Revolver Session Recordings

The recent announcement of the Revolver Deluxe Set due in October, will include bonus tracks not officially available before. The Anthology 2 set included some alternate takes from this period. But fans have had much of this period recordings available for some time. Below are four sets from this period.

Anthology 2- Disk 1
17.    "Tomorrow Never Knows" ("Mark 1" / Take 1), April 6,1966 in EMI Studios,3:14
18.    "Got to Get You into My Life" (Take 5; mono), April 7,1966 in EMI Studios,2:54
19.    "And Your Bird Can Sing" (Take 2), April 20,1966 in EMI Studios,2:13
20.    "Taxman" (Take 11) Harrison, April 21,1966 in EMI Studios,2:32
21.    "Eleanor Rigby (strings only)" (Take 14), April 28, 1966 in EMI Studios,2:06
22.    "I'm Only Sleeping (rehearsal)" (mono),    April 29, 1966 in EMI Studios,0:41
23.    "I'm Only Sleeping (Take 1)" (mono), April 29, 1966 in EMI Studios,2:59


Beatles Revolver Sessions-Granny Smith Label-4CD

DISC 1
Apr 6th 1966 - Studio 3, 8:15pm-1:00am
1. Tomorrow Never Knows - take 1 - backing loop
2. Tomorrow Never Knows - SI onto take 1 - drums & vocal
3. Tomorrow Never Knows - take 3 - bass & drums rhythm track

Apr 7th 1966 - Studio 3, 2:30-7:15pm
4. Tomorrow Never Knows - tape loops
5. Tomorrow Never Knows - SI onto take 3 - loop track

Apr 7th 1966 - Studio 3, 8:15pm-1:30am
6. Got To Get You Into My Life - take 5 - rhythm track
7. Got To Get You Into My Life - SI onto take 5 - vocals

Apr 8th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30-9:00pm
8. Got To Get You Into My Life - take 8

Apr 11th 1966 - Studio 2, 8:00pm-12:45am
9. Love You To - take 6 - guitar & vocal
10. Love You To - SI onto take 6 - sitar & tabla
11. Love You To - SI onto take 6 - 2nd sitar & fuzz bass

Apr 13th 1966 - Studio 3, 2:30-6:30pm
12. Love You To - SI onto take 7
13. Love You To - mono mix

Apr 13th 1966 - Studio 3, 8:00pm-2:30am
14. Paperback Writer - take 1
15. Paperback Writer - take 2 - rhythm
16. Paperback Writer - SI onto take 2 - lead vocal
17. Paperback Writer - SI onto take 2 - 2nd lead vocal

Apr 14th 1966 - Studio 3, 2:30-7:30pm
18. Paperback Writer - SI onto take 2 - bass

Apr 14th 1966 - Studio 3, 7:30-8:00pm
19. Paperback Writer - mono mix

Apr 14th 1966 - Studio 3, 8:30pm-1:30am
20. Rain - take 5 - rhythm
21. Rain - SI onto take 5 - lead vocal

Apr 16th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-1:30am
22. Rain - SI onto take 5 - bass & tambourine
23. Rain - SI onto take 5 - 2nd vocal (chorus)
24. Rain - backward vocal reversed
25. Rain - SI onto take 7 - backing vocals
26. Rain - mono mix

Apr 17th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30-10:30pm
27. Doctor Robert - take 7 - rhythm
28. Doctor Robert - SI onto take 7 - harmonium

Apr 19th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-12:00am
29. Doctor Robert - SI onto take 7 - lead guitar & vocals

DISC 2
Apr 20th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-2:30am
1. And Your Bird Can Sing - take 2
2. And Your Bird Can Sing - SI onto take 2 - lead vocals and guitar
3. And Your Bird Can Sing - SI onto take 2 - tambourine, bass, vocal, guitar
4. And Your Bird Can Sing - SI onto take 2 - laughing vocals

Apr 21st 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-12:50am
5. Taxman - take 11
6. Taxman - SI onto take 11 - lead vocal excerpt
7. Taxman - SI onto take 11 - 2nd lead vocal excerpt
8. Taxman - SI onto take 11 - both lead vocals, complete track
9. Taxman - SI onto take 11 - tambourine, lead guitar, backing vocals

