BEATLES "REVOLVER" YELLOW BLACK UK STEREO LP NEAR MINT

	£		98
	$		130

This is the Rare 1966 ORIGINAL Beatles UK FIRST PRESS STEREO Album titled “Revolver” on Yellow / Black Parlophone PCS 7009. The matrix numbers are as follows Side1 YEX 605 – 1 & Side2 YEX – 606 – 1. The tracks are as follows Side1 1) Taxman 2) Eleanor Rigby 3) I’m Only Sleeping  4) Love You To 5) Here, There & Everywhere 6) Yellow Submarine 7) She Said She Said Side2 1) Good Day Sunshine 2) And Your Bird Can Sing 3) For No One 4) Dr Robert 5) I Want To Tell You 6) Got To Get You Into My Life 7) Tomorrow Never Knows.     

A lot has been written about how the Beatles changed from 'the boys from Liverpool' into a global mind-blowing phenomenon of love & peace. The first album to contain elements of this change was  For Sale, but on it the change was still in the dress of folk(-rock). Next year on  Help! The folkie Beatles were up - "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" sounded like a personal revolution for John Lennon - but later that was to be seen only as a temporary sign of its time. Instead, "Ticket to Ride" jumped fearlessly toward the direction of the just-developing heavy rock (which has nothing to do with heavy metal, be it mentioned), with Paul not playing (the bass) like jazzy schlager-rock. "It's Only Love" contained elements of something new both lyrically and musically. Then came Rubber Soul which is often seen as the first 'New Beatles' album, which in my opinion it isn't. Well, the folky "Norwegian Wood" contained a sitar, "In My Life" started the chain of external arrangements, and "The Word" included Lennon's defiant love manifesto: 'Now that I know what I feel must be right / I'm here to show everybody the light.' But still, the music was quite 'early 60s.'

Then - after the ground-breaking single release, "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" - came Revolver. This can't be more obvious: The band on Revolver wasn't the same anymore. This can have two different meanings. 1) The string quartet on "Eleanor Rigby", the tabla playing on "Love You to", the horn on "For No One", the brass on "Got to Get You into My Life" (and briefly on "Yellow Submarine"), and the electronic sound chaos of "Tomorrow Never Knows" really weren't the Beatles. At least not the same old Beatles who recorded A Hard Day's Night. 2) The band members had changed dramatically themselves. Each of them smoked pot, and all except Paul had taken acid. Suddenly they were part of the emerging scene where music, looks and tripping were a socio-political weapon against something causing bad vibes, like the Vietnam War. After their earlier triumphs they also knew they could rule the movement. They were omnipotent. They were leaders.

Another album like Rubber Soul was impossible.  Revolver was to be the move into a direction that would show the way for a whole movement. And the album, which was like this, surely did.

The direction was obviously not self-clear when the album was on the make, and that's why there are some flaws left within the result. Take "Got to Get You into My Life", for example. The song is about, and inspired by, pot - like Paul (the writer) has admitted. In the band's great psychedelic flush, the song was originally developed into a very psychedelic direction, like you can hear on Anthology 2. Instead, in some phase Paul started to think more 'pre-logically' and "Got to Get You into My Life" was almost entirely turned into a Motown pastiche. With the horns, it was a logical move parallel with the band's other external arrangement ideas. But it wasn't in team with the more and more influential psychedelic ideas.

Another example is "Good Day Sunshine", of course. The song was influenced by "Daydream" by Lovin' Spoonful and the unbelievably sunny summer of 1966. Inspired by things that were around then - certainly. But Paul wasn't aware of what was going to rule the scene for the next few years, while John and George seem to have been inventing it. Beside his masterpieces ("Eleanor Rigby", "Here, There & Everywhere", possibly "For No One"), he added a silly, foolish summer tune which really sounds meaningless and out of place. Some kind of naivety was typical for the hippie culture, but certainly not this kind.

But throughout this album, Paul seems to be on his own '65 trip. As brilliant as "Eleanor Rigby" and "For No One" are, the innovation they represent is still the addition of new kind of arrangements into Beatle songs. The other famous string quartet song beside "Eleanor" - "Yesterday" - had been nothing new except the blue note in the second middle eight; this time, Paul created a scene where the string quartet played a whole track of blues. The vocal is very bluesy - you'll hear it especially in the part where Paul sings, 'Where DO they all come from.' "For No One" (featuring a French horn) is beautiful, but still nothing like the everlasting tranquil beauty of "Here, There and everywhere." Paul himself almost spoils it; the pumping bass line somewhere near the end of the song is a bit out of place again. Luckily he doesn't really succeed. "Here, There and Everywhere" is Paul's most radical move on Revolver. Well, beside "Eleanor Rigby", let's admit it.

