After shifting gears with RUBBER SOUL, The Beatles turned out another classic album in REVOLVER. Split into two albums when first issued in the US (YESTERDAY AND TODAY -- initally with the "Butcher shop" cover and then switched to the Steamer trunk cover of the lads -- and REVOLVER with less songs. YESTERDAY AND TODAY used some tracks off REVOLVER'S UK release such as "Dr. Robert" and some 45 singles that had not been collected elsewhere such as "Paperback Writer", "We Can Work it Out"). There are a number of really stand out songs on this one: Harrison's "Taxman", Paul's "Got to Get You into My Life", John's "She Said, She Said" (reputedly inspired by an acid party where Lennon heard Peter Fonda utter the line "I know what it's like to be dead."). Also are the eeriely sad "Eleanor Rigby" and the jaunty "Yellow Submarine" and "Good Day Sunshine". Topped off with the grand finale, "Tomorrow Never Knows" (a psychedelic song if ever there was one.) A Good time is guaranteed for all.

Released in August, 1966, at roughly the same time the Beatles stopped touring for good, "Revolver" remains amazing in its sheer variety. The songs are all over the map: Paul McCartney pays tribute to Motown with the horn-driven "Got To Get You Into My Life"; Ringo sings about the joys of living in a "Yellow Submarine" (later the basis for their delightful third motion picture); George Harrison expresses his Indian interests in "Love You To" (and delivers a jab to the Inland Revenue with "Taxman"); and John Lennon explores his own head with "She Said She Said" and the astonishing "Tomorrow Never Knows", in which his voice, filtered through a revolving Leslie speaker, is combined with backward-masking to create an eerie masterpiece, unlike anything heard from a pop group before, even the Fab Four themselves. This new, far more complex music could not have been successfully duplicated onstage, and the group thereafter left live performing behind. Now, the recording studio was their painter's canvas, and would remain so for the remainder of the group's existence.

With haunting melodies like "I'm Only Sleeping", "Eleanor Rigby", "Good Day Sunshine" and "She Said She Said" to name just a few, this is a very pleasing Beatles effort to listen to. If anyone needed proof that there's more to the Beatles than their hits, look no further. This album fluctuates effortlessly between vocal-centered pieces and George Harrison's much-loved sitar-driven melodies, and here I've only scraped the surface of the creativity that goes into the instrumentation.

For Revolver is a creative album, a joy to listen to and to take in. The melodies are a true musical mind-scape, ranging from easy-going melodies to the mysterious sound effects of "Tomorrow Never Knows". It is, finely put, a mystery of an album in itself. A truly solid piece of music-making, a year before Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which is generally considered a cornerstone in that area. Revolver is a very special album to me, and as I hear "I'm Only Sleeping" drifting through my mind yet again, I can see why.

Easily one of the Beatles best albums! Diverse songwriting styles are showcased with each song seemingly having a different style yet they blend perfectly with each other. Of course in charge of the production was George Martin as always. It's amazing how much ground this album covers given the fact that none of the fourteen songs featured actually lasts more than three minutes and a half!!
By the time this album was released in 1966 the band's sound had evolved a lot indeed. Especially when you think that their debut collection was released just three years earlier!

Let's start with guitarist John Lennon who sings five songs here. The first is "I'm Only Sleeping" with a simple band sound of drums, bass, and a lone dominating acoustic guitar is one of the album's best cuts. But, for me, the highlight comes in the middle when Harrison steps in to play an awesome backward guitar solo overdub! Next comes "She Said She Said" with it's lyrics based on an LSD trip is pure power pop with it's loud, bright sounding rhythm guitar and cool lead guitar work thoughtout too! You could say this is early hard rock at it's finest! After that we go into "And Your Bird Can Sing" with a stunning melodic lead guitar intro by Harrison, great vocals and rhythm guitar from Lennon, and memorable bass from McCartney combine to create another power pop classic!
In "Doctor Robert" a straightforword rock style is showcased with distorted guitars that is nothing short of excellent. In the middle an organ comes in for a nice change. Listen carefully at the end for that awesome arpeggiated, bright-sounding, distorted guitar!! Too bad it fades so quickly!! Now it's on to, by far, the most avant-garde inspired song on the album "Tomorrow Never Knows" that utilizes strange sound effects, a backward guitar solo and a tape loop producing what sounds like a seagull while Ringo keeps it all together with his steady drumming. On top of that Lennon sings some apparently drug inspired lyrics. Very innovative experiment to say the least!

Let's move on to bass player Paul McCartney who also gets to sing in five songs. "Eleanor Rigby" is a stunning two minute neo-classical piece with psychedelic lyrics but it's the great string arrangement by George Martin that really steals the show here! Now it's on to "Here, There, And Everywhere". This got to be one of the band's best love ballads ever! Paul lead vocals harmonize perfectly with the background vocals throughout the song's haunting melodies.
A nice change of style comes up in "Good Day Sunshine" with it's prominent grand piano and the good time feel of the lyrics but it's already time for another sharp turn and we find "For No One". Nice chord progression played on harpsichord, and after a haunting chorus, a really cool horn solo is included in the middle of the second verse played by session musician Alan Civil. The last one is the seemingly Motown inspired "Got To Get You Into My Life" with a memorable vocal by Paul but the most important thing here got to be it's unforgettable brass arrangement!! Without this the song's impact would have been greatly diminshed!