Apr 22nd 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-11:30pm
10. Taxman - SI onto take 12 - cowbell & "Mr Heath" backing vocals
11. Tomorrow Never Knows - SI onto take 3 - tamboura & lead vocal
12. Tomorrow Never Knows - SI onto take 3 - vocal, organ, tambourine, piano
13. Tomorrow Never Knows - SI onto take 3 - guitar solo
14. Tomorrow Never Knows - take 3 - track 3 (complete)

Apr 26th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30-2:45am
15. And Your Bird Can Sing - take 10 + take 6
16. And Your Bird Can Sing - SI onto take 10 - vocals & handclaps
17. And Your Bird Can Sing - SI onto take 10 - lead guitars

Apr 27th 1966 - Studio 3, 11:30pm-3:00am
18. Tomorrow Never Knows - RM8 mono mix

Apr 27th 1966 - Studio 3, 11:30pm-3:00am
19. I'm Only Sleeping - take 11

Apr 28th 1966 - Studio 2, 5:00-7:50pm
20. Eleanor Rigby (strings) - take 14

Apr 29th 1966 - Studio 3, 5:00pm-1:00am
21. Eleanor Rigby - SI onto take 15 - vocal
22. Eleanor Rigby - SI onto take 15 - vocals
23. I'm Only Sleeping - rehearsal
24. I'm Only Sleeping (remake) - take 5
25. I'm Only Sleeping - SI onto take 11 - vocal

May 5th 1966 - Studio 3, 9:30pm-3:00am
26. I'm Only Sleeping - SI onto take 11 - lead guitars, composite mix
27. I'm Only Sleeping - SI onto take 11 - lead guitars, forward

May 6th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-1:00am
28. I'm Only Sleeping - SI onto take 13 - backing vocals

May 9th 1966 - Studio 2, 7:00pm-11:00pm
29. For No One - take 1 monitor mix
30. For No One - take 2 monitor mix
31. For No One - take 5 monitor mix
32. For No One - take 6 monitor mix
33. For No One - take 7, 8 & 9 monitor mix
34. For No One - take 10 piano
35. For No One - SI onto take 10 - clavichord & percussion

DISC 3
May 12th 1966 - Studio 3, 1:45pm-3:30pm
1. Doctor Robert - US mono mix
2. I'm Only Sleeping - US mono mix
3. And Your Bird Can Sing - US mono mix

May 16th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-1:30am
4. For No One - SI onto take 10 - lead vocal
5. For No One - reduction mix take 13

May 18th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-2:30am
6. Got To Get You Into My Life - SI onto take 8 - stereo brass overdub (partial)
7. Got To Get You Into My Life - SI onto take 8 - brass overdub (complete)
8. Got To Get You Into My Life - vocals, organ, tambourine

May 19th 1966 - Studio 3, 7:00pm-11:00pm
9. For No One - SI onto take 14 - bass
10. For No One - SI onto take 14 - French horn

May 20th 1966 - Studio 1, 11:00am-12:30pm
11. And Your Bird Can Sing - US stereo mix
12. And Your Bird Can Sing - UK stereo mix
13. Doctor Robert - US stereo mix
14. Doctor Robert - UK stereo mix
15. I'm Only Sleeping - US stereo mix
16. I'm Only Sleeping - UK stereo mix

May 26th 1966 - Studio 3, 7:00pm-1:00am
17. Yellow Submarine - take 4 - rhythm
18. Yellow Submarine - SI onto take 4 - lead and backing vocals
19. Yellow Submarine - SI onto take 4 - second vocal

June 1st 1966- Studio 2, 2:30pm-2:30am
20. Yellow Submarine - SI onto take 5 - sound effects
21. Yellow Submarine - intro

June 2nd 1966 - Studio 2, 7:00pm-3:30am
22. I Want To Tell You - rhythm + vocals and piano

June 3rd 1966 - Studio 2, 7:00pm-2:30am
23. I Want To Tell You - bass + vocals
24. I Want To Tell You - RM4
25. Yellow Submarine - RM5

June 6th 1966 - Studio 3, 7:00pm-12:00am
26. And Your Bird Can Sing - UK mono mix
27. I'm Only Sleeping - UK mono mix
28. Tomorrow Never Knows - RM11

June 6th 1966 - Studio 3, 12:00-1:30am
29. Eleanor Rigby - SI onto take 15 - end vocal