And John? The most dramatic change from Rubber Soul to Revolver is in him. The entertainer has now started to express - carrying on the process which was first heard on "The Word", if not "Ticket to Ride" - and the result is light years away from what it used to be. On Rubber Soul, John was still teamed with Paul, but now - perhaps because of the acid effect - he has found himself as a personal artist. "She Said She Said" (stop your ridiculous imitation attempts, Oasis!), "And Your Bird Can Sing", "I'm only Sleeping" and especially "Tomorrow Never Knows" are something that couldn't have happened ever before. "Dr. Robert" is left somewhere in between. It must have been a relevant idea to make a song about a drug-dealing medicine man, but the melody is average and the realisation lacks a true character of its own. (On the other hand: one and half from "I Feel Fine." Years.)

Most of the great guitars of John's new psychedelic songs were actually played by George. And now we come to the best kept secret of Revolver. I mean, the primary architect of the transitional album was really not Paul and maybe not John but the bands tragically underrated solo guitar player. The first hint one may find out is the number of 'Harrisongs' on the album - three! No other Beatle album had included, and would include, that big percentage of them. (And as anyone can hear, "Taxman", "I Want to Tell You" and the revolutionary India song "Love you to" really belong to an album of this level.) Another hint lies on the tracks of the previous album. "Think for Yourself" and "If I Needed Someone" already had the quality that was to dominate the success story of Revolver! That was heard especially on George's sharp, defiant, self-conscious vocal expression, but also the songs were great. Think of "If I Needed Someone" for instance: a similar feel would be an essential part of John's fresh psychedelia on Revolver but didn't exist in John’s Rubber Soul material yet. Now, "Taxman" and "I Want to Tell You" walk on the line, while "Love you to" certainly seeks new grounds for Western popular art. Remember, this was almost a year before "Within You without You" appeared on Sgt. Pepper (the only song there written by George Harrison - was "Only a Northern Song" probably too far out for P & J?). Who was the essential character within the psychedelic pop's India influence? George.

Finally, a short spotlight on - at least around - the drummer. Ringo sings "Yellow Submarine" in his very own way. The track is now often seen as a stereotypical 'Ringo song.' But actually, that is a great deal. The song may be even underrated (if possible on a world #1 album), while one thing led to another later and it seems "Yellow Submarine" may be the original guilty of the modern sample art and other such hip hop things. So, Ringo, Paul (who primarily wrote the song) and John (shouting the captain's commandments) must be the first hip hoppers. Heh.

Not perfection, but surely a masterpiece.

The record labels are in stunning condition (see pictures) with NO wear, writing & just a few spindle marks. Side1 has a K T stamp tax code. This superb Beatles album is pressed on high quality vinyl and still retains it’s just pressed look with a very shinny lustre. The album plays superb crisp & clean with NO pops, crackles or jumps there is also NO groove wear or distortion & graded Side1 EXCELLENT & Side2 NEAR MINT. A real gem The Vinyl comes complete with its ORIGINAL ‘EMI TEX’ inner sleeve. The ‘Garrod & Lofthouse flip back sleeve is in NEAR MINT Condition with NO ring wear or NO seem splits & NO writing. The seem text is all intact & still retains the inch pinch to top & bottom.               

The Greatest attention to packaging with all albums housed in aluminium framed box complete with bubble wrap & thick cardboard. The vinyl is also removed from the sleeve to ensure safe delivery.

All items are covered by 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed backed by a full money back refund.

Postage Costs:

UK First Class = £2.80 Recorded Delivery = £5.50 & Special Delivery (next day, insured up to £250) = £7.00

Europe Air Mail = £4.00 Insured = £8.00

Overseas, non Europe USA, Japan, Australia etc Air Mail = £6.50 Insured £11.00

Doubles add extra £1.00, triples add extra £2.00

Extra albums add £1.00 in the UK, Europe £1.30 & USA, Japan, Australia £1.75

Payment through Paypal or International money order through Bidpay on request. UK residents may also pay with personal cheques or cash well wrapped.

Item will be dispatched once cheque has cleared, or usually within 2 working days after receipt if paying via Paypal don't charge extra if you use Paypal. Payment must be received within 7 working days