First Time Hearing | The Beatles - Revolution 1| Reaction

[@mariaarmindapinheirobarbar4885]

Just bear in mind that the Beatles really made a revolution without any destruction... they revolutionized the whole world with their music and their humor!!

[@Stacy55ish]

The Beatles are saying look within. Change the world by changing yourself.

[@christhornycroft3686]

In the "live," music video version of this song, John sings "when you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out...in." He said in an interview that was because he's human and he generally he's a pacifist, but as a last resort, he might be violent out of self-preservation. He was easily the most philosophical and introspective of the Beatles except maybe for George, who became Hindu after the Beatles visited India. The Beatles were an innocent rock band who wore suits in their early years, but 1966 was the year Revolver came out and they all tried LSD. It was also the year John Lennon proclaimed that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus Christ." He clarified his statements as being about popularity, not greatness, but damage, particularly in the southern US, was already done and people were literally burning Beatles records. After that, they fully embraced the hippie movement, stopped touring (because the fans were so loud that they couldn't hear themselves play with 1960s technology), and produced some of their more ambitious and acclaimed albums ever.

[@AVFC_Faithful]

Love this comment. After more watches of the live version, you can see and hear john say " you can count me out...in....out" as if he is straddling the the fine margins of his mind to whether one should be part of a destructive society

[@kenlawless7247]

The Czech revolution was known as the Velvet Revolution because it was peaceful. The slower version on The White album is the one where they say out and then in.

[@Bekka_Noyb]

♥ the album version!

[@G-MAN1958]

This was the B-side of the single along with "Hey Jude"(which is also a must do reaction). It's amazing that so many of the Beatles' greatest songs never made it onto official albums because they were often released as singles. I think you would be safe with the LIVE David Frost Show performance of "hey Jude". I have seen scores of reactions to it.☮

[@fgrady1]

Nicky Hopkins was the keyboard player on Revolution. He played on so many others’ records, The Stones, Steve Miller Band, Kinks, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Yardbirds and many other artists’ records.

[@joelliebler5690]

He also played on one of Pink Floyd’s albums.

[@subwaygoddess1]

"But when you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out?" The song came out during the years of the hippies "make love, not war." The hippies were trying to change the world peacefully. As for the White album, there's a whole lotta great songs on that!! My favorite is "Julia," but I think I may be unique in my opinion!

[@RockinMamaT]

The Beatles changed music forever❤RIP John Lennon😢

[@inexplicablyleft2729]

This is actually titled "Revolution". "Revolution 1" is the same song with slower rocking beat from the White Album. That opening screaming guitar is iconic. I remember once when Nike tried to use that sound to sell shoes, then received the unpleasant reaction that their sacrilege deserved.

[@mikefetterman6782]

This is the very first rock single that was ever recorded directly to the board. This gave the guitars and the mics a unique sound at the time. In the film of them doing this song, you can clearly see George Harrison lean over to Paul McCartney as soon as John starts singing. "His mic is shit" you can see him say, not liking the brash overdriven sound. NIKKI HOPKINS sat in the studio on the piano.

[@RicoCosta317]

On Revolution I, after the line "if you want destruction, brother you know that you count me out", Lennon says "in", a much more radical statement that wasn't included on this. Just an interesting fact from an endlessly interesting and fascinating band. Edit: Also, as you know, MLK advocated non-violent protest and would have likely agreed with Lennon's approach on Revolution, and of course Malcolm X was in favor of a more radical action so he might have been one of those who criticized this.

[@John_Chu]

"Revolution" The Beatles John Lennon - vocals, lead guitar, handclaps Paul McCartney - bass guitar, Hammond organ, handclaps George Harrison - lead guitar, handclaps Ringo Starr - drums, handclaps Additional musician Nicky Hopkins - electric piano

[@valedslinger6290]

1st serious distortion i had ever heard back then. Was so cool.

[@graemejones6530]

Outstanding song & reaction, cheers 💿👍

[@ktrsBklyn]

You’ve really gotta listen with headphones to studio albums from brilliant producers and arrangers like the Beatles (and many others).

