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Post by sayne on Aug 4, 2016 22:41:13 GMT -5
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Post by Panther on Aug 5, 2016 3:20:13 GMT -5
Revolver is obviously a work of collective genius, expertly arranged and recorded.
It's not in my personal top-5 Beatle albums, but I can understand why it's in most people's.
As albums go, it's almost TOO diverse... it delves into almost everything imaginable (except folk-rock, which is already pensioned off after 1965), without really settling into anything.
Those first 5 songs... holy crap! Find me any other band that can have 5 songs that different and wildly diverse to kick off an album.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2016 5:25:33 GMT -5
I quite like those 2 George songs in the first 5.
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Post by sayne on Aug 5, 2016 7:58:06 GMT -5
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nine
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Post by nine on Aug 5, 2016 9:43:08 GMT -5
Revolver is obviously a work of collective genius, expertly arranged and recorded. It's not in my personal top-5 Beatle albums, but I can understand why it's in most people's. As albums go, it's almost TOO diverse... it delves into almost everything imaginable (except folk-rock, which is already pensioned off after 1965), without really settling into anything. Those first 5 songs... holy crap! Find me any other band that can have 5 songs that different and wildly diverse to kick off an album. What are your top 5?
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Post by John S. Damm on Aug 5, 2016 13:44:58 GMT -5
Song for song Revolver is The Beatles' high-water album in my opinion. There may be better songs on subsequent albums but the consistent quality of Revolver's songs makes it so special.
All four Beatles are firing on all cylinders. They are really a band here and they still all like each other.
We have read or heard that SPLHCB was mostly a John and Paul show and George and Ringo did not seem to enjoy making it as much as Rubber Soul and Revolver and after Pepper things just got more tense.
I may have to crank it tonight although I have always been very disappointed in the 2009 remastered stereo version. John's songs, especially "I'm Only Sleeping," are sonically dead. I prefer the 1987 Revolver to the 2009 version and that needs to be fixed!
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Aug 5, 2016 14:27:10 GMT -5
I've done a long track-by-track analysis for Billboard. I'll post the link when it's online.
But I'm not falling into the "best album" category. I do love it, but "Rubber Soul" and "Pepper" have always been more my favorites, along with "Abbey Road."
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Post by Steve Marinucci on Aug 5, 2016 17:08:45 GMT -5
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Post by Panther on Aug 6, 2016 10:19:48 GMT -5
I've said it before, but I really believe Revolver is the album that Paul shines the brightest on compared to the others, and notably in comparison to John (along with 'Let It Be'). George has his three songs (one of which I don't care for - 'I Want to Tell You'), and Ringo is Ringo (his best ever, maybe - 'Rain' - didn't make the LP). John's songs are fine... - I'm Only Sleeping - She Said, She Said - And Your Bird Can Sing - Doctor Robert - Tomorrow Never Knows
...but not very melodically strong. I can't see any of these being, say, a top-10 hit, which is rare for any stretch of songs in the Beatles' canon.
But Paul hit his stride, big-time: - Eleanor Rigby - Here, There and Everywhere - Yellow Submarine - Good Day Sunshine - For No One - Got to Get You Into My Life
I mean, is there any song there that's less than a stone-cold classic? There isn't.
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nine
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Post by nine on Aug 6, 2016 11:35:09 GMT -5
I've said it before, but I really believe Revolver is the album that Paul shines the brightest on compared to the others, and notably in comparison to John (along with 'Let It Be'). George has his three songs (one of which I don't care for - 'I Want to Tell You'), and Ringo is Ringo (his best ever, maybe - 'Rain' - didn't make the LP). John's songs are fine... - I'm Only Sleeping - She Said, She Said - And Your Bird Can Sing - Doctor Robert - Tomorrow Never Knows ...but not very melodically strong. I can't see any of these being, say, a top-10 hit, which is rare for any stretch of songs in the Beatles' canon. But Paul hit his stride, big-time: - Eleanor Rigby - Here, There and Everywhere - Yellow Submarine - Good Day Sunshine - For No One - Got to Get You Into My Life I mean, is there any song there that's less than a stone-cold classic? There isn't. Agreed, Paul was on fire. This is the start of John slowing down. This is where he is gulping down acid. It takes India to re-awaken him before he resorts to old habits and new ones on his return and as a consequence, less songs. Imagine if Lennon had of kept his initial Beatle drive, his Hard Days' Night ethic where he gave his all.
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Post by John S. Damm on Aug 6, 2016 12:27:30 GMT -5
There is no question that Paul was on fire on Revolver but I have always disagreed strongly with those who say that correspondingly John was starting to falter or was weaker on Revolver.
I thus feel that both men were hitting heights never before achieved by Pop stars and did it in their own differing ways. That is what makes Revolver so beautiful to me. I quote Bob Dylan as to how I think of Revolver-Era John and Paul:
"We always did feel the same We just saw it from a different point of view Tangled up in blue."
No question that Paul's offerings are more mainstream but John's offerings are more likely heard today on alternative playlists that always makes one proud to be a Beatles fan. "Tomorrow Never Knows" created a buzz back then and is still a topic of conversation today(in Anthology, TNK dominated the Revolver portion of that documentary).
I popped open a bottle of dry red wine last night and played really loud the 2009 Stereo re-mastered Revolver and was that one fantastic experience! While I have not been overly fond of this album's 2009 re-mastering treatment, it sounded awesome last night.
Surprise winners to me at least last night were "Love You To" and "Doctor Robert," two of the so-called lesser songs on the album. Both really sum up the times in which they were written.
Happy 50th birthday Revolver!