George Harrison contribued three drastically different songs. "Taxman", the album's opener, is an awesome rocker that's made even better by it's aggressive guitar solo in mixolydian! "Love You To" is by far the most ambitious in which he trades the guitar in favor of the sitar. The result is mesmerizing fusion of Indian and rock music. Note the distorted guitar that comes in for the chorus. Finally "I Want To Tell You" is surpirsingly pop sounding after the more ambitious previous song. It starts with a cool riff. No matter how poppy it may sound there's still room to experiment. This time it comes in that slightly dissonant chord used throughtout.

Drummer Ringo Starr got only got one song to sing: "Yellow Submarine". Probably one of the most popular of this album that later was included in the movie of the same name.

So there you have it! An essential album for the rock fan to say the least!!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

What happens when you get four guys from Liverpool, songs like "Taxman", "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" and throw in some LSD here and there? You get a rock & roll classic my friend. Revolver was released when rock music was wedged between Folk and Psychedelia, so it should sound way ahead of its time. Does the album stand for the test of time? Read on for my review!

From the opening proto-punk riff of Taxman to the childish nature of Yellow Submarine to the Syd Barret era-Pink Floyd of Tomorrow Never Knows, this album, like I said before, was ahead of its time. Not one song of this album is filler, even Yellow Submarine doesn't get old! George Harrison shines on this album from the bitterness of Taxman to the spiritual Love You To to the difficulty of expressing himself on I Want To Tell You. Paul McCartney also does a superb job with songs like Here There and Everywhere (inspired by "God Only Knows"), the devil may care attitude of Good Day Sunshine to the bitter For Know One and praising pot, that's right POT on Got To Get You Into My Life. Ringo's voice fits Yellow Submarine perfectly and his drumming is fantastic! He keeps it simple yet does a drum fill nice suitable to the songs he's playing. A very UNDERRATED drummer in rock. And who could forget the man himself... John Lennon. His song writing is without a doubt spectacular! Every song that he wrote here is amazing! Seriously, I'm Only Sleeping, She Said She Said, And Your Bird Can Sing, Doctor Robert, and of course, Tomorrow Never Knows. So what are you waiting for? Got out and buy this rock centerpiece. No classic rock fan should be without this album!

Recomended Tracks: Taxman, I'm Only Sleeping, Love You To, She Said She Said, Tomorrow Never Knows

What do I love about this album? The opening coughs and the countout "one, two, three, four, one, two" - a dirty way to start a Beatles album - aren't they supposed to be those clean-cut lads from Liverpool? It's the first clue that this is going to be a different journey than we expected. The witty George Harrison, tongue-in-cheek, with a song that vocalizes a universal suspicion that our money is being unfairly commandeered by the government, a sentiment that resonates more strongly as I've gotten older.
What else do I love? the lovely vocal harmony and the strings on Eleanor Rigby. The striking images painted by Paul. So original - name any song that even comes close to sounding like it. Love the way it ends - like in "Amadeus" the song ends when it's supposed to, no big bang necessary for the ending.
What else? John's nasal tenor, sweet and dreamy, coming through on "I'm only sleeping", the perfectly match for a lazy afternoon, or a lazy day.
What else? "Here, There, and Everywhere" - their best love song ever IMHO, even better than George's "Something". Again, my humble opinion. It's sweeter and not so overproduced.
Even Ringo makes a classic appearance here - a children's song that, as poorly sung as it is (admit it, Ringo aint a singer), still holds a charm that will keep it beloved forever. (my favorite Ringo is "I wanna be your man")
What's just okay? She Said She said, Doctor Robert, and And your Bird can sing(just never caught on with me), Good Day Sunshine - (reverting back a little to their old bubble gum ways, still a lovely song).
Intriguing songs - Tomorrow never knows - very intellectually stimulating music. For no one - seems a bit incomplete at the end.
Got to get you into my life - Actually, Earth Wind & Fire did a cover on that terrible movie, "Sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band". EWF was one of the best parts of the movie, and I think I like the cover a little better than the original.
All in all (no pun intended, for those who get that-kudos), this album is fantastic. Even the just okay stuff is great if you're in the right mood for it. Every time I hear it (and I do tend to listen to it in its entirety), I smile.

I've got lots of spare time so I went through all Beatles albums on amazon and compared their medium grade point average. This is the winner!
The whole list goes like this (only UK versions):

1. Revolver 4.69
2. Abbey road 4.67
3. Rubber soul 4.6
4. A hard day's night 4.53
5. Help 4.5
6. Magical mystery tour 4.41
7. White album 4.4
8. Sgt Pepper 4.39
9. With the Beatles 4.34
10. Please please me 4.27
11. Let it be 4.2
12. For sale 4.1
13. Yellow submarine 3.6

CONGRATULATIONS REVOLVER!

I wonder what I'll do tomorrow.

There's a reason why Revolver is a personal favorite for many Beatles fans: Sgt. Pepper may have been more innovative, and Abbey Road may be more pleasantly scatterbrained, but Revolver has better songs. It has "Taxman," which is one of the group's coolest numbers, what with that neat chord progression and those smug lyrics and the guitar solo that just screams "1966." It has "Here, There And Everywhere," one of the finest pop songs of all time (it was, after all, Paul's famous attempt to top Brian Wilson). It has the delirious rock classic that is "She Said She Said," and the languid beauty of "I'm Only Sleeping." "And Your Bird Can Sing" laid the groundwork for power pop with its sky-scraping melody and jangling guitars. "Tomorrow Never Knows" will rip your brain in half.

Even the throwaways are fun: "Got To Get You Into My Life" and "Good Day Sunshine" are catchy and silly and soulful, and "Doctor Robert" is a fantastic poker-faced drug anthem. "I Want To Tell You" is worthwhile for its swooping fade-in, if nothing else.

