Essay on 1966 Beatles album ‘Revolver’
‘ ‘Revolver’ is a significant album of the 1960s. Assess to what extent this recording represents the decade by placing the album in its socio-cultural context.’
*my essay has been featured in a Beatles podcast! click this link for episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2sGnEdmPWY1TKshTTGLlS9?si=fijZLmbLSxa1xcB0GOIP5w
The Beatles: a pop group that was and still is universally considered to have been one of, if not, the most influential band that left their mark in the 1960s and opened the floodgates for new musical possibility. Having not only transcended the heights of commercial success, the ‘fab four’ also underwent a significant revolution regarding musical and aesthetic style as well as spiritual beliefs. Known globally for their “infectious backbeat and rhythm” [1], the arguably seminal album ‘Revolver’ (1966) allowed for new interpretations to be made about their music and questions regarding the complexity of their newfound sound inspired by the music and culture of India and Eastern mysticism as a whole. With contributions and viewpoints from Timothy Leary, Terrence McKenna, Ravi Shankar, and an array of music and popular culture scholars, this essay will aim to examine the significance of Revolver by situating it within the turbulent and revolutionary époque of the 1960s. To further this analysis, discussions concerning the authenticity and arguable appropriation of musical styles in the vibrant sounds of ‘Revolver’ will also be examined.
At the height of their careers in the mid 60s, the Beatles were embedded in a colourful, vibrant but equally turbulent and transformative time concerning politics, social rebellion, musical evolutions and anti war protest. The 1960s was a time of significant change, which subsequently allowed for multiple movements to take place such as the San Francisco hippie movement, the Civil Rights movement, anti- Vietnam protest as well as the introduction of hallucinogenic drugs. All of a sudden, with the emergence of psychedelic drugs into mainstream society, music took a turn and a new genre was born: psychedelic rock. Showing a vast contrast to the popular music at the time such as the comparatively ‘mellow’, acoustic guitar based folk , big band jazz as well as pop groups in the charts, the psychedelia that manifested not only infiltrated and altered people’s minds but it also drastically changed the way in which music was being produced sonically. In wanting to recreate the effects of LSD and translate them into sounds, musical artists and bands experimented with new techniques such as distortion, to create a sense of time elasticity to the music as well as reverb, thus attempting to interpret the side effect of confusion and heightened awareness (both prominent sides effects experienced during the consumption of LSD and other psychedelic drugs). Sound distortion, ‘panning’ instruments and far off vocals were used to create a distancing effect with the intention of reinforcing the separation between the listener and their immediate, material reality and thus transporting them into an idyllic, dreamy, psychedelic realm in which the listener experiences feelings of bliss and detachment from the world.
The Beatles, particularly George Harrison and John Lennon delved deep into a world of psychedelia and thus inspired fans to follow in their footsteps. As a result of this, as well as other bands and notable musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin who also engaged in hallucinogenic consumption, a whole generation manifested into what is now retrospectively defined as the 1960s counterculture- a rebellion against the rigid confines of a societal system that restricted freedom of expression, sexual identity, and spirituality. In the words of Timothy Leary, people would “turn on, tune in and drop out”[2]. This served as a major socio-cultural change in the decade as authorities felt threatened by the ever increasing nonchalance of the youth and blamed LSD for encouraging the desire to ‘drop out’ of the expected societal system that had been so meticulously constructed. Terence McKenna who condoned the use of psychedelics for spiritual growth and awakening, articulated exactly why psychedelics were made illegal, stating that:
“Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behaviour and information processing. They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong”.[3]
The expectation that every American citizen should be law-abiding and fulfill their duty as a productive citizen in society was suddenly shattered and replaced by a generation of hippies who challenged the system and were awakened to a world of infinite consciousness and awareness that was transcendent of the material realm.
