Recording Innovations In The Mid-1960s: Music Analysis

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Recording innovations in the mid-1960s rerouted the expectations of musical composition. The Beatles were famous for constantly revolutionizing the music industry in unimaginable fashions. On August 5, 1966, Revolver was released in the United Kingdom (The Beatles Bible, 2015). The album’s experimentation and creativity reached a level that not even The Beatles could have anticipated. What musical ingenuities propelled Revolver to become one of the greatest albums of all time? The Beatles toured all over the world from the early to mid-1960s. Their diverse experiences undoubtedly transformed them into who they had become. By 1966, however, the piercing screams and grueling nature of life on the road had caught up to them. On August 29, 1966, …show more content…
The introduction of a string octet (four violins, two violas, and two cellos) grasps listeners’ attention. What made the octet so famous was the recording technique. “We miked very, very close to the strings, almost touching them. No one had really done that before; the musicians were in horror,” recalled Geoff Emerick. The quality of sound was different from anything that anyone had ever heard (The Beatles Bible, 2015). The song depicts two lonely people, Eleanor Rigby and Father MacKenzie (Evans, 2012). An explanation for their depressing lifestyles is unclear. The power of the octet amplifies the sadness contained within the song in my opinion, intensifying emotion (Gould, 2007). Another unique component of the song is that Ringo’s drumming is absent. Having a Beatles’ song without Ringo’s drumming does not seem comprehensible, but the emotional string component of “Eleanor Rigby” proved that otherwise. Ken Townsend’s groundbreaking Artificial Double Tracking (ADT) drastically transformed the presentation of the song, which was used in the final eight bars. Jonathon Gould explained that “the chorus is played off contractually against the detachment of the refrain” (Gould, 2007). Paul McCartney’s final eight bars reflect on the loneliness, showing that he remains unsuccessful in his quest to expose the reality of “all the lonely people.” The unsettling complexion of emotion leaves …show more content…
This is where some say the real experimentation began (Davies, 1996). John’s inspiration for the song came from Timothy Leary’s The Psychedelic Experience. The opening line on the song, “Turn on your mind, relax, and float downstream,” was one of the first lines in the book John had read. Leary’s book was intended to be used as guidance during sessions involving psychedelic drugs, and meditation. The LSD inspired song’s spectacular entrance features a variety of sounds (500 Greatest Albums of All Time, 2015). The majestic sounding sitar is accompanied by a bombardment of drums. Ringo’s drumming in the song was unlike any other. He had the slightest skip to the beat that added another sense of uniqueness. A tambura drone, along with a monotonic aspect, gave it an additional Indian influence (The Beatles, 2015). Then suddenly, these poltergeist-like cries take listeners’ attention. The electronic effects sound like the cries of an innocent soul being tormented by a Dementor’s kiss. Electronic effects and tape loops were key innovations that helped make the song so unique (Revolver, 2000). All four of the Beatles would scurry around their homes looking for things to record, bringing in sounds such as a grandfather clock and a laughing
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