The Beatles have set an Oct. 28 release date for six different deluxe reissues of their iconic 1966 album Revolver, all of which feature a new mix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell.
For hardcore fans, the big ticket will be 31 “session takes and home demos” from the Revolver period. Several editions feature a 100-page book with a foreword by Paul McCartney and an essay by Questlove, as well as the album’s original 1966 mono mix. Detailed information is available from The Beatles’ official store, which is also offering new Revolver-themed merchandise.
According to a post from the band’s Twitter account, “the new stereo mix, sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes, is brought forth in stunning clarity with the help of cutting edge de-mixing technology developed by Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd.” Jackson utilized this technology to great effect on his Emmy-winning 2021 documentary Get Back.
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Revolver was The Beatles’ final studio project before they retired from performing live and is frequently rated as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. It sports such all-time classics as “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Good Day Sunshine,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Here, There and Everywhere” and “Got To Get You Into My Life.”
As SPIN wrote in 2012, Revolver “was not only a rapid departure from its largely acoustic, folk-inflected predecessor, 1965’s Rubber Soul, it was a kaleidoscopic break from anything pop music had proffered before. Though the Fab Four experimented in just about every way possible — phased vocals (‘And Your Bird Can Sing’), dreamlike guitars running in reverse (‘I’m Only Sleeping’), the wild abuse of tape loops (‘Tomorrow Never Knows’) — the songwriting was as strong as it had ever been.”
The 31 session takes and home demos from Revolver are as follows:
“Tomorrow Never Knows” (Take 1)
“Tomorrow Never Knows” (Mono Mix RM 11)
“Got To Get You Into My Life” (First Version / Take 5)
“Got To Get You Into My Life” (Second Version / Unnumbered Mix)
“Got To Get You Into My Life” (Second Version / Take 8)
“Love You To” (Take 1)
“Love You To” (Unnumbered Rehearsal)
“Love You To” (Take 7)
“Paperback Writer” (Takes 1 & 2 / Backing Track)
“Rain” (Take 5 / Actual Speed)
“Rain” (Take 5 / Slowed Down For Master Tape)
“Doctor Robert” (Take 7)
“And Your Bird Can Sing” (First version / Take 2)
“And Your Bird Can Sing” (First version / Take 2 / Giggling)
“And Your Bird Can Sing” (Second Version / Take 5)
“Taxman” (Take 11)
“I’m Only Sleeping” (Rehearsal Fragment)
“I’m Only Sleeping” (Take 2)
“I’m Only Sleeping” (Take 5)
“I’m Only Sleeping” (Mono Mix RM1)
“Eleanor Rigby” (Speech Before Take 2)
“Eleanor Rigby” (Take 2)
“For No One” (Take 10 / Backing Track)
“Yellow Submarine” (Songwriting Work Tape / Part 1)
“Yellow Submarine” (Songwriting Work Tape / Part 2)
“Yellow Submarine” (Take 4 Before Sound Effects)
“Yellow Submarine” (Highlighted Sound Effects)
“I Want To Tell You” (Speech & Take 4)
“Here, There and Everywhere” (Take 6)
“She Said She Said” (John’s Demo)
“She Said She Said” (Take 15 / Backing Track Rehearsal)
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