Revolver confirmation
U.S. Showbiz magazine Variety’s website confirms our suspicions. In a news notification, they are saying that Apple Corps and Universal Music have confirmed that a deluxe celebration of “Revolver” — which, like the Beatle boxes that have preceded it, will include a Giles Martin remix — is in the pipeline for this autumn.
An official announcement of the project is not expected to come until some time in September, says Variety, at which point details about the deluxe package’s contents and a release date will be forthcoming.
“Revolver” was originally released on 5 August 1966, accompanied by the double A-side single “Eleanor Rigby” / “Yellow Submarine”. The album was the Beatles’ final recording project before their retirement as live performers and marked the group’s most overt use of studio technology to date, building on the advances of their late 1965 release Rubber Soul. It has since become regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative albums in the history of popular music, with recognition centred on its range of musical styles, diverse sounds, and lyrical content.
The Beatles recorded “Revolver” after taking a three-month break at the start of 1966, and during a period when London was feted as the era’s cultural capital. Regarded by some commentators as the start of the group’s psychedelic period, the songs reflect their interest in the drug LSD, Eastern philosophy and the avant-garde while addressing themes such as death and transcendence from material concerns. With no plans to reproduce their new material in concert, the band made liberal use of automatic double tracking, varispeed, reversed tapes, close audio miking, and instruments outside of their standard live set-up. Among its tracks are “Tomorrow Never Knows”, incorporating heavy Indian drone and a collage of tape loops; “Eleanor Rigby”, a song about loneliness featuring a string octet as its only musical backing; and “Love You To”, a foray into Hindustani classical music. The sessions also produced a non-album single, “Paperback Writer” backed with “Rain”, demos of which are rumoured to be included on the upcoming DeLuxe treatment.
In the United Kingdom, the album’s 14 tracks were gradually distributed to radio stations in the weeks before its release. In North America, Revolver was reduced to 11 songs by Capitol Records, with the omitted three appearing on the June 1966 LP “Yesterday and Today” in early mixes. “Revolver” topped the Record Retailer chart in the UK for seven weeks and the US Billboard Top LPs list for six weeks. Critical reaction was highly favourable in the UK but less so in the US amid the press’s unease at the band’s outspokenness on contemporary issues.
Klaus Voormann with the front cover he designed
“Revolver” expanded the boundaries of pop music, revolutionised standard practices in studio recording, advanced principles espoused by the 1960s counterculture, and inspired the development of psychedelic rock, electronica, progressive rock and world music. The album cover, designed by Klaus Voormann, combined Aubrey Beardsley-inspired line drawing with photo collage and won the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts. Aided by the 1987 international CD release, which standardised its content to the original Parlophone version, “Revolver” has surpassed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in many critics’ estimation as the Beatles’ best album. It was ranked first in the 1998 and 2000 editions of Colin Larkin’s book All Time Top 1000 Albums and third in the 2003 and 2012 editions of Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. It has been certified double platinum by the BPI and 5× platinum by the RIAA.
When George Martin was supervising the release of The Beatles’ albums on CD for the first time in 1987, he decided that the first four albums, “Please Please Me”, “With The Beatles”, “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Beatles For Sale” should only be released on this new medium in mono, likely both due to the fact that the early sixties stereo mixes were deemed quaint and because he had little time to prepare them. He did, however, take the time to remix the next two albums, “Help!” and “Rubber Soul” anew in stereo. It’s George Martin’s 1987 remixes that still are used on subsequent stereo releases of these two albums. From “Revolver” and onwards, George Martin had no problems with the original stereo mixes, so these weren’t remixed at the time. Now it seems his son Giles has found that the time has come, and the tools have been invented, to reevaluate and remix the “Revolver” album.
