(B-side to standalone single, "Hey Jude")
The Beatles have finally landed on this blog. Its taken some time, but I've found the right track to review. Its got guts, its got soul, its got resonance, but most importantly, its got the rawest guitar I've ever heard, ripping through your senses in the first 2 seconds...
That opening is amazing...for 1968, its truly mind blowing. What even is that? Its like a feral animal ripping apart its defenceless prey - and yet, its still beautiful. The scream bores in over the top and you know, this is the first heavy rock/pop venture, and it's great. The drums still have that great Beatles pop sound to them, hopelessly 60s in the tinny, left ear over-Stereo-d production, but still nostalgic and vintage. The guitar has virtually no bass. The amp knob has been ripped out and filled with blu tac - its treble ALL the way. The bass has a complex little pattern and a fairly toe-tapping sensation is created by the perfect collective that is the playing of these instruments by legends, John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Criminal then, surely, that this song was confined to the music graveyard that is being a B-side, and not just any B-side, but in fact the song on the other side of the original recording of the most covered track ever. The most amazing thing even still, is that, despite this initial downer, the track is still so well known - maybe, it could be argued, because everybody bought the 7" of "Hey Jude", but most likely because, being such a quality track, "Revolution" received enough attention outside of being simply 'the other song' to the point that it carries its own greatness - most notably, it reached the track-listing of The Beatles Rockband video game in 2009, when "Hey Jude" didn't.
Avoid, however, the versions of the track on the 1968 album, "The Beatles" (a.k.a. "The White Album"). "Revolution 1" is slow, and a bit like a demo. "Revolution 9" is just rubbish. Avant-garde tosh. Lennon's very worst, unfortunately.
Its a lovely track from The Beatles, and John Lennon's lyrics are typically 60s, giving the song a dated but still very, very enjoyable feel. The musicianship is superb, and everything else surrounding it rocks as well. And I'm not saying anymore - I'll ruin it...
★★★★★
Versions of "Revolution"
B-side Single Version - 3:21
"Revolution 1" ("The Beatles" Album Version #1) - 4:15
"Revolution 9" ("The Beatles" Album Version #2) - 8:22