The Wrap Up

Emily: What a journey this has been. Four albums, many months, and the one genre of classic rock. Well, kind of one genre. If this challenge taught me anything it’s that classic rock is rooted in and is the root of so many different breakout genres of rock music. With the Beatles, you have pop and some psychedelic influences, the Stones have blues, the Who are essentially proto-punk, and the Kinks are garage-ish. Each of these iconic bands and their equally iconic albums has left a lasting legacy on music history through this genre-bending prowess, but also by standing out on their own. Revolver and Aftermath showcase legendary bands at their peak, while Something Else and My Generation reveal burgeoning talent from which the best is yet to come. While I still dispute the validity of these bands as a “Mount Rushmore” of classic rock, each one at the very least deserves its own statue.
Ranking: Revolver; Aftermath; My Generation; Something Else

Matt: Which of the British Invasion albums is the best? My natural inclination would be to pick The Who, but to be realistic, the honor has to go to The Kinks. The Who is one of my all time favorite bands, but they were definitely a live act and a singles band until their third album (The Who Sell Out), certainly their fourth (Tommy). The Beatles are phenomenal and got the ball rolling for every other band in the British Invasion, but in my opinion, The Beatles could no longer maintain the size. The Rolling Stones were always for the “outcast” in the 1960s, as they were very crass and played a bit more on the wild side, as shown with Brian Jones dying in 1969. The Kinks were the perfect mix of the 3 big British bands. They had the grooves that The Stones had, the energy The Who had and the charisma of The Beatles. This album was beautifully written, best represents British culture and music, as well as a panorama of the musical transition of the mid to late 60s.
Ranking: Something Else; Aftermath; My Generation; Revolver

Zack: Let me just start by saying this was much harder than I thought it would be. When we set up this little ranking game, we didn’t establish particularly clear rules, preferring to let each writer figure out how to rank the candidates. Kind of like how the NBA MVP voting works. Of course, even in that arena this system isn’t always that effective, as evidenced by Joe Johnson getting a vote this year. For me, it always kept coming back to one question: am I ranking these four individual albums or the bands as a whole? It couldn’t be the latter, since that just isn’t reasonable. For instance, before we started this blog, I had listened to every Rolling Stones and Who album on the list but not a single one of the Beatles or Kinks (a fact I am rather ashamed to admit). Now, to be fair, I had listened to other Kinks albums and a few songs off the major ones here and there. And, of course, I had heard all of The Beatles big singles. But this can’t replace the intimate relationship I have with The Rolling Stones’ and The Who’s music. At the same time, how can I be expected to pass judgment on the four individual albums without positing Aftermath and My Generation in context with both bands development overall? If you look down to my reviews, you’ll even see I did it there. I mention that Aftermath is my favorite Stones album, as compared to three of my other favorites and I compare the Who of My Generation to The Who who made Tommy. I couldn’t separate my fandom there, so how could I possibly be expected to do so here? If you look at the rankings up top, you’ll probably conclude that I couldn’t do it. To some extent, you may be right. But I did try. At first, I thought about devising a ballot, ranking all four in categories like lyrics, concept, instrumentation, et cetera. But this isn’t a homework assignment, so I’m damn sure not going to put in that kind of effort. So, ultimately, I decided just to rank them in order of which album I enjoyed the most. I listened to all four within a span of 17 hours, and I have to say that I had the most run (re)listening to Aftermath. There’s no elaborate reasoning, no analogies, no backstory, and certainly no ballots. Just a shrug, point, and “that one.” And yes, it did take me over 400 words to get to that conclusion. Bite me.
Ranking: Aftermath; My Generation; Revolver; Something Else

#158: The Beatles - Revolver (1966)

