Parlophone/Capitol Records(NEW YORK) — Today marks the 50th anniversary of the U.K. release of The Beatles’ Revolver, which many music fans and critics consider one of the greatest albums of all time.
The album captured the legendary band moving into the psychedelic era with its most adventurous and experimental music to date while delving into a diverse variety of genres.
Among Revolver‘s many highlights: George Harrison’s “Love You To,” which features traditional Indian instruments such as sitar and tabla; the R&B-inspired “Got to Get You into My Life,” which was driven by a brass section; and the classically influenced “Eleanor Rigby,” which features only vocals and a string section. Revolver closes with the groundbreaking “Tomorrow Never Knows,” a mind-bending psychedelic tune that utilizes such effects as tape loops, backwards guitar, vocals distorted through a Leslie organ speaker.
Other memorable tunes on the record include “Yellow Submarine,” “Taxman,” “Here, There and Everywhere,” “She Said She Said” and “Good Day Sunshine.”
The U.K. version of Revolver features 14 songs, while the U.S. edition, which was released three days later, omitted three tracks — “I’m Only Sleeping”, “And Your Bird Can Sing” and “Doctor Robert.”
Revolver spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, and has gone on to sell more than five million copies in the U.S. No single pulled from the album topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although “Yellow Submarine” reached #2, while “Eleanor Rigby” peaked at #11.
Revolver was the last album The Beatles released before they retired from touring, and the Fab Four soon would return to the studio to start work on what was to be their psychedelic masterpiece, 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
In 2012, Revolver landed at #3 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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