The Beatles, Taxman - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction / Excerpts

[@bellodrade]

That's brilliant! They're not counting the song in. It's someone counting his money, which used to be your money. Never realized that.

[@cogline]

The "four" before they start is very much in time so that part must have been the count in

[@MsAppassionata]

Where did you hear that?

[@bellodrade]

@@MsAppassionata Did you watch the reaction? She explains why it's not a count in.

[@DennisTedder-wj5ln]

music theory wise, she knows shit. We get 30 seconds of the song bullshit

[@tobepps]

Great work, Amy!! My suggestion is that from now on you should listen to the songs in order and don’t skip any song!! Also, don’t forget the singles!! You’ve skipped paperback writer / rain. Two very important songs

[@gerarddearie-zd2gb]

Those were non album singles, and I believe the only singles released from the album were Yellow Submarine and Eleanor Rigby, plus Paperback Writer was a number 1, so I imagine it will come higher up the list.

[@dago87able]

well, don’t hope too much on that, the series is called Beatles 150 (as in 150 songs) so some will be inevitably left out. I’ve suggested Amy to make an exception AT LEAST with Sgt, Pepper’s… and Abbey Road.

[@gettingkilt]

If it wasn't written down, that was George singing lead too. He had an uncanny ability to sound like Paul or John as appropriate for the song.

[@juanjimenez62]

I was expecting Paperback Writer too!

[@ricardo_miguel13]

I think they could do more songs like Day Tripper, Yes It Is, Babys In Black, Not A Second Time, I'm Down, If I Needed Someone..Because those are interesting and great and they need to get to 150 songs, so if they leave them out they nearly have to do all from now onwards..

[@gerarddearie-zd2gb]

Mr. Wilson-Harold Wilson, Prime Minister Mr Heath-Edward(Ted) Heath, the leader of the opposition. Oh, Paul's playing the guitar solo. Revolver because a record goes round

[@richardfehlmann4593]

👍🏻

[@fernandodeleon7466]

'Revolver' it's where you insert the disc

[@richardfehlmann4593]

@@fernandodeleon7466 The disc goes round and round on the turntable ... hence Revolver

[@BigSky1]

@@fernandodeleon7466 There were no CD players in 1966! Revolver refers to a record going round on a record player.

[@zzzaphod8507]

Wouldn't it be "Rotator" then?

[@Bassman2353]

In the middle eight, where Taxman is talking about how and what he taxes, Paul's bass goes into double-time. Taxman is always there, and furiously busy as he swoops down to collect. Everything works in the song. One of the great Beatle rockers.

[@aisle_of_view]

I love the guitar solo, played by Paul.

[@Moonie804]

I totally agree!!

[@johnsilva9139]

Wow! Did not know it was Paul. So he's doing double duty on bass? Since George usually plays lead guitar, and this is his song, I certainly assumed it was George.

[@katznkittens]

⁠@@johnsilva9139Paul wrote it too.

[@rippog1]

@@katznkittensPaul wrote the lead guitar line not the song just to clarify

[@katznkittens]

@@rippog1yes, they were in a rush and Paul came up with the solo on the spot. He just wrote the solo

[@richardfehlmann4593]

That is such a great new approach ... nothing reading about the song before listening ... a real first reaction! It is just the way like when we heard it for the first time 👌 It's really honest that you said first you think this is John Lennon's voice. I remember how I could only distinguish Ringo's voice from the others in my first years of hearing Beatles, later I recognized also George, but John and Paul I couldn't distinguish for even longer. I was 13 when I got this album as it came out fresh and it blew my mind, displacing my favourite Rubber Soul so far. Your association of the guitar solo to Jimi Hendrix is great too, I never thought of that! And BTW, mister Heath and mister Wilson were primeministers of the UK. At that time Wilson, later Heath. To my recollection the name Revolver meant (as you suggested) turning around and around ... meaning the vinyl disc on your turntable 😉 And if you think on all the particulars in Taxman and realize that George was only 23 years old at the time he did that, it blows your mind right again.

[@z0n0ph0ne]

Also worth a notice is the great sleeve illustration by the Beatles good friend Klaus Voorman. Amazing at the time.

