Good observation. Seems like they turned the corner with Rubber Soul. Each album after that has it's own identity & unique in it's own way. Their song writing got a lot deeper.
I Want You/She's So Heavy was one of Jays first reactions, before Amber joined the channel. He was still in his Rap Only mindset...he wasnt ready for it yet...he hated it. LOL. He would love it now that his ears have matured.
Remember that within the span of 4 years, the Beatles went from songs line I Want to Hold Your Hand to songs like this… There will never be another group with the combination of talent, cultural impact and legacy like the Beatles.
Mostly because in their days, there wasn't much supply to the public, in terms of choice. And I'm happy that I can now create and maintain my own unique musical taste.
When The Beatles were together they changed and evolved in their look and sound. Listening to their progression over the years, you'd think you were hearing many different bands. They released this during the Vietnam War.
@@Tijuanabill , Time between their first studio album to last: *7 Years!* BTW just made pretty much the same point as yours on the _Eleanor Rigby_ vid. Mind blowing how productive and artistic they were in such a small span! 🤯
"Oh Darling", "Dear Prudence", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "A Day In The Life", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "She's Leaving Home", "Eleanor Rigby", "Here, There, & Everywhere", "We Can Work It Out".
In 1968 when this came out of your transistor or car radio, it was like an air raid siren, it made people's jaws drop and the hair on your arms stand up. People were absolutely shocked. Especially because their previous single had been "Lady Madonna" kind of an old timey Fifties piano rocker.
THE BEATLES' SONG "REVOLUTION" I am a 72-year-old, Oklahoma-born member of the Baby Boom generation. So, I'm happy you guys made your way to the Beatles, and that you like them so much. I'm also a retired history professor, by the way, so I can explain the social context of "Revolution." You were right to ask questions about that song in relation to the wider society. The Vietnam War stirred up lots of controversy, as you know. The US Government was drafting college kids like me to go fight in an unpopular war in Asia. There were demonstrations, large and small, on virtually every college campus in the US. At Kent State University in Ohio, the National Guard fired on student demonstrators, killing some demonstrators, but also killing students just walking to their classes. But even off-campus, there was a general atmosphere of hostility toward college students all over the country. The Hippies, or flower children, were just one reaction on the part of college students. They were a peace-loving group, as you know. They believed that marijuana is a kind of sacrament that helps create a sense of inner peace just by smoking it. Instead of fighting back, they believed in dropping out of society, and building communes in rural areas where everything was shared equally. But there were also student radicals who wanted to wage war against the US Government. The radicals sometimes trashed, and even bombed, campus buildings that housed ROTC programs, or anything to do with the military or national defense. You could see the radicals at anti-war demonstrations. Some wore jeans jackets with Mao Tse Tung buttons bearing the profile of the Chinese Communist dictator. They also favored rimless glasses like John Lennon's. The radicals sometimes tried to whip the crowd into a physical confrontation with police at peace demonstrations. So, the Beatles produced their song, "Revolution," at that political moment. They recorded it in 1968, an historical turning point in the US, and many other countries around the world, as well. That was the year of the Tet Offensive when North Vietnamese forces broke into Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam, the country the US supported. Until that time, many believed that President Johnson was sincere when he kept saying the war was almost over. US forces would soon win. But American TV news crews filmed the North Vietnamese forces running wild in the streets, executing people right in front of the cameras. Many Americans turned against the Vietnam War at that point, and stopped believing what the US Government told them about the war, and anything else for that matter. That same year, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were murdered, and President Johnson declined to run for president again, even though he had won by an historic landslide just four years earlier. Many young people became highly radicalized. Some draft-age men fled to Canada. Others dropped out of society and joined communes. A few joined violent groups like the Symbionese Liberation Army, or the Students for a Democratic Society, or the Black Panthers, all of which committed violent acts, especially bank robberies, to finance their "revolution." The Beatles first version of their song "Revolution" addressed that situation peacefully, repeatedly emphasizing in the chorus that "you know, it's gonna be alright." In other words, "You don't need to overthrow the government, things will eventually calm down." Then, there's the heart of the matter: "When you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out." And they put the radicals down by saying that, "if you're carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you're not gonna make it with anyone anyhow." It may seem strange today, even unbelievable, but in 1968, millions of college-age youth not only hoped that the US Government would be overthrown, they were counting on it. They could not imagine living in a society in their adult years like the one they grew up in; and neither the government nor their parents had any influence on them. The youth could have gone in any number of terrible directions; but in the late 1960s many looked to the Beatles as their leaders, believing that they could guide them into a new era, a complete change in society. The Beatles knew that, of course, but they did not want that responsibility. McCartney gave an interview at that time, saying that the Beatles didn't want political power, they just wanted to create some positive influence in society through their music. Nonetheless, the Beatles could not escape from the expectations of so many millions of young people, and with "Revolution," they tried to steer the youth in a positive direction. The young radicals put so much pressure on the Beatles, though, that they had to release a second version of the song, the one you played on your channel. Listen to the lyrics closely when Lennon says, "You can count me out." After that, he turns his head away from the mic, and in a softer voice says the single word, in." In other words, "You can count me out of the destruction, but also possibly "in," depending on the circumstances." By that time, even many Hippies, the peace-lovers, would not criticize the radicals. The world looked so bad to them that it wasn't reasonable, in their minds, to think that peace alone could bring reform. The Hippies didn't want to be violent themselves, but if violence was the only solution, then the radicals just had to go that way. If the Beatles had not inserted the word, "in," they would have lost credibility with many young people. "Revolution" is more complex and subtle than some might imagine. You were both taken aback by the song's heavy metal groove. But you may also have noticed the electronic distortion. The radicals loved that kind of music, so the Beatles were opposing the radicals' extreme views by using the same style of music they, themselves, preferred. You know, the Beatles were not a band by any normal definition of that word, even though their music had no rival, and is still much admired. They were a global force. At their peak, the establishment news media often referred to them as "the most famous people in the world." President Nixon was so afraid of John Lennon's influence with young people that he tied him up in court for years when he first applied for a US visa. And when Lennon was killed, every major government in the world issued a press release mourning his death, even the Soviet Union. No other human on the planet had his stature at that time. Even now, there are statues of the Beatles in countries all over the world, including some obscure ones most people never heard of.
I was born in 1963 and remember watching television in between my cartoons containing nothing but news about Vietnam. I would always ask my mom if I had to go there when I grew up? I have never forgotten those images…
The fucking Democratic Socialists like Bernie, AOC, and that fuckwit Rashida Tlaib ....and Trans activists corrupting children ...and BLM thugs advocating racial division and destruction and looting--along with the current crop of neo Marxist anti Semitic punks holding up posters of Chairman Mao and Che Guavera and Hamas terrorist butchers... and the left wing crazies like Just Stop Oil should learn a thing or two from this song.
There's a reason they are considered the best rock band in history. They did it ALL. and TONS OF IT. The ouput in 8 years in unmatched in history. The evolution of the sound.....EVERYTHING.
It completely blew my mind when I found out they did everything they did before a single member was 30 years old (RIngo and John were 29, Paul and George were like 27)
@@CharlieJ69 I've loved the Beatles my whole life and still never realised this until recently (when I was a relatively decrepit 31 lol, which was humbling...)
their use of reverb and distortion is wicked cool on this track. innovative in every which way it can be with the lyrics, too. this truly was a revolution. a 1960's revolution in the sound of music to our hearts, minds, and ears. God bless these fellows from across the pond.
The Beatles were so diverse in the music they played. You still haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg of their catalog of music. A hundred years from now people will still be playing their music, while today's most popular musicians will long be forgotten.
Please do the album version. Almost ALWAYS with EVERY band. This song didn't have to "shoo bee doo wops" in it when we were hearing it back when it came out.
I believe The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin will be played 200 years from now. They may not be played on recordings, but musicians will still be playing the music in some form.
@@mgj1s479 The album version, assuming you mean from the "White Album", is played at a slower tempo and does have the "shoo bee doo wops". So, it has a different "feel" than the version that was released on the flip side of the Hey Jude 45.
"Helter Skelter" with Paul McCartney on vocals will blow your mind, too! One of the first Heavy Metal songs! Paul said he was inspired to write it after reading an interview with The Who's Pete Townsend, who said their song "I Can See For Miles" was the loudest, rawest song Tho Who ever did at that time. Another hard rocker from The Beatles is "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey". I love the title!
