those who say that the Beatles influenced everyone else in the Sixties. They did, but as this song proves, it wasn't a one-way street.

And Your Bird Can Sing An early example of John's politics bleeding through his pop sensibility. He later said he hated it, called it a throwaway; I'm willing to bet that's because John wouldn't "be 'round" for someone as shallow and materialistic as this character. Fantastic harmonies and double-tracked George guitar riffs.

For No One Something different from Paul. A portrait of domesticity that's far from blissful; a baroque piece set off by Alan Civil's proper but oh-so-sad French horn. It's my belief that Paul talks about himself in songs like this. He was certainly going through romantic troubles at the time. And he hasn't written a single song like this since the day he met Linda.

Doctor Robert Definitely the "worst" track on Revolver, though that's such a relative concept on an album this fine. It sounds nice, and has a cynicism which is typical of John (all about a real doctor who pushed pills to the rich and famous, including John himself). Other than that, and the interesting, choral-style bridge, it's fairly unremarkable, however.

I Want To Tell You Original Title: Laxton's Superb Another fine song from George, who was coming into his own very quickly. It's often thought of as slight, but the contrast between the sections is expertly done, and there may be more weight to it than you think, especially if you believe the rumors that it's about a groupie. (He'll make you maybe next time around.)

Got To Get You Into My Life An ode to pot, apparently, disguised as a love song and yet another attempt by the Cute One to reproduce a certain style (in this case, Motown). Magnificent, with Paul wailing soulfully over God's own brass section.