This spiritual realization was made apparent when the Beatles began to report back about their psychedelic experiences through their music. They interpreted the mystical realms they were plunged into via LSD, incorporating classical Hindustani music and engaging in a newfound curiosity: Eastern philosophy. Through their spiritual explorations particularly with their use of Indian sounds, they broke boundaries and transcended musical limitations of the Western world. ‘Revolver’ provided audiences with a glimpse into the world of Indian spirituality, with “the tambura drone, tabla drumming and elaborate sitar phrasings” making appearances on their recordings and thus introducing and popularizing classical Indian music in the west.
These sounds and techniques used in the recording of Revolver were inspired by the LSD-induced mind expansion that the Beatles experienced, the heightened sensorial stimulation and also a spiritual awareness that invited them to question what they believed in.
In studying the psychedelic movement in the 1960s and the role that the drugs played in the experience of music and hallucination, “the most common complaint” [4] that has been brought to attention “among Indian musicians was the association that was made between Indian culture and psychedelic drugs”[5]. On the subject of this movement including the hippie movement, renowned Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar expressed his frustration regarding the Western appropriation of Indian music and its misinterpreted understanding that it was a gateway or enhancement of the psychedelic experience. Shankar in his autobiography, expresses his difficulty in bringing people “to an understanding and appreciation of our music for the correct viewpoint.” [6]. Although Shankar was involved with the Beatles and personally influenced their music, Shankar states that “many of them were involved with various kinds of hallucinogenic drugs and were using our music as a part of their drug experience”.[7]
Upon experiencing their second psychedelic trip, John Lennon and George Harrison laid by a pool listening to “the tammbura drone, tabla drumming and elaborate sitar phrasings” [8] of Ravi Shankar’s classical Hindustani music. In his exploration of psychedelic Orientalism, Cunningham refers to LSD as “Orientalism in a psychedelic guise” [9] and perhaps it was this kind of association that frustrated Ravi Shankar. The perpetuation of the idea that there was some underlying mystical, psychedelic connection between the drugs themselves and Indian music, or that, by listening to the music whilst experiencing the drug, one could attain a more direct mystical experience or enlightenment itself.
When the 1966 song ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ “blended the Indian drone with the sound of a wild drug-induced state…the two seemed to belong together”. Unlike Ravi Shankar who expressed frustration regarding this association between his classical Indian music and the psychedelic experience, author Ian MacDonald stated this connection with seemingly no hesitation or concern that “Tomorrow Never Knows simultaneously draws attention to mind altering drugs and the ancient philosophies of the Orient”. [10]
The musical essence of ‘Revolver’ exudes the inescapable fact that these were “young musicians who came of age during the last days of the British Empire and in writing (the songs from Revolver) they were enacting a musical relationship with their former colony”.[11] Timothy Leary, a prominent figure in the development of psychedelia “extends drug use to an entire worldview based on freeing the senses and liberating the mind from the oppression of ‘the system’ of mainstream cultural values” [12]
The argument concerning the correlation between Indian spirituality and Western psychedelic drug use remains conflicted. While Leary, who uses “the language of Tibetan Buddhism to reinforce his ideas”[13] has demonstrated an opinion suggesting that “the true, hidden meaning of Indian spirituality” has “finally (been) made accessible to all through LSD” [14], on the other hand, “Indian philosophers, intellectuals and musicians in the West resented the association with drugs”[15]. Leary served as a spokesperson “on behalf of Indian spirituality” [16] and due to his connection and work with LSD, he thereby transformed Indian culture and music, making it ‘psychedelic’, alongside Harrison and Lennon and the Beatles’ album ‘Revolver’ that quickly became the West’s main reference point to Eastern music and ideas.
Despite dominating the rock and roll and popular music scene throughout the decade, the Beatles “made one of their most significant yet sometimes overlooked contributions through the incorporation of elements from Indian culture in their music and lyrics”.[17]
The Beatles have consistently sparked analytical interest from music critics, scholars and listeners for generations. Particularly found amongst the elusive psychedelic sounds of ‘Revolver’ their lyrics have often been interpreted and closely explored with an intellectual voracity similar to that of literary analysis. As a result of this literary angle posed on the analysis of their writing, scholar Stephanie Murphy argues that the Beatles should be regarded as ‘poets’ as well as ‘musicians’ and ‘performers’, stating that “the poetic spirit of the lyrics in their albums from 1965 to 1970 is the group’s greatest contribution to popular culture”[18]. Originally rising to fame “with their infectious backbeat and rhythm”[19], catchy, relatable lyrics and a perfectly groomed aesthetic, the Beatles stole the hearts of millions of fans who were eager for some change amongst the political and social turbulence of the 60s’.
