December 23, 2012

Music Milestones, 1966: The Beatles – Revolver


Pop/rock reached its maturity in 1966, and strong releases such as Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, Aftermath by the Rolling Stones and Face to Face by the Kinks would easily contend for the best record of this year if the Beatles were not around. However, the Fab Four managed to outshine their peers with the brilliant Revolver, the experimental nature of which crucially ushered in the psychedelic era.
Despite all the experimentation that underlies Revolver, the record is a surprisingly cohesive blend of a wide range of tunes. George Harrison contributed a significant share to the songwriting, penning three indelible songs: the caustic “Taxman”; the Indian-tinged “Love You To”; and the lovelorn “I Want to Tell You”. Elsewhere, the Lennon/McCartney powerhouse was at its finest and yielded several nuggets. Highlights of the songwriting duo include the mellow “Here, There and Everywhere”, the cathartic “She Said She Said” and the comforting “And Your Bird Can Sing”. “Tomorrow Never Knows” closes the record, pushing the boundaries of pop/rock music to a whole new territory.
I leave you with “Eleanor Rigby”, which I think is the saddest and most moving song in Revolver:


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