Review Summary: A masterpiece of popular culture, "Revolver" revolutionized Rock and Roll in its musical and lyrical composition - for the better.
“Revolver” revolutionized music. It brought a new level of musical and lyrical sophistication and genius never before seen in rock and roll. It did not “simplify music for mass consumption.” The Beatles and Rock and Roll were and are folk music. This is music of the people that emerged like any other genre in the modern history of mankind. Only technology allowed it to be exposed to such a huge amount of people, and because of this is changed popular music forever. For the better.
What set apart “Revolver” was the analytical depth and musical exploration it featured that had never been seen before in Rock and Roll. In the album, the meaningful and poetic lyrics often only found in the folk movement of that area collided with Rock and Roll, the music of blues and country, here on Revolver immersed with so many other wide genres like never seen before at the time.
To insult the musical quality of revolver is not dissimilar to insulting its roots. This is not to say that they are one in the same, but the music of Revolver is inherently inspired and related to American blues and country, true products of culture before widespread technology and communication. One has the right to not enjoy the album, simply not liking the songs. But when one talks of quality, more often than not one steps into the subject of the music’s roots. No, this is not of the same level of musical “theory” as Bach or Stravinsky or even Philip Glass. That is because this is a different kind of music, the offspring of music with a different kind of history and purpose. There is no way one can compare the two genres on the same “musical battlefield.”
The album begins with “Taxman,” a work of George Harrison, one of the first politically motivated Beatles songs. It has one of those “classic riffs,” perfect in its simplicity, the solo as the song fades out beautiful in its “ogre-like tone.” All of the guitar lines on the album, for that matter, are beautiful in their “ugliness.” In the early days of the Beatles when they played in Hamburg, they were actually known for their high volume, one of the loudest rock groups of the time, despite many youth of today ignoring them as being too “soft.” This clearly resonates on the distortion in Harrison’s guitar lines throughout the album and changed the course of music history. Not everyone is required to enjoy this type of guitar sound and distortion, though I personally find it a beautiful sound. One must, however, respect it as a legitimate musical style with its own history and evolution.
And then there is Eleanor Rigby. “Eleanor Rigby” is famous for that it is not an orthodox rock song, it only being Paul McCartney’s voice and a string section backing him. The strings, arranged by George Martin, were inspired by Bernard Hermann, the great movie composer who wrote the score for such films as Citizen Kane, Psycho, and Fahrenheit 451. Its lyrics dealt with a series of created lonely characters, and it was one of the first popular songs of its kind to seriously deal with a kind of loneliness and depression. Following it is “I’m only sleeping,” a John Lennon trance-like song that was one of the first instances to use a guitar playing backwards, previously used only with vocals on “Rain” (the backside to the “Paperback Writer” single). “Love to you” was the second Beatle song to explore Indian themes, a kind of genre-reaching musical exploration previously unseen in music of the time, “popular” or not. No, it did not feature perhaps the musicianship and technically ability seen in true Indian classical music of Ravi Shankar or Zakir Hussein, to mention a famous few. But it cleared the way for genre exploration unmistakably influential in the history of Rock. In addition, the Beatles, despite what most people think, were actually quite familiar with many concepts and techniques of Indian classical music theory. And you know what? It’s also damn good music too.
“She Said She Said,” and “And Your Bird Can Sing,” two other Lennon songs, feature that same recognizable lead guitar style contained on “Taxman” and throughout the album. The lyrics, though they had still not reached their Lennon potential, are nevertheless sufficiently surreal and poetic. “Here, There, and Everywhere,” is a quiet tune by McCartney, essentially featuring only McCartney's voice, the soft strum of an electric guitar, and the occasional soft beat from Ringo in the background. “Yellow Submarine,” contrary to popular belief, was not “drug-fueled,” but inspired by children’s drawings, like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (Sgt. Pepper), another song with false rumors of drug influence. “Good Day Sunshine” was Paul McCartney’s tribute to the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream.” Though simplistic on first glance, its arrangement is actually quite daring.
“For No One,” a poignant, softer tune by McCartney, is known for its unique French horn solo. “Doctor Robert,” a song that was actually drug-inspired, contained references that ironically went largely unnoticed. It has that familiar guitar line style, even featuring a brief interlude of only vocals and a harmonium, as they sing “Well, well, well, you’re feeling fine / Well, well, well, he’ll make you.” “I Want To Tell You,” another Harrison song, is another daring arrangement. As Harrison sings, “When you're here / All those words, they seem to slip away,” a piano in the background accompanies Harrison, playing a note and then a note a half-step down (F to E), and, amazingly it fits. This song also had heavy Indian influence, though less obvious with the absence of any Indian instruments.
“Got to Get You into My Life” is a McCartney song backed by a horn section and a constant tambourine, consciously influenced by the Motown sound. The only guitar in the song comes in half way through it to deliver a classic solo. The final song on the album, “Tomorrow Never Knows” was perhaps the most experimental of the Beatles songs to that point. The entire song is backed by a constant sound bite of some seagulls, various other background noises and riffs, and an unchanging drum loop. Lennon’s voice was fed through a Leslie speaker, a type which was usually used only for rock organs. The entire musical experience of the song almost single-handedly ushered in the psychedelic movement.
This is a masterpiece of popular culture. Learn to deal with it.