Plus, Revolver is just plain cooler than most of the Beatles other albums. While Sgt. Pepper's often (let's be honest here) got a bit too silly for its own good, Revolver always sounded like futurist pop art with a genuinely rockin' backbone. It was playful, but it was also smart and hip. It knew how to hold experimental tendencies in check when necessary. As such, Revolver has aged much better than most of the other "cutting edge" recordings of the 60s. It still sounds fresh and hip and exciting. Don't believe me? Buy it and see for yourself. You won't be sorry.

With "Rubber Soul", the Beatles started maturing as artists and moving away from "mere" teen pop, but it was with "Revolver" that they hit their peak. Certainly the albums that came later were perhaps even more ambitious and got more press and, yes, hype. Nevertheless if I have to choose a favorite Beatles album, it would be "Revolver". I've had this album for a long time (in LP format), and it's been one of my favorites. Almost by coincidence I was recently exposed to this album again after many years. I'm happy to say that this one absolutely stands the test of time. It's now on heavy rotation in my stereo.

Originally on LP the US and UK releases of the Beatles allbums up to and including this one were different. I the case of "Revolver" the difference was that the U.S. version was missing 3 songs. The CD release is the UK version, so it includes all 14 tracks. There really isn't a weak track on the album, although perhaps the least "essential" track is "Dr. Robert". It's certainly a decent enough song, but it's not fantastic and doesn't really add anything crucial to the song mix. One reviewer suggested that "Paperback Writer", which has a similar style, would have been a better inclusion, and I would agree. Actually when I listen to the album, I typically skip two songs, "Yellow Submarine" and "Love You To". Both are certainly very creative groundbreaking songs that add to the variety of the mix, but frankly I don't need to hear them too often (all 3 of George's "raga rock" tunes have not dated well, IMHO). Everything else on the album is absolutely great.

George Harrison's other two songs, the opener "Taxman" and "I Want To Tell You" are among his best, and really show him hitting his peak as a songwriter. Eleanor Rigby's lyrics and music (including brilliant orchestration) are case study in isolation and despair. "For No One" is also rather sad, but brilliantly crafted ballad by McCartney. "Here There and Everywhere" is more optimistic and has to be considered one of Mcartney's best songs ever. "Got To Get You Into My Life" and "Good Day Sunshine" are wonderful too, both bursting with a positive vibe.

John Lennon's other 3 compositions are all experimental in nature. "And Your Bird Can Sing" `s most distinct feature is a very unusual guitar riff. The sound of the guitar can be described as a sunnier version of the one on "Rain" (The single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" is stylistically consistent with this album). This is contrasted with a refrain that sounds almost retro. The part when he sings "I'll be `round" could almost be from an early Beatles song. "I'm Only Sleeping" and "She Said, She Said" Have a druggy, lazy feel to them, with the latter having more overt psychedelic references. Of course the song that takes the experimentation to the furthest degree at that point in time is the closing song "Tomorrow Never Knows". This one must have truly been a mindblower in 1966! It incorporates all sorts of avant-guarde experimentation techniques - drones, tape effects, distortion, and a really strange song structure that basically has no chord changes to it. Not to mention the creepy "seagull" noises! The result is absolutely hypnotic and spooky. I really sounds like it's coming from another dimmension. Although this is definitely John's creation, evidently it was Paul that introduced the band to the tape manipulation techniques that were being used by such avant-guarde composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen. This contradicts the conventional wisdom that John was the experimenter and Paul was the conventional pop guy. They all seemed to have a real talent for absorbing ideas and influences, which they then seamlessly vowe into their onw style.

In addition to strengths of the individual tracks, what makes this a fantastic album is how cohesive it is. There is incredible diversity, but it all fits together wonderfully. An essential album, I think!

With "Rubber Soul", the Beatles started maturing as artists and moving away from "mere" teen pop, but it was with "Revolver" that they hit their peak. Certainly the albums that came later were perhaps even more ambitious and got more press and, yes, hype. Nevertheless if I have to choose a favorite Beatles album, it would be "Revolver". I've had this album for a long time (in LP format). Almost by coincidence I was recently exposed to this album after a long time. I'm happy to say that this one absolutely stands the test of time. It's now on heavy rotation in my stereo.

Originally on LP the US and UK releases of the Beatles allbums up to and including this one were different. I the case of "Revolver" the difference was that the U.S. version was missing 3 songs. The CD release is the UK version, so it includes all 14 tracks. There really isn't a weak track on the album, although perhaps the least "essential" track is "Dr. Robert". It's certainly a decent enough song, but it's not fantastic and doesn't really add anything crucial to the song mix. One reviewer suggested that "Paperback Writer", which has a similar style, would have been a better inclusion, and I would agree. Actually when I listen to the album, I typically skip two songs, "Yellow Submarine" and "Love You To". Both are certainly very creative groundbreaking songs that add to the variety of the mix, but frankly I don't need to hear them too often.. Everything else on the album is absolutely great.

George Harrison's other two songs, the opener "Taxman" and "I Want To Tell You" are among his best, and really show him hitting his peak as a songwriter. Eleanor Rigby's lyrics and music (including brilliant orchestration) are case study in isolation and despair. "For No One" is also rather sad, but brilliantly crafted ballad by McCartney. "Here There and Everywhere" is more optimistic and has to be considered one of Mcartney's best songs ever. "Got To Get You Into My Life" and "Good Day Sunshine" are wonderful too, both bursting with a positive vibe.