Rumoured track lists
CD1: 2022 Stereo Mix by Giles Martin & Sam Okell
01. Taxman
02. Eleanor Rigby
03. I’m Only Sleeping
04. Love You To
05. Here, There And Everywhere
06. Yellow Submarine
07. She Said She Said
08. Good Day Sunshine
09. And Your Bird Can Sing
10. For No One
11. Doctor Robert
12. I Want To Tell You
13. Got To Get You Into My Life
14. Tomorrow Never Knows
CD2: Sessions
01. Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)
02. Tomorrow Never Knows (Mono Mix RM 11)
03. Got To Get You Into My Life (First Version/ Take 5)
04. Got To Get You Into My Life (2nd Version/ Unnumbered Mix)
05. Got To Get You Into My Life (2nd Version)
06. Love You To (Take 1)
07. Love You To (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
08. Love You To (Take 7)
09. Paperback Writer (Takes 1 & 2/Backing Track)
10. Rain (Take 5)
11. Rain (Take 5/Slowed Down)
12. Doctor Robert (Take 7)
13. And Your Bird Can Sing (First Version/Take 2)
14. And Your Bird Can Sing (First Version/ Take 2/ Giggling)
CD3: Sessions
01. And Your Bird Can Sing (2nd Version/Take 5)
02. Taxman (Take 11)
03. I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal Fragment)
04. I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2)
05. I’m Only Sleeping (Take 5)
06. I’m Only Sleeping (Mono Mix RM11)
07. Eleanor Rigby (Speech Before Take 2)
08. Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)
09. For No One (Take 10/Backing Track)
10. Yellow Submarine (Songwriting Work Tape/ Part 1)
11. Yellow Submarine (Songwriting Work Tape/ Part 2)
12. Yellow Submarine (Take 4 Before Sound Effects)
13. Yellow Submarine (Highlighted Sound Effects)
14. I Want To Tell You (Speech & Take 4)
15. Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)
16. She Said She Said (John’s Demo)
17. She Said She Said (Take 1/Backing Track)
CD4: 2022 Mono Transfer of original tape
CD5: Bonus EP
01. Paperback Writer (2022 Stereo)
02. Rain (2022 Stereo)
03. Paperback Writer (Mono)
04. Rain (Mono)
UPDATE: SuperDeLuxeEdition.com adds a Blu-ray disc to the previously rumoured five discs:
Blu-ray disc:
Dolby Atmos Mix
5.1 Mix
Possibly the mono transfer
TAKE MY $$$$$
Looking forward to this- with hopefully lots of alternate takes and early demos.
What, no 5.1 mix ????
and the original Robert Freeman cover art in there somewhere…
George Martin most definitely remixed Rubber Soul for the 1987 CD release. Just listen to Nowhere Man and compare the original stereo version to the ‘87 version. The lead guitar is mixed much differently. IMO, he mixed it too far into the background on the CD version. The mix on the Yellow Submarine Songtrack album released in 1999 put the guitar back in the forefront where it belongs.
Where is the Blu-ray with the 5.1 and Atmos mixes? I hope they are not releasing the Atmos to streaming only, like the recent Mccartney 1,2 , & 3.
Interesting to see how there are some recycled photos from previous records and one that is recycled a later record
If the track listing is accurate, it appears that, like the Let It Be box, the contents could easily fit over two compact discs.
Presumably, it’s to mirror the vinyl release. This has to change.
The end result is retailers inflate the price because of the number of discs, thereby gouging the fan.
Another repackaging of the mono mix – why? 99.999% of the fans buying this set already have the 2009 mono box. A “bonus EP” of four tracks. Are you kidding me?
Here’s a tip: it’s NOT a bonus if you’re charging for it.
What is so wrong with putting all the music on 2 or 3 CDs? The BBC series and Anthologies were two CDs and three LPs. No one raised an eyebrow. Part of what makes CDs unique is how much information they can hold. A 12 minute CD is a complete waste.
The cynicism is overwhelming. It’s like they are trying to compensate for the migration of music consumers to streaming by really having the fans that prefer a tactile musical experience cover the difference.
This is the kind of crap that only further encourages people to illegally download.
Worse still, this is an overwhelming waste of plastic and aluminum, all to “match” the packaging of the vinyl fetishists.
As an entity, as a band, it’s reprehensible to continue to put out releases with superfluous plastic and resources while every now and then posting some notion of environmental concern.
The marketing and sales arm clearly demonstrates that all the “save the planet” proselytizing is nothing more than virtue-signaling bullshit.
I expect better. The Beatles phenomenon had endured because they led the pack. No more.
If the packaging as described in Variety is accurate, this long-time fan will be voting with his dollars and not spending a dime on another release.
FOR THE MONEY………………… ONLY
Like many others I suspect, the only reason I shell out over a hundred bucks for these sets is for the early takes/demos and the 5 1 mix. It’ll be saving a C-note if there’s no 5.1.
I’m with you on this. No 5.1 mix, no sale. I’ll be content with a free download.
Will the 2022 mono transfer disc be in any real way different from the 2009 mono album?
Likely not. How much better can it be than the 2009 release?
Calm down everybody, whoever compiled this track listing is just guessing. Wait and see. Personally can’t see another CD EP after the moans about the “Let It Be” set. But I could be wrong too…….
How will the “2022 Mono transfer” disc be any different than the 2009 mono disc? Or will they be identical?
Because the 2009 mono was a remaster. This will be a flat transfer (so they say).
I’m sad that Take 14 of Here, There, and Everywhere is not on the tracklisting 🙁 That’s the best alternate version of the song in my opinion. I’m also sad that there are not outtakes of Good Day Sunshine
That take was already included on the „Real love“-CD, wasn‘t it?