Throughout their musical and stylistic evolution however, all aspects of their collective persona changed; “beads and kurtas soon replaced their conventional garb during (their) psychedelic phase” [20] and with a newfound interest in Eastern philosophies as well as hallucinogenic drugs, their music began to mould into a new hybrid style of psychedelic sounds and classical Indian sounds with instruments such as the sitar and the tabla drum. Inspired by the ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead’, John Lennon wrote the song ‘Tomorrow Never Knows as a representation of “the closest thing to the experience of an LSD trip in words”[21].
‘Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream,
It is not dying, It is not dying,
Lay down all thought, surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining’. [22]
In the essay ‘Melting Clocks and the Hallways of Always: Time in Psychedelic Music’, Russell Reising explores the side effects of hallucinogenic drugs and explains that “the passage of time seems to slow down tremendously when under the influence of LSD”. [23] Cam Cloud has examined the aforementioned effect stating that it is “known as ‘time dilation’”[24] in which “at the peak of a powerful trip, it may seem as if time has come to a complete stop, plunging the tripper into a timeless, eternal realm”[25]. This ‘eternal realm’ is interpreted in the lyric ‘surrender to the void’ suggesting a sense of time elasticity and a space of nothingness. Although, ‘void’ often has negative connotations, in this drug-induced context, ‘void’ could be interpreted as a space of non-dual awareness; a mental state where the self is simply existing, not in relation to anything else, but simply for the sake of being. This state of awareness and heightened consciousness is often referred to as non-duality in many Eastern philosophies. ‘Void’ could also be interpreted as a reference to ego death. With the right dosage of LSD, ego death can be achieved, when the ingrained societal construct of ego, the ‘nurture’ in nature vs nurture, is suddenly shattered. Loss of self, loss of perceived identity and loss of subjective perception occurs. What is left is an objective perspective, a view of the world and of existence that is free of judgment and ego driven ideas and desires.
The use of ‘surrender’ in ‘surrender to the void’ is equally powerful as it has connotations of meditation and the notion of letting go of thought, letting go of attachment and of ego- both prominent philosophies in Zen Buddhism. Distortion is used in the recording to invoke a spiraling sense of confusion in the listener and invite them into the mysterious world of psychedelia. The ‘panning’ of instruments also helps to recreate a sense of time elasticity not only in the music but also in the listener’s mind, as this is also a major side effect of the LSD experience. Similarly in the song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, there are certain musical and stylistic choices that evoke a sense of psychedelia for the listener that are worth considering. Throughout the song, the melody winds down from major chords into minor chords creating the illusion that you are spiraling down into the subconscious, into a void or a space of nothingness where, paradoxically, everything comes alive; time has slowed down and we can finally view life as it is rather than through the lens of ego. Furthermore, cadence is used in the song evoking a sense of resolution with the lyrics ‘strawberry fields forever’. This could be interpreted as a confirmation that peace can be found, that the strawberry fields are waiting for you if you are willing to open your heart and mind to them. The chord progression in the line concludes the melody reinforcing the sense of resolution and finality.
The manifestation of psychedelia was not only a significant change in the socio-cultural context of the 1960s but, primarily, it was a drastic musical leap that “revolutionized rock and roll not only by re-conceptualising time but also by exploring psychedelic states of mind, by celebrating mystical mergings with nature and by speculating about the mysteries of human existence”[26].