Was that the song by, The Who, that Paul felt he had to top? Sounds right to me. Whenever I hear Sir Paul talking about it, he recalls it was a Who song, but he can't remember which one.
@@jackhogston6119 Your 6th grade teacher was very wrong. I'm in my early 30s, and my dad got me into The Beatles. Now, my son knows about them. They are a cross-generational phenomenon.
Beatles are GOAT. They hit the scene like an atom bomb and blew everything that came before them out of our consciousness They led an entire generation through a decade of music, style, and culture - everyone tried to be like them. They constantly reinvented themselves too - they were highly innovative and pioneered many sounds and techniques of modern music. As soon as you thought you had them figured out, they released another single or album with all new styles and sounds. Nobody since has had that kind of impact.
This song addressed the mood of the times in a very mature and level headed way. The war in Viet Nam was such a divisive issue that many young people were being radicalized to the extent that overthrowing the government was a serious consideration for many. "Revolution" was a wake up call that that wasn't a realistic solution. It's difficult for folks today to get a real grasp of how important The Beatles were to not just the music, but also to the culture and politics of the times.
The Rolling Stones song Street Fighting Man was released around the same time and was a slightly different attitude or response towards all the 1968 turmoil that was going on in America and in Europe
Hey guys, I'm a Beatles fanatic and I've said one time before, you really need to do a deep dive on the Beatles and listen to their entire catalog in chronological order so you can see the growth and change in just 8 years (1962-1970).
You're absolutely right, but it will never happen except on small channels. It should, but it won't. Check out, for example the channel "Call Me Caroline." She did that.
Agreed Dave! I like to think about the difference in just three years from Love Me Do in '63 to Tomorrow Never Knows in '66. and isn't it fun watching these guys reacting to their first exposure to these songs?! 😁✌💛
It's amazing to think that a "music video" (before that term was invented) for a song with such energy and tight editing could've been made way back in 1968!
One of my favorite songs from the Beatles is; "Paperback Writer". I'm not sure how "Rockin'" it is but, it is definitely one of their more uptempo songs. I love it. 😃
John Lennon got the heavily distorted guitar sound by plugging it directly into the recording console instead of an amplifier. This was strictly forbidden, and if it were anyone other than The Beatles they would have been kicked out of the studio.
Plugging directly into the board doesn’t itself give you overdrive. That’s not how the circuit works. You would have to overdrive the preamp on the board. Plugging a guitar directly into the board wouldn’t harm anything, actually a lot of bass is recorded exactly that way.
This sounds slightly different than the studio version, but with the Beatles, any version (live or studio) is going to be awesome...so it doesn't matter.
That's because for a live version John couldn't sing and to the initial scream. And they included the background vocals from the version from the White Album, part of the way through.
@@samzilla1281 This late in the game, there weren't playing live much. There is no actual crowd shown here. This isn't truly live, it's a music video where the scene being set is a live show. All the girls screaming ruined the sound, and Beatlemania meant they couldn't go anywhere without a stampede of teenage girls ruining everything. Most bands would have retired with their millions. Instead they worked 60 hour plus weeks in the studio, making all those great later records.
Guys, so pleased you’re enjoying The Beatles, they are truly amazing and their legacy will live forever. Just like to add this is a LIVE performance 😊 there’s also a slower tempo acoustic version on the Beatles “White Album” for you to contrast 😊 enjoy guys
I'm not sure, Jay and Amber, if you are ready for "Tomorrow Never Knows" yet... Yes you've done "Strawberry Fields" and "Walrus" yet I'd really love it if you guys did an LP reaction to "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper". JMO😀
This song was paired as a single with “Hey Jude” when it was released in 1968. That was the most tumultuous year of the 1960s, one of the most turbulent decades in modern history. In that one year, both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated within two months of each other. The war in Vietnam escalated with the Tet Offensive (which proved that America was not going to win the war), and the anti-war movements in America started to become more militant. The Black Panthers and Black Power movements began to eclipse MLK’s traditionally non-violent civil rights ideology, and race riots broke out in cities across America (largely in response to his assassination). Young people across the country were shutting down and taking over their college campuses to protest the draft, most famously at Columbia University in NYC. And on top of it all, it was a presidential election year and outside of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago the police beat down, brutalized and bloodied anti-war protesters live on national television. Similar unrest was unfolding around the world as the baby boomer youth population started to rise up against the establishment. It was against this backdrop that John Lennon wrote the song “Revolution”. He was acknowledging the need for change, but saying he wouldn’t support violence as a means of achieving that goal: “When you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out.” Just to give you guys historical reference to what was happening in the world at the time.
Well said! Over the next few years tons of songs about peace and understanding, love and brotherhood, and "why can't we all get along?" would be written, recorded and released as a result of 1968.
Right in between the assassinations of MLK and RFK was May 1968, which is when John and Paul went to NY to announce Apple Corps. That's also the day and the city where I was born, which is how I remember it.
But on the acoustic version on the White Album he sang -- as he did here -- "Don't you know that you can count me out ... in!" It's the dichotomy of man.
Well put , It was also the height of the Cold War between the USSR , Moa Zedong China and the US. Anti establishment songs were rampant and even many "none protest" songs were viewed as " revolution songs. ie "run thru the jungle and Party in the streets....
The early Beatles took jobs working in pubs and clubs in Germany. They ended up playing 10-12 hours a day with few breaks. This made them a really tight band and also made them into great musicians who were very in tune with each other. That is why they were so fun to watch live and why they were so tight.
And that's why most of the songs/artist aren't as good today. The music industry puts together bands/groups, instead of waiting for them to be properly seasoned.
Maybe it’s not in a version they have today, but the opening clip is of a penguin waving its flippers. It was a play on Disney’s wonderful world of color. That show always started with fireworks in lots of colors. The movie was in black and white.
The Beatles ROCKED!!! They basically could play/sing anything from jazz, to pop, rock, ballads, you name it and they adjusted their style and vocals to match. As previously stated, check out Helter Skelter, She's So Heavy, and many others.
The nicest thing about watching you guys (as someone who already lived through a whole bunch of your discoveries), is the joy they bring you too. I’m beginning to think I was lucky
Amber NEEDS to hear She's So Heavy, another all time Beatles Banger that still rattles my cage 53 years later. Those guys could flat out rock and they prove how potent they could be on tunes such as these. Come on, play it for her!!! Enjoy. 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
@@johnvillanova9984 BUT Amber did not hear it and he would not remember it, it was so early in his reactions he was not very savvy or experienced with rock, with Amber his experience probably would be much better, I know mine would.
@@DaveF. That song was a seminal moment in Rock when it ended side 1 of Abbey Road, I know, a bunch of us listened to that album when it was released and I know we were blown away by that track and the album as a whole, amazing stuff.
The craziest part about the beatles is that john, paul and George were childhood friends. Three teenage friends started a band and they became the damn beatles. Not sure you'll ever see magic like that again.
Howdy Jay and Amber. I love you two and enjoy the music of my favorite band The Beatles. I'm in Tampa Florida and used to listen to this song every morning at home room in high school. Over flow put home room in the cafeteria and they had a juke box , This was 1968. They always played Revolution and Bee Gees Got to get a message to You. No one can touch the Beatles for their genius and ability to change the world through their music. Now at 70 years old I still can never stop listening to them. Keep on Rocking. I appreciate each day of life because tomorrow is not promised. Peace and Love.
It's been over 20 years since Beetlemania, and I've heard Revolutions countless times, but today I found another attraction of Revolutions. That's amazing, Beatles😇
The Beatles were, and still are the best band to ever come along. They are the yard-stick by which all other bands are compared, or compare themselves to. They changed music. They changed the whole culture. They changed history. They influenced every band. Every genre. Every generation re-discovers them and there's no denying how great they were. A person may have a more favorite band that they like better personally, but no one has a better band. Those don't and never have existed. I'm thankful that I lived during the time of The Beatles music. And they covered so much ground in their short time. They played all the early rock & roll that they were influenced by, and did it better than anybody. They progressed so fast. They innovated in composing and recording. They innovated technology. They influenced how we dressed, wore our hair, talked, thought. It's so far reaching. They were definitely the 'classical' music leaders of their day, and whose influence is being felt here some nearly 60 years ago. They kept evolving constantly. Their goal was to never repeat themselves, where most entertainers would stay with what was a hit for them, and try to reproduce it.