So I am glad they have chosen an unpublished take
Well, Take 14 of the song isn’t available for streaming. That’s one thing I really wanted to happen… Make that specific outtake be available for streaming since the Real Love single is not available on any digital platform
The mooted track list above includes several already released on Anthology, but Apple have shown on the previous box sets an admirable reluctance to repeat tracks from those sets (with a few exceptions). And the reason we’re getting shorter CDs is because of the vinyl market – one cd = one vinyl LP.
And I hope that’s right – I for one don’t want to buy that ridiculous giggling version of “And Your Bird Can Sing” again – Macca should have kept that to himself!
The giggling on that cut shows that they might have been under the herbal smoke influence IMO. I think this cut is charming showing that they never took themselves too seriously. When recording, they were often joking around, cutting up and trying to take the edge off. It shows their great friendship as they are making each other laugh. As everyone knows, they were always under such serious pressure to produce the next masterpiece.
Fair enough, but if you already own it do you really want /need to buy it again? I hoped that Apple would be continuing with not repeating too much from the Anthology sets, but looking at this track list I think they’ve abandoned that approach!
Your point is understood. I too have noticed the recycling of tracks and wondered why they are doing that.
I am very much looking forward to either buying or streaming this but its a shame there are no new songs included – I think I’m right in saying that no previously unreleased songs exist from these sessions (I’m very familiar with the debunked “Pink Litmus Paper Shirt” / “Colliding Circles” story)?
Hopefully with this release we are getting close to the end of the road for unheard Beatles takes and remixes, otherwise it will just go on forever. Does Giles have a son or daughter lined up to take the reins, I wonder??
There is (officially) unreleased footage from the Chiswick House filming for ‘Paperback Writer’ and ‘Rain’ that exists. They could make new alternate promos for both tracks out of said footage. The ‘long’ audio and video version of ‘Rain’ (as in a longer ending) would also be nice. Also the ‘Revolver’ tracks without any ADT would be great.
And like the large group poster and the Mr Kite poster in the Pepper box set, they could include a large print of Klaus’s legendary cover without the text and the Parlophone logo. And maybe one of the painting all four Beatles did in Japan, when they actually thought of the title ‘Revolver’.
I believe there was a limited edition of the 1987 CD of ‘Revolver’. (it can be seen on eil.com). It was in a box shaped like a Revolver (the gun). A bit tasteless, considering what happened to John.
I wonder if the mono version will be from the analogue tapes, like the 2014 vinyl versions of the Red and Blue albums were? Surely, they can’t re-flog the 2009 mono all over again? That really would be taking the Mickey.
There is (officially) unreleased footage from the Chiswick House filming for ‘Paperback Writer’ and ‘Rain’ that exists. They could make new alternate promos for both tracks out of said footage. The ‘long’ version of ‘Rain’ (as in a longer ending) would also be nice. Also the ‘Revolver’ tracks without any ADT would be great.
And like the large group poster and the Mr Kite poster in the Pepper box set, they could include a print or poster of Klaus’s legendary cover without the text and the Parlophone logo. And maybe one of the painting all four Beatles did in Japan, when they actually thought of the title ‘Revolver’.
I believe there was a limited edition of the 1987 CD of ‘Revolver’ (it can be seen at eil.com). It was in a box shaped like an actual Revolver (the gun). A bit tasteless, considering what happened to John. I hope there’s none of that this time around.
I wonder, is the mono version a straight from the analogue, like the 2014 vinyl Red and Blue albums? If they rehash the 2009 mono again, then they are really taking the Mickey.
There is (officially) unreleased footage from the Chiswick House filming for ‘Paperback Writer’ and ‘Rain’ that exists. They could make ‘new’ alternate promos for both tracks out of said footage. The ‘long’ version of ‘Rain’ (as in a longer ending) would also be nice. Also the ‘Revolver’ tracks without any ADT would be great.
And like the large group poster and the Mr Kite poster in the Pepper box set, they could include a print of Klaus’s legendary cover without the text and the parlophone logo. And maybe one of the painting all four Beatles did in Japan, when they actually thought of the title ‘Revolver’.
I believe there was a limited edition of the 1987 CD of ‘Revolver’. It was in a box shaped like a Revolver (the gun). A bit tasteless, considering what happened to John.
I really like this track listing. Though, I hope it’s not the final list. I’m disappointed over three things:
1. No take 2 of Tomorrow Never Knows. Even though it’s a breakdown, and might not last long, as revolutionary as the song is, we should get to hear this. Is it similar to take 1 or take 3? If it’s only 30-40 seconds long, it’s not like it won’t fit.
2. No outtakes of Good Day Sunshine? If my memory is correct, I think they built off take 1. But two or three takes were attempted after that. Why not hear one of those instrumentals?
3. Need 5.1 BluRay surround sound mix of the album. Just put the mono version on that, instead of giving it its own disc. Fans already have it anyway, unless it’s somehow sonically improved.
Hope its not the crap Paperback mix I’ve only heard on CDs. That 7 inch single is really powerful.