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Professor: Revolver Evolved Beatles, Still Influencing Music |
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Vicki L. Kroll |
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Oct 24, 2002 |
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| Dr. Russell Reising |
All you need is Revolver. That’s what Dr. Russell Reising’s new book wants to tell you. He notes the 1966 album will take listeners “here, there and virtually everywhere popular music can travel.”
The UT professor of English is the editor of ‘Every Sound There Is’: The Beatles’ Revolver and the Transformation of Rock and Roll, released by Ashgate Publishing Co. this summer. The 278-page book features 14 chapters penned by literary and music scholars, musicians, social scientists, librarians and students attempting to define what makes the Fab Four’s LP timeless.
“I wasn’t a huge Beatles fan until I heard Rubber Soul. That really knocked me for a loop,” Reising recalled. “When Revolver came out, it really changed how I thought about popular music. Even at age 13, I knew it was something remarkable. Many people who listened to Revolver had the same experience — jaw-dropping awe.”
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| The Beatles in 1966 |
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr seemingly started another revolution with Revolver. Since it hit turntables 36 years ago, it has continued to spin its song cycle for new generations — and helped shape the path of popular music.
“I’m very confident in my thinking that Revolver is the most significant release in the history of pop music,” Reising said.
He’s not alone. The Oct. 17 issue of Rolling Stone reported results of a poll that asked readers to name their top 10 albums — more than 23,000 responded and Revolver was voted No. 1. And last year the record was named the greatest rock ‘n’ roll album of all time by VH1.
Reising was approached about putting together a book exploring the landmark release after presenting a panel called “Happiness Is a Warm Gun: Revolver and the Transformation of Rock and Roll” at the Beatles 2000 conference in Jyväskylä, Finland. “It was a no-brainer. There I was in the middle of Finland with Beatles scholars from all over the world,” he said. “By the time I came home, I had about half of the contributors arranged.” The writers range in age from 20 to 60-plus and hail from around the globe.
The book contains four sections. The first analyzes influences on Revolver and the album’s subsequent influences on music. The recording’s musicality — chords, harmonies and tonal relationships — is discussed in the second section. The next five chapters are dedicated to the four band members and producer George Martin and look at what each contributed to the record. The last section offers thematic interpretations of the album in its entirety.
Reising edited the submissions and wrote the introduction and the last chapter titled “‘It Is Not Dying’: Revolver and the Birth of Psychedelic Sound.” “I argue that this is the first rock and roll album where all songs interact with each other and push to a big ending,” he said. While none of the tracks seem related musically, they are related thematically, Reising said. In the book, he wrote, “…Revolver articulates an evolutionary dialogue intended to encompass all of human experience and parallels the primary effects attributed to psychedelic experience.”
Conducting research for this project was enjoyable for Reising. “When I was writing the book, I listened to the album three or four times a week, like that dog with an ear to the speaker,” he said. “I listened to it differently — sitting back, staring at the speakers to get the overall impression of the album, not thinking of lyrics, but hearing the transitions and sounds from song to song. Other times I would listen to the lyrics and repeat songs to get to the heart of the composition.”
Why have fans taken the Beatles and their music to heart for so many years? “It’s what people are still hearing on the radio. I’m sharing my first cultural music experience with my kids,” Reising said. “I also think the Beatles — like Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix — the scope and complexity of their work and instrumental and lyrical virtuosity as composers and musicians are exceptional.”
Reising’s next volume will explore Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Reising will sign copies of ‘Every Sound There Is’: The Beatles’ Revolver and the Transformation of Rock and Roll on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. at Thackeray’s Books, 3301 W. Central Ave.
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