Produced by George Martin
Sass, pizazz, and razzmatazz. Hooks and Harmony. A sense of deeper meaning, whether it's lodged in a simple love song about wanting to hold her hand, in a plea to help us if you can we're filling down, or in some tantalizing glimpse across the universe. I read the news today, oh boy. The connection may be illusory, but...no, it's not. It's one-sided--the artist creates, we absorb--yet no less palpable and vital than the sensory experience of everything around us: the sights, the sounds, the seasons, the warmth, the cold, the rain, the sun, the affection for people and things that went before. Nothing is real. That's real, too.
Imagine. What can be imagined can be experienced. That's why we have art. That's why we have dreams. That's why the dream isn't over.
I was born in 1960. I'm old enough to remember Beatlemania, even though I was only four years old in '64. For those of us who still can recall the contemporaneous spark of the Beatles, the British Invasion, the American reaction, the impact on everything going forward (including punk in the '70s), an impact extending well beyond music, there is only one word that adequately describes the legacy of the Beatles:
Revolution.
And you can count me in.
"Revolution" was released as a non-LP single in 1968, paired with "Hey Jude" as a presumed double A-side. Both songs gave equal credit to Lennon and McCartney as the songwriters, but "Hey Jude" was clearly Paul, "Revolution" obviously John. Lennon later complained that McCartney would insist upon a meticulous approach to crafting the recording of his own songs in the studio, but would then turn around and seem more loose and casual, more what-the-hell-let's-BOP!, with tracking Lennon's songs. Whether Lennon's feeling was accurate or not, the looser vibe greatly benefits "Revolution."
The guitar is distorted. The vocals are all but shouted, except when they are shouted. It is a perfect mess, emphasis on "perfect," one of the last pure rock 'n' roll tracks the Beatles ever did. But the promo video version is even better, sloppier, implying a drunken abandon that's ready for a street fight. Eager for a street fight. Revolution! Paul and George add off-kilter shoo-be-doo-wops that absolutely make the song.
Those backing shoo-bes had been part of the song's original, slower take (subsequently heard as "Revolution 1" on the White Album), but were omitted from the revved-up 45 rpm version. Also lost in the transition from "Revolution 1" to "Revolution" was John's decision about acts of destruction: on the single, you can count him out; on "Revolution 1" and in the "Revolution" video, he amends that to "you can count me out...IN!" He practically sneers the "IN!" for the promo video. Peace had its chance, man.
This was the birth of Lennon the activist, a role he would embrace into the '70s. Over time, he became disillusioned with thoughts of revolution, ultimately preferring a message of peace. As social commentary, "Revolution" is perhaps simplistic, though perfectly of a piece with the sentiments of many in the violent powder keg of 1968. As rock 'n' roll, though, it's peerless and it's convincing. And you know it's gonna be all right.
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Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/
If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.
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