I forgot to actually acknowledge this important anniversary last week, when it actually happened. Technically, it was three days ago as I write this, but I certainly meant to write and publish this beforehand, only it slipped my mind.
In any case, this is one of those immortal albums that really showed just how great the Beatles were. Think of how they went from the simple and fun-loving songs that they were playing just a year or two before this, and from which they got really huge. And then, on this album that was released about a year and a half after their historic trip to America, and they were releasing songs like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Tomorrow Never Knows."
Kind of blows your mind, right?
Of course, this album still came fairly early in the history of the Beatles, and although they had already experimented a bit with their music (and yes, other things), this album marked a clear departure from where they were and what they had been playing before, as well as their general image, to the latter phase of the band, and the dramatic experimentation that they would come to be known for later on (again, not just with music, or even drugs!).
Just some incredible stuff!
Now, as surely was mentioned here before, I was not yet born for all of this, although like most fans, there are still some good personal memories associated with the Beatles, and with this album in particular. When still a child, the Beatles figured prominently for our family, in terms of music. And this particular album was one of my favorites, if not outright my favorite. We had it on record but, at the time, this seemed like such an outdated mode, so I got the cassette tape! Of course, the record still exists, but the cassette tape started going bad fairly quickly and is long gone, although recently, I happened to find the very old insert, which still provided me with a little thrill!
Whenever I think of this album, for whatever the reason, it conjures up images of a tiny little village in eastern France that my brother and I spent time in. Perhaps I listened to it on a Walkman (remember those?) or they maybe had a copy of that particular album there, or some such thing.
In any case, what a great album, and here's to half a century of it now!
Why Revolver is the Greatest Beatles Album By Greg Kot 5 August 2016:
Why “Revolver” still matters: The 50th anniversary of a Beatles masterpiece The band's 1966 album was so eclectic it seems on the verge of exploding SCOTT TIMBERG, August 5, 2016:
Beatles' 'Revolver': 15 Things You Didn't Know By Colin Fleming, August 5, 2016:
Definitely a major milestone for the Fab Four. Some people consider it to be their best album – I seem to recall Ringo Starr suggesting that he felt that way about it in an interview. It's certainly a strong contender for that distinction, although the same can be said about their entire catalog from the latter half of the sixties, when they were putting out one masterpiece after another. Most bands can only dream of making an album that even comes close to matching the greatness of the Beatles, and the rare instances when that happens are typically followed by comparatively weak releases. It's a testament to how unique the Beatles were that they not only reached such an impressive peak, but sustained that long enough to release so much brilliant stuff, and in such a short time span.
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