Prior to the recording of Revolver, The Beatles were considered a
good natured, mop-topped, rock and roll band that sang songs about love in one
form or another (Howard, 2004). Some of their early songs were remakes of folk
tunes that they played in the marathon gigs in Hamburg, Germany. They would
play sets for up to eight hours long and would do almost anything to keep the
audience’s attention (Brown & Gains, 1983). These long sets and constant
playing solidified the group into a very tight band.
The Beatles were already using pot
and began experimenting with LSD when they were writing the songs for Revolver, and this drug usage had a
great influence on the lyrics for many of the songs (Howard). They were
attempting to record songs that would capture the mind-expanding hallucinations
that they were experiencing.
In the studio, George Martin and
his team created innovative recording techniques from very vague ideas such as
“… sounding like the Dali Lama on a mountain” which resulted in recording
John’s vocal through a rotating Leslie speaker on “Tomorrow Never Knows”
(Howard). Other innovations included using compression on the drums and sound
effects from backward loops done by The Beatles on their home recording
machines (Howard). Many of the techniques pioneered on this album were the “… precursors
to forthcoming sound-enhancing devices such as phasers, flangers, and
harmonizers” (Howard).
As a
listener, the song lyrics and musicianship are ethereal and transport you to
another place. I feel that they did capture the mind expansion they were after.
The Beatles are another group that I have covered many of their songs including
songs from this album but I had never heard the album in a complete setting. I
have even covered their cover of “Twist and Shout”. The Beatles’ songs are
another favorite of oldies groups and car shows. As a professional, I feel that
we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the recording genius of George Martin and
his team at Abby Road for his use of orchestration and innovative recording techniques
that have led the way to today’s modern recordings.
Great post. I completely agree with you about the genius of George Martin on Revolver. He was very much ahead of his time on this record. I also found the fact that the Beatles brought in material from recording at home quite interesting. Today it is very easy for musicians to work in their own studios, but it was not common at all in those days. Using the Leslie speaker on the vocals was a very clever idea and it worked beautifully. I am also impressed by how they used the backwards guitar melodies. Figuring out how the notes and rhythms will line up once reversed must have been quite a challenge. Learning more about Revolver and George Martin definitely made me want to get more creative in my own productions. This was a well-written post and I look forward to reading your upcoming posts. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed your post. I especially like your first paragraph relating The Beatles' early history in Germany. This was a period when Stu Sutcliffe was a member of the band. While not completely historically accurate, the movie "Backbeat" is worth watching to learn more about Sutcliffe's life and untimely death.
ReplyDeleteIt also interests me to read about the early innovations of sound design and effects. It is so easy today to call up any number of reverb presets or punch in a sound with a digital sampler. I vaguely recall watching a documentary years ago that had George Harrison discussing the work behind some of the sounds used during the "Revolver" period. It is a bit sad, to me, that those days seem to be over, but I hope another revolution in music will occur in my lifetime.
Great work on your blog!
Shannon McDowell