John Lennon's other 3 compositions are all experimental in nature. "And Your Bird Can Sing" `s most distinct feature is a very unusual guitar riff. The sound of the guitar can be described as a sunnier version of the one on "Rain" (The single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" is stylistically consistent with this album). This is contrasted with a refrain that sounds almost retro. The part when he sings "I'll be `round" could almost be from an early Beatles song. "I'm Only Sleeping" and "She Said, She Said" Have a druggy, lazy feel to them, with the latter having more overt psychedelic references. Of course the song that takes the experimentation to the furthest degree at that point in time is the closing song "Tomorrow Never Knows". This one must have truly been a mindblower in 1966! It incorporates all sorts of avant-guarde experimentation techniques - drones, tape effects, distortion, and a really strange song structure that basically has no chord changes to it. Not to mention the creepy "seagull" noises! The result is absolutely hypnotic and spooky. I really sounds like it's coming from another dimmension. Although this is definitely John's creation, evidently it was Paul that introduced the band to the tape manipulation techniques that were being used by such avant-guarde composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen. This contradicts the conventional wisdom that John was the experimenter and Paul was the conventional pop guy. They all seemed to have a real talent for absorbing ideas and influences, which they then seamlessly vowe into their onw style.

In addition to strengths of the individual tracks, what makes this a fantastic album is how cohesive it is. There is incredible diversity, but it all fits together wonderfully. An essential album, I think!

With "Rubber Soul", the Beatles started maturing as artists and moving away from "mere" teen pop, but it was with "Revolver" that they hit their peak. Certainly the albums that came later were perhaps even more ambitious and got more press and, yes, hype. Nevertheless if I have to choose a favorite Beatles album, it would be "Revolver". I've had this album for a long time (in LP format). Almost by coincidence I was recently exposed to this album after a long time. I'm happy to say that this one absolutely stands the test of time. It's now on heavy rotation in my stereo.

Originally on LP the US and UK releases of the Beatles allbums up to and including this one were different. I the case of "Revolver" the difference was that the U.S. version was missing 3 songs. The CD release is the UK version, so it includes all 14 tracks. There really isn't a weak track on the album, although perhaps the least "essential" track is "Dr. Robert". It's certainly a decent enough song, but it's not fantastic and doesn't really add anything crucial to the song mix. One reviewer suggested that "Paperback Writer", which has a similar style, would have been a better inclusion, and I would agree. Actually when I listen to the album, I typically skip two songs, "Yellow Submarine" and "Love You To". Both are certainly very creative groundbreaking songs that add to the variety of the mix, but frankly I don't need to hear them too often.. Everything else on the album is absolutely great.

George Harrison's other two songs, the opener "Taxman" and "I Want To Tell You" are among his best, and really show him hitting his peak as a songwriter. Eleanor Rigby's lyrics and music (including brilliant orchestration) are case study in isolation and despair. "For No One" is also rather sad, but brilliantly crafted ballad by McCartney. "Here There and Everywhere" is more optimistic and has to be considered one of Mcartney's best songs ever. "Got To Get You Into My Life" and "Good Day Sunshine" are wonderful too, both bursting with a positive vibe.

John Lennon's other 3 compositions are all experimental in nature. "And Your Bird Can Sing" `s most distinct feature is a very unusual guitar riff. The sound of the guitar can be described as a sunnier version of the one on "Rain" (The single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" is stylistically consistent with this album). This is contrasted with a refrain that sounds almost retro. The part when he sings "I'll be `round" could almost be from an early Beatles song. "I'm Only Sleeping" and "She Said, She Said" Have a druggy, lazy feel to them, with the latter having more overt psychedelic references. Of course the song that takes the experimentation to the furthest degree at that point in time is the closing song "Tomorrow Never Knows". This one must have truly been a mindblower in 1966! It incorporates all sorts of avant-guarde experimentation techniques - drones, tape effects, distortion, and a really strange song structure that basically has no chord changes to it. Not to mention the creepy "seagull" noises! The result is absolutely hypnotic and spooky. I really sounds like it's coming from another dimmension. Although this is definitely John's creation, evidently it was Paul that introduced the band to the tape manipulation techniques that were being used by such avant-guarde composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen. This contradicts the conventional wisdom that John was the experimenter and Paul was the conventional pop guy. They all seemed to have a real talent for absorbing ideas and influences, which they then seamlessly vowe into their onw style.

In addition to strengths of the individual tracks, what makes this a fantastic album is how cohesive it is. There is incredible diversity, but it all fits together wonderfully. An essential album, I think!

THIS IS A TRULY REMARKABLE ALBUM, FOR IT IS THE FOLLOW-UP TO RUBBER SOUL. IN RUBBER SOUL YOU STARTED TO HEAR THE NEW SOUNDS THE BEATLES WERE CREATING, LEAVING A THIRST FOR MORE. WITH REVOLVER, THE GROWTH OF NEW SOUNDS AND INSTRUMENTS IS BREATHTAKING. THIS ALBUM COMPLETELY LET'S THE LISTENER KNOW THAT 1, THE FABS WERE ADVANCING MUSICALLY, MENTALLY, AND ARTISTICALLY. THE START OF THE ALBUM, TAXMAN, SHOWS GEORGE COMING UP TO PAR WITH JOHN AND PAUL. THIS IS A FANTASTIC ROCK TUNE. AND AS USUAL, PAUL ALWAYS PLAYS AN INCREDIBLE BASS PART TO RIVAL GEORGE'S SONGWRITING ENDEAVORS! ELEANOR RIGBY, SUPERB! AS GEORGE HARRISON'S START TO SIMULATE US WITH HIS INDIAN LACED SONGS, SUCH AS, LOVE YOU TO. JOHN FOCUSES ON HIS MENTAL STATE, YELLOW SUBMARINE COMES AS A KID'S TUNE TO BE SUNG IN GRADE SCHOOL, A SONG FOR RINGO THAT'S NOT BAD. DOCTOR ROBERT ROCKS OUT!PAUL CONTINUES HIS SONGWRITING WITH ADDING DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTS, MAINLY BRASS, AND THAT COMES OFF VERY WELL DONE. ALL IN ALL REVOLVER IS A MUST FOR ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO FURTHER THEIR MUSICAL TASTE. WITH REVOLVER YOU REALIZE THAT SOMETHING OF THE MAGNITUDE OF SGT. PEPPER WOULD BE NEXT.

