The Beatles - Revolver [UK]

All the rules fell by the wayside with Revolver, as The Beatles began exploring new sonic territory, lyrical subjects, and styles of composition. It wasn't just Lennon and McCartney, either -- Harrison staked out his own dark territory with the tightly wound, cynical rocker "Taxman"; the jaunty yet dissonant "I Want to Tell You"; and "Love You To," George's first and best foray into Indian music. Such explorations were bold, yet they were eclipsed by Lennon's trippy kaleidoscopes of sound. His most straightforward number was "Doctor Robert," an ode to his dealer, and things just got stranger from there as he buried "And Your Bird Can Sing" in a maze of multi-tracked guitars, gave Ringo a charmingly hallucinogenic slice of childhood whimsy in "Yellow Submarine," and then capped it off with a triptych of bad trips: the spiraling "She Said She Said"; the crawling, druggy "I'm Only Sleeping"; and "Tomorrow Never Knows," a pure nightmare where John sang portions of the -Tibetan Book of the Dead into a suspended microphone over Ringo's thundering, menacing drumbeats and layers of overdubbed, phased guitars and tape loops. McCartney's experiments were formal, as he tried on every pop style from chamber pop to soul, and when placed alongside Lennon's and Harrison's outright experimentations, McCartney's songcraft becomes all the more impressive. The biggest miracle of Revolver may be that The Beatles covered so much new stylistic ground and executed it perfectly on one record, or it may be that all of it holds together perfectly. Either way, its daring sonic adventures and consistently stunning songcraft set the standard for what pop/rock could achieve. Even after Sgt. Pepper, Revolver stands as the ultimate modern pop album and it's still as emulated as it was upon its original release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Aaron Bremner Photo Research, Photo Editing Alan Branscombe Sax (Tenor) Alan Civil Horn, French Horn Alan Rouse Project Coordinator, Liner Notes Anvil Bhagwat Tabla Derrick Simpson Cello Drew Lorimer Redesign Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton Trumpet Gavin ONeill Photo Retouching Geoff Emerick Engineer, Vocals (Background) George Harrison Sound Effects, Vocals, Sitar, Tambourine, Guitar George Martin Organ, Vocals (Background), Piano, Producer Guy Massey Remastering Ian Hammer Trumpet John Lennon Vocals, Guitar (Rhythm), Marimba, Tambourine, Guitar, Horn, Sound Effects, Organ John Sharpe Violin John Underwood Viola Jurgen Hess Violin Kevin Howlett Liner Notes, Historical Research Klaus Voormann Design, Cover Illustration, Cover Design Les Conlon Trumpet Mal Evans Vocals (Background) Neil Aspinall Vocals (Background) Norman Jones Cello Patti Harrison Vocals (Background) Paul McCartney Guitar (Bass), Guitar, Vocals Peter Coe Sax (Tenor) Ringo Starr Tambourine, Drums, Vocals Robert Whitaker Photography Sidney Sax Violin Stephen Shingles Viola Steve Rooke Remastering The Beatles Main Performer Tony Gilbert Violin Wendy Day Project Manager