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John Lennon Discusses ‘Revolver’ In Unearthed 1966 Interview

Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Klaus Voormann

The Beatles‘ sixth album Rubber Soul was an incredible leap forward in terms of lyrical maturity and songcraft.

Little did the world suspect the full-blown psychedelia of Revolver would arrive next.

In a May 11th, 1966 conversation with NME journalist Chris Hutchins’ John Lennon attempted to express what it was the Beatles were trying to achieve with their forthcoming seventh album.

What’s going to come out of the next recording sessions?” the journalist asked the Beatle.

Literally anything,” he replied.

Electronic music, jokes,” Lennon mused, “One thing’s for sure – the next LP is going to be very different.

John Lennon then related how the Beatles had initially wanted the new album will have no divisions between songs.

We wanted to have it so that there was no space between the tracks,” Lennon shared, “just continuous. But they wouldn’t wear it.

(The Fab Four would eventually get their way with Sgt. Peppers in 1967.)

Paul and I are very keen on this electronic music,” John then states of the tape recording experiments he and Paul McCartney had recently been conducting at home on portable tape recorders. “You make it clinking a couple of glasses together or with bleeps from the radio, then you loop the tape to repeat the noises at intervals. Some people build up whole symphonies from it!”

Lennon, of course, hadn’t started to write any songs yet, something he readily admits has left fellow Beatle George Harrison more than a little miffed.

Paul and I ought to get down to writing some songs for the new LP next week,” he confesses, “I hope he and Jane Asher aren’t going away or God knows when we’ll be ready to record. George thought we’d written them and were all ready. That’s why he came dashing back from his honeymoon and we hadn’t got a thing ready. We’ll have to get started.

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