Dad Rock: Beatles' 'Revolver' album turns 50
Although Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band gets the most acclaim, the Beatles recorded a masterwork a year earlier with Revolver. This pivotal album showcased a mix of musical styles, with songs full of studio effects (the beginnings of the psychedelic age) and musicians beyond just John, Paul, George and Ringo (a string octet, anyone?).
Revolver was released in the USA on Aug. 8, 1966, and many of its songs have become classics in the Beatles catalog: Eleanor Rigby, Taxman, Got to Get you Into my Life, Tomorrow Never Knows. But just as impressive are the "deep cuts," such as George Harrison's Love You To, complete with traditional Indian instruments sitar and tabla, and John Lennon's She Said She Said, with time signature shifts and trippy lyrics.
Revolver came at an important time in the Beatles evolution. Their desire to create more complex music took them off the road for good. None of the songs from Revolver were performed live. But it also showed the fractures that were developing. More than ever, the songs can be defined by the primary songwriter. In cases such as Paul McCartney's Eleanor Rigby or his often overlooked For No One, Paul barely needed the help of the other Beatles at all.
On this week's episode of USA TODAY's Dad Rock podcast, hosts Patrick Foster and Jim Lenahan are joined by Washington, D.C.-area musician and Beatles fanatic Grant Gunn (he is playing in a Beatles tribute show at Jammin Java in Vienna, Va., on Aug. 17). Together, they examine Revolver track-by-track. (Note: They tackle the UK version of the album, which contained three more songs than the initial U.S. release; since 1987, only the 14-song album is recognized as the universal version.)
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