June 8th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30pm-2:30am
30. Good Day Sunshine - take 1 - rhythm
31. Good Day Sunshine - SI onto take 1 - vocals

June 9th 1966 - Studio 2, 2:30-8:00pm
32. Good Day Sunshine - SI onto take 1 - piano, percussion, handclaps, vocals
33. Good Day Sunshine - end vocal overlays

DISC 4
June 16th 1966 - Studio 2, 7:00pm-3:30am
1. Here There and Everywhere - take 7
2. Here There and Everywhere - SI onto take 13 - backing vocals I (partial)
3. Here There and Everywhere - SI onto take 13 - backing vocals II (partial)
4. Here There and Everywhere - SI onto take 14 - lead vocal

June 17th 1966 - Studio 2, 7:00pm-1:30am
5. Here There and Everywhere - SI onto take 14 - 2nd lead vocal & 2nd lead guitar
6. Got To Get You Into My Life - SI onto take 9 - guitars

June 20th 1966 - Studio 1, 6:00pm-8:30pm
7. Got To Get You Into My Life - RM8

June 21st 1966 - Studio 3, 10:00am-1:00pm
8. Love You To - stereo mix, edit of RS1-3
9. I Want To Tell You - RS2
10. Here There and Everywhere - RS2
11. Here There and Everywhere - RM3

June 21st 1966 - Studio 3, 2:30pm-6:30pm
12. For No One - RM8
13. Doctor Robert - RM6
14. Taxman - mono mix, edit of RM5-6
15. For No One - RS1
16. Taxman - stereo mix, edit of RS1-2

June 21st 1966 - Studio 3, 7:00pm-3:45am
17. She Said She Said - take 3 rhythm
18. She Said She Said - SI onto take 3 - lead and backing vocals
19. She Said She Said - SI onto take 3 - organ and lead guitar

June 22nd 1966 - Studio 3, 7:00pm-1:30am
20. Eleanor Rigby - RM5
21. She Said She Said - RM4
22. Good Day Sunshine - RM7
23. Eleanor Rigby - RS1
24. She Said She Said - RS1
25. Good Day Sunshine - RS1
26. Yellow Submarine - RS2
27. Tomorrow Never Knows - RS6
28. Got To Get You Into My Life - RS1

More info is available here:
https://superdiscografiathebeatles.blogspot.com/p/the-beatles-2009-revolver-sessions-box.html



The Alternate Revolver - Pear Label-1 CD

The Alternate Revolver is a collection of different takes and versions of songs recorded in 1966 for the album Revolver. Features many mono mixes and a few tracks lifted from Anthology.

    1-Taxman
    take 11, recorded on April 21, 1966 (taken from Anthology)
    2-Eleanor Rigby
    mono mix, recorded on April 29, 1966
    3-I’m Only Sleeping
    Capitol stereo version, with different backwards guitars
    4-Love You To
    mono mix, recorded on April 13, 1966
    5-Here, There, And Everywhere
    take 7, with an overdub of take 13, recorded on June 16, 1966 (taken from Real Love single)
    6-Yellow Submarine
    remix, with different sounds and a spoken intro by Ringo, recorded on May 26 and June 1, 1966 (taken from Real Love single)
    7-She Said She Said
    mono mix, recorded on June 21, 1966
    8-Good Day Sunshine
    mono mix, recorded on June 9, 1966
    9-And Your Bird Can Sing
    take 2, recorded on April 20, 1966 (taken from Anthology)
    10-For No One
    take 10, recorded on May 16, 1966 (taken from Monitor Mixes (bootleg))
    11-Doctor Robert
    mono mix, recorded on April 19, 1966
    12-I Want To Tell You
    mono mix, recorded on June 3, 1966
    13-Got To Get You Into My Life
    take 5, recorded on April 7, 1966 (taken from Anthology)
    14-Tomorrow Never Knows
    alternate mix (taken from Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 4 (bootleg))
    15-And Your Bird Can Sing
    mono mix of take 10, recorded on April 26, 1966
    16-I’m Only Sleeping
    take 1, recorded on April 29, 1966 (taken from Anthology)
    17-Eleanor Rigby
    take 14, strings only, recorded on April 28, 1966 (taken from Anthology)
    18-For No One
    take 14, recorded on May 19, 1966 (taken from Monitor Mixes (bootleg))
    19-She Said She Said
    demo, recorded in March, 1966 (taken from Revolution (bootleg))
    20-Taxman
    mono mix of take 12, with a louder lead guitar, recorded on April 21, 1966
    21-Tomorrow Never Knows
    take 1, recorded on April 6, 1966 (taken from Anthology)
    22-I’m Only Sleeping
    rehearsal, recorded on April 29, 1966 (taken from Anthology)
    23-Got To Get You Into My Life
    mono mix of take 9, recorded on May 18, 1966
    24-Here, There And Everywhere
    take 13 and 14, recorded on June 16, 1966 (taken from Monitor Mixes (bootleg))
    25-I’m Only Sleeping
    mono mix, with extra backwards guitar during the third verse, recorded on May 6, 1966
    26-Tomorrow Never Knows
    mono mix, fewer of the various tape loops are present and they fade completely in and out of the track, recorded on April 27, 1966

