As we've professed before on the program, The Wolf & Action Jackson are not the world's biggest Beatles fans. Don't get us wrong - we don't dislike The Beatles and we understand that all they did changed the world and the rock music we love. But they're not our go to, we're Stones fans at the end of the day.
Whether you're a Beatlemaniac or not, rock fans owe an enormous debt to John, Paul, George and Ringo. By the summer of 1966, the lads had been around the world several times over, made millions and mingled with world leaders and culture mavens who defined their time on Earth. They finally took a well deserved three months off January - April 1966 to take a breath, see what was going on around the world and incorporate it all into their music. Revolver would be released August 5, 1966 but the lead non-album single from the same sessions, Paperback Writer (backed with Rain) let the world know that they were no longer just singing songs about love and heartache but were moving in new directions as yet unforeseen in the western world of popular music.
Sitars and tablas offer up eastern textures to compliment George's ode to free love on Love You To while he sneers in an almost punk way at the Taxman. Paul gives us a classic happy Paul song in Good Day Sunshine but laments a love that's coming to an end with For No One. Stories about dropping acid and psychedelic themes permeate the album as well as Paul's first experience with marijuana on Got to Get You into My Life. Though still in their mid-20s, the boys show a maturity at their writing and arranging craft hard won over the last 4 years. Each of them were starting to branch out to find out who they were as individuals and not just four moptops.
The real trick for us is trying to imagine what it was like 60 years ago before Revolver was released. After all, as we're in our fifties, we don't know a world without The Beatles. We sang Yellow Submarine as kids in the 70s having no knowledge of the impact from the guys singing it. Using different instruments and cutting edge recording techniques ushered in a more psychedelic sound that would define the mid-to-late 60s Beatles and that defined the bleeding edge of rock music.
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