[@danmayberry1185]

Paul's guitar on Revolver was transformative. And Your Bird Can Sing features dual, harmonizing lead lines by Paul and George. It's credited for inspiring a hallmark sound of Southern Rock (esp. Duane & Dickey in the Allman Bros.), as well as Thin Lizzy and others.

[@blacksunfish]

My all-time favorite song! AYBCS!!!

[@steveleblanc7983]

Britain at the time had what was called a supertax on the rich. At a certain threshold you would have to pay a 95% tax rate.

[@ricardo_miguel13]

which makes sense..although its too high

[@TheUnknownSophy]

I read somewhere that the Beatles pretty much kept Britain afloat in those days. Could be true!

[@colinfernandez2141]

Profits from the Beatles at EMI went to help finance medical technology namely the world's first CT scanner (for brains etc)- although this link suggests EMI only paid £100k and the taxman £660k pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22446352/

[@terben7339]

The opening song on the album, but not the first recorded. You’ll have to wait for the final track for that. It’s a shame that you are listening to these songs in isolation and outside of the context of other music of their time. That would be an enormous undertaking. In other sad news, John Mayall has just passed away at the age of 90. How much of modern Music is due to this great musician.

[@jnagarya519]

The central problem is looking at the music from the outside, as if it were a foreign specimen. See, as I recall, "Remote" for a woman who does a superior job in dealing both with the history and A:: the elements of the recordings. Then again, she gets inside the music.

[@JonManos]

Hope you cover Paperback Writer and Rain. One of the best singles ever released.

[@jnagarya519]

The two best singles released are "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields Forever".

[@edwardmeade9439]

In my opinion. It's the greatest single ever released.

[@MsAppassionata]

@@jnagarya519 I agree about Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane, but not about Please Please Me.

[@jnagarya519]

@@MsAppassionata The arrangement, complexity, and pace of "Please Please Me" is astonishing. As example, the highest note throughout is McCartney's vocal. And the lowest throughout is McCartney's bass guitar. Everything else happens between those two.

[@ricardo_miguel13]

I think they could do more songs like Day Tripper, Yes It Is, Babys In Black, Not A Second Time, I'm Down, If I Needed Someone..Because those are interesting and great and they need to get to 150 songs, so if they leave them out they nearly have to do all from now onwards..

[@seanmcmichael2551]

Loving this Amy (and Vlad). Like others have said, I like knowing you are listening without preconceptions, like we used to do with new releases. Then digging in afterwards, talking to friends, swapping views, appreciating each 'Side' of the album, and overall feelings for where they took us. YOU are now that interested and learned friend. (Also ... another call-out for the singles to be covered in their sequence too).

[@jnagarya519]

Today's it's drive-by listening, picking "bangers" out of context after a single listen. Then moving on.

[@mauri_gno2467]

.... that fantastic guitar solo.... by sir Paul!

[@strathman7501]

Seems no one has commented on the tongue-in-cheek Batman quote in that "Taxman!" refrain. I suppose the taxman is being portrayed as the villain in a superhero comic.

[@fredneecher1746]

Adds a whole new dimension to 'Robin'!

[@strathman7501]

@@fredneecher1746 😅

[@innertube47]

@@fredneecher1746Taxman & Robin

[@richardfehlmann4593]

Wonderful, Revolver starts ... I'm so exited to start watching ... 🤞😃👍🏻

[@davidshattock9522]

.I've heard.it.long ago.often.george.had.the.hump With.UK..IRS ..Harold Wilson's government caned.high.earners hard.

[@wishawweather5421]

Mr Wilson was the prime minister of the UK in 1966 when they wrote the song, and Mr Heath the leader of the opposition party. Both had policy's of high taxation rates for the highest earners.

[@Ck-zk3we]

its called socialism

[@wishawweather5421]

@@Ck-zk3we . You can have socialism without 95% marginal tax rates. This was probably the Beatles first political song I guess.

[@pedrolopez8057]

"Earners are a misnomer as most wealth is inheireted

[@alansmith1989]

Heath was Conservative, not Socialist and was in favour for lower taxation, it was one of his policies outlined at the Selsdon Hotel conference in January 1970. He campaigned on a lower taxation manifesto in the June 1970 UK General Election

[@wishawweather5421]

@@alansmith1989 He did indeed favour lower taxation. But with a upper marginal tax rate of 80%, George Harrisson would still be singing "that's one for you, sixteen for me". :)

[@debjorgo]

I didn't hear any notice of Paul going crazy on the bass. Could be my favorite part.