The Fab Four continued experimenting in the Abbey Road studio which they prefered to do and this became their finest work to date. In fact, during what turned out to be their last tour in the US, they didn't perform any songs from this album because the songs were now more complex. If you're a Beatles fan and/or a rock fan, this album is truly essential.

TAXMAN-One of George's stronger compositions talking about one of life's inescapable realities.

ELEANOR RIGBY-Paul's tale about a lonely spinster.

I'M ONLY SLEEPING-Featuring backwards guitars, it's John "dreaming his life away"

LOVE YOU TO-A song by George featuring all Indian music as the rhythm track.

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE-A ballad by Paul.

YELLOW SUBMARINE-Written by Paul and sung by Ringo, this became one of their most popular chart toppers.

SHE SAID SHE SAID-John said this came from an encounter with an actor who told him he knew what it's like to be dead.

GOOD DAY SUNSHINE-A feel good song written by Paul.

AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING-A composition of John's that he didn't think much of.

FOR NO ONE-A song by Paul featuring a clavichord and french horn solo.

DOCTOR ROBERT-John's song about drugs and pills.

I WANT TO TELL YOU-The piano and Ringo's hard drum playing highlight this George song.

GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE-Is this Paul song about a girl or about drugs? Either way it's one of the best cuts here. Capitol released this as a single in '76.

TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS-This still sounds amazing four decades later. Even though it's the album's last track, it was the first song recorded. In 1980, John said he took a phrase that Ringo said as the title "to take the edge off the heavy, philosophical lyrics."

Paul McCartney and John Lennon were the best song writing duo ever and that is without a doubt, thus this album is one of the best ever. Not one filler to be found here. George Harrison starts it out with my personal favorite Taxman and it just goes from there. Outstanding lyrics with Paul and John never sounding better.

ESSENTIAL ALBUM!!! The Beatles so-called transitional album (going from a touring group to a studio only group) is one of their most creative. This album marks where they began experimenting in the studio, expanding their sound that would culminate with Sgt. Pepper's. Revolver was a #1 album & had two singles released from it, "Eleanor Rigby" that peaked at #11 & "Yellow Submarine" that peaked at #2. (I realize I'm reviewing the U.K. version of the album & that the U.S. version was different.) Esomewhat later.) The album cover also is one of the most unique ever done, it's artist is Klaus Voorman who would later play bass for Lennon on his early solo releases.

The album begins one of George Harrison's best songs "Taxman", it has a great riff with guitar & bass playing in unison. Most people don't realize it but it's McCartney that plays the lead guitar in this song. This was a song that could have been released as a single, it still receives a lot of airplay. "Eleanor Rigby" is next, it's a McCartney song & was unusual in their catalog because it only features McCartney on lead vocal, & Lennon & Harrison on background harmonies. None of the Beatles played any instruments on this song which was the second time this had happened; the first being another McCartney composition "Yesterday". "I'm Only Sleeping" follows & isn't a standout song. "Here, There and Everywhere" is a great ballad & actually has lyrics by Paul that make sense. "Yellow Submarine" is next, a novelty song written mostly by Paul & given to Ringo to sing. It's a catchy singalong with a lot of things going on in the background. "She Said She Said" is another song that doesn't standout in this collection. Then comes "Good Day Sunshine", a n upbeat song that still gets a lot of airplay. "And Your Bird Can Sing" is next, once again a song that doesn't live up to many of the other songs that are here. Same thing for "For No One" & Doctor Robert". Then comes another Harrison composition "I Want to Tell You". G\The next song features a horn combo, "Got to Get You Into My Life", a song that has a slight jazz quality to it & another song that could have been released as a single. The album ends with the frightening & very experimental "Tomorrow Never Knows". This is Lennon's best composition on the album. Lennon would later disown this recording but I find it to be one of the best things he ever did. There's a lot of experimentation on this album,in fact, in every song though some experiments are more obvious than some. The Beatles were doing many things at this time that hadn't been done in a studio before. One of the most amazing things about this album was the number of song styles that's covered here; all the way from baroque to pure psychedelic & they did each one equally well.

There is some filler here, mostly by Lennon, but it's great that we have the U.K. version instead of the illegitimate children that Capitol passed off onto the domestic market. I agree with some that this is NOT one of the best albums that they ever did, I reserve that for The White Album & Abbey Road. The one thing about the Beatles, though, was you never knew exactly what you were getting until you played it, which always made it entertaining!

I bought this album believing the hype it's surrounded. I wasn't impress by it. They are a few good songs in it, but I feel that most of them are fillers.I still don't understand why or how this album manages to make it to the top five of every greatest-album-of- all-time list.Most of the time it is chosen # 1. That's why I bought it. I thought it was that good.I'm beginning to think that this album is overrated.I still think Rubber Soul is better and more cohesive than this album. I gave it three stars only because it's The Beatles.

Revolver has one of the nicest Album covers and that's not all. It also carries two of John and Paul's greatest songs. I'm Only Sleeping and Eleanor Rigby.
It still sounds vibrant and vital more then 40 years after production.