@@cirrustate8674 Er...no they weren't. Queen were talented in their own way, and their best work was the majestic "Bohemian Rhapsody". BUT they don't come close to the Beatles for consistent quality of music and the impact they had on not only music, but fashion, art and pop culture in general. And the inspiration they gave to other artists who followed after. Queen had no such influence. Nor did any other musician you can put forward. The Beatles were out on their own. Listen mate, when it's said that there's the Beatles- a 20 mile space - and then the rest - we mean it. There's a solid reason for it. It's not just rhetoric.
This is my favourite Beatles record today, then it will be something else tomorrow, and so on, they wrote music for every day and mood, the perfect band.
Never saw this exact version before -- what fun to see them rock out. That final 'All Right!' always reminded me of someone's mother screaming at their kid to turn that noise down.
The Beatles were larger than life, to the generation who grew up with them. From mild to wild. They and the Rolling Stones are the soundtracks of the lives for those of us that grew up in the sixties. There were lots of great bands and artists, but those 2 bands were the greatest.
Rolling stones overrated! And Dylan can sing for squat. And I'm from same generation as you. Much more talented bands, like Pink Floyd. Dylan great writer, lousy singer.
I agree that Helter Skelter rocks out but so does Birthday. They also do a version of Revolution that's way slower, but I like it and is worth a listen to hear the difference.
The original version was on The White Album. It was more of an easy "shoo-be-doo-wop" 50's style rock-n-roll song. John wanted that version to be the B-side single for Hey Jude, but Paul and George argued that it was too "lightweight" to release as a single. So they remade it as a smoking rocker that would get people's attention.
The most creative Artistic band on this planet... Beatles have always been very Electrical, right from their first album.. I absolutely love these musical genus!! They really magic!
There is a message in every Beatles song. Some more obvious than others, but that's one of the things that made them so great. They were speaking for a generation that wanted the same things they did. Completely antiwar, always. Peace, Love & Rock & Roll 💓Amber~ I so love your hair!
After listening to you guys reacting to many records, I have to say, that you have the best RUclips channel out there. I'm a musician who is 71 and have listened to and watched hundreds of videos, no other channel is as entertaining and sincere as you guys. Love you both. Keep it up my young friends. I know this video was posted almost a year ago but, I still had to comment. Like I said "Love you both !!!!
This is definitely one of the heaviest guitar sounds on a Beatles recording. John Lennon wanted the guitars to be deliberately overloaded on the mixing console, which would have been considered equipment abuse back then. But they were the Beatles and if they wanted it, it was going to be done and nobody was going to argue!
It's great to see and hear younger generations really appreciating what all of us 'oldies' have known since about 1963. Glad I stumbled on this today - but this song, in particular, blows me away every time I hear it and watch the video. There goes my afternoon - I'm putting it on repeat (again, again......)
"Revolution" and "Helter Skelter" are the most rockin' Beatles tunes. Great choice!!! This is the first time I've ever heard those adlibs. They aren't in the original version.
They took that from the "Revolution 1" version from the "White Album". The 1965 track "I'm down" (B-side from "Help") is basically just as heavy. Doesn't have the advanced sound of 1968 yet, but McCartney presents rock shouter qualities unrivaled at the time.
He doesn't say "But when you talk about destruction, don't you know, that you can count me out". What he says is "But when you talk about destruction, don't you know, that you can count me out/in".
You should listen to "Helter Skelter" and "Oh Darling". The Beatles had it all ... you can never go wrong with them! I was lucky enough to grow up with them ... what a great time to be alive!!
I could honestly watch the two of you discover music all day long. You have a great appreciation for artists across all genre. Keep doing what you are doing and thank you! I especially loved your reaction(s) as you discovered some of Bruce Springsteen's performances - it was like sharing music with my daughter as she was growing up.
The Beatles had many different sides, and that was part of their brilliance. Other more rockin' songs to check out: Back in the USSR, Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey, Rain, She's So Heavy, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Birthday. Just to name a few.
This (and Hey Jude) was performed for British (and later US) television. The vocals were "live" but the instrumental backing was from the record. On the record John did the opening scream, but for this John felt that he wouldn't be able to go from the scream to the first verse, so Paul filled in. BTW, this is the single version. There is a slower version on "The White Album".
They may have played it faster here. I don't know. But the word "in" was included, which is for me the big difference for me. The Album version had "Don't you know that you can count me out - in." The single version omitted "in."
Inspired by political protests in early 1968, Lennon's lyrics expressed sympathy with the need for social change but doubt in regard to the violent tactics espoused by members of the New Left. Despite his bandmates' reservations, he persevered with the song and insisted it be included on their next single. When released in August, the song was viewed by the political left as a betrayal of their cause and a sign that the Beatles were out of step with radical elements of the counterculture. The release of "Revolution 1" in November indicated Lennon's uncertainty about destructive change, with the phrase "count me out" recorded instead as "count me out - in". Lennon was stung by the criticism he received from the New Left and subsequently espoused the need for Marxist revolution, particularly with his 1971 single "Power to the People". In one of the final interviews he gave before his death in 1980, however, he reaffirmed the pacifist sentiments expressed in "Revolution". The song peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and topped singles charts in Australia and New Zealand. The Beatles filmed a promotional clip for the single version, which introduced a new, leaner and more direct public image of Lennon. "Revolution" has received praise from several music critics, particularly for the intensity of the band's performance and the heavily distorted guitar sound on the recording. In 1987, the song became the first Beatles recording to be licensed for a television commercial, which prompted a lawsuit from the surviving members of the group. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Thompson Twins, who performed it at Live Aid in July 1985, and Stone Temple Pilots. n early 1968, media coverage in the aftermath of the Tet Offensive spurred increased protests in opposition to the Vietnam War, especially among university students. The protests were most prevalent in the United States, and on 17 March, 25,000 demonstrators[6] marched to the American embassy in London's Grosvenor Square and violently clashed with police.[7] Major protests concerning other political issues made international news, such as the March 1968 protests in Poland against their communist government, and the campus uprisings of May 1968 in France. The upheaval reflected the increased politicisation of the 1960s youth movement and the rise of New Left ideology, in a contrast with the hippie ideology behind the 1967 Summer of Love. For these students and activists, the Maoist idea of cultural revolution, purging society of its non-progressive elements, provided a model for social change. By and large, the Beatles had avoided publicly expressing their political views in their music, with "Taxman" being their only overtly political track thus far. Viewed as leaders of the counterculture, the band - particularly John Lennon - were under pressure from Leninist, Trotskyist and Maoist groups to actively support the revolutionary cause. Lennon decided to write a song about the recent wave of social upheaval while the Beatles were in Rishikesh, India, studying Transcendental Meditation.[16] He recalled, "I thought it was about time we spoke about it, the same as I thought it was about time we stopped not answering about the Vietnamese war [in 1966]. I had been thinking about it up in the hills in India." Lennon began writing the song there and completed it in England in May, inspired especially by events in France. Chairman Mao Zedong is referenced in the song. Despite Lennon's antiwar feelings, he had yet to become anti-establishment, and expressed in "Revolution" that he wanted "to see the plan" from those advocating toppling the system. In author Mark Hertsgaard's description, the lyrics advocate social change but emphasise that "political actions [should] be judged on moral rather than ideological grounds". The repeated phrase "it's gonna be alright" came directly from Lennon's Transcendental Meditation experiences in India, conveying the idea that God would take care of the human race no matter what happened politically. Another influence on Lennon was his burgeoning relationship with avant-garde artist Yoko Ono and her espousal of sexual politics as an alternative to Maoist ideas and other hardline philosophies adopted by the political left. Lennon credited Ono with awakening him from his passive mindset of the previous year. Around the fourth week of May 1968, the Beatles met at Kinfauns, George Harrison's home in Esher, to demonstrate their compositions to each other in preparation for recording their next studio album. A recording from that informal session released in the White Album's Super Deluxe version shows that "Revolution" had two of its three verses intact. The lines referencing Mao Zedong - "But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao / You ain't gone make it with anyone anyhow"- were added in the studio. While filming a promotional clip later that year, Lennon told director Michael Lindsay-Hogg that it was the most important lyric in the song. By 1972, Lennon had changed his mind, saying: "I should have never said that about Chairman Mao."
