Revolver Archives - Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

In Defence of Revolver

By Justin McCann|2019-10-28T18:08:02-07:00October 21, 2019|Revolver|

There's cool as we know it, then there's the 1966 Beatles. About a month ago Michael Gerber posted an essay that argued with disconcerting eloquence and insight that Sgt. Pepper is objectively better than my all-time favourite record, Revolver. I feel compelled to respond with a few words about the album I’m sworn to defend. If you haven’t read Mike’s excellent piece already please do so now—I’ll wait. My first quibble is with the idea that Lennon’s opinion on Pepper influenced anyone else’s. People have looked to John for wisdom, inspiration and spiritual guidance, but I don’t think they’ve ever let him [...]

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The Fab Five: My Top 5 Beatles Albums

By Devin McKinney|2015-04-26T19:10:32-07:00April 26, 2015|Abbey Road, AHDN, Guest blogger, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, The White Album|

By Jack Cornes, Guest Dullblogger • I should just add before I run through this list that the Beatles were genial from their origin to the day they disbanded. Every album they made is magical, sensual and transforming. I adore all of them. The strange thing with the Beatles is that they were and are so unique that they can’t be described; they exist within the heavens of the musical dynasty. These are my five favourite albums that make these four lads from Liverpool more than just musicians but something quite addictively beautiful. 5. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band I can [...]

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Putting HuffPo’s Beatles Test to the Test

By Devin McKinney|2014-08-07T16:54:23-07:00August 5, 2014|anniversaries, Beatles on the Web, Revolver|

#12. This is not a sandwich. DEVIN McKINNEY • I’m the first Beatle Superfan to admit there’s a world of things I yet have to learn about them. That’s one reason Mark Lewisohn (look just to your right) is worth reading. So it’s with an ‘umble spirit that I report being both slightly let down and vaguely comforted, in a smug Superfannish way, by an annotated listing that appeared today at The Huffington Post, bearing the challenging though just slightly qualified head, “11 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Beatles, Even if You’re a Superfan.” I won’t, of course, [...]

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The Beatles and the Dalai Lama

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-08T10:37:54-07:00July 7, 2014|1966, Revolver|

Yesterday, after reading Devin's lovely commemoration of everybody's favorite drummer (both here on Dullblog and on HiLobrow), I was quite tickled to find out -- via Facebook -- that Ringo shares a birthday with the current Dalai Lama. Then, after I'd written this entire post, I confirmed the birthdays and found that Facebook was wrong. The Dalai Lama, born in 1935 as Lhamo Dondrub, made the scene on July 6th, while the ever laid-back Ringo emerged a day later on July 7th. I am keeping this post up, however, as a mute testimony to the dangers of trusting Facebook, especially for you young [...]

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Mike’s Dream Bootleg: Beatles Complete Anthology Recording Sessions Box Set

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-03T18:08:08-07:00August 3, 2013|bootlegs, Revolver|

A beautiful sight for Beatles fans. One of my dreams for this site has been setting up a page for each UK album, then collecting all the available session recordings on YouTube, plus outtakes and remixes, and putting it in that one place. Organized chronologically, so that scholars could reconstruct the process by which the songs came to be—all the minute creative decisions that The Beatles did so well. Seems like I'm not the only one with these kind of ambitions. In Dullblog's vast refurb, I stumbled across something called "The Beatles Complete Anthology Recording Sessions Box Set," a 62 [...]

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Full of turtle thoughts

By Ed Park|2013-08-01T04:56:16-07:00July 13, 2013|Revolver, Uncategorized|

As mentioned before, my introduction to a new edition of Russell Hoban's Turtle Diary compares it to "Eleanor Rigby." A version of the essay can now be read at Slate.

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Oh for God’s sake–

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-23T11:56:41-07:00July 2, 2013|1967, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper|

No Sgt Pepper? Did they put stupid in the water of Williamsburg? Okay, today I had the kind of experience the internet is made for. I was sitting in my doctor's office reading Entertainment Weekly and—look, I know that if I'm reading EW, I get what I deserve. I suppose I am showing my age, expecting a magazine to be not-idiotic because it's on paper, but still: there I was reading EW's list of the Top 100 LPs of All Time and Revolver is #1, and White is #12, and Abbey Road is #22 and Rubber Soul is #65 or [...]

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Underrating Sgt. Pepper’s

By Michael Gerber|2014-12-23T18:13:47-08:00June 21, 2012|1966, 1967, books, Reviews, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper|

NANCY CARR • “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is now routinely underrated. I recently read Robert Rodriguez’ new book, Revolver: How the Beatles Reimagined Rock n’ Roll, and the introduction threw this underrating into sharp relief. I highly recommend Rodriguez’ book in all other ways—it's a fascinating look at Revolver’s creation, artistry, and context—but the introduction made me grind my teeth. The path Rodriguez treads in his introduction is now very well worn: people used to think Sgt. Pepper’s was the thing, but now we know Revolver is. Fair enough, to a point. Revolver is excellent, and preferring it to Sgt, Pepper’s is defensible. [...]

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Too Much Time on My Hands, Part I: “Good Day Sunshine”

By Michael Gerber|2014-07-01T19:45:32-07:00February 26, 2008|Revolver|

"..she feels GOOD" MIKE GERBER • My long-suffering voice must be tortured somewhat in order to reach some of the notes in "Good Day Sunshine," so out of respect for my neighbors (not to mention my own dignity) I turn the volume 'way up when I sing. If I'm going to irritate somebody, I'd rather do it via loud Beatles instead of croaky old me. Anyway, in the mono version of "Good Day Sunshine" ("Alternate Revolver," track #8) at precisely 1:28, after Paul sings, "...she feels good," I could distinctly hear Lennon answer, "She feels good" in one of his low [...]

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