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Post by debjorgo on Aug 6, 2016 13:24:34 GMT -5
I always thought of Revolver as the John and George album. They seem to be of the same mind (we know why). Paul is off n his own doing the too pop smaltz of Here There and Everywhere and Good Day Sunshine. For No One is excellent but Eleanor Rigby seems out of place on the album. I never liked Got to Get You Into My Life.
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Post by stavros on Aug 6, 2016 15:55:22 GMT -5
There is a also piece in the Liverpool Echo about Revolver's 50th birthday and some factoids about it : linkRevolver is the one album that was criminally under represented on the retrospectives (ie.the Red and Blue Albums). Only Yellow Submarine and Eleanor Rigby being selected for the 'Red' album. It is a mighty piece of pop craftmanship from the Beatles mid-period. However things were very soon about to change. The "More Popular than Jesus" quote and furore it caused in Bible Belt America, along with the inability to play their tracks live as they sounded in the studio (not to mention the screaming hordes) meant the Beatles were about to become a studio band only. But for a brief appearance on roof of the Apple building they were never to play live together again. Revolver represents the band on the cusp of a new era with hints of what was to come. The artwork for the cover represents a move away from the 'photo shoot' of previous albums. George blossoms as a song writer. There are also moves to a more psychedelic and experimental sound, along with use of orchestration and a more varied than ever selection of tracks.However it's all still packaged as a straight forward rock/pop album and holds together rather well because of it. It's a highly enjoyable album from the Beatles and it's amazing to think how the band had developed in such a short space of time. I think after that and especially after Pepper the cracks were beginning to show. Revolver is arguably the last album when the Beatles were still a tight unit together.
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lowbasso
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Revolver
Aug 6, 2016 16:44:21 GMT -5
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Post by lowbasso on Aug 6, 2016 16:44:21 GMT -5
At the end of this month is the 50th Anniversary of Candlestick. The end of the line for live Beatles concerts. Revolver and Candlestick represent the band at the top of their short decade arc of existence. SPLHCB kept them at the top for another year studio-wise, but Candlestick was the end for the band onstage. Ironic Ron Howard's film will open & celebrate that aspect of the band next month on the golden anniversary. How could it be that the greatest rock band of all time could have only existed 6 years before hitting the peak of their existence and only last another three short years before disappearing forever? Like a fast burning Roman Candle they rose and shown brighter than anyone before fizzling out in only one decade. Why did they burn out so fast as a band? Egos? Mania? Distractions? Even Mozart gave us a little longer in his brief lifetime of only 36 years.
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Post by stavros on Aug 6, 2016 20:09:34 GMT -5
.... How could it be that the greatest rock band of all time could have only existed 6 years before hitting the peak of their existence and only last another three short years before disappearing forever? ............ I think the answer is that it was all to do with timing. The Beatles rose to prominence at just the right time in history to reach the level of fame they achieved. * Rock 'n Roll was just out of it's infancy when The Beatles started out and not really very sophisticated.The Beatles kept pushing it forward. * The popular tunes that we know from the last 5 decades had not yet been written. They were not really competing with the whole history of rock/pop music that is prevalent today. It was easier to write a new song. * The advances in technology in the 1960s were unsurpassed in previous decades. Production techniques were primitive compared to today but 4 and 8-track tape was a major innovation that enabled multi-layer recording. * Younger Brits happily embraced American pop-culture it had been exposed to during and after the war. Europe, Australia, Japan and America then embraced the Beatles after the winter of 1963 and the assassination of JFK. * TV ownership in the West was exploding just as the Beatles started having hit records. That's not to try and diminish the talents of any of the Beatles (or George Martin and others). There were plenty of other bands around at the time who were never as prolific. The Beatles just had that certain something that allowed them to rise to the very top in that timeframe. They were also the first band to break apart whilst the full glare of global media was on them. A decade later they would have simply took time off and worked on solo projects. So they were in the right place at the right time to take advantage of their talents but that spotlight also proved too hot to keep them together beyond the 1960s.
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Post by debjorgo on Aug 6, 2016 21:36:46 GMT -5
I always thought of Revolver as the John and George album. They seem to be of the same mind (we know why). Paul is off n his own doing the too pop smaltz of Here There and Everywhere and Good Day Sunshine. For No One is excellent but Eleanor Rigby seems out of place on the album. I never liked Got to Get You Into My Life. I must use this opportunity to point out that my negative evaluations of Paul's songs on this album are measured on the Beatle's scale. Compared to the majority of the songs out in '66, or any year for that matter, they were brilliant.
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Post by Panther on Aug 6, 2016 22:02:19 GMT -5
...the too pop smaltz of Here There and Everywhere and Good Day Sunshine.... Eleanor Rigby seems out of place on the album. I never liked Got to Get You Into My Life.
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Post by debjorgo on Aug 7, 2016 0:21:52 GMT -5
...the too pop smaltz of Here There and Everywhere and Good Day Sunshine.... Eleanor Rigby seems out of place on the album. I never liked Got to Get You Into My Life. Ha Ha! (I keep watching it!) Revolver was all John and George tearing up the place, blazing new territory (albeit with Paul's help big time in the studio). No worries. Paul was back full steam on the next album with Sgt Pepper.
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nine
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Post by nine on Aug 7, 2016 10:18:07 GMT -5
I love LOVE And Your Bird Can Sing. F***ing awesome. Lennon, the most original, unpredictable, genius that he was.
Of his Revolver contributions I'd say Dr. Robert was the least of 'em but She Said, She Said (which Paul didn't play on)... brilliant, like it more than Rain.
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