Currently, I am studying this album in my Modern Music: Production and Analysis class. This album has a mixture of very good songs and mediocre ones. Personally, I think songs like Love You To just sound like a hodgepodge of musical instruments thrown together. However, their experimental nature did break new grounds in rock, like in Got To Get You Into My Life. They also do very subtle things such as not playing the last chord in For No One. Eleanor Rigby's stinging strings were perfect for the song, and emphasized the song well. The overall shortness of the songs makes the listener begging for more, as the songs are only about an average of 2:10 mins long. The shortness also allows the CD for some short pleasure listening, as not one song goes on forever and ever - as some songs tend to do. Do I think the songs would be as good if they were longer? Probably not. The very fact that they leave the song at its height is a good way of raising the stock of the songs. It's almost like a great sports player retiring at his prime - he is forever immortalized. Other than a few songs such as the ones I mentioned, this is overall a good album, and I cannot refute the fact that this is indeed an important album in The Beatles' career.

Say what you will about Sgt. Pepper and all that, I still say this is their best...without this album, there is no Sgt. Pepper to speak of, so here we go with this one. In comparison to Sgt. Pepper (and even the album preceding it, Rubber Soul) this is a lot harder-edged....the songs seem to rock more (except for Paul's stuff, of course) with all sorts of guitar stuff going on here - some of George Harrison's finest moments as a Beatle come on this album. This must have been one jarring listen back in 1966 - as a whole, it's way beyond anything else that had been done at that time.

If there was any doubt as to whether the Beatles were done with their all love song formula by this point, it's all erased with George's scathing opener "Taxman," the Beatles' earliest direct socially-motivated number (Who'd have thunk? Quiet, content George, not angry, scathing John Lennon, would be the first Beatle to make a social statement in a Beatles song!) Paul gives us "Eleanor Rigby," which you probably now, so I'm not gonna dwell much on it, but the string arrangement and lyrics are killer. John's drugged-up "I'm Only Sleeping" - an anthem for the lazy everywhere (Go John!) - is up next, with George's psychedelic guitar solo and Lennon's voice drowned out a bit by the intruments...quite the sonic experience. George's Indian fascinations manifest themselves fully for the first time on "Love You To" (sure, his sitar playing on Norweigan Wood predates this, but it was nowhere near as Indian-influenced as this.) Paul's "Here, There and Everywhere" proves the Beatles CAN still do love songs (well, Paulie can, at least) and do them very well - it's one of the best in the Beatles' canon, with a bit of Beach-Boy-like harmony thrown in (think "God Only Knows" had anything to do with this one? I do!). Ringo gets his normal vocal performance with the world-famous "Yellow Submarine," a song perfectly suited for good old Ringo, another of the Beatles' most famous numbers. More drugs from John, as "She Said She Said" allegedly recalls a bad acid trip with Peter Fonda, who apparently DID know what it was like to be dead. Lots of swirling guitars, the melody changes at the end, all stuff unheard of in popular music at this time. "Good Day Sunshine" is more Paul pop, one I've heard a few too many times, but it's a nice little sunny day song. I have no idea what "And Your Bird Can Sing" is about, other than the fact that it's a really cool song, featuring dueling guitar riffs from George and Paul....more classic stuff. Another dose of Paul with "For No One," complete with a horn solo and more strings. "Doctor Robert" is more John, and another one I honestly have no idea what it's about, but I always did enjoy this song, although by this album's standards, it really is quite pedestrian. "I Want To Tell You" is George's third entry here (rare for him, he usually only got 2) and probably the worst of the three, but it still would have been a massive hit single for just about any other band at the time (these guys were REAL good...). "Got to Get You Into My Life" is another Paul song with more horns, which was quite stunning at the time, but to be honest I'm downright sick of hearing this song and I don't know why. "Tomorrow Never Knows" is undoubtedly the weirdest thing here, with John singing phrases straight out of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, with all sorts of psychedelic swirling reverse guitars and tape loops and Lennon's processed vocal. Easily the most groundbreaking here, as it's probably the first psychedelic song by an act of that stature, bursting open the genre that would define 1967. It's easily the most revolutionary thing here, as great as the rest of this album is, and even if you aren't a fan of the track, you can't deny its importance.

So there we have it. Revolver is just plain fabulous. I don't know what else to say, except....yeah. Totally worth the price of admission.

This is one of the greatest albums ever recorded...along with all the other Beatles later albums....Just Wanted to add another 5 star review to this masterpiece.

magnificent. maybe not the beatles' most cohesive work, but for me the most intriguing and most beguiling.
i love harrison's contributions, i love the beginnings of their era-defining musical experimentation on my personal favorite track (tomorrow never knows), i love the complexity of the work as a whole.
maybe the most interesting beatles album, as it came during their transition from pop icons to bona fide artists. it doesn't get any better than this.

Another classic by the Beatles! Only got it for "Taxman" and then loved all the other cuts! Definitely a collectors item and must have.