Zack: The Beatles have obtained a level of cultural significance that permeates into any and all segments of society. Don’t believe me? Look to Kanye’s MBDTF, when he asks, “What’s a black Beatle anyway? A fuckin’ roach?” Or when LeBron compared the way the Miami Heat were selling out stadiums to the Beatles, prompting the great Heatles nickname (which I still endorse, by the way). Or when Jay-Z comments that, legacy-wise, he is “on the Beatles’ ass.” There are a few points from this. First and foremost is that I know a lot about hip-hop and basketball and will look for any opportunity to bring those topics up. But the main one is that the Beatles are so widely known that every member of our society is at least familiar enough with them to make some passing reference to their legacy. Who else can claim that? Off the top of my head I would say Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Jackson. You could make a case for Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones, but I don’t think it’s as persuasive. And if you questioned these same people, who are all at least moderately familiar with the Beatles, do you know how often Revolver would be mentioned? Seriously, do you? My guess is not nearly as often as it should. Revolver routinely trades spots with Sgt. Pepper’s as the greatest album of all time on most critic publications, but doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of name recognition. I think. Once again, and I cannot stress this enough, I have done exactly zero research on this because I’m too lazy. Which is crazy to me, since I think Revolver is the Beatles best album. It’s just a better representation of what the Beatles were all about. It takes their traditional pop-rock sound but also blends in their obsession with innovation, this time in the form of Indian instrumentation. Plus, it has Eleanor Rigby, which is a huge advantage. Basically, Revolver is the Beatles at their absolute best, a lofty peak that few others can compare to.

Favorite Tracks: Eleanor Rigby; Glad tot Get You Into My Life; And Your Bird Can Sing

Emily: What an apropos time to be returning to this album! Just a few weeks ago, Mad Men (one of Zack’s and my favorite shows) used Tomorrow Never Knows as the ending coda of an episode. Don plays this last track from Revolver after his young wife tells him to open his mind to the equally young Beatles, but cuts it off halfway through. Now that I’ve listened to the track (and all of Revolver) fully, I see the genius in Matt Weiner’s choice of the song for this season of Mad Men. You see, both Revolver and this season Mad Men depict their subjects in a state of transition – not surprising in 1966. Don, Roger, Pete, Peggy, and the other members of SCDP are facing numerous personal and professional challenges to their status quo. The Beatles, on the other hand, challenged their own status quo on Revolver. There are hints of their earlier pop/rock and roll sound, but it also foreshadows the radical reimagining of sound and image that came next with Sgt. Pepper. Love You To highlights George Harrison’s growing interest in India, Eleanor Rigby uses shimmery strings (unusual for any pop or rock song, let alone in 1966), Got to Get You into My Life has some R&B and soul going on…I could do this for every track; they all sound unique, looking both back and forward in the Beatles’ history. As the closing track, Tomorrow Never Knows gives a great hint to the future with its psychedelic, somewhat experimental arrangement. Transitionary albums aren’t often a band’s best work; they’re trying to work out the kinks of a new sound that can still sound rough or confused. However, much like the current transitionary season of Mad Men, Revolver is one of the Beatles’ finest, most eclectic efforts.

Favorite Tracks: Eleanor Rigby; Tomorrow Never Knows; Got to Get You into My Life

Matt Brune: A band that revolutionized music and culture in the United Kingdom, the United States, and so many other countries. They hardly need an introduction, as remnants of Beatlemania still exist today, nearly 40 years after they disbanded. Here is Revolver, the Beatle’s 7th album, released in 1966. The album shows a change for the Beatles, a movement away from the rest of the British Invasion and into the psychedelic sounds of the 60s. Two of the Beatles’ most famous songs, Eleanor Rigby and Yellow Submarine, are both on this album. Personal favorites from this album include Eleanor Rigby, I’m Only Sleeping, as well as And Your Bird Can Sing. If you are looking for a Beatles record that is not Abbey Road, The White Album, or Sgt Pepper’s, than this is your album, post-Mod Beatles.

Favorite Tracks: Eleanor Rigby; And Your Bird Can Sing; For No One