I agreed with earlier Lennon that the line about Chairman Mao was the most important. I still think that today, and I still want to see the "plan" for what the people who *still* want to topple everything will build in its place.
John Lennon was a deeply unhappy man and a tortured soul. He was physically abusive to his first wife (and girlfriends before her), emotionally abusive to his first son, Julian, and a serial philanderer. Politically, he meandered quite a bit, too. The man who was Lennon's personal assistant the last few years of his life has claimed that Lennon privately expressed admiration and support for Ronald Reagan in 1980 before his death, though others in Lennon's inner circle have denied this. That's a story we will never really know the truth about.
If you want to see these guys have goofball fun, watch their movie, Hard Days Night. It is a landmark film, not just for them, but the industry as well. And for some screaming rock-n-roll - Helter Skelter.
Extraordinary keyboards by the 5th Beatle Billy Preston. The song started as a slow song by John for the White Album. Then the video for the Smother Brothers Show was this version.
the flip side of Hey Jude single, got almost as much airplay in 1968. double sided hit. the Beatles were about total variety instead of just one style. Many people do not get that anymore.
I would suggest y’all do a reaction to the so called “Long One” medley from side two of the Abbey Road album. You have to listen to the whole thing to get the full effect of how it was mixed to make a few different songs meld together into a masterful ending to a great album. The sequence begins with "You Never Give Me Your Money," then continues with "Sun King," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Polythene Pam," "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window," "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End." Then stay around for the little ditty Her Majesty as the album wraps up.
@@teknikel So very true. Probably should just load the US version and scroll ahead to YNGMYM and let er rip. It’s always distracted me hearing the versions where Her Majesty wasn’t at the end.
@@pauldevito7476 I don't mind Her Majesty being in it as much as it is a very incomplete version of the medley production wise with a lot of stuff missing that is in the final mix.
Abbey Road is a great album. The back side or side 2, flows from song to song and is just gorgeous sonically and lyrically. Not as wild as The White Album, but better in my opinion. Side 1 is equally as strong, but each tune stands on its own.
The Beatles reinvented themselves and their music many times as they grew personally and musically. It was part of their genius, and why they lasted so long as performers.
The Beatles changed the world - it’s hard to imagine just how talented and influential they were unless you lived through it Best song - Golden Slumber/Carry That Weight/The End. One song with 3parts - I believe it was the last song on the last album they recorded
There's always some band that is lauded as more popular or better record sales but sorry there will NEVER be another band like them. They are also the only band to ever have the top 5 spots on the record charts at the same time. THE MOST influential band in music history and they were popular right across all generations. There is NO other band that even that can be said for.
Unfortunately, the Beatles have now been surpassed by ,of all artists that have been a part of the rock genre, Taylor Swift...she had all ten of the top ten slots on the Billboard charts. I weep for the future and musical tastes of the world at having to actually post this.
@@hotbloodedtexn While that is true, it's not an apples to apples comparison. What the Beatles did in 1964, with all top 5 spots, is different because they released all of those songs as singles at different times, and people had to go out and buy them, and they had to sustain popularity. What Taylor Swift did was release an album and the top 10 songs made the top 10 in the first week, because it's about streaming now. If they had streaming in the Beatles days, rest assured, they'd have had the top 10 spots at some point, probably multiple times.
But objectivity speaking, no band has ever been more popular or or had better record sales. The Beatles, still to this day, hold the record for most number 1 hits with 20 (in just 7 short years) and are the best selling music act of all time.
Some of my fav John Beatle songs are - Glass onion - In my Life - Julia - Norweigen Wood - Happiness is a Warm Gun - Strawberry Fields - I'm only Sleeping - Girl - Tomorrow never Knows - Dear Prudence - And your Bird can Sing - A Day in the Life . Among others.
Revolution, was a Vietnam war protest song. John Lennon became increasingly vocal against the war, to the point President Nixon had him kicked out of the country, fearing Lennon’s criticism had caused the younger generation to question our government actions in Southeast Asia. Nixon had an “enemies list” and John Lennon was on it. Revolution was emblematic for the Vietnam era, and certainly got the public’s attention. A great song from a great band, whom despised the destruction of war. Thanks guys, for reacting to it. ✌️
It was also a protest song against the violent protestors of the Vietnam War. Lennon's lyrics expressed sympathy with the need for social change but doubt in regard to the violent tactics espoused by members of the "New Left." the song was viewed by the political left as a betrayal of their cause and a sign that the Beatles were out of step with radical elements of the counterculture. Lennon was stung by the criticism he received from the New Left and subsequently espoused the need for Marxist revolution, particularly with his 1971 single "Power to the People". In one of the final interviews he gave before his death in 1980, however, he reaffirmed the pacifist sentiments expressed in "Revolution". All you have to do is listen to the lyrics to see Lennon's views "When you talk about destruction don't you know you can count me out", "But if you want money for people with minds that hate, All I can tell you is brother you have to wait", "But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow" etc.
@@nataliestclair6176 Absoulutely, this song was a reaction against the excesses of the radicals of the 60's. It's one thing to be against the Vietnam War, it's another thing to think Chairman Mao is the guy to follow.
@@nataliestclair6176 in truth this song is an "anti-protest song", criticizing the Radical Left of the time (the Maoists in France, May 1968) about its violent protests, Lennon's view was pacifist (somewhat romantic, politically utopian), the Radical Left would call this song as a reactionary song. There was no such idea or term of "New Left" at the time, this was a marginal or a group without relevance, until the late 1980s the idea of the classic European division of Left and Right (lesse in US) was still quite strong in Europe and the rest of the World, we are talking about the vision of a British man (European) at that time. Only when Lennon fixed in the US after the separation of the Beatles (1970s), due to racism against Yoko in England, he gets more involved with these US counterculture groups through Yoko. This song is from 1968. People read "Revolution" and many think this is a song calling "Revolution" but not, things of John. P.S. maybe in Beatles Anthology you could read or hear about ir or in books about Beatles songs (find the Mark Lewisohn's books about Beatles, he is the main biographer of the band).
"I'm Down" is a hard rockin early Beatles track that I really like ( I think it was the B-side to Help) . For some strange reason it gets ignored , but it's original and really great !
One reason is, that they almost always played it pretty sloppily live. While e.g. "She's a woman" is much more energetic in almost every live version, than the studio version and also the genre-identical cover of "Long tall Sally" was usually really intoxicating live, they have it with "I'm down", for whatever reason, usually just played...down.
Nothing like a Paul scream is there. They could change their sound anytime they wanted from song to song on the same album it just amazes we just how good they really were and far they came in 8 short years.
I watched the studio version on RUclips some months ago and laughed when I saw that the first thing I read in the comments underneath gave the timestamp for that and said "RIP all headphone users"! But this version is a fair bit meatier!
The Beatles totally rocked out! Especially when they played live. George Harrison once said " With all of that Beatlemania stuff going about I was sad that people ignored the fact that we were a really good rock and roll band.".
I never used to listen to much of The Beatles growing up, because of the notion of Beatlemania, and I thought listening to them would be to follow the hype train, which I don't like. The more I listen to them though, the more I appreciate them for their musical talent. They're genuinely good musicians, I like The Beatles, but I don't like the hype or Beatlemania.
They first came to the U.S., Brian had cleaned up their look so much it was assumed "oh what nice boys" - little did people know they had been typical young men who drank and had sex.
Some great Lennon moments: "I'm Down" at Shea Stadium, and their studio version of "Twist and Shout", recorded in one take at the end of a 10+ hour session
I think this is my favorite Beatles song ever! I used to have this on a 45. It was the “B” side for “Hey Jude”. Lyrics, guitar, attitude. It has it all. Love the crunchy overdrive.
You gotta hit Helter Skelter, Back in the USSR, Come Together. This was the end of the Beatles as they rocked harder and gpt away from their lovey dovey stuff that they did in the beginning, like 8 days a week, cant buy me love etc... . Nothing wrong with that, but at the end of their reign they were edgier and harder rocking.
I see the recommendations flying in and they're all great! But the best way to experience the Beatles, is to listen to every song they EVER recorded, and do them all in chronological order. It's actually not that many, you will hear their growth, and you wil NOT be disappointed ❤
The Beatles reinvented themselves over and over again. Each time they amazed us and inspired millions!
and when you look back on it they weren't together that long compared to others with much less of a catalog of work.