[@gracemichelli.2am124]

One of my favorites 😍

[@ericv181]

There’s a great video of them doing this song live you should check out

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Yep!

[@buddyneher9359]

I like that you just react to the audio. When we (us baby boomers) heard these songs we were reacting to vinyl albums and hearing the songs on the radio. No music videos! So you're doing fine. I like your commentary. New sub!

[@Bekka_Noyb]

♥ this song! I suggest these Beatles songs: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Norwegian Wood, Strawberry Fields Forever, Get Back, Hey Bulldog & I'm So Tired

[@genebaughbba3479]

Gotcha! See? The Beatles made you think.

[@DJBilodeau]

Keyboards for this on is uncredited, but it's session musician Nicky Hopkins. He, along with Billy Preston are the only two musicians who hold the distinction of recording with BOTH the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Quite the distinction, wouldn't you say?

[@susiedawson3349]

Glad to see you reacting to The Beatles. They were to the 60's what Led Zeppelin was to the 70's.

[@BigCandTheCosmos]

"Give me a revolution that didn't require a little destruction" Lol. Awesome take.

[@nancy-su9zk]

Nicky Hopkins overdubbed the piano in the final version that was released. All of the piano was Nicky.

[@hansvandermeulen5515]

This is the single version, Revolution. The album version is acoustic with doo wop backing vocals and horns, that was the first recorded version. Also on the White Album is an avant garde piece called Revolution 9 which was inspired by the extended jamat the end of Revolution 1. John and Yokofooled around in the studio with weird noises and radio, a bit too far out for a lot of people.

[@hardluckhenry]

He meant destruction as in riot. Back when this song came out there were a lot of protests going on.

[@stevennadler4461]

The Vietnam War and Civil Rights demonstrations were huge in the USA.

[@PanarchyInTheUK]

Bang to right, my man. All revolutions require a little head chopping.

[@chrisschoedel7597]

A calm person is always respected more than a violent person,in my opinion) Force , no matter how subtle is always met with resistance.

[@paulkeahtigh2]

A revolution with love and peace, not violence, all you need is love, can you dig it?😎🌷

[@philowens7680]

John Lennon is playing "the beast", an Epiphone Casino, I think.

[@pestbsn]

At the time, John was also protesting the Vietnam war. If you watch the video, it's a lot better because you catch things you miss with just the recording. Of course, John's voice and passion is right on target. I'd have to watch it more closely to see who is doing the lead guitar. But that rock scream that preceded the song was Paul, and the high notes at the end of some of the verses were done by Paul. The camera catches it, then scans back to John who starts singing again. Let me add that it should have been released as an "A" side. Being released as the "B" side of Hey Jude, didn't do it justice. Just my own opinion, of course.

[@joelliebler5690]

There are different way to rebel and a main way to do it is getting all people together on the same page like having a 1 day strike by all workers in either this country or the world stating we are not going back to work until healthcare is either free or affordable for all !❤️☮️people not just the wealthy or the poorest but the everyday working class!

[@joshjacobs3906]

I like the after song discussions we get with you....keep up the good work ✌️

[@MMBxMOB]

Thank you! Will do!

[@CharlesWyatt-cg5qs]

That was Billy Preston on piano.

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

In the main version John said 'in' after 'count me out' , Because some revolutions or protests need some violence or destruction.

[@backbeat44]

This is the single version. Revolution 1 was the slower White Album version where lennon says "you can count me out...in". also there's a good video of the live version. you should do all 3.

[@philowens7680]

Peaceful revolutions have occurred, for independence in India, for example.

[@rwilson7197]

Love your thoughtful reaction.❤❤❤The Jesus Revolution ( see the movie!) of the late 60's was nonviolent. The mottos of the anti vietnam war mvmt were "flower power" & " make love not war". Martin Luther King and Ghandi preached peaceful non- violent revolution & they had a huge impact!❤🙏 ❤

[@isabelsilva62023]

The revolution in my country on the 25th April 1974 which put an end to a 48 year long dictatorship, the only deaths were caused by the political police shooting from the windows when they realised they were cornered, everyone from writers to philosophers came over in the following months to try to understand how it happened. Having said that we spent most of 1975 on the brink of civil war. 1968 was also the yera the Czech people rebelled against the soviets they naively thought the western world would support them but nobody wanted to "upset" the russians who retaliated violently and the Prague Spring was over in a matter of days. Chairman Mao whom the lyrics refer to was Mao Zedong the leader of the Chinese Communist Party fom 1935 until his death in 1976.

