MUSIC

The Beatles’ Revolver: Remixed & Reintroduced

by Phil Bausch

Nearly everyone agrees that Revolver is one of the best albums of all time, if not the best. So let’s get right to the review of the much anticipated remix. Although the original Revolver is fantastic, it has an old-fashioned mix with poorly separated voices and instruments. This was due to the limited number of recording tracks available (four), and the increasingly more complex use of instruments and overdubbing. The new remix brings a freshness to the whole album! For the first time, we can hear all the vocals and instruments clearly, and with full stereo imaging. Instead of some tracks having the vocals on one side and the drums on the other, the new remix centers them better, and spreads them out across the stereo spectrum along with the other instruments. The preview track released earlier, “Taxman”, was good, but did not prepare us for how great the rest of the album would be. What a joy to hear “Eleanor Rigby”! It sounds so open and real, it’s like you’re in the room with Paul McCartney and the string octet. The strings are spread out. The “attack” violins are on the left, and the low, more melodic cellos on the right. Wish it could have always sounded like this. All the rest of the songs on side one are also impressive. The voices and instruments are so clear on “I’m Only Sleeping”, “Love You To”, “Here There And Everywhere” (Gorgeous!), “Yellow Submarine”, and “She Said She Said”. We’re hearing the nuances of the instrumental arrangements for the first time. The quality continues on side two. “Good Day Sunshine” and “And Your Bird Can Sing” sound great, and then “For No One” is outstanding. The French Horn sounds like it’s really being played in the corner of the room, and Paul’s perfect vocal is right in front of you. Paul plays the piano, clavichord, and bass. Ringo is the only other Beatle on the track, with tasteful drums & percussion. “Doctor Robert” is the best it’s sounded, and I definitely prefer this mix of “I Want To Tell You”. George’s voice is fuller, and the dissonant piano blends in better with the other instruments. “Got To Get You Into My Life” is exciting, with the sound of the horns improved. “Tomorrow Never Knows” is a treat with John’s voice better, Ringo’s drums fuller, and the psychedelic instrumentation in more effective stereo. The remixing was again done by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, but they also got approval from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. In fact, McCartney sat at the mixing board with Martin. Paul switched back and forth between the remix and the original 1966 mix, and then voiced any slight tweaks he wanted. After listening to Revolver again, McCartney said… “It was such a great time.” In May of 1966 The Beatles released a single with the songs “Paperback Writer” and “Rain” which were recorded in April during the Revolver sessions. A separate CD/ Record has the new stereo remixes and the original mono mixes. Although not on the original album, ”Paperback Writer” and “Rain” gave us a preview of the progressive electric sound that was see BEATLES on page 11