Good observation. Seems like they turned the corner with Rubber Soul. Each album after that has it's own identity & unique in it's own way. Their song writing got a lot deeper.
Absolutely my all time favorite band. My daughter bought me a huge autographed Abby Road framed cover for Christmas. I cried. Lol
Not sure they reinvented themselves. They grew up and evolved.
@@CryptikConstruct semantics? Let's just agree that they changed, and changed and most would say for the better!
Have y’all heard She’s So Heavy? Helter Skelter? Happiness Is A Warm Gun? They definitely have a Rock side!
Good choices
And a great rock side at that!
Helter Skelter 💙
I Want You/She's So Heavy was one of Jays first reactions, before Amber joined the channel. He was still in his Rap Only mindset...he wasnt ready for it yet...he hated it. LOL. He would love it now that his ears have matured.
I have asked for Helter Skelter before... ultimate rocker...
Remember that within the span of 4 years, the Beatles went from songs line I Want to Hold Your Hand to songs like this… There will never be another group with the combination of talent, cultural impact and legacy like the Beatles.
Mostly because in their days, there wasn't much supply to the public, in terms of choice. And I'm happy that I can now create and maintain my own unique musical taste.
Also....none of their songs sound like the other. An album with 10 songs has 10 completely different songs on it
They ARE the world's greatest ROCK band. Thanks for your reaction.
When The Beatles were together they changed and evolved in their look and sound. Listening to their progression over the years, you'd think you were hearing many different bands. They released this during the Vietnam War.
And they did it all in less than 10 years, without any of them hitting 30 years old before it was over.
Viet Nam, the first televised war. Coverage not filtered through propaganda newsreels in theaters.
@@Tijuanabill ,
Time between their first studio album to last: *7 Years!*
BTW just made pretty much the same point as yours on the _Eleanor Rigby_ vid. Mind blowing how productive and artistic they were in such a small span! 🤯
@@Darmesis I agree. Best band ever, and still under rated somehow.
John was spot on about Mao as well.
Amber's smile when she hears John's intro and Paul's scream is priceless! Beautiful smile Amber!!!
This band does everything. The greatest band of all time
This is not a band! This is THE BEATLES
@@gidion4004
YESSSSS !!!!!
@@billybudd4363 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@@cindyguillard216 do you agree Cindy?
"Oh Darling", "Dear Prudence", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "A Day In The Life", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "She's Leaving Home", "Eleanor Rigby", "Here, There, & Everywhere", "We Can Work It Out".
“Taxman” is also a great song
Norwegian Wood
Don’t forget Polyethylene Pam and Norwegian Wood
You could & mày go on forever......or nearly.
In 1968 when this came out of your transistor or car radio, it was like an air raid siren, it made people's jaws drop and the hair on your arms stand up. People were absolutely shocked.
Especially because their previous single had been "Lady Madonna" kind of an old timey Fifties piano rocker.
This!!!!
They never failed to shock our parents.
"Revolution" and "Hey Jude:' was a double 'A" sided single at the time. Two great songs on the one disc ! In those days you got value for your money !
THE BEATLES' SONG "REVOLUTION"
I am a 72-year-old, Oklahoma-born member of the Baby Boom generation. So, I'm happy you guys made your way to the Beatles, and that you like them so much. I'm also a retired history professor, by the way, so I can explain the social context of "Revolution." You were right to ask questions about that song in relation to the wider society. The Vietnam War stirred up lots of controversy, as you know. The US Government was drafting college kids like me to go fight in an unpopular war in Asia. There were demonstrations, large and small, on virtually every college campus in the US. At Kent State University in Ohio, the National Guard fired on student demonstrators, killing some demonstrators, but also killing students just walking to their classes. But even off-campus, there was a general atmosphere of hostility toward college students all over the country.
The Hippies, or flower children, were just one reaction on the part of college students. They were a peace-loving group, as you know. They believed that marijuana is a kind of sacrament that helps create a sense of inner peace just by smoking it. Instead of fighting back, they believed in dropping out of society, and building communes in rural areas where everything was shared equally. But there were also student radicals who wanted to wage war against the US Government. The radicals sometimes trashed, and even bombed, campus buildings that housed ROTC programs, or anything to do with the military or national defense. You could see the radicals at anti-war demonstrations. Some wore jeans jackets with Mao Tse Tung buttons bearing the profile of the Chinese Communist dictator. They also favored rimless glasses like John Lennon's. The radicals sometimes tried to whip the crowd into a physical confrontation with police at peace demonstrations.
So, the Beatles produced their song, "Revolution," at that political moment. They recorded it in 1968, an historical turning point in the US, and many other countries around the world, as well. That was the year of the Tet Offensive when North Vietnamese forces broke into Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam, the country the US supported. Until that time, many believed that President Johnson was sincere when he kept saying the war was almost over. US forces would soon win. But American TV news crews filmed the North Vietnamese forces running wild in the streets, executing people right in front of the cameras. Many Americans turned against the Vietnam War at that point, and stopped believing what the US Government told them about the war, and anything else for that matter. That same year, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were murdered, and President Johnson declined to run for president again, even though he had won by an historic landslide just four years earlier.
Many young people became highly radicalized. Some draft-age men fled to Canada. Others dropped out of society and joined communes. A few joined violent groups like the Symbionese Liberation Army, or the Students for a Democratic Society, or the Black Panthers, all of which committed violent acts, especially bank robberies, to finance their "revolution." The Beatles first version of their song "Revolution" addressed that situation peacefully, repeatedly emphasizing in the chorus that "you know, it's gonna be alright." In other words, "You don't need to overthrow the government, things will eventually calm down." Then, there's the heart of the matter: "When you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out." And they put the radicals down by saying that, "if you're carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you're not gonna make it with anyone anyhow."
It may seem strange today, even unbelievable, but in 1968, millions of college-age youth not only hoped that the US Government would be overthrown, they were counting on it. They could not imagine living in a society in their adult years like the one they grew up in; and neither the government nor their parents had any influence on them. The youth could have gone in any number of terrible directions; but in the late 1960s many looked to the Beatles as their leaders, believing that they could guide them into a new era, a complete change in society. The Beatles knew that, of course, but they did not want that responsibility. McCartney gave an interview at that time, saying that the Beatles didn't want political power, they just wanted to create some positive influence in society through their music. Nonetheless, the Beatles could not escape from the expectations of so many millions of young people, and with "Revolution," they tried to steer the youth in a positive direction.
The young radicals put so much pressure on the Beatles, though, that they had to release a second version of the song, the one you played on your channel. Listen to the lyrics closely when Lennon says, "You can count me out." After that, he turns his head away from the mic, and in a softer voice says the single word, in." In other words, "You can count me out of the destruction, but also possibly "in," depending on the circumstances." By that time, even many Hippies, the peace-lovers, would not criticize the radicals. The world looked so bad to them that it wasn't reasonable, in their minds, to think that peace alone could bring reform. The Hippies didn't want to be violent themselves, but if violence was the only solution, then the radicals just had to go that way. If the Beatles had not inserted the word, "in," they would have lost credibility with many young people.
"Revolution" is more complex and subtle than some might imagine. You were both taken aback by the song's heavy metal groove. But you may also have noticed the electronic distortion. The radicals loved that kind of music, so the Beatles were opposing the radicals' extreme views by using the same style of music they, themselves, preferred.
You know, the Beatles were not a band by any normal definition of that word, even though their music had no rival, and is still much admired. They were a global force. At their peak, the establishment news media often referred to them as "the most famous people in the world." President Nixon was so afraid of John Lennon's influence with young people that he tied him up in court for years when he first applied for a US visa. And when Lennon was killed, every major government in the world issued a press release mourning his death, even the Soviet Union. No other human on the planet had his stature at that time. Even now, there are statues of the Beatles in countries all over the world, including some obscure ones most people never heard of.
@@AFW5627 Me too minus a year. Beatles forever!!
Great essay. Thank you.
Yes! Same here! Troubled times, scary times, rude awakenings for some. Lost a lot of friends in Vietnam, grew up in a hurry.
I was born in 1963 and remember watching television in between my cartoons containing nothing but news about Vietnam. I would always ask my mom if I had to go there when I grew up? I have never forgotten those images…
The fucking Democratic Socialists like Bernie, AOC, and that fuckwit Rashida Tlaib ....and Trans activists corrupting children ...and BLM thugs advocating racial division and destruction and looting--along with the current crop of neo Marxist anti Semitic punks holding up posters of Chairman Mao and Che Guavera and Hamas terrorist butchers... and the left wing crazies like Just Stop Oil should learn a thing or two from this song.
