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Rating:
This, and not “Sgt. Pepper”, is the (musical) pinnacle of the Beatles. Even Scaruffi is forced to call it a “masterpiece”.
It's hard to imagine that “I’m Only Sleeping” did not somehow “intrigue” the creativity of Syd Barrett and company, who, the following year, went beyond the Beatles and the (great) psychedelic pop-rock of “Revolver” – even though it would be superficial to say that “Revolver” is only about psychedelia. We find the ballad (“For No One”), the electric folk ballad (“Here, There and Everywhere”), vaudeville (“Yellow Submarine”), Indian folk (“Love You To”), rock blues (“Taxman”), and classical (“Eleanor Rigby”). As Luca Biagini says, the Beatles’ masterpiece is also “the most heterogeneous album of their production.” The Beatles could have created a disaster in this pretentiousness of wanting to say something in every genre. One remains happily incredulous listening to the results achieved.
What amazes, even more than the music, is the (musical) difference between this and “Rubber Soul”. Among the bands I know, there is no such abyssal difference between one record and the previous one. Twenties turned into thirties in the span of eight months.
Although “Revolver” is a musical masterpiece, it is not a perfect album. In this album, there are some questionable choices, some really incomprehensible. Above all, the absence of a psychedelic rock masterpiece like “Rain”, released as a B-side: Ringo’s performance is beautiful, McCartney’s bass is splendid, and the early reverse crashes with “suction effect” are stunning.
Another flaw is the presence of a song like “Yellow Submarine”, which drastically lowers the album's depth. Such a pleasant song, undoubtedly well-crafted, would have been perfect as a single to play for children; on the album, it really stands out. Moreover, the version of “Got to Get You Into My Life” on the Anthology (only with organ, hi-hat, and vocals) is, in my opinion, far superior to the album version; the sober and mature singing makes it a masterpiece.
The same can be said for “And Your Bird Can Sing”: the slowed-down version of the Anthology, with the shimmering folk-rock guitar, was, as Luca Biagini says, superior to the (to me anonymous) album version.
The biggest flaws, however, are in the lyrics. In “Revolver”, there are some slips. This obviously does not apply when we talk about splendid verses like those of “For No One” (love ending due to her selfishness), “Eleanor Rigby” (loneliness told concretely), “I’m Only Sleeping” (irony against those who always live in a hurry without reason), the irony of “Taxman” and also “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
The slips concern the lyrics of songs like “And Your Bird Can Sing” (which Lennon considered “junk”), “Good Day Sunshine” (emblem of McCartney’s immature optimism), and lyrics that are really uninspired like those of “She Said, She Said”, or really trivial like “Doctor Robert.” For the lyrics, Lennon from “Revolver” is absolutely inferior to Lennon from “Rubber Soul” – and this regression saddens me a bit: wasting such songs to talk about nothing …
The historical value of this album is perhaps superior to its musical one. With “Revolver”, pop – a genre born to sell records and make teenage girls scream – becomes art. From pop to (author's) Pop through “Revolver”. When “Revolver” was released, it provoked enthusiastic reviews from critics all over the world. Suddenly experts noticed that the Beatles were not just four mop-top idiots; under the hair, there was gray matter, and they defined some pieces as “manifestations of sheer genius” – while still remaining in the realm of Pop.
Listening to “I’m Only Sleeping” (with the dreamy “backward guitar” solo that took six hours to write) and “Tomorrow Never Knows” (with sped-up violins, the “spinning” effect of voices, and all the rest…) one cannot but agree. However, this album should not be overrated, as some delirious critics praise it as “the greatest ever”. There are many albums superior in genres superior to Pop. That said, the Beatles of “Revolver” remain a miracle.
The Beatles will never again reach certain peaks of musical creativity present here – apart from “Strawberry Fields”, “A Day in the Life”, and “I Am the Walrus”. Had they continued in this sonic exploration, today, I think, we would remember them as the “Pink Floyd of Pop”. In reality, they were, but for too short a time (1966/67).