[@jacquescousteau217]

Paul changes his attack on the word “ Taxman, he plays two beats on the D. Then on the bridge he lets it all out rhythmically on that 16th note bit. The guy was a genius !

[@markbeckner2564]

There was a "Super Tax" in England at this time. I think it was around 95% for those who were making that kind of money.

[@fractaljack210]

Here we go. This album, depending on my mood, either ranks first, second, or third. No matter, I love this album. This will be fun.

[@-R.Gray-]

When you get to "Tomorrow Never Knows" I hope you get adequate background information. The short (5:03) video "The Beatles - Recording Tomorrow Never Knows featuring George & Giles Martin" is a good description.

[@danmayberry1185]

Agreed! My own assessment of that recording (1966 to present), has evolved to a time before recordings. No two live performances of a piece were exactly alike, just as TNK can never be reproduced live, or in studio. A modern masterpiece.

[@mc3067]

Why is background information necessary? We never had any (beyond what was on the record sleeve). If this channel is Virgin Rock...

[@Inverse_to_Chaos]

Just played the first half of Revolver today. It’s a lovely ride so far, and Taxman is such a quirky opener.

[@rogerfrancoeur299]

With the Beatles you have to think out of the box .

[@Agg1E91]

When I was 10, in 1976, my parents bought me Revolver for my birthday because it had Yellow Submarine (which I remembered hearing on a rerun of the animated movie, I had seen) on it and my dad remembered that as being a fairly innocuous song. Plus he liked "Michelle". Little did they know what they had exposed me to! 😆

[@marysweeney7370]

I hope you can react to the singles Paperback Writer, Rain, and Daytripper that were released around the time of Revolver/Rubber Soul as they are not on the albums

[@ricardo_miguel13]

I think they could do more songs like Day Tripper, Yes It Is, Babys In Black, Not A Second Time, I'm Down, If I Needed Someone..Because those are interesting and great and they need to get to 150 songs, so if they leave them out they nearly have to do all from now onwards..

[@josephdsnell56]

George wrote "Taxman" and sang it as well. Paul plays bass and the guitar solo.

[@-R.Gray-]

I kept waiting for Vlad to tell you that Paul played the guitar solo. Paul had just seen Hendrix, who was new in London, and was suggesting that George play a solo of a similar guitar style. George just told Paul to try it himself.

[@alansmith1989]

Hendrix did not arrive in London until September 1966 which was months after the song was completed.

[@-R.Gray-]

@@alansmith1989 You're right. I was misinterpreting a quote from a 2005 McCartney interview where he said "It was the early Jimi Hendrix days, and I was trying to persuade George to do something like that, feedback-y and crazy"..."I was showing him what I wanted, and he said 'Well, you do it' ". I also read someone else probably referring to the same article years ago, but I now see elsewhere that he said he first saw Hendrix on June 4th 1967.

[@alansmith1989]

Jimi had wanted to meet Eric Clapton, which Chas Chandler was able to arrange in late 1966. Jimi played a superb version of `Killing Floor` which had a very difficult Guitar solo that Clapton had always had some worries over. When he saw the way Jimi played it- he was awestruck!

[@davidrauh8118]

Oh I forgot to mention a string quartet, but also Paul McCartney plays the lead guitar part on Taxman. Kinda unusual.

[@Joliaux76]

As far as I remember it was because George can't play it (check the book of Geoff Emerick).

[@dougsusie2319]

George was a fan of the Batman series on American TV series which aired between 1966 and 1968. Listen to the theme song at the beginning of the show. BATMAN! 😂😂😂😂😂 Peace ❤

[@Merseyrock]

Interesting bit of trivia, Amy: Mr Wilson's personal record collection was sold on auction several years ago; his eclectic vinyl collection actually included many albums by The Beatles, this one probably being one amongst them. (Makes you wonder what he might have thought about them, when he heard his name being called out in the opening track for this album!) Here's another thought: When buying his copy of Revolver, he had to pay for it, Vat included... So... Not even Mr Wilson himself could escape the Taxman! 😂

[@gemanscombe4985]

VAT started in the early 1970s, I believe.

