The Beatles. What can be said about them that hasn't already been said hundreds of times? The song from The Lego Movie, Everything is Awesome, certainly applies to them. Before Revolver they were already great. Their music was fabulous but here is where they matured as artists. Revolver builds up on the changes shown throughout Help! and Rubber Soul and shows their journey into psychedelic heaven. So, how does this album hold up against Sergeant Pepper and Abbey Road?
Tracks:
1. Taxman: 8/10 a great intro bursting with wit and social commentary. A little repetitive perhaps in its sounds, but it's a catchy tune which you can nod your head to with ease.
2. Eleanor Rigby: 9/10 a beautiful song about loneliness. It's pretty depressing and not necessarily the most enjoyable song on the album, but it is genuine poetry. This song is the moment when a new era of Beatles music is ushered in. With all due respect to their great initial music, the arty stuff they did later on is arguably superior.
3. I'm Only Sleeping: 10/10 a psychedelic gem with a very interesting song structure and a melancholy yet devastatingly beautiful vibe. Just don't listen to it if you're feeling sleepy.
4. Love You To: 8/10 One of George Harrison's Indian tunes. As far as I'm concerned this is superior to Within You Without You. The excellent Sitar music is overwhelming in the best sense of the word and is full of brilliant sounds. Its lyrics feel a tiny bit meaningless at times though.
5. Here, There and Everywhere: 9/10 after 4 louder songs, this one's quieter, more understated and less experimental. Don't think for one second that's a bad thing. This is a lovely song which is peaceful, relaxing and full of great harmonies.
6. Yellow Submarine: 8/10 Alright so this is just a nonsense children's nursery rhyme which doesn't have much meaning. You kind of have to love it though. You'll find yourself wishing you could join them on that yellow submarine.
7. She Said, She Said: 9/10 a great rocking tune with a fascinating backstory. This is one of those mystery songs where the meaning isn't entirely clear and you can interpret it how you want. That's part of the fun.
8. Good Day Sunshine: 6/10 ah this one could definitely be skipped. It's just not particularly noteworthy and feels like it came out of a nauseatingly oversweet kids movie although it's still catchy.
9. And Your Bird Can Sing: 9/10 I actually rather like this one. It's not the most eye catching (or ear catching?) song on the album with its fairly typical beats but it can conveys its message in an interesting way. The bird feels a little random but it's still an enjoyable track.
10. For No One: 9/10 short and sweet. It's only 2 minutes long but it unleashes more emotion in those 2 minutes than the Twilight Saga did in 5 movies.
11. Doctor Robert: 7/10 I don't really know what this one is about. Something to do with drugs? Its lyrics are very plain but it's catchy enough to compensate. It's also an interesting one to interpret.
12. I Want to Tell You: 8/10 with obscure lyrics and a catchy rock beat, this makes for an interesting listen.
13. Got to Get You Into My Life: 8/10 this song has a different meaning than what you expect. Well sung by Paul McCartney and featuring strong lyrics, this is a good one but the tune itself feels somewhat overwhelming.
14. Tomorrow Never Knows: 10/10 they saved the best for last. This hypnotising, mesmerising and wonderfully unique psychedelic masterpiece is one of John Lennon's greatest songs. With its strange sounds, mind being lyrics and general insanity listening to it is like riding an out of control roller coaster through a kaleidoscope. Surrender to the void. You'll be glad you did.
Summary: Revolver is the best Beatles album. Every track has its merits, every Beatle gets their moment to shine and every lyric oozes meaning, wonder and genius. Weird and wonderful, this album is experimental, ground breaking, thrilling, fascinating and genuinely beautiful.
Best song: Tomorrow Never Knows
Worst song: Good Day Sunshine
Final Grade: 10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment