The Beatles' Revolver

The Beatles, truly an amazing band began their journey as a simple pop rock group who loved the music of the times and aspired to be like the musician they all listened to.   Their image changed over the years even though they started out as common Liverpool kids with high hopes for fame.   Their image and sound was based around trendy styles and pop music usually written in the vein of a happy love tune.  However, when their album “Revolver” was recorded the band showed a different side of them.   In the book ABRACADABRA, found in the last paragraph on page 8 the Author Ray Newman states,

• “In this instance, they were able to separate and explore their own interests, with their own circles of friends, but without ever losing the underlying connection with the “hive mind”.”

Each member of the band began to voice their opinions and write songs that reflected each one of their personalities.  At this point in time the Beatles stayed focused on being creative and experimental.

Other influences were brought into the style of their music when they began writing about current events and experimenting with drugs.  Even in the recording studio concepts and recording methods changed.   The engineers started to use the studio environment as a way to create different ways to record in order to achieve a certain unique sound.  For example, on Paul Ingles, PRX radio cast “Everything Was Right: The Beatles’ Revolver “Jon Spurney, a New York musician, tells how engineer Geoff Emerick, experimented with Paul McCartney’s’ bass sound.  Emerick said,

• “Instead of using a microphone on his bass cabinet, they actually used a speaker” and he continues to explain how “they put another bass cabinet in front of his bass cabinet so that the diaphragm that was being moved by his bass amp was the Hugh diaphragm of the speaker and that is how they recorded the bass.”  

This created a very unique and different sound for the electric bass plus it was Paul’s first time using a Rickenbacker bass.  This method was used on two of the songs on the Revolver album, which include Paperback Writer and Rain.

 It is very common for drummers to place a pillow inside of a bass drum in order to mute the sound a bit because of the noise level.  Geoff Emerick, did something similar to Ringo’s drums, yet took it a step further for recording purposes as stated in the book Sonic Alchemy written by David N. Howard found on page 23 in the last paragraph.  He states,

• “Another notable advancement of “Tomorrow Never Knows” was the recording treatment applied to Ringo’s drums.  To cultivate its startlingly crisp sound, engineer Geoff Emerick, stuffed a woolen sweater with four neck openings (used by the band on a famous early photo shoot), into Starr’s bass drum to deaden the sound.”   He then shunned the standard bass drum microphone placement by moving it far closer than ever previously attempted. Lastly, he ran the signal through a number of compressors and valve-limiters. “It became the sound of Revolver and Pepper really.  Drums had never been heard like that before. Emerick said.”

The Beatles impacted many people because of their diversity and constant evolution with new ideas toward writing, recording, and performing.  They stayed current with the time making listeners wanting to come back for more.   Revolver is the type of recording that I find myself having to review over and over again in order to see what else I may discover or may have missed.   Being in the music industry, I will use The Beatles' Revolver album as a tools to assist me when recording and creating music in more innovative ways.

Beach Boys' Pet Sounds

In the early years of the Beach Boys careers, the band was portrayed as a 1960s all American group that sported a clean-cut image appealing to the youth of the times.  Their music had a syrupy commercial sound that attracted teenagers. Their lyrics spoke about the typical concerns of adolescents, such as relationships, having fun, hot rods, and summertime outdoors activities.  An example of how the Beach Boys portrayed their clean-cut image is seen when the band performs, in their mannerisms, and how they would answer questions shown in a 1964 video recording viewed on You Tube:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0dwjPz65R0.

Brian Wilson, the lead singer and a strong force behind the Beach Boys, is what made this group so dynamic and memorable.  He was fixated on making a recording sound perfect which lead to their success.  Even after their accomplishment with the song “Surfin”, the bands first single and hit record, Brian continued striving for perfection.  In his book Sonic Alchemy, writer David N. Howard, speaks about Brian’s work ethics when he states,

• “Disappointed by their meager royalties from Candix, Brian Wilson decided to book time in a studio, produce a professional-sounding demo, and make a deal with one of the major labels.  Soon the Beach Boys had secured a contract with Capitol Records on the strength of a new demo called “Surfin’ Safari.” 

Brain was determined to move forward planning the groups continued journey that he believed would lead to victorious success for the boys.

As the music of 1960s era kept evolving with musical groups such as the Beatles, Brian Wilson also wanted to take his craft to the next level.  The album Pet Sounds, was recorded and influenced by the Beatles album “Rubber Soul”.  Howard also mentions in his book Sonic Alchemy,

•   “With the late 1965 release of the Beatles’ near perfect Rubber Soul, pop’s stakes had been raised into the stratosphere.” 

Brian’s taste and style changed into more complex ensembles and recordings heard on arrangements such as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” which is displayed on the “Behind The Sounds” video located on the following You Tube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofByti7A4uM.

This style features various orchestrated instrumentation that included a woodwind sections, accordions, pianos, a brass sections, tympani, tambourine, celeste, string sounds, various basses, guitars, and drums.   In addition, the vocals sounded larger and similar to a choir sound with fuller harmonies.  The diverse mix of musician plus the age of the players and the style of music they represented set the band apart from the typical ordinary groups of the 1960s.

I always believed that the Beach Boys were a West Coast pop band with good harmonies and good songs.  However, after careful analysis of  Pet Sounds, my opinion changed. What Brian Wilson added to the band when he recorded this album showed his true genius and how important his contribution would be to the music industry.  What was most impressive about this album was Brian’s professional work ethic in the studio while working with other session musicians and team players, in addition to the variety of instruments he experimented with during the 1960s rock and roll age.

About Me

I am a music teacher and music retailer in NJ.  I will be graduating from Full Sail University June 2013, with a major in Music Production.  My interest in the music industry is based on molding and coaching talented performers.  After the individual is prepared, I will compose, arrange, produce, and record projects that will make them artists.