Classic Album Review: The Beatles - Revolver (1966)

So far as classic albums go, The Beatles’ 1966 effort, Revolver, has to rate right up there with the very best of them. Although often pushed hard by Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road, and the White Album when those ubiquitous “Beatles’ Best” lists are compiled, the general consensus is that Revolver is the one to have best stood the test of time. The one that still resonates most some 50-plus years on, and perhaps even one of the rare few that has improved with age.

Certainly, for my money, it is the most consistent studio set The Beatles ever released, and it does tend to showcase the band at its formidable peak. Rather than go into too much detail here - after all, if you’re reading this you’re unlikely to need an introduction to the band or what it sounds like - I’ll just list the key tracks to be found on Revolver:

‘Taxman’ (the opener), ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘I’m Only Sleeping’, ‘Here, There and Everywhere’, ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’, and the feted closer ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. Then of course there’s Ringo’s most famous composition, the throwaway studio sing-along, ‘Yellow Submarine’. A little bit of something for everyone there and some terrific stuff from one of the most important bands of all-time. 

Any serious music consumer ought to be ashamed (yep, ashamed!) if they don’t already own a copy of Revolver. Buy it, download it, steal it from your parents, do whatever you need to do, but make sure a copy in some format is never too far from your fingertips. That’s all you really need to know.