On May 15, 2012 by admin
For years – most recently in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Rock Albums of All-Time list, The Beatles’ 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was held up as top of the heap, the pinnacle in all of rock as a collection that re-wrote the rules of what a rock album could be while influencing much of what followed.
For years – most recently in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Rock Albums of All-Time list, The Beatles’ 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was held up as top of the heap, the pinnacle in all of rock as a collection that re-wrote the rules of what a rock album could be while influencing much of what followed.
With Revolver: How the Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll, Robert Rodriguez calls BS on this nonsense, asserting that Pepper isn’t even the Beatle’s best album. Rather, it was 1966’s Revolver, their seventh collection, that boldly staked out the position that a rock group need not limit themselves to creating recordings that could be reproducible onstage. Instead, taking an unprecedented amount of studio time, the Beatles set out to capture sounds never before heard – except in their own heads.
Furthermore, the group’s collective esprit de corps was never higher, as all four members contributed to the greater whole, crafting the finest Beatles music ever made. (Future albums saw three members supporting the vision of the fourth, but not here.)Unlike with Sgt. Pepper, a greater emphasis was placed on the compositions that lay at the heart of their efforts, not the bells-and-whistles adorning them. (George, in fact, was accorded an unprecedented three tracks, including the opening cut.)
Revolver possesses a freshness and timeless quality that Sgt. Pepper – practically the soundtrack to the Summer of Love – does not. Though its presentation was stellar, Sgt. Pepper‘s impact was felt greatest at the time of its issue, as an event.Revolver‘s arrival, conversely, was smothered beneath non-musical controversies (“We’re bigger than Jesus…”), resulting in bannings and bonfires.
Moreover, what was issued in America was not even the fulfillment of their vision, as three John Lennon compositions were removed for earlier release on the US-only Yesterday and Today collection, seriously warping the album’s integrity. Revolver represents the Beatles most important musical statement.
Whether or not it’s your favorite Beatle album, it demands respect as a tremendous risk; one gambling that fans would follow an act exploring the freedom that studio craft could offer, as they took on dark themes not usually addressed in pop music (chiefly, isolation and death).
Want to hear me blather on about it?
The Critics Speak:
“Of the literally thousands of books out there about The Beatles, this one stands head and shoulders above the usual fare.
Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll is one of the more original takes on this band I have had the pleasure to read. My hat is off to you Mr. Rodriguez for telling this portion of The Beatles’ story in a very compelling manner.”Greg Barbrick –
Blinded By Sound
“Of the umpteen books written and published about the Beatles in 2012, this will undoubtedly hold as one of the best. It’s well-written, well-researched, and presented to us by an author with a sense of authority that makes you eager to read—and listen to—what he has to say.” Jedd Beaudoin – PopMatters
“For fans like me who have long held the belief that Revolver is the finest album the Beatles made, Rodriguez’s book is essential….If Rodriguez wanted me to appreciate Revolver even more (which I didn’t think was possible), he certainly did his job.”Daniel S. Levine –
The Celebrity Cafe“Just when you may have thought the world didn’t need another Beatles book, he has delivered a focused, compelling, and impeccably researched volume that emphasizes the artistry in their 1966 classic.”The Other Chad –
Blogcritics “Rodriguez crafts a complete and compelling portrait of one of Rock’s key years….
In an era when books seem to escape the editor’s desk with any number of embarrassing factual errors intact, Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll is a true rarity. This is an impeccably researched work. The writer doesn’t let a single question about some of Rock’s greatest music go unaddressed.”Mike Segretto – Psychobabble