There's a reason they are considered the best rock band in history. They did it ALL. and TONS OF IT. The ouput in 8 years in unmatched in history. The evolution of the sound.....EVERYTHING.
The evolution the sound of everyone who came after is one hell of a legacy! GOAT!!! GOAT!!! GOAT!!!
SEVEN YEARS
Their achievements are quite staggering!
It completely blew my mind when I found out they did everything they did before a single member was 30 years old (RIngo and John were 29, Paul and George were like 27)
@@CharlieJ69 I've loved the Beatles my whole life and still never realised this until recently (when I was a relatively decrepit 31 lol, which was humbling...)
their use of reverb and distortion is wicked cool on this track. innovative in every which way it can be with the lyrics, too. this truly was a revolution. a 1960's revolution in the sound of music to our hearts, minds, and ears. God bless these fellows from across the pond.
The Beatles were so diverse in the music they played. You still haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg of their catalog of music. A hundred years from now people will still be playing their music, while today's most popular musicians will long be forgotten.
Please do the album version. Almost ALWAYS with EVERY band. This song didn't have to "shoo bee doo wops" in it when we were hearing it back when it came out.
I believe The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin will be played 200 years from now. They may not be played on recordings, but musicians will still be playing the music in some form.
@@mgj1s479 I assume you mean the same (single) version but from the blue album or Past Masters
@@armadillotoe
Totally, in fact rap and all its iterations will be banned as an intellectually draining.
@@mgj1s479 The album version, assuming you mean from the "White Album", is played at a slower tempo and does have the "shoo bee doo wops". So, it has a different "feel" than the version that was released on the flip side of the Hey Jude 45.
"Helter Skelter" with Paul McCartney on vocals will blow your mind, too! One of the first Heavy Metal songs! Paul said he was inspired to write it after reading an interview with The Who's Pete Townsend, who said their song "I Can See For Miles" was the loudest, rawest song Tho Who ever did at that time. Another hard rocker from The Beatles is "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey". I love the title!
Agreed. "Helter Skelter" was one of the foundation songs for heavy metal.
Yes helter skelter. The first heavy metal song? Yes!
Was that the song by, The Who, that Paul felt he had to top? Sounds right to me. Whenever I hear Sir Paul talking about it, he recalls it was a Who song, but he can't remember which one.
@@trevorb6 "I Can See For Miles," a great rocking tune by the Who from 1967, but not the proto-metal soundstorm that "Helter Skelter" became.
That line, "You tell me it's the institution, well, you know...you'd better free your mind instead." I keep that in mind often. It's a life-saver.
The Beatles didn't have a rock side. They were a rock band who had a softer side.
That's real facts over here
Whoa! Well put my fellow Beatles fan!
Back In The USSR is another of their hard-driving rock numbers... Can never go wrong with The Beatles.
Oh more Beatles!!! Can never ever have too many Beatles songs. ✌️💜🇨🇦
Reminds me that in 1963 my 6th grade teacher said that by that time next year the Beatles would be forgotten!
@@jackhogston6119 Your 6th grade teacher was very wrong. I'm in my early 30s, and my dad got me into The Beatles. Now, my son knows about them. They are a cross-generational phenomenon.
Beatles are GOAT. They hit the scene like an atom bomb and blew everything that came before them out of our consciousness They led an entire generation through a decade of music, style, and culture - everyone tried to be like them. They constantly reinvented themselves too - they were highly innovative and pioneered many sounds and techniques of modern music. As soon as you thought you had them figured out, they released another single or album with all new styles and sounds. Nobody since has had that kind of impact.
This song addressed the mood of the times in a very mature and level headed way. The war in Viet Nam was such a divisive issue that many young people were being radicalized to the extent that overthrowing the government was a serious consideration for many. "Revolution" was a wake up call that that wasn't a realistic solution. It's difficult for folks today to get a real grasp of how important The Beatles were to not just the music, but also to the culture and politics of the times.
The Rolling Stones song Street Fighting Man was released around the same time and was a slightly different attitude or response towards all the 1968 turmoil that was going on in America and in Europe
Well.. not SLIGHTLY different.. significantly different.. very cynical take actually
Many people listened carefully to the lyrics of Beatles songs at that time.
Overthrowing the Government?? More like I don't want to fight a war in a country they knew nothing about.
I don't want them to do Paul's solo version of it but the original off the White Album. The problem is that a lot of times the original gets blocked.
Hey guys, I'm a Beatles fanatic and I've said one time before, you really need to do a deep dive on the Beatles and listen to their entire catalog in chronological order so you can see the growth and change in just 8 years (1962-1970).
100%
You're absolutely right, but it will never happen except on small channels. It should, but it won't. Check out, for example the channel "Call Me Caroline." She did that.
Agreed Dave! I like to think about the difference in just three years from Love Me Do in '63 to Tomorrow Never Knows in '66. and isn't it fun watching these guys reacting to their first exposure to these songs?! 😁✌💛
@@brandonflorida1092 I did check her out and she was GREAT!
@@pauljohnstone180 Exactly right.
It's amazing to think that a "music video" (before that term was invented) for a song with such energy and tight editing could've been made way back in 1968!
My favorite Beatles song. Love Revolution...You need to do A DAY IN THE LIFE. Trust me
The Beatles not only played songs in every genre, THEY INVENTED GENRES!
AMEN to that.
@@loosilu I am thrilled that a new generation is discovering and enjoying the music of my youth, but doesn't it make you feel old as hell?
@@markmurphy558 I feel old as hell for a lot of other reasons!
Except rap. Imo that belongs to Johnny Cash. Just listen to I've Been Everywhere
@@MaRoach7 no Danny Kay invented rap😁 now you'll have to think about it a while🤔
And John actually says "You can count me out, in." He said that he might be counted out or counted in on the fight, depending. Love that.
One of my favorite songs from the Beatles is; "Paperback Writer". I'm not sure how "Rockin'" it is but, it is definitely one of their more uptempo songs. I love it. 😃
Ringo's demeanor in the video for "Paperback Writer" cracks me up.
Don't think Paperback Writer gets quite as much love as some of it's peers, and then when you stop and listen to it... it's a fantastic track.
I agree. I love it too.
I always love that John and George are singing Frere Jacque in the background.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds 💎
John Lennon got the heavily distorted guitar sound by plugging it directly into the recording console instead of an amplifier. This was strictly forbidden, and if it were anyone other than The Beatles they would have been kicked out of the studio.
For good reason too, recording consoles were crazy expensive and unlike amps, not designed to take that much overdrive.
Plugging directly into the board doesn’t itself give you overdrive. That’s not how the circuit works. You would have to overdrive the preamp on the board. Plugging a guitar directly into the board wouldn’t harm anything, actually a lot of bass is recorded exactly that way.
Very distracting sound. Why do it?
@@jonbutcher9805 it’s like a fuzz effect
@@joshgrant824 please explain. What is a fuzz effect?
The whole hippie/youth movement of the 60s and 70s was a revolution..anti-war and free your mind. My generation has the best music!
Yeah! This was my time. High school in the early 70’s.
A particularly perfect drum pattern by Ringo, I doubt that many people recognize his wonderful contributions to their sound and power.
He was kinda secret weapon of the Beatles. ;-)
I do.
We recognize Ringos talent. He’s a badass
I sure did
Left handed drummer playing right handed.. became his style
This sounds slightly different than the studio version, but with the Beatles, any version (live or studio) is going to be awesome...so it doesn't matter.
That's because for a live version John couldn't sing and to the initial scream. And they included the background vocals from the version from the White Album, part of the way through.
@@samzilla1281 Live vocals but pre-recorded instruments track.
It's the instrumentation recorded in studio (notice that nobody is playing the keyboards in the video) and vocals done Live.
@@jollyrodgers7272 I swear I've seen this clip but with the studio vocals; really cool to hear this version
@@samzilla1281 This late in the game, there weren't playing live much. There is no actual crowd shown here. This isn't truly live, it's a music video where the scene being set is a live show. All the girls screaming ruined the sound, and Beatlemania meant they couldn't go anywhere without a stampede of teenage girls ruining everything. Most bands would have retired with their millions. Instead they worked 60 hour plus weeks in the studio, making all those great later records.