More info is available here:
https://superdiscografiathebeatles.blogspot.com/2020/01/2003-alternate-revolver.html




Revolving - Secret Trax-2CD

        "Revolver" Era Demos   

1-1        He Said, He Said Demo Tape
1-2        He Said, He Said Demo Tape
1-3        He Said, He Said Demo Tape
1-4        He Said, He Said Demo Tape
1-5        She Said, She Said Demo Tape
1-6        She Said, She Said Demo Tape
1-7        She Said, She Said Demo Tape

        "Revolver" Era Sessions   

1-8        Tomorrow Never Knows Take 1
1-9        Got To Get You Into My Life Take 5
1-10        Got To Get You Into My Life Partial Take 5
1-11        Paperback Writer Take 1
1-12        Paperback Writer Take 2
1-13        And Your Bird Can Sing Take 2
1-14        And Your Bird Can Sing S1 Onto Take 2
1-15        Taxman Take 11
1-16        Eleanor Rigby (Strings Only) Take 14
1-17        I'm Only Sleeping (Rehearsal)
1-18        I'm Only Sleeping Take 1
1-19        For No One Take 1
1-20        For No One Take 2
1-21        For No One Take 10
1-22        For No One Take 14
1-23        Yellow Submarine Take 5
1-24        Here, There And Everywhere Edit Of Takes 7 / 14
1-25        Here, There And Everywhere Take 14

        The Raw Monitor Mixes   

1-26        For No One Take 10
1-27        For No One Take 10
1-28        For No One Take 10
1-29        For No One Take 14
1-30        Here, There And Everywhere Take 14
1-31        Here, There And Everywhere Take 14
1-32        Here, There And Everywhere Take 14
1-33        Here, There And Everywhere Take 14

        The Mono "Revolver" Album
    
2-1        Taxman
2-2        Eleanor Rigby
2-3        I'm Only Sleeping
2-4        Love You To
2-5        Here, There And Everywhere
2-6        Yellow Submarine
2-7        She Said, She Said
2-8        Good Day Sunshine
2-9        And Your Bird Can Sing
2-10        For No One
2-11        Doctor Robert
2-12        I Want To Tell You
2-13        Got To Get You Into My Life
2-14        Tomorrow Never Knows

        Other "Revolver" Era Mono Mixes   

2-15        Paperback Writer Take 2
2-16        Rain Take 7
2-17        I'm Only Sleeping Take 13
2-18        And Your Bird Can Sing Edit Of Take 10 / 6
2-19        Doctor Robert Take 7
2-20        Tomorrow Never Knows Take 3
        Other "Revolver" Era Stereo Mixes   
2-21        Paperback Writer Take 2
2-22        I'm Only Sleeping Take 13
2-23        Doctor Robert Take 7

More info is available here:
https://www.guitars101.com/threads/the-beatles-revolving-revolver-sessions-outtakes-alternate-versions.483689/

Revolver-Deluxe-Purple Chic Label-2CD


       

 

 

 