The Beatles, alongside countless writers, artists, scholars and fellow musicians have attempted to “recreate the chrono-surrealism of tripping”[27] but like many phenomenological and sensorial experiences, language can often be restrictive when attempting to verbalise something so personal and transcendent of the material world. Reising puts forward an insightful analysis of hallucinogenic drugs particularly LSD and its mind-altering effect explaining that “sound seems to burst into vibrant colours, the buzz with which individual sounds seem to blend into pure sonic energy”[28] and “the wash of sight and sound in which it is difficult to distinguish foreground from background and vice versa”. These are all elements of the psychedelic experience that, according to Reising, can be musically reproduced, successfully done so by the Beatles, particularly in their album ‘Revolver’.
Although Eastern influences including Indian and Tibetan mysticism played a big role in the development of their sound, ‘Revolver’ was primarily influenced by the band members’ experiences with LSD. Although “Indian philosophers, intellectuals and musicians in the West resented the association with drugs”[29], the “psychedelic pioneer”[30] Art Kleps honours the significance of Indian influence in the psychedelic sound by stating that “Indian music is perfect for stabilizing a high because it in no way encourages you to notice the passage of time- or better, to notice that time has stopped passing”[31]. This comment relates back to Reising’s description of the “temporal dimension of psychedelia”[32] , a timeless, vast mental state in which you are simultaneously everything and nothing; the self is no longer trapped by the confines of the ego but instead projected into an astral realm of limitless possibility. A higher state of consciousness is unlocked through a hallucinogenic portal; the universe suddenly resides within the human body rather than vice versa and the awareness of the individual expands vastly creating an eternal, seemingly elastic panorama in the mind.
There is no doubt that through the hallucinogenic inspired Beatles album ‘Revolver’ and the psychedelic revolution that had arisen, a new free-spirited, carefree mentality and lifestyle began to manifest in the youth of the 1960s counterculture. This subsequently prompted significant social change and a newfound sense of creative, rebellious and sexual liberation was in the air.
The entirety of Beatles media that comprised of music, films and the public fascination with the individual members’ lives “formed so great a part of what we listened to and watched and talked about that everyone affected by them still sees the Beatles and hears their songs through a personal prism”.[33]The Beatles were undoubtedly a phenomenon and although globally, they made a huge impact, garnering millions of fans, they also enabled personal and spiritual attachments to their music with lyrics and melodies that spoke to all. Furthermore, “with the kind of visibility that made them impossible to ignore, (they) were expanding the range of rock, musically and lyrically. A sitar, a harpsichord effect- a ragtime piano- everything was possible”.[34] With an infinite realm of musical and spiritual possibility at their feet- just one tab of LSD away- the Beatles had the incomparable ability to interpret the profound psychedelic experiences they shared with each other and then subsequently share them with the world in the form of ‘Revolver’. The Beatles transcended pop music history as a universally beloved group, but above all, they transcended the musical limitations of the Western world. With hallucinogenic drugs and a well of spiritual teachings to learn from, they created an album that was ahead of its time, revolutionizing rock and roll with drug-induced sonic experimentation- a hybrid sound of psychedelic modernity versus Indian tradition. Since time in the psychedelic world is seemingly infinite, some could say that the Beatles’ music will live on forever, in strawberry fields perhaps.
Bibliography
· Aldridge, A, ‘The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics’, (New York: Tess Press 1990).
· Cunningham, T, ‘Psychedelic Orientalism: Representations of India in the Music of the Beatles’, PA: University of Pittsburgh
· Daniels, S, ‘Suburban Pastoral: Strawberry Fields Forever and Sixties Memory’ (London: Edward Arnold Publishers, 2006)
· Gilmore, M, ‘Beatles ‘Revolver’: How LSD Opened the Door to a Masterpiece’, (2016) < http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beatles-revolver-how-lsd-opened-the-door-to-a-masterpiece-w436062> [Accessed 12 April 2017]
· Greenfield, J, ‘They changed rock, which changed the culture, which changed us’ (New York Times 1975).
· Guerrero, R, ‘The Role of the Beatles in Popularising Indian Music and Culture in the West’, The Owl: Florida State University Research Journal Vol 5 №1 (2015)
· Kleps, A,‘Millbrook: The True Story of the Early Years of the Osychedelic Revolution’, (Oakland CA: Bench Press, 1975), p26.