Guys, so pleased you’re enjoying The Beatles, they are truly amazing and their legacy will live forever. Just like to add this is a LIVE performance 😊 there’s also a slower tempo acoustic version on the Beatles “White Album” for you to contrast 😊 enjoy guys
Much prefer the single tbh
Both great. George at the start says to Paul ‘ it sounds shit’
See where he’s coming from , but sounded epic and still does
They were geniuses---the next one you need to react to is "Tomorrow Never Knows", it was groundbreaking in the sounds they used
I'm not sure, Jay and Amber, if you are ready for "Tomorrow Never Knows" yet... Yes you've done "Strawberry Fields" and "Walrus" yet I'd really love it if you guys did an LP reaction to "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper". JMO😀
@@joemondello4312 Those are amazing album reactions. Those two albums changed popular music forever.
Tomorrow Never Knows is absolutely mind blowing. So creative.
Vietnam era rock. What times!
Lennon was the edge to Beatles. This song has the Lennon signature. Great reaction folks.
I’m 58 and my children love the Beatles. And my grandchildren. Funny how certain bands cross several generations flawlessly.
Who, besides the Beatles?
This song was paired as a single with “Hey Jude” when it was released in 1968. That was the most tumultuous year of the 1960s, one of the most turbulent decades in modern history. In that one year, both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated within two months of each other. The war in Vietnam escalated with the Tet Offensive (which proved that America was not going to win the war), and the anti-war movements in America started to become more militant. The Black Panthers and Black Power movements began to eclipse MLK’s traditionally non-violent civil rights ideology, and race riots broke out in cities across America (largely in response to his assassination). Young people across the country were shutting down and taking over their college campuses to protest the draft, most famously at Columbia University in NYC. And on top of it all, it was a presidential election year and outside of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago the police beat down, brutalized and bloodied anti-war protesters live on national television. Similar unrest was unfolding around the world as the baby boomer youth population started to rise up against the establishment. It was against this backdrop that John Lennon wrote the song “Revolution”. He was acknowledging the need for change, but saying he wouldn’t support violence as a means of achieving that goal: “When you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out.” Just to give you guys historical reference to what was happening in the world at the time.
Well said! Over the next few years tons of songs about peace and understanding, love and brotherhood, and "why can't we all get along?" would be written, recorded and released as a result of 1968.
Right in between the assassinations of MLK and RFK was May 1968, which is when John and Paul went to NY to announce Apple Corps. That's also the day and the city where I was born, which is how I remember it.
But on the acoustic version on the White Album he sang -- as he did here -- "Don't you know that you can count me out ... in!" It's the dichotomy of man.
@@editorman2112 He says it in this version too.
Well put , It was also the height of the Cold War between the USSR , Moa Zedong China and the US. Anti establishment songs were rampant and even many "none protest" songs were viewed as " revolution songs. ie "run thru the jungle and Party in the streets....
The early Beatles took jobs working in pubs and clubs in Germany. They ended up playing 10-12 hours a day with few breaks. This made them a really tight band and also made them into great musicians who were very in tune with each other. That is why they were so fun to watch live and why they were so tight.
And that's why most of the songs/artist aren't as good today. The music industry puts together bands/groups, instead of waiting for them to be properly seasoned.
Fyi some of the club/pubs in Hamburg were actually fronts for houses of prostitution
I love how you reacted exactly like they wanted people to react lol. "THIS SOUND OUT OF THE BEATLES?"
You guys should do "A Hard Days Night" on your movie channel. Their personalities are hilarious.
YeS!!! You gotta do their first actual Movie - it's the template for all future music videos!
I love that movie.
Maybe it’s not in a version they have today, but the opening clip is of a penguin waving its flippers. It was a play on Disney’s wonderful world of color. That show always started with fireworks in lots of colors. The movie was in black and white.
yes yes yes yes yes please yes yes yes.......
Help! Is a fun movie too!
The Beatles ROCKED!!! They basically could play/sing anything from jazz, to pop, rock, ballads, you name it and they adjusted their style and vocals to match. As previously stated, check out Helter Skelter, She's So Heavy, and many others.
They also did country. Act Naturally was a cover of a Buck Owens song.
Music hall songs like When I'm 64, Indian music, R&B, soul, Caribbean. And one of Paul's signatures is baroque instruments.
The nicest thing about watching you guys (as someone who already lived through a whole bunch of your discoveries), is the joy they bring you too.
I’m beginning to think I was lucky
Amber NEEDS to hear She's So Heavy, another all time Beatles Banger that still rattles my cage 53 years later. Those guys could flat out rock and they prove how potent they could be on tunes such as these. Come on, play it for her!!! Enjoy. 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
They did "I Want You" awhile back...I remember Jay didn't like it that much.
Yup - that track just screams '90's trip-hop't to me - sounds like something that Portishead were listening to five mins before they recorded 'Dummy'.
@@johnvillanova9984 BUT Amber did not hear it and he would not remember it, it was so early in his reactions he was not very savvy or experienced with rock, with Amber his experience probably would be much better, I know mine would.
@@DaveF. That song was a seminal moment in Rock when it ended side 1 of Abbey Road, I know, a bunch of us listened to that album when it was released and I know we were blown away by that track and the album as a whole, amazing stuff.
The craziest part about the beatles is that john, paul and George were childhood friends. Three teenage friends started a band and they became the damn beatles. Not sure you'll ever see magic like that again.
John and Paul lived only one mile apart. Isn't that nuts?
Howdy Jay and Amber. I love you two and enjoy the music of my favorite band The Beatles. I'm in Tampa Florida and used to listen to this song every morning at home room in high school. Over flow put home room in the cafeteria and they had a juke box , This was 1968. They always played Revolution and Bee Gees Got to get a message to You. No one can touch the Beatles for their genius and ability to change the world through their music. Now at 70 years old I still can never stop listening to them. Keep on Rocking. I appreciate each day of life because tomorrow is not promised. Peace and Love.
You guys want to hear a really rocking song by them listen to the song Helter Skelter. It rocks so much Motley Crue did a cover of it .
And did it well
Pretty much everybody in the louder music department did a cover of it. Often just at live concerts, available in bootleg recordings.
Aerosmith covered it, too.
Pat Benatar did an amazing version of it as well.
Charles Manson used it as an excuse for his Murder Spree ..... 'Hey Man, I didn't write the Music!"
It's been over 20 years since Beetlemania, and I've heard Revolutions countless times,
but today I found another attraction of Revolutions.
That's amazing, Beatles😇
It's been over 40 years
It's been over 40 years
@@davidc5820- it’s 60 years
“She’s leaving home” is an underrated masterpiece. If you don’t cry to this you ain’t got no soul.
I agree completely
🥺
Gets me every time. I could listen to it back to back and it'd still get me the second time.
Underrated is the most overrated word on RUclips. It's used by twits everywhere who think they know something that nobody else knows.
@@ivanjulian2532 How do you feel about the term 'pompous ass?'
The Beatles were, and still are the best band to ever come along. They are the yard-stick by which all other bands are compared, or compare themselves to. They changed music. They changed the whole culture. They changed history. They influenced every band. Every genre. Every generation re-discovers them and there's no denying how great they were. A person may have a more favorite band that they like better personally, but no one has a better band. Those don't and never have existed. I'm thankful that I lived during the time of The Beatles music. And they covered so much ground in their short time. They played all the early rock & roll that they were influenced by, and did it better than anybody. They progressed so fast. They innovated in composing and recording. They innovated technology. They influenced how we dressed, wore our hair, talked, thought. It's so far reaching. They were definitely the 'classical' music leaders of their day, and whose influence is being felt here some nearly 60 years ago. They kept evolving constantly. Their goal was to never repeat themselves, where most entertainers would stay with what was a hit for them, and try to reproduce it.
Queen is the closest to also being able to do that.
@@cirrustate8674 That sounds right...and maybe Led Zeppelin?
Whatever, the Beatles are untouchable!
@@seanmolloy9297 Zepp is damn good, no question, but they didn't genre hop like The Beatles or Queen.
@Cirrus Tate. Queen?!..oh you can not be Cirrus!