 Stereo   

1-1        Paperback Writer (RS3 Take 2)
1-2        Rain (RS1 Take 7)
        Revolver   
1-3        Taxman (RS1 & RS2 Take 12) Written-By – Harrison*
1-4        Eleanor Rigby (RS1 Take 15)
1-5        I'm Only Sleeping (RS2 Take 13)
1-6        Love You To (RS1, RS2, RS3 & Edit Take 7)Written-By – Harrison*
1-7        Here, There And Everywhere (RS2 Take 14)
1-8        Yellow Submarine (RS2 Take 5)
1-9        She Said, She Said (RS1 Take 4)
1-10        Good Day Sunshine (RS1 Take 1)
1-11        And Your Bird Can Sing (RS1 & RS2 Takes 10 & 4)
1-12        For No One (RS1 Take 14)
1-13        Dr. Robert (Edit Of RS2 Take 7)
1-14        I Want To Tell You (RS2 Take 4)Written-By – Harrison*
1-15        Got To Get You Into My Life (RS1 Takes 9 & 8)
1-16        Tomorrow Never Knows (RS6 Take 3)

        Alternate Stereo Mixes   

1-17        I'm Only Sleeping (RS1)
1-18        And Your Bird Can Sing (RS7 & RS8)
1-19        Dr. Robert (Edit Of RS1)
1-20        Paperback Writer
1-21        Rain
1-22        Eleanor Rigby
1-23        Love You ToWritten-By – Harrison*
1-24        Yellow Submarine
1-25        For No One
1-26        Paperback Writer
1-27        Rain
        Anthology DVD Medley   
1-28.1        Yellow Submarine   
1-28.2        Got To Get You Into My Life   
1-28.3        TaxmanWritten-By – Harrison*
1-28.4        Eleanor Rigby   
1-28.5        I'm Only Sleeping   

        Mono   

        Single   
2-1        Paperback Writer (RM2 Take 2)
2-2        Rain (RM3 Take 7)
        Revolver   
2-3        Taxman (RM5 & RM6 Take 12)Written-By – Harrison*
2-4        Eleanor Rigby (RM5 Take 15)
2-5        I'm Only Sleeping (RM6 Take 13)
2-6        Love You To (RM1, RM2, RM3 & Edit Take 7)Written-By – Harrison*
2-7        Here, There And Everywhere (RM3 Take 14)
2-8        Yellow Submarine (RM5 Take 5)
2-9        She Said, She Said (RM4 Take 4)
2-10        Good Day Sunshine (RM7 (Labeled As RM2) Take 1)
2-11        And Your Bird Can Sing (RM9 & RM10 Takes 10 & 4)
2-12        For No One (RM8 Take 14)
2-13        Dr. Robert (Edit Of RM6 Take 7)
2-14        I Want To Tell You (RM1 Take 4)Written-By – Harrison*
2-15        Got To Get You Into My Life (RM8 Takes 9 & 8)
2-16        Tomorrow Never Knows (RM8 Take 3)
       
Alternate Mono Mixes   

2-17        I'm Only Sleeping (RM5)
2-18        Dr. Robert (Edit Of RM4)
2-19        Tomorrow Never Knows (RM11)
2-20        Yellow Submarine (RM??)
2-21        Yellow Submarine (RM5 (Including Announcement))

The Beatles’ Unheard ‘Revolver’: An Exclusive Preview of a Blockbuster Archival Release

A new Special Edition of their psychedelic 1966 classic is packed with revelations. Here's a first look at what's inside. September 7, 2022




The Beatles in Abbey Road Studios during filming of the “Paperback Writer” and “Rain” promotional films. May 19th, 1966 © Apple Corps Ltd.

In the summer of 1966, the Beatles dropped Revolver — an album so far ahead of its time that the world is still catching up with it. It’s the moptops mutating at warp speed, outgrowing all their former incarnations. Paul McCartney is exploring avant-garde art and music. John Lennon is reading The Tibetan Book of the Dead. George Harrison is studying sitar and Indian mysticism. Ringo Starr has installed a pub in his basement. They’re ready to shock the world — and themselves — with their masterpiece. The result: Revolver, routinely acclaimed as the greatest rock album ever made, by the Beatles or anyone else.

Except the world hasn’t heard it yet. Because in 2022 there’s more to Revolver than we ever knew. Over a few summer days in Abbey Road, the legendary London studio the Beatles called home, Rolling Stone gets a one-on-one exclusive tour of the brand-new Revolver, as good-day sunshine streams through the windows. Producer Giles Martin, son of the band’s wizardly producer George Martin, spins unheard outtakes from the sessions, along with the revealing new mix of the Beatles’ most wildly experimental album.

