The Beatles - Revolver POLL

Have you heard the Yoko version of Plastic Ono Band? Because Ringo and Klaus put together a pretty amazing rhythm section that borders on Krautrock. Which is funny because Klaus is German! And actually the Beatles haircut and whole initial attitude is sort of in debt to the German art school roots that would result in Can, Kraftwerk, etc. The same lineup plays on Ono's Fly as well, on "Don't Worry, Kyoko", but it's more No Wave than Krautrock imo.

For as long as Klaus and the Beatles had been friends I don't think it's that big a stretch to imagine Klaus jamming with John and Ringo (and maybe the other Beatles as well) during the band's lifespan.

Yeah, I've heard both of those albums and I rate both highly, particularly Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band. He's fine on those records too, but on the whole I find his bass playing a bit stodgy.

Never really bothered to rate Voormann as a bassist, but I have no issues with JL/POB as far as the playing, or the production. Furthermore, Lennon's singing on that record is great, and in the last 10 years, I've played "Isolation", "Love" and "Look At Me" as much or more than any of his Beatles tracks. However, if the album has a fault (and imo it does), it's an insularity in Lennon's worldview. In interviews, he comes off as amazingly well balanced, aware, compassionate -- but on record, he can seem bitter, self-absorbed, whiney, often resorting to cheap insults and reliance on his own mythology. Obviously I can't fault him for writing about "what he knows", because more than any other Beatle, he captures his current reality with candor and emotional honesty. But in retrospect, I'm not sure the world needed Lennon to declare the "dream was over". The Beatles certainly were, as were the 60s, but imo the record comes off as entitled to a place on the cultural stage that, Beatles importance notwithstanding, Lennon doesn't completely justify.

Yeah the "Dream Is Over" is super sentimental, but it's also totally in the language of Janov's Primal Therapy. This era of Lennon music is very ephemeral and transcendent, so he isn't specifically talking about The Dream being The Beatles or The 60's or whatever in isolation. Deconstruct the very idea of a dream. We dream all the time, sometimes unwillingly. The lyrics are incredibly naive as a result of the defenses being lowered. By this time his songs are either incredibly cynical Proto-Punk or incredibly naive Proto-Adult Contemporary.

I'm sure that stuff was on his mind but they were locked into the zeitgeist like few bands ever were, so he could write more or less straight up nonsense (ie. "I Am the Walrus") and it would still come out like Dylan-on-acid.

The self-aware aspects of John & Yoko were also pretty ahead of their time. You could see them doing Kickstarter stuff with youtube concept videos and stuff. For a while in the early 70's that's what they did. Eventually it made the music start to suffer, but it's something John could never have done in the Beatles.

I guess you could say they were Proto-Selfie.

The whole Hair Peace Bed Peace thing what is that but a 2014 viral youtube video?

just stop

the performances of the musicians don't feel as "vibey" (for want of a better word).

I don't care about this myself tbh I was just pointing out an odd shift in Lennon's compositional approach that is not reflected in the work of the others'. Paul's solo material is pretty consistent with his Beatles work in terms of how he wrote lyrics, melodies etc. George too (altho he did abandon the sitar). John's the one whose songwriting seemed to go through some major shifts - not all of them positive imo - and the rhythmic thing I noted is part of that.

another article from back in December 1967:

http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-aow/column2.php

This one from Robert Christgau provides some nice cultural context.

I'm not a huge fan of Got to Get You Into my Life as it is in the actual record but the demo version that appears on Anthology is amazing. More subtle and I enjoy much better Paul closing the chorus with 'somehow, someway'. Unfortunately, you lose the solo freakout at the end of the Revolver version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YarB2VkpzYw

It's weird that they cut the 'somehow, someway' completely in the final song. After hearing the demo the chorus sounds incomplete.

I didn't mean solo freakout I meant Paul singing freely, no idea how that's called.

from 2:00 onwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxhhFOnXs2M

The ideal version of GTGYIML for me would be a mix between both, getting rid of the horns completely.