[@JM-qz2fy]

And the riff was used by The Jam for their song "Start!"

[@MsAppassionata]

And Beck’s “The New Pollution”.

[@Name-iq8te]

wow! yes! I've never noticed

[@menopausalmusician414]

My Favorite Group and My Favorite Channel! Peace

[@gabrielfalcao3760]

There's also the singles that were released between the albums like Paperback Writer and Rain. You should check out, they're like a warm up to what Revolver would be. Rain, by the way, is his favourite song made by the Beatles.

[@BigSky1]

@@gabrielfalcao3760 Whose favourite song? You don’t say. Ringo has said it is his best drumming on a Beatle song but not his favourite song.

[@gabrielfalcao3760]

@@BigSky1 nice! I wrote almost sleeping and forgot the details lol

[@MikeMize]

Mrs. Wilson and Heath were British Prime Ministers. And Revolver was a name given to "the machine that the records revolved on". A turntable.

[@XFLexiconMatt]

You just started with 'Revolver', thank you, the greatest Beatles album ever! Great George Harrison song!

[@jnagarya519]

I prefer "Beatles for Sale" and "Rubber Soul". But I followed them in real time, so didn't "learn" to ignore their first 5-6 LPs.

[@jnagarya519]

In the US between "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" was "'Yesterday' and Today".

[@JohnLancaster-fh3oc]

This is the Beatles greatest album.

[@flavoredwallpaper]

My favorite "taxman" song is always The Kinks' Sunny Afternoon.

[@Carl.65]

The Beatles - Revolver. G.O.A.T.

[@ruramikael]

Actually the Swedish childbook writer Astrid Lindgren wrote a fable about being overtaxed 1976, she paid more in tax than she earned, and that was the end of 40 years reign of the Socialdemocrats in Sweden.

[@marty48]

Paul explained they titled the album Revolver because it refers to a record that revolves when you play it.

[@jfziemba]

But a revolver is also a gun

[@marty48]

@@jfziemba Sure, but it has nothing to do with the album

[@jfziemba]

@@marty48 Yeah, the Beatles never indulged in word play

[@marty48]

@@jfziemba Strawman argument. "Not in this case" doesn't mean "never". If you think it's a word play, glad to know, we'll agree to disagree and good day to you.

[@deepermind4884]

I'm sure it wasn't lost on the lads that the part of a gun that goes round & round, & holds the bullets is also called a revolver. They probably felt that each song is gonna blow everybody away, so to speak, each song a bullet in a revolver. There's no way the double meaning was not appreciated.

[@buchro111]

Amy is great at analyzing and appreciating the musical/harmonic Eelements of the songs. And for a classical musician, She is amazingly open-minded And appreciateive of these elements in a generally simpler genre. Unfortunately and not surprisingly, She's simply does not understand the essence of rock and roll, Which is rhythm and energy. Some ock does have beautiful and Even sophisticated musical or harmonic elements. But rock did not come into being, create a wild sensation among youth, because it was musically beautiful or sophisticated. Elvis, Chuck berry, Little Richard and other pioneers electrified listeners because of the beat and the churning rhythm, which made them feel happy and energized and invigorated; It made them want to dance and make love. As much as I enjoy the podcasts and admire her warmt🎉h, openness, and insight, Amy seems a bit like a prissy, uptight harp player in this regard. She never bounces or grooves to the beat. Rock is dionysic, It celebrates the wild spirit. It is hard to imagine amy dancing wildly, as many people do to rock. Instead , she sits without moving and analyzes , although she is often enthusiastic. I first noticed this with her condescending reaction to twist and shout, When she said it sounds like kids having fun. No , it's one of the great rhythmic propulsive songs ever, Which goes right over her head. She Noticed the jagged rhythm in tax man, which contribute to the message of the song. That's true. But with any other lyrics, this would still be a rhythnic masterpiece, With one of the most powerful and innovative rhythm section ever, an astonishing collaboration of guitar bass and drums. Sadly too, She doesn't appreciate the genius of Paul's solo, merely saying it's an outburst of frustration. No, it's a trailblazing combination of jackhammer rhythms, melodic flights, and, most of all, Indian style music. I give amy great credit for her open, appreciative, and nonjudgmental listening, Which is what makes her podcast so engaging. But her lack of understanding of the essential element, the wild, free heartbeat, is frustrating.