· Leary, T, Golden Gate Park San Francisco (1967) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTCxINKT7l4> [Accessed 23 April 2017]
· Lundborg, P, ‘Timeline of Early Psychedelia’ < http://www.lysergia.com/LamaWorkshop/lamaEarlyPsychedelia.htm> [Accessed 12 April 2017]
· MacDonald, I, ‘Revolution in the Head: The Beatles and the Sixties’, (Vintage Publishing 2008).
· McKenna, T, ‘Psychedelic Salon Podcast’
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWXUYVI6W-0> [Accessed 23 April 2017]
· Meneer, N, ‘The Role of Psychoactive Drugs in the Conception, Performance and Appreciation of Sixties Psychedelic Music in California and the Southwest’, Boston University: ProQuest Publishing (2015)
· Murphy, S, ‘Identifying and Analysing the Poetic Qualities of the Beatles lyrics from 1965- 1970’, (University of North Texas Digital Library 2005).
· Reising, R, ‘Melting Clocks and the Hallways of Always: Time in Psychedelic Music’ (Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group 2009, Popular Music and Society Vol 32
· Shankar, R, ‘My Music, My Life’, (New York: Simon and Schuster 1968).№4, pp523- 547).
· University of Hawaii Botany, ‘Psychedelic Fungi and its Impact on Music and Art’ <http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/Lect24a.htm.> [Accessed 12 April 2017]
[1]Stephanie Murphy, ‘Identifying and analysing the poetic qualities of the Beatles lyrics from 1965–1970’, (University of North Texas Digital Library 2005), p3.
[2]Timothy Leary, Golden Gate Park San Francisco (1967) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTCxINKT7l4> [Accessed 23 April 2017]
[3]Terence McKenna, ‘Psychedelic Salon Podcast’
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWXUYVI6W-0> [Accessed 23 April 2017]
[4] Guerrero, p32.
[5] Guerrero, p37.
[6] Ravi Shankar, ‘My Music, My Life’, (New York: Simon and Schuster 1968), p27.
[7] Shankar, p27.
[8] Trent Cunningham, ‘Psychedelic Orientalism: Representations of India in the Music of the Beatles’, (University of Pittsburgh 2012), p1.
[9] Cunningham, p1.
[10] Ian MacDonald, ‘Revolution in the Head: The Beatles and the Sixties’, (Vintage Publishing 2008), p190.
[11] Cunningham, p2.
[12]Cunningham, p3.
[13]Cunningham, p3.
[14]Cunningham, p3.
[15]Cunningham, p2.
[16]Cunningham, p
[17] Rodrigo Guerrero, ‘The Role of the Beatles in Popularising Indian Music and Culture in the West’, (The Owl: Florida State University Research Journal, Vol 5 No 1 2015), p32.
[18]Stephanie Murphy, ‘Identifying and Analysing the Poetic Qualities of the Beatles lyrics from 1965- 1970’, (University of North Texas Digital Library 2005), p3.
[19]Murphy, p3.
[20]Murphy, p5.
[21]Murphy, p12.
[22]Alan Aldridge, ‘The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics’, (New York: Tess Press 1990), p121.
[23]Russell Reising, ‘Melting Clocks and the Hallways of Always: Time in Psychedelic Music’ (Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group 2009, Popular Music and Society Vol 32 №4, pp523- 547), p524.
[24]Cam Cloud, ’The Little Book of Acid’ (Berkeley: Ronin Publishers 1999), p11.
[25]Cloud, p11.
[26]Reising, p524.
[27]Reising, p524.
[28]Reising, p524.
[29]Cunningham, p2.
[30]Reising, p527.
[31]Art Kleps, ‘Millbrook: The True Story of the Early Years of the Psychedelic Revolution’, (Oakland CA: Bench Press, 1975), p26.
[32]Reising, p525.
[33]Jeff Greenfield, ‘They changed rock, which changed the culture, which changed us’ (New York Times 1975).
[34] Greenfield 1975.