It’s the one where the lads set out to remake themselves from scratch, trying psychedelia, chamber music, Indian raga, Memphis soul. As Giles Martin says, “Revolver is an album where you could listen to each song and go, ‘Oh, this is the direction they’re going to go in next.’ And be wrong every single time. The Beatles are all in the same zone, coming of age. But it’s four individual members, with four eclectic styles, all willing to surf the same wave. And that’s what this album’s about. It’s about that ‘What have you got? How crazy is it? Well, I can out-crazy you.’”

This Revolver is full of fresh surprises. For one thing, you wouldn’t expect one of the deepest emotional revelations to be “Yellow Submarine.” The world thinks of this as the kiddie song they dashed off for Ringo. But John’s home demo shows how it began as a melancholy acoustic ballad, evoking Plastic Ono Band. The idea that John’s sad confession got reworked into Ringo belting the world’s favorite kiddie singalong — that’s the whole Revolver journey right there. Who else could take a simple song idea through so many evolutions, only for it to end up so perfectly right? Only the Beatles.


© Apple Corps Ltd.


The new Revolver drops on Oct. 28, from Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/Ume, following the previous deluxe editions that have redefined the Beatles’ lore in recent years — Sgt. Pepper in 2017, the White Album in 2018, Abbey Road in 2019, Let It Be and the Get Back film last year. The new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of “Taxman” drop today. As you can hear, the sound gets a boom from the audio “de-mixing” technology developed by Peter Jackson’s team for his historic Get Back documentary.


The Special Edition has 63 tracks in all, with the original album in stereo, mono, on Dolby Atmos, plus session outtakes, on five CDs, four vinyl LPs, and a seven-inch EP of the “Paperback Writer”/“Rain” EP, both sides of the standalone single cut during Revolver. There’s also a 100-page hardbound book of photos and essays by McCartney (“all in all, not a bad album”), Giles Martin, cover artist Klaus Voormann, hip-hop legend Questlove, and historian Kevin Howlett. The Standard Edition has the original 14-track album on CD, vinyl, and digital.

The Beatles’ confidence — never a problem for these four lads — was exploding on Revolver, as well as their competitive spirit. In June 1966, before anyone even heard their new “Tomorrow Never Knows,” Paul told the NME, “We did it because I, for one, am sick of doing sounds that people can claim to have heard before.” (You have to love the Paul-ness of that “I, for one.”) Their friendship had mysteriously gotten even closer — they were tapped into their own communal wavelength, and everyone around them could sense it. But their experimental spirit got contagious. Their 18-year-old engineer Geoff Emerick transformed their sound by stuffing a sweater in Ringo’s bass drum. Producer George Martin kept shattering the limits of studio recording on a day-to-day basis — a “Taxman” here, an “Eleanor Rigby” there, an occasional “Love You To.”

Everything about the music asserts the Fabs had grown up. As Martin says, “When Paul sat with me and listened to it, he said, ‘This is the record that is four individuals collaborating.’ It’s the decline of Beatlemania. ‘Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust,’ as the Clash once said. They’re no longer a four-headed beast on Revolver. They have their different styles. But no matter what they try, they’re still the Beatles. There’s not even a thought of a world outside of the Beatles. There’s no women in their lives, as close as they are to each other. They’re in bed thoroughly, and they’re looking forward to being in bed together. They’ve come off tour, and they want to make great records.”

It was an abrupt mood change for Martin after Get Back. “When I listened to the Revolver outtakes, after having done Get Back, I listened to the outtakes, I thought, ‘Oh, this is actually the real fun.’ On Get Back, they’re trying to get this feeling, get the breath of fresh air, whereas in Revolver it’s just the air they breathe. This is just endless enthusiasm. There’s no post-apocalyptic vision. There hasn’t been a bust-up and they haven’t got back together, nor have they walked out yet.”






The Beatles in Abbey Road Studios during recording of the Revolver album, 1966 © Apple Corps Ltd.

The lads argue, as in the outtake where they tease Harrison over how long he takes to think of song titles. “But it’s funny that this is such a friendly argument, compared to how it would be a couple years later,” Martin says. “The apple hasn’t been bitten into yet.”

It’s also the Beatles closing the door on their road days. “You wonder how much of Revolver comes with the frustration of touring?” Martin asks. “They’re escaping to the studios from this crazy peak of Beatlemania, saying ‘Let’s just find a different world to go to, to get as far away as possible.’ That’s why John said he wants to sing ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ on a mountain top. He wanted to be as far away from being on a stage as possible.”

