Beatles: Revolver/Yesterday & Today

The Beatles: Revolver

1966

Parlophone Records

Format I Own it on:

Revolver: US Version: Vinyl & UK Version: Compact Disc

Track Listing: (UK Version)  1. Taxman  2. Eleanor Rigby   3. I'm Only Sleeping 4. Love You To  5. Here, There and Everywhere    6. Yellow Submarine    7. She Said She Said    8 Good Day Sunshine  9. And Your Bird Can Sing    10. For No One  11. Doctor Robert  12.  I Want to Tell You  13. Got to Get You into My Life    14. Tomorrow Never Knows

US Version:  1. Taxman  2. Eleanor Rigby  3. Love You To  4. Here, There and Everywhere    5. Yellow Submarine    6. She Said She Said    7 Good Day Sunshine  8.. For No One  9.  I Want to Tell You  10. Got to Get You into My Life    11. Tomorrow Never Knows




Yesterday & Today

1966

 Capital Records

Format I Own it on: Vinyl

Track Listing: 1. Drive My Car  2. I'm Only Sleeping  3. Nowhere Man  4. Doctor Robert  5. Yesterday  6. Act Naturally  7. And Your Bird Can Sing  8. If I Needed Someone  9. We Can Work It Out  10. What Goes On  11. Day Tripper

With their seventh album (in three years!) the Beatles create what is arguably the greatest album in music history.



Wait...I'm sorry second greatest...

But back to "Revolver": To this day it's rare to find an album that dabbles in so many genres, and even more amazingly seem so comfortable in them all...This can be attributed to the fact that no matter how far out they go, they never forget to keep the hooks flowing...Who could have imagined anyone writing a melodic Indian raga (Love You To)? Or use a string octet to create a catchy pop tune (Eleanor Rigby)? Even the avant garde space-rock of "Tomorrow Never Knows'" sports a hummable melody...

For all the new-found genre-hopping, some of the best songs here come in the standard bass, guitar & drums configuration. "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "She Said She Said" have no real innovative instrumentation, per se, but they're still killer...It can only be chalked up to improved songwriting..."Help!' was a great 60's album, but this stuff is timeless...

In fact, my favorite track on "Revolver" is the sparse Beach Boys-like "Here, There & Everywhere."  Its gentle acoustic accompaniment and lovely harmony vocals help illustrate that the album isn't stunning only because of its studio wizardry...they could keep it simple and be just as (if not more) effective... When you get right down to it,  these  guys were officially on fire and no other band could touch them, artistically or commercially...



I have the US version on vinyl...Which is notable for being the last Beatles album that would have an alternate American release.  It's not a mishmash of albums this time...it's just simply missing three of John Lennon's songs, which means John only gets a meager two tracks on it. This was because the others had already been used on the US compilation album "Yesterday & Today," which is famous for the original "butcher" cover...



Unfortunately, I don't have that awesome cover...I just have the regular version, with Paul sitting in the trunk...It is an interesting compilation though...Kind of a bizarre greatest hits album that only covers "Help!" "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver."  I, like most everybody else, have listened to every Beatles album countless times...I always know exactly what song is coming next and sometimes it feels like I'm starting to take them for granted...But even something as simple as the album not following the expected track listing can give an overly familiar song fascinating new shapes...Hearing  "And Your Bird Can Sing" after "Act Naturally" for example is particularly mind-bending....

So lets sit back, kick off our shoes, and surrender to the void, while we check out "Tomorrow Never Knows" by the Goddamn Beatles...

(I somehow get into the habit of calling them "The Goddamn Beatles" years ago...Imagine it said in an incredulous Liverpudlian accent...If you're unsure why this is funny, just  picture the following scenario...Paul is caught drunk driving by the local constable and as he's arrested he exclaims (very Reese Witherspoon-like) "Don't you know who I am?!?! I'm in the Goddamn Beatles!!"   And suddenly your gut is bursting with uncontrollable laughter...Or maybe not...Either way, here's "Tomorrow Never Knows...")