[@adamfindlay7091]

3 different Revol 8:18 ution songs; 1, the acoustic album version: the rocking loud single version. And Rev#9 the artsy sound collage at the end of the white album. Lennon felt they HAD a duty/ call to say something about the late 60's revolt going on. Some kind of comment or responsibility considering they're fame/power involved with the youth etc. bear in mind, Lennon &Yoko would get phone calls from protests going on where police were coming into beat and arrest them and Lennon said, go, leave, we want you alive Fight another day ...

[@royeast1793]

That was Billy Preston on the keys

[@johnandrews3151]

There is also a live studio video performance of this song and a laid back version on the White Album called Revolution 1.😮😊

[@genebaughbba3479]

That's kind of chaotic for the Beatles It sounds like a revolution.

[@Beatlejamie]

This was not Revolution 1. Revolution 1 was the original version. (found on the white album). It is much slower and in it John Lennon sings “you can count me out… In“. Paul thought it was too slow to be released as a single, so they did this version for the flipside of “Hey Jude“

[@philowens7680]

I had friends that bought the single for the B-side, Revolution, and not for the ballad on the A-side.

[@johnroop9625]

That's billy preston on the keys

[@mirandak3273]

Nicky Hopkins.

[@braudabo]

@@mirandak3273 And McCartney

[@jaccilowe3842]

The B side to Hey Jude. We were allowed to play Hey Jude at the youth club but Revolution was banned! 🤣

[@allendixon7700]

On a snow day.No, do you? Snowy No d*** ? Do yes, some Blue Bird draw up a backup blow on a blow bed and do number 9 by the bagels. A song's called number nine brother we're gonna smoke your blocking talk about number nine

[@allendixon7700]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@allendixon7700]

Ever go downtown Scottsdale downtown at a railroad. The railroad station? You might. Maya ben montauk o n a t o k a one toke

[@allendixon7700]

They are a Debbie ER INS H IPL. A. Y. Brewer and Shipley thy do that song ONA dog 1TOK. E

[@allendixon7700]

You need to get it go downtown to the railroad station, go ahead and do. Go ahead do you

[@mikimike]

I believe that's Billy Preston on keyboards. He played on a lot of the later Beatles songs.

[@Brandi6666]

Nope nope nope. Hopkins… stop giving their dope dealer preston props for everything keys😡

[@davelang7541]

you need to see the live video. 1. the guitar lead is john, not george. 2. the piano is billy preston 3. the bass is paul at his best. and then there is Ringo's typcical perfect beat

[@mirandak3273]

No on Billy Preston. He worked with them in 1969. But this was the great London session musician, who worked with the Kinks, the Stones, Harry Nilsson, & Jefferson Airplane among others, Nicky Hopkins.

[@davelang7541]

@@mirandak3273 Thank you miranda. It is nicky. And is awesome work.

[@MUE4731]

That was the late great Nicky Hopkins on keyboards un credited

[@mamared56]

They're talking about peaceful revolution. Ideologies, beliefs, prejudices, etc. can be destroyed without violence.

[@johnbeasley7658]

Do while my guitar gently weeps

[@timeouthumanity2067]

This song was a direct answer to the Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man"

[@bryanhale5254]

Billy Preston on electric piano

[@LaptopLarry330]

“Taxman” is a song with a message regarding an issue that affected the band members personally, and a lot of Britons at that time. But the song is one that might be heard in a go-go club at that time, or in a dance club.

