Keno's Classic Rock n Roll Web Site

THE BEATLES

REVOLVER

Released - 1966, on Capital Records. Produced by George Martin

John Lennon - Lead & Backing Vocals; Rhythm & Lead Guitar; Percussion; Keyboards (inc. Harmonium)
Paul McCartney - Lead & Backing Vocals; Bass; Keyboards; Percussion
George Harrison - Lead and Rhythm Guitars; Sitar; Percussion; Backing Vocals, Lead Vocals on tracks 1,4 & 12
Ringo Starr - Drums, Percussion; Backing Vocals and Lead Vocal on track 6

Additional Personnel: On track 4: Aril Bhagwat - Tabla. On track 6: Brian Jones - Percussion & Backing Vocals; Donovan, Pattie Harrison, Marianne Faithfull, Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall - Backing Vocals; Brass players unknown. On track 8: George Martin - Piano. On track 10: lan Civil - Horn. Many others play on tracks 2 & 13.

All songs written by John Lennon & Paul McCartney except tracks 1, 4 & 12 written by George Harrison

Review

This is one of the few albums by The Beatles that I rarely play, in fact up to about the time I finally decided to review it, I hadn't played it in so many years that I could not recall the last time I did give it a spin. I only decided to review it here after several fellow Beatle fans wrote me asking why I hadn't reviewed it. For whatever reason, this LP just didn't click for me, perhaps because I felt it was John Lennon's weakest, and he always was my favorite Beatle. But after playing it non-stop for the last week, I find I'm once again asking myself why there are so many old albums put out years ago, that now I finally dig a lot, and this one has joined that growing list.

Revolver is a very spacey, druggy, trippy and far out album. You can tell they were smoking a lot of weed when this gem was recorded. The first two real Beatle drug songs turn up on here, Lennon's "Dr. Roberts", about a real doctor who first turned them on to LSD, and Paul McCartney's "Got to Get You Into My Life", which at the time of its release, nobody knew it was written entirely about his love for marijuana. Yet several of the other songs on Revolver are really why I say it is such a spacey sounding album, especially the ones where George Harrison's excellent sitar playing kicks in.

No, this may not be one of Lennon's best albums as far as his songs on here go; not that any of them are sub-par, they are all well written numbers, just no tens on here of his, other than the one he co-wrote with McCartney for Ringo Starr, "Yellow Submarine". Yet McCartney's songs all shine bright and are the best ones found on the LP, other than Harrison's opening tune, "Taxman", which along with "Eleanor Rigby", ties as the two best on Revolver.

I will be playing this one a lot more in the future, that's for sure!

- Keno 2005

To listen to some soundclips from REVOLVER or to purchase it, click here: Revolver (UK) or Revolver (U.S.)