This is my favorite Beattles CD and in my opinion is just great!!! You will not get bored. My favorite song from this CD is "Here, There and Everywhere".
Cheers

The Beatles' Revolver was released in August of 1966.
The album was the last in their mop-top period and still a classic today (over 40 years after its first release). I was already familiar with these songs as heard on the radio.
Guitarist George Harrison shines with three numbers including the opening rocker "Taxman", the Indian sounding "Love You To" and the rocker "I Want to Tell You" which would be covered by Ted Nugent on Ted's 1979 album State of Shock. Singer/rhythm guitarist John Lennon has five great songs here like the atmospheric "I'm Only Sleeping" (deleted from original US issue). Plus the rockers "She Said She Said", "And Your Bird Can Sing" (deleted from original US issue) and "Doctor Robert" (deleted from original US issue) and finally, the psychedelic closer "Tomorrow Never Knows" is Lennon's masterwork.
Bass player/singer Paul McCartney has five numbers with the eerie "Eleanor Rigby". Plus the ballad "Here There and Everywhere" and pop numbers like "Good Day Sunshine", "For No One" and "Got To Get You Into My Life" (Earth Wind and Fire covered this in 1978 for the debacle movie Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton).
Lastly, drummer Ringo Starr sings the John Lennon penned "Yellow Submarine" showing us that The Beatles could tackle any genre of music well, even kid's songs (the track would inspire the animated movie of the same name a few years later).
I first got this album in December of 1995 on CD and loved it immediately (although I had heard the sterile US version years earlier but felt short changed, the UK version is the real Revolver).
Revolver was YET another #1 album (even if it was the cheap cut edition here in the US), no surprise and is my third favorite Beatles disc after Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road respectively.

This is my favorite Beatles album. If your going to get one Beatles album, get this or Rubber Soul, but Revolver is better.

Revolver is one of the Beatles most best albums i will write my opinion on each song,
1. Taxman, a good song nice cool blues beat to it the songs about britans rising taxes cool song, 5/5 stars
2. Elanor Rigby, okay song but i dunno what all the fuss is about this song oh its so good to me its an okay song i mean it could get better, 3.5/5 stars
3. I'm Only Sleeping, good i've always liked this song its a good beat plus its nice and short clocking at only 2:30 great upbeat feel to it, 5/5 stars
4. Love You To, the most indian influenced song on the whole album the sitar is really cool in this song, by the era of revolver geroge harrison the 'quiet' beatles was getting into indian influences and this songs all about it such a cool beat dosent seem like the beatles would put it on an album, 5/5 stars
5. Here There And Everywhere, pretty good song but the beat is just kinda of slow plus its only 2 minutes long its still a pretty good song though, 5/5 stars
6. Yellow Sumbarine, a song that has been over dubbed way too much its still a good song though but EVERBODY has heard of this song and the beatles easily/way, 5/5 Stars
7. She Said She Said, another one of my favirotes such a cool song the beat is an inspiration of psychedellic music which soon would take over the airwaves ANWAYS this is a cool song the beats really cool, 5/5 stars
8. Good Day Sunshine, this is nice upbeat song it maybe a very short song but it mannages to be one of the best songs on the whole album nice feel to the song, 5/5 Stars
9. And Your Bird Can Sing, easily the coolest rocker on the whole album not the best song though but it still has a cool beat to it great song, 5/5 stars
10. For no One, pretty good song another one of those slow songs on Revolver okay, 3/5 stars
11. Docter Robert, another cool song on it i like the cool beat it has and th e lyric, doctor robert he'll make you feel better, its a great/cool song, 5/5 Stars
12. I Want To Tell You, this i think has some kinda indian feel to it i dunno but anyways its cool song i like the nice slow beat to it on this song, 5/5 stars
13. Got To Get You Into My Life, cool song i like the horn on it but still it has a nice/cool upbeat feel/beat to it, 5/5 stars
14 Tommorow Never Knows, probaly one of my favs on the whole album the song that started Psychedelic music as we know it a cool song it was inspired by John Lennons acid expirences and his reading of the book The Psychedellic Expirence the first song recorded for revolver man i love this song its also the longest song its 3 minutes SUCH A COOL PSYCHEDELIC SONG PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC ROCK!!!, 5/5 Stars
all in all this a great album of the beatles buy this one now if you still dont have the songs to it or the album

Revolver has some of the Fab 4's bets works on it. I cannot stop playing "I'm Only Sleeping" on my guitar.

I had never listened to a Beatle's album. I never chose to buy any and I never heard any songs (hits) that grabbed my attention enough to warrant my buying an album. I grew up to '70s music listening to Beatles' hits covered by artist after artist. As a result, they were almost cartoon-like, bubblegum in my mind. But I had a music theory teacher in college who extolled their virtues. I never paid attention. I was too busy listening and digging Bach, Schumann, Mozart, Stravinksy, Hindemith to care. I also had my small selection of '70s and '80s groups to adore. I am a major Elton John, Rickie Lee Jones, Dixie Dregs fan, so I never needed the Beatles music, nor understood their impact.

Since my brother got his iPod, he dispensed with a great deal of his CD collection which I inherited. And that is how I became aquainted with "Revolver."

I knew that this was rated by some as the all-time greatest album. Since I am convinced that Beach Boys'"Pet Sounds" is the all-time greatest "rock" album, I wanted to prove myself right.

I began listening to "Revolver" these past few days. All I can say that after listening to the album 3 times, my eyes (ears) are opened.

This is nothing new to you Beatles fans. But now I do get what all the fuss is about. Absolutely brilliant songwriting, rhythms, playing, arrangements. It's amazing but when you actually listen to each song in the context of the entire album, it changes the listening experience entirely.

I can't say that it is better than "Pet Sounds" but I can now understand how it absolutely competes. I can't say enough and can't wait to listen to all the other albums now. "Tomorrow never knows" is an experience in itself and definitely scores with serious songwriting at any time any genre.

Indisputably one of the top 10 albums ever recorded. Every song is brilliant. Sweetest guitar harmony part ever on the monster "And Your Bird Can Sing." Like most Beatles albums, this album is a vital part of any music fan's collection.

I came out of the womb listening to The Beatles. Seriously...

