Review Summary: The Beatles has been out-done by decades of music improving, but Revolver is still a simplistic, enjoyable album, to some extent.
Whenever a scientific break-through occurs, everyone is excited at how it will be able to benefit society and man-kind as a whole. The scientist responsible for the break-through is heralded with awards and congratulated for his advanced theory. But over time, new discoveries are made and this original break-through is no longer as relevant as it once was. The scientist is no longer credited as much as before, because his theories have been improved on and updated. This idea that scientific discoveries eventually become outdated and are no longer relevant in present day can certainly be related be related to music, although it certainly doesn’t apply to it as much, specifically The Beatles’ Revolver.
The Beatles have always been thought of as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. The band has receives praise like this along with other hyper-bolic claims because they expanded what music was like in their time and they have set roots for what music has become today. The Beatles have certainly influenced a lot and are incredibly significant to the history of rock and roll. Because of this, critics, fans and the world over have credited The Beatles with adoration and applause for years. But the way I look at it, significance doesn’t necessarily equal quality. These days, with the growing metal genre, the complexity and caliber of the instrumentation certainly outdoes what is on Revolver. Indie lyricists have came up with brilliant, insightful lyrics that are undoubtedly above songs like I Want To Tell You. It is clear that the bar for song writing and music in general have been raised since the 60s.
Now that doesn’t necessarily make The Beatles’ music bad. The majority of the tracks on Revolver have very easy and simple instrumentation, and elementary, straightforward lyrics. But this is also what can be enjoyable for people. It is simple music for a simple listen. At time people don’t want incredibly complex and deep music, and this is where The Beatles are more than appropriate. What cannot be denied about the songs on Revolver is the terrific melodies that inhabit these songs. The singing from Lennon and McCartney are excellent, each chorus having a brilliant singing part to them. The cheery, happy-go lucky feel to the songs(save Eleanor Rigby) will bring a smile to any persons face.
Also, there are a few exceptions to the simplicity of the album. Taxman actually has a satirically dark lyrical approach to it: “Let me tell you how it will be; There's one for you, nineteen for me, Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman. Should five per cent appear to small? Be thankful I don’t take it all. Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman.” Eleanor Rigby has a melancholy, depressing feel to it, and is also assisted by some swooning violins. But easily the best song on the album is Tomorrow Never Knows, with its absolute tripped out feel, brilliantly experimental elements, and absolutely tremendous vocal delivery. Tomorrow Never Knows is The Beatles’ best song in my opinion, and is certainly Revolver’s greatest moment.
There also are some exotic instrumental moments on the album that are above average. Love You To has George Harrison’s terrific voice at its best, but is not where the song shines. The middle-eastern sound that The Beatles are known for delving in is full force on Love You To. A sit-tar solo opens the song, until an infectious strumming pattern comes in.
Harrison’s voice really hooks you to the song, and the chorus is simply wonderful.
But the majority of the tracks suffer all of the same problems that I mentioned earlier; Easy, boring instrumentation, contrived and elementary lyrics, and a much too simple approach to the songs in general. Although the singing is terrific, and the happy and relaxed feel is all there, it still isn’t enough for the songs to achieve anything significant. Although For No One succeeds because of its simplicity. The melancholy yet upbeat tone to the song cascades a cheery, yet disgruntled mood. With some easy piano playing, a simple yet effective lyrical story, and a gentle delivery from Mr. McCartney, the song is able to stand out where the other more simple songs fall flat.
One of the biggest problems with most of the tracks on the album is that they becoming incredibly generic to one another, and certain songs blend with the rest of the album much too easily. This leads to a certain lack of flow, which is what makes all of their other albums shine. The album high-lights are scattered throughout the mediocre tracks, which disturbs any coherency that the album could have had.
It is evident in music today that the songs of The Beatles have been improved and simply out-performed. There are some melodic elements that are pleasing, but over-all the album is rudimentary. That is not necessarily a bad thing, because some of the songs are quite enjoyable thanks to the simplicity. It just shows that The Beatles are over-rated and are no longer musical marvels as they once were. But thanks to few exceptions to these problems, with songs that really are exceptional, Revolver makes for a pleasing album, to some extent.
This Message Edited On 12.03.08
