The British Invasion: “Revolver” by The Beatles (1966)

Following the album “Rubber Soul,” “Revolver” was a continuation of musical experimentation that was characteristic of the Beatles’ development as a group. The album, I felt, was all about variety. From the variety of musical instruments, the variety of song colors, and the variety of lyrical focal points, the album is quite diverse. In terms of instrumentation, this album has a wide range. Frequently used is the sitar, distorted guitars, and tambourines. Uncommonly used, but worth being noted, the Beatles made use of a drone in “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and a french horn and honky-tonk piano in “For No One.”

In addition to instrumentation, the Beatles used a number of sound effects. For example, in “Yellow Submarine,” there are the sounds of waves, and also the clanking and chattering typical of a shipyard in the background. Something else that manifested in a couple of the songs was the manipulation of tape loops. In “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Tomorrow Never Knows,” for example, the Beatles used the tape loops to have the attack of a few notes be played backwards, a reverse decay. Additionally, in “Tomorrow Never Knows,” whole sections of guitar riffs were played backwards over the drone.

Looking at the song colors of the album, you can see the obvious differences between them. For example, the album ranges from reflective, socially aware songs (namely “Taxman” and “Eleanor Rigby”) to the traditional melodic and upbeat sing-along songs associated with the Beatles (ex. “Good Day Sunshine,” “Yellow Submarine,” and “Got To Get You Into My Life). To further illustrate the song color, the lyrics also portray the aforementioned variety. “Tomorrow Never Knows” draws from the Tibetan “Book of the Dead;” “Dr. Robert” talks about a doctor who keeps all of New York City high; “Good Day Sunshine” is about how happy one is when they are in love. Although the songs are so different, they still mesh to create an astoundingly awesome album.