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Why Revolver Is Better Than Sgt Pepper
Seven experts explain why the just-reissued 1966 album is the best Beatles record ever
The Beatles performing "Paperback Writer" on “Top of The Pops” on June 16, 1966. Apple Corps Ltd. Roll over, Sgt. Pepper. The Beatles’ Revolver is way beyond compare. Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield declared it “the best album the Beatles ever made, which means the best album by anybody.” And thanks to a lavish new reissue overseen by Beatles producer George Martin’s son Giles Martin, Revolver has never sounded better. It’s got extras (28 early takes, three home demos, remastered mono and new stereo mixes of “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”). You can buy a 63-track super-deluxe special edition (five CDs, four LPs, a 7-inch EP, a 100-page hardcover book); a deluxe special edition (two-CD digipak and 40-page booklet); or the standard special edition (the original 14 tracks, digital and on CD, LP or vinyl picture disc). Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. So why does 1966’s Revolver outplay 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which used to be widely considered the band’s finest hour? Seven Beatles authorities offer their explanations: Ken Barnes former USA Today music editor
Sgt. Pepper was impeccably timed, Barnes says, at a point where pop music fans had “a nearly unshakable conviction that a favorite band progresses in an ever-ascending line, when the pattern is just as likely to be a bell curve. In that mindset, Pepper had to be better than Revolver.” So what turned the tide of opinion? “Starting with the CD era, the original British version of Revolver became widely available in the U.S., for the most part replacing the amputated American release, which had sacrificed three songs: ‘I’m Only Sleeping,’ ‘And Your Bird Can Sing,’ ‘Dr. Robert’ — among his best creations, period.” Revolver had three George Harrison tunes, a first. “His mantra mash-up ‘Love You To’ is far livelier than Pepper’s stolid, preachy ‘Within You, Without You.’ As for McCartney, ‘Lovely Rita’ and ‘Fixing a Hole’ are patented pop delights on Pepper but don’t measure up to the haunting melancholia of ‘For No One’ and the brassy soul of ‘Got to Get You Into My Life.’ “Sgt. Pepper’s ‘A Day in the Life,’ the welding of separate Lennon and McCartney creations, may be the single greatest achievement of the Beatles. It cements Sgt. Pepper’s status as a superior summation of state-of-the-art 1967 pop-rock. But the experimental foundation had already been dug, the boundary-pushing already accomplished, by its predecessor.” The Beatles in Abbey Road Studios during filming of the "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" promotional films on May 19, 1966. Apple Corps Ltd. Faith Cohen founder of Global Beatles Day
“For the first time, the Beatles had relieved themselves of their grueling touring schedule and sequestered themselves in the studio to follow every creative impulse. Their attention was no longer on just girls. They were dealing with more adult themes. ‘Taxman’ is about money. Love is dealt with but in the context of lasting love in ‘Here, There and Everywhere,’ and the death of love in ‘For No One.’ Loneliness in ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ LSD and death in ‘She Said She Said.’ Consciousness and the transition from life to death and beyond in ‘Tomorrow Never Knows,’ arguably the most elaborate and shocking aural surprise.” Entertainment Access curated AARP entertainment articles, essays, videos, films and more See more Entertainment offers > “There’s none of McCartney’s cloyingly twee ‘granny music,’ as John Lennon mockingly described it, that populates Pepper and later records. Instead of ‘When I’m 64’ or ‘Lovely Rita,’ we get ‘Here, There and Everywhere,’ ‘For No One’ and ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ three deathless classics. Harrison’s ‘Taxman’ is a killer first track. And with the inclusion of Lennon’s songs, you’ve got a record that’s not just better than Pepper, but the Fabs’ best overall.” The Beatles' "Revolver" album cover Apple Corps Ltd. Robert Hilburn former Los Angeles Times music critic
“Aside from the classic ‘A Day in the Life’ and the enchanting ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ and ‘When I’m 64,’ the songs on Sgt. Pepper now feel largely mediocre by the standards the Beatles themselves had set in two previous albums — songs that showed the band moving from youthful exuberance to writing about the adult world with remarkable character and insight. “The transition began with ‘Norwegian Wood’ and ‘In My Life’ on Rubber Soul and moved even higher with the likes of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ from Revolver. Sgt. Pepper was a wonderful moment during the Summer of Love, but Rubber Soul and, especially, Revolver were and remain better expressions of the artistic heart of the band.” Steve Marinucci veteran Beatles reporter
“There were several incredible leaps forward in Revolver. McCartney’s ‘Eleanor Rigby’ was a genius jump into classical sounds. And there were ‘Good Day Sunshine,’ the effervescent ‘Got to Get You Into My Life’ and ‘Your Bird Can Sing,’ all joyful pop ballads that remain among the best they ever did. The guitar solo on ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ still crackles with delight after all these years. Lennon’s contributions were more psychedelic. Then there was vocal contribution, ‘Yellow Submarine,’ a delightful children’s song that has taken on a cottage industry of its own with a fantastic animated movie and consumer goods ranging from shirts and jackets to lava lamps.” AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Edna Gundersen, a regular AARP music critic, was the longtime pop critic for USA Today. MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Restaurants offers > See more Travel Planning offers > See more Flowers & Gifts offers > See more Groceries offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS