One of the most sensational pieces of music ever created. For me, this stands out above the rest of their already unfathomably brilliant discography. Something like a miracle.
I get the feeling that this was the very first use of "sampling". My God... The Beatles were so FREAKING INVENTIVE. To be a fly on the wall while they recorded... I'd cherish my fly memories forever! 🪰🎼🎵🎶
So, basically, they turned the mixing board into a keyboard with each channel being connected to one audiotape and each sound being played when you use the channel's fader. Then, they recorded whatever they were doing on one track and had two more free tracks to record other sounds. Then they could bounce the three tracks into the last free track (they had a four-track machine) and record the vocals on the second track, the drums on the third track and the bass on the fourth track. Amazing. Even more so when you think that it had never been done or even imagined before. There guys were geniuses. Simply geniuses.
I wrote this fir a group of folks who were studio guys and Hammond organ techs like myself. I feel like I kind of missed my calling, as quality producers are not as needed these days. Lol. The Beatles invented a lot if things that are now part of the Rock canon... the tropes most now accept... One thing is in this song Tomorrow Never Knows, which seems to be NOT a song that somehow was recorded in 1965, but leaked to Lennon through LSD, and probably wasn't due to be released for another 50 years... or maybe ten years from NOW... And it's relatively common knowledge that on the last verse, Lennon used a Leslie cabinet on his vocals. But there's more to it. There are some things they neglect to mention in that, yes, they use the Leslie 122 on John's voice in tomorrow never knows, which was tricky by all standards, because the 122 was made for use with a Hammond full sized organ, and there were only a small number of them in the UK at all. That unlike the 147, they were difficult to break into... they required the knowledge of the molex connector, which provided the mains power, audio input and switching voltage to affect the relay, all done with a total of 5 pins. But the audio portion was done using the earliest example of a low impedance connection, that required a 3-conductor input, at a staggering 1-volt AC signal (about 50db preamp signal, as there were no standards when they were made, putting those levels about ten times the levels we have now, and hard to manage without a small power amplifier), but the levels that the Hammond provided when manufactured in the late 30s originally. They likely didn't even deal with the speed change characteristics, as the speed change is affected through an amazing interface that sends 300 volts DC into the SAME audio lines that carry the audio, through a network of a transformer, a large 10uf capacitor and then a number of step-down resistors in several locations to take the 300 volts down to the prescribed 33vdc, where at the first preamp tube in the Leslie, the audio is separated from the DC voltage with the first tube accepting the DC switching voltage and diverting it to the relay, also sends the AC audio, untouched, SANS DC, to the second preamp tube to be amplified in the amplifier valves (tubes). Likely the technicians didn't want to take that on and left it on slow chorus... later dates saw them using the speed switching, but likely through an easier 147 Leslie (Blue Jay Way). BUT... you never hear mention that the AMT (AUTOMATIC MULTI TRACKING) EFFECT is also STILL in use, as this is not the sound of a simple Leslie alone. The combination of the two are NOW breaking ground in "phase relationships", OR the modern parlance "Phasing"... which had not been figured out yet, but certainly the engineer heard the peculiar phasing of Lennon's voice and became excited at what that sound could do if accomplished on the AMT alone... and that was hatched out shortly after with the "wobulator" or earliest use of tape phase and flange that they invented in short time, by physically manipulating the tape head backwards/forwards/left/right... or in a CIRCLE or ELIPSE that are all now the familiar patterns displayed on Flangers and phasers, and chorus pedals. The difference between them being the delay time and various cycling patterns. I've always wanted to make one of those machines.
Revolver 1966
Drums and Tambourine 00:00
Bass 02:56
Tambura, Tape Loops, Organ and Solo 05:45
Vocals 08:43
Time stamps would also be nice.
Revolver could contain THIS ONE SONG... on a loop... and I'D STILL BUY IT!!!
One of the most sensational pieces of music ever created. For me, this stands out above the rest of their already unfathomably brilliant discography. Something like a miracle.
100% agree with you. This was contemporary music at a level not quite reached before (or maybe even after). Absolutely brilliant.
@@toddgillman4450It's the song I like the most by the Beatles. By far.
I get the feeling that this was the very first use of "sampling". My God... The Beatles were so FREAKING INVENTIVE. To be a fly on the wall while they recorded... I'd cherish my fly memories forever! 🪰🎼🎵🎶
Experimental/Avant Garde artists like Steve Reich were using loops before this but this is might be the first in pop music
@@daverice2426La Monte Young and Stockhausen too
Amazing....1966 what a year.
So, basically, they turned the mixing board into a keyboard with each channel being connected to one audiotape and each sound being played when you use the channel's fader. Then, they recorded whatever they were doing on one track and had two more free tracks to record other sounds. Then they could bounce the three tracks into the last free track (they had a four-track machine) and record the vocals on the second track, the drums on the third track and the bass on the fourth track. Amazing. Even more so when you think that it had never been done or even imagined before. There guys were geniuses. Simply geniuses.
Revolutionary song.
The Beatles invented sampling with this song
Best isolated vocals out there.
Wow!
very helpful
I wrote this fir a group of folks who were studio guys and Hammond organ techs like myself. I feel like I kind of missed my calling, as quality producers are not as needed these days. Lol.
The Beatles invented a lot if things that are now part of the Rock canon... the tropes most now accept...
One thing is in this song Tomorrow Never Knows, which seems to be NOT a song that somehow was recorded in 1965, but leaked to Lennon through LSD, and probably wasn't due to be released for another 50 years... or maybe ten years from NOW...
And it's relatively common knowledge that on the last verse, Lennon used a Leslie cabinet on his vocals.
But there's more to it.
There are some things they neglect to mention in that, yes, they use the Leslie 122 on John's voice in tomorrow never knows, which was tricky by all standards, because the 122 was made for use with a Hammond full sized organ, and there were only a small number of them in the UK at all. That unlike the 147, they were difficult to break into... they required the knowledge of the molex connector, which provided the mains power, audio input and switching voltage to affect the relay, all done with a total of 5 pins. But the audio portion was done using the earliest example of a low impedance connection, that required a 3-conductor input, at a staggering 1-volt AC signal (about 50db preamp signal, as there were no standards when they were made, putting those levels about ten times the levels we have now, and hard to manage without a small power amplifier), but the levels that the Hammond provided when manufactured in the late 30s originally. They likely didn't even deal with the speed change characteristics, as the speed change is affected through an amazing interface that sends 300 volts DC into the SAME audio lines that carry the audio, through a network of a transformer, a large 10uf capacitor and then a number of step-down resistors in several locations to take the 300 volts down to the prescribed 33vdc, where at the first preamp tube in the Leslie, the audio is separated from the DC voltage with the first tube accepting the DC switching voltage and diverting it to the relay, also sends the AC audio, untouched, SANS DC, to the second preamp tube to be amplified in the amplifier valves (tubes).
Likely the technicians didn't want to take that on and left it on slow chorus... later dates saw them using the speed switching, but likely through an easier 147 Leslie (Blue Jay Way).
BUT... you never hear mention that the AMT (AUTOMATIC MULTI TRACKING) EFFECT is also STILL in use, as this is not the sound of a simple Leslie alone. The combination of the two are NOW breaking ground in "phase relationships", OR the modern parlance "Phasing"... which had not been figured out yet, but certainly the engineer heard the peculiar phasing of Lennon's voice and became excited at what that sound could do if accomplished on the AMT alone... and that was hatched out shortly after with the "wobulator" or earliest use of tape phase and flange that they invented in short time, by physically manipulating the tape head backwards/forwards/left/right... or in a CIRCLE or ELIPSE that are all now the familiar patterns displayed on Flangers and phasers, and chorus pedals. The difference between them being the delay time and various cycling patterns.
I've always wanted to make one of those machines.
It is the right meter and tempo to have had Keith Moon play a "WHO" drum part, and have it work brilliantly.