[@sinecure45]

There is a structural breakdown of the song on WIkipedia, which cites one critic as characterizing the syncopated rhythm as an imitation of "Motown bassist James Jamerson in its active lines and glissandi." Rolling Stone called the piece "skeleton funk - Harrison's choppy fuzz-toned guitar chords moving against an R&B dance beat". That style was a common feature of late sixties dance tunes.

[@slavaukraini404]

I love that Revolver cup. I want one.

[@michavandam]

1. Hallelujah, only reading about the song a f t e r the first listen! Genius. 2. The "wrong" count-in is mocking the normal Rock count-in (as The Beatles begin to play with every understood element of their music) and their own count-in on I Saw Her Standing There - but it is also the taxman counting money. 3. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath were the British politicians of the day.

[@snailer06]

'You're working "For No One" but me'... phrased that way on purpose, it's the 10th song on Revolver (btw: John's favorite verbal trick was the double meaning of Revolver; a record going round and round, as opposed to a warm gun).

[@alcurrie]

I love the recommendation Vlad made to not read the background first. Good to go onto these COMPLETELY blind. Have you made a list of the Beatles 150. Very curious to see the songs you picked. I’m totally on board with the Beatles 250 project. I think a great way to sum it up at the end would be to review the individual talents of each member and the chemistry they had musically.

[@SomOsog]

I was expecting Paperback Writer and Rain next. Several of their hits never appeared on their albums and were only released as singles at the time. I hope these aren't going to be overlooked.

[@JohnLancaster-fh3oc]

The Beatles broke boundaries, including count-ins.

[@tonytjandra4798]

By the mid-1960s, Harrison had become an admirer of Indian culture and mysticism, introducing it to the other Beatles. During the filming of Help! in the Bahamas, they met the founder of Sivananda Yoga, Swami Vishnu-devananda, who gave each of them a signed copy of his book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. Between the end of the last Beatles tour in 1966 and the beginning of the Sgt Pepper recording sessions, he made a pilgrimage to India with his first wife, Pattie Boyd; there, he studied sitar with Ravi Shankar, met several gurus, and visited various holy places. In 1968, he travelled with the other Beatles to Rishikesh in northern India to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. 謝謝你。

[@edmocat]

Revolver is this record revolving on a turntable. Simple, modest concept.

[@barriehull7076]

Wikipedia: Mr Heath in the song. Sir Edward Richard George Heath KG MBE (9 July 1916 - 17 July 2005), commonly known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath also served for 51 years as a Member of Parliament from 1950 to 2001. Outside politics, Heath was a yachtsman, a musician, and an author. Heath was a keen yachtsman. He bought his first yacht Morning Cloud in 1969 and won the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race that year. He captained Britain's winning team for the Admiral's Cup in 1971. Born in Broadstairs, Kent, Heath was the son of a chambermaid and carpenter. He attended Chatham House Grammar School in Ramsgate, Kent, and became a leader within student politics while studying at Balliol College at the University of Oxford. During World War II, Heath served as an officer in the Royal Artillery. Classical music Heath maintained an interest in classical music as a pianist, organist and orchestral conductor, famously installing a Steinway grand in 10 Downing Street - bought with his £450 Charlemagne Prize money, awarded for his unsuccessful efforts to bring Britain into the EEC in 1963, and chosen on the advice of his friend, the pianist Moura Lympany - and conducting Christmas carol concerts in Broadstairs every year from his teens until old age.[128][129][130] Heath conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, notably at a gala concert at the Royal Festival Hall in November 1971, at which he conducted Sir Edward Elgar's overture Cockaigne (In London Town). He also conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the English Chamber Orchestra, as well as orchestras in Germany and the United States. During his premiership, Heath invited musician friends, such as Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, Clifford Curzon and the Amadeus Quartet, to perform either at Chequers or 10 Downing Street. Heath was the founding President of the European Community Youth Orchestra (in 1976), now the European Union Youth Orchestra. In 1988, Heath recorded Beethoven's Triple Concerto, Op. 56 (with members of the Trio Zingara as soloists) and Boccherini's Cello Concerto in G major, G480.[131]

[@MikeMize]

Agree about Revolver being a key Beatles album. I've always thought of it as the second half of the Rubber Soul-Revolver transition from the early pop music to the next few psychedelic albums. But the tax rates George wrote about were legitimate. Many Brits did move away because of the extremely high tax rates at the time. Switzerland was another place British Ex-Pats went. It's my understanding that the UK tax structure is much lower these days.