The Fabs were tired of racing to quickie live gigs, with no room to explore their new music onstage. Their summer U.S. tour was their last ever, plagued by turmoil and protests. (A Ku Klux Klan rally outside their Memphis show drew 8,000 people.) Martin thinks that’s part of what drew them to Abbey Road. “This was their safe space,” he says. “Probably because of the tension that was increasing with Beatlemania, and everything that was going on in ’66. They were a pop band in, if you like, a bottle of pop. They had been shaken up by the outside world. And it’s almost like the cap is being unscrewed and the effervescence is coming out. There was so much chaos in their outside world, they had to retreat back. That’s where I think that the outside of this building we’re in [Abbey Road] was probably becoming threatening to them. This was a sanctuary where they could spend time. For Sgt. Pepper, they spent twice as long as they did for Revolver.”

The new mix from Giles Martin and Sam Okell goes beyond what they did with previous deluxe editions, thanks to the “de-mixing” technology developed by the audio team led by Emile de la Rey at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd. It was devised for Get Back, to separate individual Beatle voices from the audio murk of the original film footage. Remember the scene where they cut through the cafeteria clatter to focus on John and Paul’s voices, getting emotional over George, with a microphone planted in a flowerpot? That’s what they do to Ringo’s drum kit. It sounds amazing.

As Martin explains, “There’s no one who’s getting audio even close as to what Peter Jackson’s guys can do. The funny thing, they won’t let anyone else use it — they may do eventually. But Peter’s such a big Beatles fan, he’s willing to help out. I quite like that in a way, that the Beatles are still using technologies that no one else is using. It’s really groundbreaking. The simplest way I can explain it: It’s like you giving me a cake, and then me going back to you about an hour later with flour, eggs, sugar, and all the ingredients to that cake, that all haven’t got any cake mix left on them.”

“Taxman,” for example, was famously recorded with the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar all on one track. The new tech allows separate tracks for Ringo’s kick drum, toms, hi-hats, etc. Nothing is being altered, obviously — but now we can hear more of what the lads played in the room that day. You can hear details buried way down in the mix, like the acoustic guitar in “For No One,” or the finger snaps in “Here, There, and Everywhere.”


The book has a typically brilliant essay from Questlove on discovering the band through their call-and-response with African American music: funk, rap, soul. When he first heard the Beatles’ albums, he recognized beats sampled on Special Ed or A Tribe Called Quest records. He goes deep on the fascinating Beatles/hip-hop connection, noting “The whole message of ‘Taxman’ might as well be ‘Fuck the Police.’”




The Beatles carried that creative spirit to every detail of Revolver, right down to the cover art from their old Hamburg friend Klaus Voormann. The book includes an excerpt from his graphic novel, birth of an icon REVOLVER. “They didn’t tell me anything I should do,” Voormann tells Rolling Stone, calling from Munich. “They said, ‘Klaus, come on down to the studio and listen to the music and let’s see what you come up with.’” Like everyone, he was stunned by what he heard. “Rubber Soul was already a really fantastic LP. And I like that photo on there, too. But now you suddenly had ‘Tomorrow Never Knows,’ with cymbals splashing and sped-up tracks and backwards guitar and birds fluttering. Really crazy. I was overwhelmed when I heard the tracks and I thought, ‘Oh, God, how can I do a cover for that? This is such a giant step into a completely new direction.’”




But his cover collage rose to the challenge. “I said, ‘Come on, boys, go home and look in your drawers and find any photos you have. Good quality, bad quality — just get me those.” He drew sketches of the band’s faces, full of details like John growing out of George’s hair, or John sitting on his own ear in a medieval knight’s costume. He’s especially proud of his work on John’s face. “John’s got those almond-shaped eyes. And he’s got those nostrils, which are very striking. His nose is just incredible!”

Here’s a breakdown of eight revelatory moments from the new Revolver Special Edition:




Original tape box: “Taxman” and “And Your Bird Can Sing” © Calderstone Productions Ltd


“Rain” (Take 5, Actual Speed)
The Beatles got that dreamy psychedelic buzz on the “Paperback Writer” B side by recording the instrumental track extra fast, then slowing it down. But there’s no real way to prepare for the shock of hearing them play it live at the original manic speed — Ringo turns into all four Ramones at once. Beatlemaniacs have always marveled at the drums on “Rain” — as Ringo once said, “I know me and my playing, and then there’s ‘Rain.’” Ringo Hive, rise.

