Review Summary: Music for the ages, but still not popular as Jesus
Few bands have made as much of a mark on music history as The Beatles have. Their evolution from mop topped youngsters from Liverpool to bearded, philosophically irradiated heroes was as starkly bombastic as it was natural. Still, somehow, after all these decades since their demise, The Beatles still manage to somehow be the most dauntingly, and occasionally excessively, popular musical group in the history of recorded music. Fathers of fathers were fans, and now the tree of those who claim to be have been somehow enlightened and influenced by four men is almost as extensive as Jesus Christ and His 12 Disciples. John Lennon was flayed by the media for saying he was more popular than Jesus, and rightfully so. They're not religious idols and figures. They're just men. We, as a society, have created this aura of them being insurmountably understandable deities. They're not. They were just four men. But at their prime, there was something almost mystical and, possibly, divine about the music they were creating. It was as if they knew they would be creating a legacy like they did, and this musical prowess just flowed through them. Release after release, the legacy just grew and grew, and their shadow loomed over their contemporaries with an almost sinister snicker. It was if it was saying "No one will ever make music this good again. So stop trying".
But there were quite a few falters and flops in their catologue, and the kinks in their armor were not blinded to the press, public, or even themselves. Despite their hardest attempts to try, they still always seemed to have a mass horde of dejectors just waiting to pounce on them. Contemporary reviews for some of their greatest works were mixed to miserable. Now, in the four or so decades since their initial releases, all their work has been looked at in some new manner.
"Revolver" is no different. This album is their best work. An absolute pinnacle of songwriting, musicianship, experimentation, and just exacting of music abilities. There is not a single track on here that is not classic, or even incredible. From the fuzzy opening of "Taxman", there's an almost intoxicating draw that just drags you in. Good music should just grab you by the throat and pull you in, tugging you along each second. This album is not throat grippingly fast, or anything extreme of that sort. It's just good music. There's something to say when a song just feels and sounds good. There's tracks on here that just tangibly feel good. From the hauntingly morose melody of "I'm Only Sleeping", or the goofy gleefulness of "Yellow Submarine", there's just something that you can feel. It causes frisson. Just a sense of "This is incredible". "Good Day Sunshine" feels like literal sunshine. The dreariest of days are somehow made a little brighter from a 2 minute song. Capturing emotions, portraying emotions, exuding emotion. Artists like Mark Rothko long tried to convey a sense of emotion in their art. Cause the audience to break down in tears from a minimalist painting. "Revolver" does this with just sheer ability and talent, and non-pretentiously to boot.
Many people try and listen to "Revolver" and nitpick parts and lyrics in these songs to make it seem flawed. This album is completely without flaw. It is, musically, sonically, and artistically perfect. Few albums have ever been created that define sheer perfection, within a sense of absolute songwriting and a sense of bravado of all they do. The influence this album has created is absolutely incendiary. Bands, artists, people of all walks of life claim The Beatles to be an influence. There's something to said that a band, just four men from England, had the power to create something so revolutionary. While the band is gone, and long gone at that, their influence will likely never fade. "Revolver" is the pinnacle of why it should never fade. This is a masterpiece.