[@pennyredproductions]

Love this! The guitar riff in Taxman is very much ‘borrowed’ from the 1960’s Batman TV series

[@robertpetre9378]

This song users the famous Jimi Hendrix E9#7 chord that makes it sound very iconic.

[@MsAppassionata]

This song came out before Paul, or any of the others, had heard Hendrix.

[@shadshowadradna]

The actual count-in to the recording of the basic track, which I think was by Paul, is the one that can be heard in the background. On a subsequent overdub Paul did the jokey count-in, probably for no good reason while he was waiting for the track to start. As he wouldn't have known when the track was going to start, his count-in wasn't in time. He does a similar thing when they're waiting for the count-in on one of the takes for the Revolution promo - he impersonates the voice doing the count-in on the tape.

[@jonathanpoole5316]

Fantastic! Vlad can probably tell you if this is the first "Mod" tune (a style typified by bands like The Small Faces). If it's not THE first it's certainly one of the first. Rolling Stone were wrong either this album is a ten or the rest of the class are doing resits 😁OMG I am so excited about what's coming up in the near future! Maybe tomorrow, who knows? The Americans sent their recording engineers over to find out how this album was recorded because no-one could figure it out without a little help from their friends!

[@dougsusie2319]

George was always the perfectionist. He was struggling with the solo, Paul was getting irritated and pretty much said step aside, I got this. I can't remember your take on the solo but for me it has always sounded very Eastern influenced which what was George was all about. Wait till "I'm Only Sleeping" and George's backward guitar solo which he played straight and not the tape played backwards which would have been the easy way but George didn't roll that way. It took him like six hours to get it down. John and Paul got bored and walked out. They told George Martin to give them a ring when George had finished. I don't what mix of this Lp you're listening to but if it's the 2009 remaster, no! You want the 2022 remix, sounds incredible! By the way, I don't how Vlad is gonna pick a handful of songs from this Lp, not possible. Starting with this Lp, through "Abbey Road" just too much great material to pick like 5 songs off of a record. For me there's like 11 must listens on this one, maybe 10 at the least. One more thing, on the 2022 remix of this Lp on the bonus disc is the single "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" and they sound incredible like you've never heard them. This single was released several months before "Revolver" and "Rain" is one of the most important recordings in popular music history. This was John's first Beatles track recorded after both he and George started taking LSD and you can hear it, one of my favorite Beatles tracks ever. So many firsts on a recording ever were on this record including the first outdo with backwards vocals and music ever. John and George's guitars are so heavy and upfront and Paul's bass is amazing and quite possibly Ringo's greatest drumming on any Beatles record. There's a video you can find on U Tube titled "How The Beatles Recorded Rain", it's amazing, check it out. John always felt this song should have been the A-side over "Paperback Writer" and I 1,000% agree with him. He did go on to claim for The Beatles though as the greatest B-side ever and I fully agree John. If you two pass on this 2022 remix then you're cheating yourselves and you're cheating us, it's just too damn good! "Paperback Writer" sounds great but I can get by without it or as John stated."Just another Paul song about boring people living boring lives and writing about boring stuff". So, So John! 😂😂😂😂😂 Peace ❤❤ P.S. almost forgot the "Revolver" title came about from nothing more then a record revolves around on a turntable, simple as that. The Beatles never over thought Lp title's. Peace ❤❤

[@edwardkennelly677]

QUEEN: MARCH OF THE BLACK QUEEN

[@daveac]

I thought the into was to re-enforce that they have been in the studio recording for many hours or days and they are 'showing you behind the curtain' so to speak. As for the 1 for you & 19 I think refers to the fact at the time (in the 1960's) big earners paid up to 95% of their income to the Taxman

[@moitoi2547]

Fun fact : for the live in Japan concerts in 1992, George added lyrics about VAT which didin't exist in 1966. He also changed the names to Mr Major, Mr Yeltzin and Mr Bush, keeping Mr Heath who was still there!