I imagine that the "somehow, someway" got junked for a couple of reasons: firstly, it'd get in the way of the horn hook, and secondly, it's unnecessary! Glad those backing vocal ideas got junked, too. I like the "I need your love, I need your love" part, though... wish they'd found a way of getting that in somewhere.

Got to Get You into My Life 0
Good Day Sunshine 0
Taxman 0

0__o

brings the lols

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P2I3qA7Oag

the guitar sound on this album is just the best. how did they do that?

"she said she said" is so heavy and scary and strange i always forget it's even on the album, always feels like such a kick in the head when it comes on.

Mixolydian Mode plus distortion and backwards?

i always expect that he's gonna say eleanor rigby is wearing her socks, instead of her face

I just noticed that "Taxman" is basically "yeah, I'm greedy"

George loves his dough

don't republicans/libertarians like that song?

Is it true they were liable for a 95% tax bill? "1 for you, 19 for me".

my friend said the other day that yellow submarine should have been kept off revolver. is he right? i don't think so

No he's not right.

Light and shade.

yeah I think the tax level was pretty crazy for them (and other big bands, like the stones and their bankruptcy that made them leave for the south of france).
and the fact that they were quite ignorant (and often not well managed) in tax matters certainly didn't help !

Post war tax rates were in the 90's for the rich in both the US and UK. People forget they were still in the 70's until Reagan came out and knocked them all the way down into the 20's at one point. How else do you think the US built all those damn freeways, nukes and rockets with minimal national debt?!

George loves his dough

The taxman's taken all of it and left him in his stately home.

all you need is love, but i myself am a different story

also classic moptops: "don't ask me what i want it for" on an album that later name-checks the national health

It's almost as if he is human and can hold multiple points of view at once.

it's almost as if i'm human and will mention it

tou che

But still, the "George is greedy" line is BS unless you consider it completely fine and fair to have to pay a 90% tax rate.

If he was actually paying that, which I doubt. Greedy, tight-fisted, if the cap fits...

completely fine and fair to have to pay a 90% tax rate.

given that everybody in that tax bracket was still absolutely filthy rich I kind of do

while George is my favorite Beatle, I can't dig the sentiment of "Taxman" at all. Paul makes the song imo.

In any case, George is whining about the tax rate being 95%!

as octobeard points out a 90s tax rate for people as rich as the beatles seemed perfectly natural before we got all this extra freedom

it's true that kids with guitars didn't have the best heads for paperwork, or for eluding predators, and okay i don't know what george's personal finances were like in 1966. suspect he was doing okay but even if he wasn't i'll be damned if i let that keep me from the pleasure of speaking uncharitably of the beatles

Those are marginal rates anyway, right? I mean somehow poor George managed buying that mansion, etc.

George grew up working class and he earned all those millions so I give him a pass. It's not like he's griping about inheritance taxes or offshore accounts or something, this is money he made through blood sweat and tears.

Blood, Sweat & Tears didn't form until 1967 though, and my understanding is that George cooked the books to make them appear a write-off. Market fluctuations destroyed the value of his holdings in any case, a fact the band mockingly pointed out in their own lyrics once they'd ousted George and regained majority control.

Those are marginal rates anyway, right? I mean somehow poor George managed buying that mansion, etc.

yes and yes. so he wouldn't have to pay 90 percent of everything. just 90 percent of what he made over a certain amount. and i'm guessing he made a lot over that certain amount.

but the important thing is, it's a great song. i disagree with the specific politics of it, but i do not disagree with the presentation, and i especially don't agree with that bass line.

i mean i don't DISagree with that bass line!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o60XmAvwHSY

Love how he goes against the beat for the middle-8 following that 2nd chorus. SO GOOD.

my head is filled with things to saaaaayy

often "I Want to Tell You" is my favorite Beatle George song. I love the offhand discordance.