[@user-ue8qg4fk2c]

Beatles doing hard rock Heavy Metal

[@stevedahlberg8680]

I love your monologue about sometimes needing to break shit to get your point across but as you were coming down from it the irony struck me that the Beatles were breaking things right and left.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

I mean the FBI and the CIA were tracking them closely and considered them a threat to democracy. It was that intense

[@stevedahlberg8680]

And don't forget that on the single version, in the middle of the song when that line of the chorus repeats, John Lennon says You can count me out, and then he leans back into the mic and says "in". And I believe he does something like that on one of the other two versions as well.

[@MsAppassionata]

@@stevedahlberg8680 I believe Lennon was was assassinated by those people. There are some very fishy things that went on with Chapman prior to John’s murder. Same thing with Bob Marley and other performers.

[@RichardSchaefer-zx9ig]

Billy Preston is on piano. George Harrison is lead guitar. John plays rhythm guitar. This is live on the roof of Abbey Road.

[@jcb640]

Nought out of 4 right

[@RichardSchaefer-zx9ig]

Preston's not on piano??? Oh you didn't hear it??

[@annakermode6646]

Nicky Hopkins.

[@williamquinlan6153]

The turbulence of the 60s was fueled mostly by both civil rights and Vietnam war concerns. Riots, protests that turned violent, and bombings of buildings were common fare on the news. There was a real fear of communism and the Cuban missle crisis put the fear of nuclear disaster in the minds of the youngest of us. Some political dissenters were marxists which advocates for violent overthrow of government hence the reference to Chairman Mao. The conflicts of the times didn't just stop with the 60s. The shooting of protesters by national guardsmen at Kent State took place in 70. Small town America wasn't spared. In the college town i grew up in race riots at the high school, shootings, and bombings of 2 buildings, one on the college campus, were new experiences for our locality.The junior high i attended then, received 2 bomb threats for which we were evacuated. Interesting times for sure.

[@timeouthumanity2067]

English pianist Nicky Hopkins played the keys on this track. But Billy Preston (American) played keys for most Beatles songs - he and George Martin are always referred to as the "fifth beatle"

[@williambowers2820]

Preston only played on the Let It Be album and maybe a song or two on Abbey Road. Keyboards were almost always played by the Beatle that wrote any given song, or George Martin played keyboards.

[@genebaughbba3479]

That might be Billy Preston on keyboards at this point in their career it's hard to tell but there's some George going on there.

[@kcprice1115]

Yeah do Revolution #9 😂

[@timbaker6540]

Check out Revolution 9

[@debjorgo]

Lennon said" "Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King are great examples of fantastic nonviolents who died violently. I can never work that out. We're pacifists, but I'm not sure what it means when you're such a pacifist that you get shot. I can never understand that.”

[@michazmic1]

Irony

[@bix944]

How about MLK? Maybe I am wrong.

[@genebaughbba3479]

I recommend just doing all 210 songs.

[@blitztim6416]

The Beatles were always about peace and love. Ya, you gotta hear Tax Man. That’s a George song. Great baseline and guitar solo by Paul.

[@dahveed72]

I think billy preston on keys

[@jimreedy1960]

You weren't alive at the time, but the young people in the US were strongly opposed to the pointless war in Viet Nam. As time went by and change was slow to take place, some activists felt that a more radical approach was needed. John Lennon and the other Beatles championed the idea of a non-violent revolution.

[@joelliebler5690]

He is talking about a different type of revolution though besides that John was not as peaceful as as he spoke!

[@chitownlee]

Tax Man was written by George Harrison. England was becoming more and more socialistic and taxing heavily and the 4 lad's grew up in working class Liverpool and when they made it big and became wealthy they weren't too happy at the Government taking they're hard earned money, they were not overnight sensations and paid their dues before becoming popular.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

you have "revolution 1" in the title. why didn't you play it? you could've heard both versions and contrasted them. and believe me, the left loved the beatles. its the silliest thing i ever heard to say people thought lennon betrayed any cause. on "revolution 1" and on the video lennon inserts the word "in" after "... count me out." besides the beatles were about LOVE, man. they weren't about violence. excellent song. all three versions are excellent. ("revolution 9" is no relation to this song. its not a song at all. its an experimental sound piece. very avant-garde.) thanks for the video.