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Taxman (02:41)
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for me
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman
Should five percent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet
Taxman
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman
Don't ask me what I want it for (ha ha Mr. Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more (ha ha Mr. Heath)
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman
Now my advice for those who die (Taxman)
Declare the pennies on your eyes (Taxman)
'Cause I'm the taxman,
Yeah, I'm the taxman
And you're working for no one but me (Taxman)
02 Eleanor Rigby (02:10)
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong
Father McKenzie,
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby,
Died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie
Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from
All the lonely people (Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong
05 Here, There and Everywhere (02:28)
To lead a better life,
I need my love to be here.
Here, making each day of the year
Changing my life with a wave of her hand
Nobody can deny that there's something there.
There, running my hands through her hair
Both of us thinking how good it can be
Someone is speaking but she doesn't know he's there.
I want her everywhere
And if she's beside me I know I need never care.
But to love her is to need her
Everywhere, knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there.
I want her everywhere
And if she's beside me I know I need never care.
But to love her is to need her
Everywhere, knowing that love is to share
Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there.
I will be there, and everywhere.
Here, there and everywhere.
06 Yellow Submarine (02:42)
In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed up to the sun
'Till we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
And our friends are all aboard
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
(Full speed ahead Mr. Boatswain, full speed ahead
Full speed ahead it is, Sgt.
Cut the cable, drop the cable
Aye, Sir, aye
Captain, captain)
As we live a life of ease
Every one of us has all we need
Sky of blue and sea of green
In our yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
11 Doctor Robert (02:17)
Ring, my friend I said you'd call
Doctor Robert
Day or night he'll be there any time at all
Doctor Robert
Doctor Robert
You're a new and better man
He helps you to understand
He does everything he can
Doctor Robert
If you're down he'll pick you up
Doctor Robert
Take a drink from his special cup
Doctor Robert
Doctor Robert
He's a man you must believe
Helping anyone in need
No one can succeed like
Doctor Robert
Well, well, well, you're feeling fine
Well, well, well, he'll make you
Doctor Robert
My friend works for the National Health
Doctor Robert
Don't pay money just to see yourself
Doctor Robert
Doctor Robert
You're a new and better man
He helps you to understand
He does everything he can
Doctor Robert
Well, well, well, you're feeling fine
Well, well, well, he'll make you
Doctor Robert
Ring, my friend I said you'd call
Doctor Robert
Doctor Robert
12 I Want to Tell You (02:32)
I want to tell you,
My head is filled with things to say,
When you're here,
All those words,
They seem to slip away.
When I get near you,
The games begin to drag me down,
It's alright,
I'll make you make me next time around.
But if I seem to act unkind,
It's only me,
It's not my mind,
That is the confusing thing.
I want to tell you,
I feel hung up,
But I don't know why,
I don't mind,
I could wait forever,
I've got time.
Sometimes I wish I knew you well,
Then I could speak my mind and tell you,
Maybe you'd understand.
I want to tell you,
I feel hung up,
But I don't know why,
I don't mind,
I could wait forever,
I've got time.
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Other reviews
By R2061478
With Revolver, they start to get really serious.
Tomorrow Never Knows sounds modern even today, a cross between the Chemical Brothers and the minimalist electronics of Radiohead.
By DanteCruciani
"The Beatles are the greatest band of all time, it seems obvious to me."
"I could never explicitly say how much I loved the Beatles because it wouldn’t be appropriate for a serious music critic... In the Beatles, there was something mystical, AND I love them."
By sausalito
"Revolver is emblematic ... the weakest record in the band's mature discography."
"A record where the disparity between fame and actual value is evident."
By JohnWinston
"Revolver is tinged with psychedelia, ballads, rhythm & blues, nursery rhymes... everything contributes a bit to the creation of this timeless masterpiece."
"Tomorrow Never Knows is the masterpiece within the masterpiece, a drumbeat that hypnotizes the subconscious and leads the psychedelic explosion of 1967."
By david81
Revolver is a revolutionary LP that anticipates the times to come by a year.
A must-have album for every respectable music collection: a Brunello di Montalcino of music!!