[@IrradiatedPotato]

Yay! So excited that you've reached Revolver

[@BDizzleMySchnizzle]

I'm not even a big Beatles fan but the whole song is just sick.

[@dylanmcdermott1110]

0:26 I think everything changes with Rubber Soul, but Revolver is my favorite Beatles LP for almost 19 years now.

[@MrDiddyDee]

The count-in is the result of different sessions on different days. The slower and drawled one is overdubbed or edited on, and mostly masks the original backing track count-in picked up by the instrument mics. This second count in is in tempo and more enthusiastic, but the only number very clearly heard shouted is the 4, which is then very sharply cut off due to heavy compression and gating on the signal. Every aspect of every Beatles recording has been religiously poured over and dissected ever since their inception, and fans have fiercely debated for years about just which Beatle is doing those count-ins.

[@snailer06]

One for you, NINETEEN for me, that's 95% !! A lot of famous people left England in those days.

[@TedSchoenling]

Revolver and Rubber Soul are the best of the Beatles.. they went a new direction and it was game changing for the time.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

It’s sort of protest song and a litany of complaints song aka Dylan. Album begins with a George song and the sound is more confident and mature. The album really opens up and grows from here. Hope you do the whole album, it truly is one of the very best albums ever.

[@djardine2520]

Revolver and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds are the creative peaks of these two groups and were released 3 months apart from each other.

[@djardine2520]

Oh, and Dylan released Blonde on Blonde in between those two albums. What a time to be alive!

[@ВасилийНезнамнов]

Голос Джорджа иногда похож на голос Джона, но не в этом случае. Случай, когда я действительно срезался, думая, что это поёт Джон (около 40 лет назад, USSR -- почти никакой информации не было!) -- это песня "Blue Jay Way", где поёт Джордж (он же её и сочинил, конечно).

[@bengerson7064]

Though Paul played the guitar solos, the influence of Indian ragas performed on sitar, George's instrument on "Norwegian Wood" and other songs, is unmistakable.

[@adlermeni]

Paperback Writer? Rain?

[@stargazer_nzm2112]

Day Tripper?

[@adlermeni]

@@stargazer_nzm2112 She's a Woman?

[@adlermeni]

@@stargazer_nzm2112 She's a Woman?

[@TheUnknownSophy]

Is it not amazing, considering today's standards, that singles were not included on albums back then. Available money to purchase music was seen as scarce for most, and the attitude was that fans shouldn't have to pay twice. And of course everybody's record player handled the various speeds. You had your singles and your albums and it wasn't a problem then. But wouldn't the albums have been that much greater if those singles were on them?

[@ricardo_miguel13]

I think they could do more songs like Day Tripper, Yes It Is, Babys In Black, Not A Second Time, I'm Down, If I Needed Someone..Because those are interesting and great and they need to get to 150 songs, so if they leave them out they nearly have to do all from now onwards..

[@mateusdoria2487]

I wish we could listen along with her

[@rogerfrancoeur299]

When a new Beatles album came out you new two things . One it was going to be different and two ,you were going to love it. With Taxman they wasted no time being different with an intro with a slow count , coughing and some background noise . My first reaction was , that's cool ! Today peoples facial reaction are like , what the hell is that .? .

[@gordonbain]

That's George singing, Amy😏

[@Iomhar]

I can hardly wait for you to reach Tomorrow Never Knows...

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

Hell yeah. Now that you are into the good stuff be sure to listen to the modern mixes (2017-2024) of everything going forward. The old mixes are rough.

[@Moonie804]

Revolver, at last!!!!!! That's right, we're jumping into a new level here... ok, now I'm back to Amy's reaction 😊

[@michaelrosel1951]

Having said all of this albumn below: Consider the terriffic guitar masterpiece that is Taxman followed by the incomproably sublime Elenor Rigby with Here There and Everywhere, For No One, Got to Get You Into My Life and what might be my favorite Beatles song Your Bird Can Sing. Talk about guitar brilliance!

[@snailer06]

The count-in was probably meant to frame the WHOLE ALBUM, announcing a brand-new studio-created art-form, reversed tape and all.