“Yellow Submarine” (Songwriting Work Tapes 1 & 2)
Brace yourself: Everything we thought we knew about “Yellow Submarine” is wrong. The whole world agrees on the standard origin story — a Paul ditty whipped up fast as an Uncle Ringo kiddie chant, something John grimly tolerated. But don’t be shocked if you catch yourself shedding a tear hearing John sing it. The chorus was Paul, but the verses started out as John in his sad confessional mode, with folkie guitar picking. He sings, “In the place where I was born/No one cared, no one cared/And the name that I was born/No one cared, no one cared.” The demo, on his home tape recorder, is a heart-wrenching childhood memory ballad, halfway between “Julia” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

“I had no idea until I started going through the outtakes,” Martin says. “This was a Lennon-McCartney thing. I said to Paul, ‘I always thought this was a song that you wrote and gave to Ringo and that John was like, ‘Oh, bloody “Yellow Submarine.”‘ Not at all. That’s like a Woody Guthrie song. But it’s beautiful in a way, where you realize that there’s so much depth behind it.” But still, what a drag to imagine a world without the Ringo version. “When you listen to the outtakes, even knowing the beauty of that John version, you know why Ringo ended up singing it,” Martin says. “And it was acutely, let’s face it, the right decision to make.”

“Eleanor Rigby” (Speech Before Take 4)
George Martin rehearses the classical musicians for “Eleanor Rigby,” translating between them and Paul. They ask Paul whether to use vibrato on the strings, but Paul defers to Mr. Martin, who decides the vibrato would add the wrong touch of sweetness. “Let’s do it without, then,” he says. “So you only hear the vibrato when you’ve got something to say.” What a perfect proverb of his production philosophy, in one line. Martin always avoided adding anything pointless — which says a lot about how Revolver turned out as great as it did.

“Love You To” (Take 7)George’s sitar-and-tablas hymn takes on a new dimension, with Paul singing a delicate harmony. It adds a bit of lightness to the song, but somehow you can see how they knew lightness didn’t work for this austere song. Working so hard on a harmony part, but then discarding it when it doesn’t fit — the Beatles’ musical wisdom at work.

“For No One” (Take 10)
Ringo asks, “What, shall I just keep it straight then? Not do anything else?” Paul urges him, “No, do!” The whole Revolver creative mission in one moment. As you can imagine, hearing the last two surviving Beatle brothers in this piano-and-drums instrumental duet on “For No One” is a massive emotional gut-punch.

“I Want to Tell You” (Take 4)
George had a tendency to get stuck on song titles. After writing “Love You To,” he kept calling it “Granny Smith” (after the apple) because he couldn’t think of anything else. “I Want To Tell You” is one of his greatest songs, but since the hook he keeps repeating is “I want to tell you,” it’s pretty damn obvious that should be the title. (And this is the guy who mocked Paul for the title “I’ve Got a Feeling.”) When Mr. Martin asks, “What do you call it, George?” the others crack up. John sneers, “‘Granny Smith, Part Friggin’ Two!’” Ever the diplomat, Ringo can’t help dropping a hint: “’Tell You,’ that’s a nice one. ‘Tell You.’” Infinite patience, thy name is Ringo.

“Here, There and Everywhere” (Take 6)
Macca takes a solo guitar stroll through his love-never-dies valentine, without the others’ breathy harmonies. Somehow, hearing him wing it in this loose version simply confirms that “Here, There and Everywhere” is the king of all Paul ballads. There is none higher.

“And Your Bird Can Sing” (First Version with Giggling & Take 2)
John always dismissed this satirically soulful gem — a typical John move when he was scared of how nakedly he exposed himself in a song. Anthology 2 already had a version of the much-loved “giggling” take, but this has one version with an alternate duet vocal, and one that’s just hardcore giggles, 144 seconds of John and Paul face to face, the headphones on, howling with laughter into each other’s mouths. Imagine the joy of being half of that duet. It’s a key to how the whole Revolver Special Edition feels.

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-beatles-revolver-unheard-archives-sheffield-1234587264/