Many, perhaps most, fans would, if asked, name Sgt. Pepper’s as the greatest Beatles album of them all — and it was, without question, a work of coruscating brilliance. But many of us who grew up during that extraordinary period in musical and cultural history feel that it was the album immediately preceding that was the Beatles’ most significant creative breakthrough — the most audacious departure from all that had come before, both musically and technically. I’m talking, of course, about the 1966 release Revolver.
Why am I bringing this up? I’ve just stumbled upon a marvelous little book about this revolutionary recording, and I wanted to share it with you all. Go and have a look here.
4 Comments
That’s a great find, but Rubber Soul is better than Revolver.
My 2 cents.
– M
Hi Mike,
Rubber Soul is a splendid album, and the song In My Life is a perennial contender in “best song of all time” polls, but while RS was an important step in the Beatles’ musical journey, it was still embedded an earlier musical and technological tradition. It was not until Revolver that the full, disruptive extent of the band’s creativity (and that of the visionaries George Martin and Geoff Emerick, whose input was, I think, as important as the band’s) became apparent. There were innovations, to be sure, on Rubber Soul, but the world had simply never heard anything, for example, like Tomorrow Never Knows, which was an abrupt break with everything that had ever happened in a recording studio before.
I do love Rubber Soul, though. What a great record.
I had not actually planned to listen to all of Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt Pepper’s after my comment last night. But, they went well with the recommended reading material. :-) I still think I favor Rubber Soul. I can see your point, however.
– M
One could also make the case that “I Feel Fine” was even more revolutionary, as it is the first rock song to use feedback.