[@stevenhiscoe7717]

To my mind, Taxman is the lull before the storm, hold on to your hat, Amy, the best is yet to come, enjoy.

[@Bryt25]

I think we were well-used to random sounds at the beginning of some of their songs, just noises from various 'takes.'

[@grilledspaghetti]

I'm pretty sure that opening is meant to be a throwaway thing, but we get a breakdown of it anyway. No detail too small. 😅

[@rippog1]

As an interesting side note to the taxman song The Jam did an almost carbon copy musically with a song called Start which charted at number 1 in the UK.

[@MsAppassionata]

That sound also features in Beck’s song “The New Pollution”.

[@campcrafter4613]

The British tax was unreal! Many groups lived outside of GP for periods of time because of taxation.

[@Uetti]

Well, I somehow expected at least another song from Rubber Soul before launching into Revolver, that one being If I Needed Someone. And maybe it would have been better to do the Paperback Writer/Rain songs before as well

[@patricknelson5151]

I am a bit distressed about skipping over Rain, a major milestone in their career and also one of the most significant building blocks in the movement toward “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

[@johnbadminton5713]

This music is ALL ABOUT the MUSIC!

[@violetflame5290]

I just discovered your channel from watching your analysis of Björk's Hyperballad and I loved it! I'd love to see you pick apart more of her music, she is a brilliant composer and by far my most favorite female composer of all time! 🙂 Stonemilker is a fantastic, heartbreakingly beautiful and classically inspired piece

[@toomdog]

George was the last voice I learned to distinguish. What I gathered that finally made the difference is if I always thought it was John, but there was just something not quite right about it, then it was George.

[@jnagarya519]

It was unusual to have social commentary in a popular song (Ray Davies/"The Kinks" were doing it). But it's pretty tame for those who've read Mark Twain.

[@WayneKitching]

From Wikipedia "The Schedular system and Schedules A and D still remain in force for corporation tax. The highest rate of income tax peaked in the Second World War at 99.25%. It was then slightly reduced and was around 90% through the 1950s and 60s. In 1971 the top rate of income tax on earned income was cut to 75%. " That's insane! I guess they were still recovering from WW2, so the government needed money.

[@strathman7501]

The top US federal income tax rate was also over 90% for about 20 years after WWII, falling to 70% in 1964.

[@alanhwalls]

The "Basic Rate" of Income Tax in the UK in 1966 was approximately 42% (8s.3d. in the pound...there being 20 shillings in a pound) . The majority of the UK population at the time would not have paid more than that. The basic rate is now down at 20%.

[@beholdmessiah6526]

George great vocals and killer track

[@garycameron8167]

The "taxman" riff was inspired by the theme song of the 60s TV version of "Batman" which George had heard

[@Richard2003]

People mention the similarity but I never heard that George had heard batman etc.

[@BigSky1]

@@Richard2003 Because he didn’t mention it.

[@BigSky1]

@@garycameron8167 I don’t recall George ever mentioning that.

[@spitfirenutspitfirenut4835]

@@BigSky1People come up with own stuff. This song has nothing to do with Batman. I’ve never over 50 years heard anything about George being influenced by Batman in relation to this song

[@botwitaprice]

I was hearing George in taxman; that dont mean he was by himself.

[@AyyyGabagool]

really on that beatles grind

[@barriehull7076]

Google: Was there ever a 90% tax rate in the US? The top individual marginal income tax rate tended to increase over time through the early 1960s, with some additional bumps during war years. The top income tax rate reached above 90% from 1944 through 1963, peaking in 1944, when top taxpayers paid an income tax rate of 94% on their taxable income.

[@Stratocus]

Can't wait to see what you make of Tomorrow Never Knows...

[@Chetab01]

Would it be possible to get around the copyright strikes by uploading your first listen to the songs in full, but cutting the audio and just having the lyrics / music on screen for us to follow along with visually? Or a version with instruments but no vocals? I really enjoy seeing your actual reaction as it happens, and wouldn’t mind missing the music. I’ve already heard it before! I can imagine it in my head with just the lyrics. And if anyone doesn’t find that 3 minute section interesting, they can skip ahead to your commentary

[@douglasnoren3348]

Listen to Helter skelter, that is also Paul playing lead….sounds similar!

[@stevencherny]

Guitar solo was Paul