[@BritIronRebel]

I've always viewed this song as John and The Beatles answering back at people who expected them to be more political.

[@richarddefortuna2252]

Ghandi's peaceful revolution leading to England's exit from India did not require destruction.

[@anthonyv6962]

Lennon is just borrowing that guitar riff and sound. Pee Wee Crayton - Do Unto Others (1954)

[@megdelaney3677]

💙💙💙💙

[@davidbordonaro1631]

can't get much different from Yesterday to this can you ?

[@mara_jade021]

Oh, yes. Hear helter skelter.

[@valedslinger6290]

As rich as Lennon was, he should of had a Off duty Nypd security Guard. A. Tax write off and Chapman is the one bleeding out on the side walk. He really should have known better. I damm well would if I was. Beatle. Or the Mayor of Dolton. Lol

[@charlessarver8350]

Billy Preston often played the keys for the Beatles not sure if it was him on this or not.

[@debjorgo]

Preston didn't record with the Beatles until a half a year later. This was Nicky Hopkins on electric piano. Nicky was probably best known at the time for playing with the Rolling Stones.

[@pestbsn]

Billy Preston didn't play keys on their songs except the Let It Be album because they were going to do it live and needed someone to play keys. Usually, either George Martin would play keys on their albums, or Paul would overdub the piano. The Beatles would overdub harmonies and instruments on their songs quite a bit. I love Billy Preston, but he was never the fifth Beatle. George Martin is the only one who can claim that title.

[@debjorgo]

Billy played on "Something" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" on the Abbey Road album.

[@dougsusie2319]

Billy Preston was on electric piano here.

[@mirandak3273]

Nicky Hopkins.

[@MsAppassionata]

No he wasn’t

[@dougsusie2319]

@@mirandak3273 You're correct. I thought I said Hopkins.iu

[@dougsusie2319]

@@MsAppassionata I thought I said Hopkins. Sorry about that.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

It gets even more scathing than that, and yet of course it's John Lennon, lol. And it might seem like an obscure reference to you and it probably was even to a lot of people of the time that didn't know their history as young kids, but there's a line in there where he says And if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow. The events of the Chinese Revolution with Chairman Mao as their leader seemed in the past to me as a kid, but it turns out they really only happened not a whole lot more than a decade before my birth. And then later I saw that it was popular for extremists to carry around pictures of him as their really hardcore Communist push for actual revolution. So John Lennon is at once disparaging towards them but also saying, I get where you're coming from but that's just too much man.

[@amitabhhajela681]

I take the Chairman Mao line as symbolic or representative of any extreme and potentially violent Leftist position. Actual Chairman Mao probably had very few supporters in the West. I would think. I could be wrong.

[@hopeklemann1]

Billy Preston keyboard

[@Toomaletoopaletoostale]

The lyrics are awesome, this song should be played at trump rallies 😅

[@mitchellbatchelor1594]

Billy Preston on keys.

[@meyerhave]

" "@mitchellbatchelor1594 Billy Preston on keys." Nicky Hopkins is on the keyboard, NOT Billy Preston.

[@braudabo]

@@meyerhave And McCartney.

[@MrBenMorsch]

helter scelter

[@markgallemore8856]

You have no idea of the political instability of the civil rights movement the antiwar movement, the generation gap, the fact that young people could be drafted at 18, but they couldn’t young people moving to Canada to avoid the draft. There is so much political music. In Revolution number one after he says, don’t you know that you can Count me out if you listen carefully, you’ll hear the words after that in

[@timeouthumanity2067]

it's just the age old question - protest through non-violence, like Ghandi, or with violence like the bolsheviks

[@FavoriteMovieDate]

Peaceful demonstrations rather than violence and destruction of public property where innocent people are usually the ones that suffer. Peaceful protest for change and anti communist. All things I can get behind.

[@dionysiacosmos]

#9 is bad conceptual art. It was really John and Yoko. I prefer my own stream of consciousness, thanks.

[@tompahlgooglesucks]

Wrong. MLK. Non-violence. No destruction is acceptable! Only love can conquer hate