I enjoyed the band as a kid, which is a direct influence my Dad impressed upon me. However, my appreciation for the group was uninformed and quite misguided. I just lumped John, Paul, George, and Ringo into an "oldies" category and I did it for twenty years. This is an outlandish and horribly erroneous error. These guys did more for music than anyone in history (with the exception of perhaps Mozart and Bach). Little things in recording, packaging, engineering, and production that the boys from Liverpool accomplished is what culminated into a fitting and universally recognized tag line: 'the greatest band ever!' "Revolver" wasn't the first Beatles album I heard in completion, but it was the first that made me believe that these guys deserve more credit than I gave them. Their previous release in 1965 ("Rubber Soul") was a venture from more of a pop sound to the rock side. Yet, this album is where it all started. The experimentation, changing stylistically and the ideas flowing rampant, The Beatles pushed the envelop forward. Then they would do it again and again and again. From the simplicity, to the complicated. From over-dubbing backwards guitar sounds, to singing amazing harmonies, "Revolver" is a portrait of a flawless musical album. This is what changed rock. VH1 thinks this is the greatest rock record of all time. It's probably close. If it wasn't for this band, their innovations, and their craft, we might not have ever thought music could be art.

Immortal music of my generation, now my grandsons are also enyoying as "their music". Could be a better revue?

They talk @ the birth of rock'n roll, but the the Beatles matured rock,n roll and blew the doors wide open for all the varieties of the music field. No band can equal them, yet, if ever. To stop touring and going to the studios with the help of George Martin, and co., is shown from this LP on.

Simply no other album comes close to revolver in its originality, simple yet complex song patterns, and overall variety... This was the year 1965-1966, and in many ways a miracle year for the history of popular music and largely due to this great work of art... Right from the first coughing heard before 'taxman' comes in to the soultrip of 'tomorrow never knows' and all that goes in between... it predates sgt pepper's by a full two years, and arguably has had more wideranging impact than any other album made in the history of popular music. Each song speaks for itself. John, Paul, George, and Ringo became universally great and admired after rubber soul and revolver came out...if they had stopped making music after revolver, they would still be considered the greatest rock group that ever existed...

and it's by the best band of all time (and I do know all the songs off of Sgt. Pepper).

Revolver comes at the midway point of The Beatles, and it is a peak for them. Every song on this album is good at the least (except maybe Yellow Submarine), and there are plenty of great songs, not only perfectly written, but perfectly executed by John, Paul and (sometimes) George's vocals, George's lead guitar (especially in "And Your Bird Can Sing"), Paul's bass, and, of course, Ringo''s drumming. The Great songs are, IMO "Got to Get You Into My Life," "I'm Only Sleeping," "Eleanor Rigby," "I Want To Tell You," "For No One" and "And Your Bird Can Sing." Through all these songs you can see the maturing song writing abilities of Paul, John, and George that you can see starting to surface in "Rubber Soul," going past the boy-girl relationships of the early Beatles, or at least making their boy-girl songs much more complex, instead of "I'm in love, It's a great day" (which you do see part of in "Good Day Sunshine," but John and Paul still found a way to make it a complex song).


I could go on and on about the greatness of this album and the bad that made it, but i'll just get to the bottom line: Buy it.

This has been my favorite Beatles' album for years and years and years, as well as one of my top favorite albums overall. While of course some of the techniques used on certain of the songs aren't going to seem as revolutionary or current as they were back in 1966, that doesn't change the fact that at the time, they were very radical innovations, helped to change the face of pop music, and really marked the beginning of The Beatles' mature period. By this point they'd finally fully graduated from doing just love songs and simplistic pop to dealing with weightier subjects, and using a greater amount of studio experimentation, such as the backwards guitar in "I'm Only Sleeping" and the tape loops sounding like exotic birds in "Tomorrow Never Knows." Overall, I'd have to say that it's quite possibly their best album, maybe even the one that's stood the test of time the best (even allowing for how some aspects of the music may seem dated to some people today, it doesn't come across like some horribly dated period piece either). Every song is just so great; it really just seems like the epitome of perfection, the type of album one could listen to several times in a row or every day and not get bored of or skip any tracks on (though I must admit I don't really care for "For No One"). As great as they were, how many other albums did they make that one could say were truly as perfect as this one? One can also easily understand why this has been called their acid album.

Another great thing about this album is how balanced it is. While on some albums, one Beatle predominates (such as how John sings lead on 9 of the 13 tracks on AHDN and half of the songs on RS), here it's much more distributed. John and Paul each sing 5 songs, with the requisite Ringo song ("Yellow Submarine," one of his most famous), and the remaining three songs, including the opening one, going to George. Apart from the White Album where he had 4 songs, such a relatively generous amount of songs would never happen again. One can tell from these three songs that he was really growing and maturing as a songwriter even this early into having become the band's third songwriter. The musical styles themselves are also rather balanced; there are soft songs like "Here, There, and Everywhere," fun meaningless pop like "And Your Bird Can Sing," social commentary songs like "Eleanor Rigby," the Indian-influenced "Love You To" (one of my favorite tracks), partially autobiographical songs like "She Said She Said," and songs with a strong psychedelic influence, like the hypnotic "I'm Only Sleeping" (probably my favorite track) and the closing track "Tomorrow Never Knows." I won't even get into people who are genuinely wondering why this isn't the Capitol repackaging they remember from childhood; I can't imagine this album without such key tracks as "Dr. Robert" and "I'm Only Sleeping," and am baffled as to why anyone would find the repackagings to be superior to the authentic British originals other than sentimental reasons.

Overall, this album is the perfect midway point between their early, more innocent period and their later, more serious period, a transitional bridge between the two eras. I also couldn't think of many more of their albums that would be this much of an ideal introduction to a new fan.