@@cirrustate8674 Er...no they weren't. Queen were talented in their own way, and their best work was the majestic "Bohemian Rhapsody". BUT they don't come close to the Beatles for consistent quality of music and the impact they had on not only music, but fashion, art and pop culture in general. And the inspiration they gave to other artists who followed after. Queen had no such influence. Nor did any other musician you can put forward. The Beatles were out on their own.
Listen mate, when it's said that there's the Beatles- a 20 mile space - and then the rest - we mean it. There's a solid reason for it. It's not just rhetoric.
This is my favourite Beatles record today, then it will be something else tomorrow, and so on, they wrote music for every day and mood, the perfect band.
Never saw this exact version before -- what fun to see them rock out. That final 'All Right!' always reminded me of someone's mother screaming at their kid to turn that noise down.
It was from the David Frost show in '68. They also performed Hey Jude. The video is available on RUclips.
@@vincentprestomburgo1396 If you watch both videos, you can see that John and Paul swapped shirts.
I do recall hearing this "fun / rockout" version before, but I wasn't aware there was a 2nd song performance from David Frost's Show(?)
The Beatles were larger than life, to the generation who grew up with them. From mild to wild. They and the Rolling Stones are the soundtracks of the lives for those of us that grew up in the sixties. There were lots of great bands and artists, but those 2 bands were the greatest.
Don't forget the "soundtracks" of our lives include Bob Dylan !
Rolling stones overrated! And Dylan can sing for squat. And I'm from same generation as you. Much more talented bands, like Pink Floyd. Dylan great writer, lousy singer.
You say you want a revolution? We'd all love to see the plan. Great freaking line.
I agree that Helter Skelter rocks out but so does Birthday. They also do a version of Revolution that's way slower, but I like it and is worth a listen to hear the difference.
The original version was on The White Album. It was more of an easy "shoo-be-doo-wop" 50's style rock-n-roll song. John wanted that version to be the B-side single for Hey Jude, but Paul and George argued that it was too "lightweight" to release as a single. So they remade it as a smoking rocker that would get people's attention.
Back in the U.S.S.R. rocks, too!
'Birthday' is a great song!
The most creative Artistic band on this planet... Beatles have always been very Electrical, right from their first album.. I absolutely love these musical genus!! They really magic!
"I saw her standing there" rocks and it showcases Paul's voice.
The Beatles are a music genre unto themselves.
There is a message in every Beatles song. Some more obvious than others, but that's one of the things that made them so great. They were speaking for a generation that wanted the same things they did. Completely antiwar, always. Peace, Love & Rock & Roll 💓Amber~ I so love your hair!
After listening to you guys reacting to many records, I have to say, that you have the best RUclips channel out there. I'm a musician who is 71 and have listened to and watched hundreds of videos, no other channel is as entertaining and sincere as you guys. Love you both. Keep it up my young friends. I know this video was posted almost a year ago but, I still had to comment. Like I said "Love you both !!!!
They are truly, the goat. I'm 52 and have been listening to them all my life and they still amaze.
This is definitely one of the heaviest guitar sounds on a Beatles recording. John Lennon wanted the guitars to be deliberately overloaded on the mixing console, which would have been considered equipment abuse back then. But they were the Beatles and if they wanted it, it was going to be done and nobody was going to argue!
It's great to see and hear younger generations really appreciating what all of us 'oldies' have known since about 1963. Glad I stumbled on this today - but this song, in particular, blows me away every time I hear it and watch the video. There goes my afternoon - I'm putting it on repeat (again, again......)
I love Revolution. The single version is my favourite. To my taste, one of their best ever songs.
This is not the single radio version. The distortion is awful!
"Revolution" and "Helter Skelter" are the most rockin' Beatles tunes. Great choice!!!
This is the first time I've ever heard those adlibs. They aren't in the original version.
They took that from the "Revolution 1" version from the "White Album". The 1965 track "I'm down" (B-side from "Help") is basically just as heavy. Doesn't have the advanced sound of 1968 yet, but McCartney presents rock shouter qualities unrivaled at the time.
He doesn't say "But when you talk about destruction, don't you know, that you can count me out". What he says is "But when you talk about destruction, don't you know, that you can count me out/in".
Can never go wrong with the Beatles!
“Alright alright!” We found ourselves saying that for days!
Well, Honey Pie, Why Don’t We Do it In The Road. Not all the oldies are golden.
You should listen to "Helter Skelter" and "Oh Darling". The Beatles had it all ... you can never go wrong with them! I was lucky enough to grow up with them ... what a great time to be alive!!
I could honestly watch the two of you discover music all day long. You have a great appreciation for artists across all genre. Keep doing what you are doing and thank you! I especially loved your reaction(s) as you discovered some of Bruce Springsteen's performances - it was like sharing music with my daughter as she was growing up.
The Beatles had many different sides, and that was part of their brilliance. Other more rockin' songs to check out: Back in the USSR, Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey, Rain, She's So Heavy, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Birthday. Just to name a few.
"Rain" is really Trippy!
@@jamesalexander5623 Yes sir!
Their earliest songs rocked HARD. That's why they were such a sensation.
This song and Back in the USSR
Are so rocking!
This (and Hey Jude) was performed for British (and later US) television. The vocals were "live" but the instrumental backing was from the record. On the record John did the opening scream, but for this John felt that he wouldn't be able to go from the scream to the first verse, so Paul filled in. BTW, this is the single version. There is a slower version on "The White Album".
They filmed the videos on the same day. Go look at the Hey Jude clip. John and Paul traded shirts.
@@loosilu I believe it. Both clips were broadcast on the David Frost Show in the UK and the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in the US.
@@kenhenderson1762 In the revilution clip, right at the start, you can read George's lips. "John's mic is SHIT!" it's at 1:47
They may have played it faster here. I don't know. But the word "in" was included, which is for me the big difference for me. The Album version had "Don't you know that you can count me out - in." The single version omitted "in."
most of their songs came out before i was born ,but The Beatles and their other individual groups are a big part of my music collection
Inspired by political protests in early 1968, Lennon's lyrics expressed sympathy with the need for social change but doubt in regard to the violent tactics espoused by members of the New Left. Despite his bandmates' reservations, he persevered with the song and insisted it be included on their next single. When released in August, the song was viewed by the political left as a betrayal of their cause and a sign that the Beatles were out of step with radical elements of the counterculture. The release of "Revolution 1" in November indicated Lennon's uncertainty about destructive change, with the phrase "count me out" recorded instead as "count me out - in". Lennon was stung by the criticism he received from the New Left and subsequently espoused the need for Marxist revolution, particularly with his 1971 single "Power to the People". In one of the final interviews he gave before his death in 1980, however, he reaffirmed the pacifist sentiments expressed in "Revolution".
The song peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and topped singles charts in Australia and New Zealand. The Beatles filmed a promotional clip for the single version, which introduced a new, leaner and more direct public image of Lennon. "Revolution" has received praise from several music critics, particularly for the intensity of the band's performance and the heavily distorted guitar sound on the recording. In 1987, the song became the first Beatles recording to be licensed for a television commercial, which prompted a lawsuit from the surviving members of the group. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Thompson Twins, who performed it at Live Aid in July 1985, and Stone Temple Pilots.
n early 1968, media coverage in the aftermath of the Tet Offensive spurred increased protests in opposition to the Vietnam War, especially among university students. The protests were most prevalent in the United States, and on 17 March, 25,000 demonstrators[6] marched to the American embassy in London's Grosvenor Square and violently clashed with police.[7] Major protests concerning other political issues made international news, such as the March 1968 protests in Poland against their communist government, and the campus uprisings of May 1968 in France. The upheaval reflected the increased politicisation of the 1960s youth movement and the rise of New Left ideology, in a contrast with the hippie ideology behind the 1967 Summer of Love. For these students and activists, the Maoist idea of cultural revolution, purging society of its non-progressive elements, provided a model for social change.
By and large, the Beatles had avoided publicly expressing their political views in their music, with "Taxman" being their only overtly political track thus far. Viewed as leaders of the counterculture, the band - particularly John Lennon - were under pressure from Leninist, Trotskyist and Maoist groups to actively support the revolutionary cause. Lennon decided to write a song about the recent wave of social upheaval while the Beatles were in Rishikesh, India, studying Transcendental Meditation.[16] He recalled, "I thought it was about time we spoke about it, the same as I thought it was about time we stopped not answering about the Vietnamese war [in 1966]. I had been thinking about it up in the hills in India." Lennon began writing the song there and completed it in England in May, inspired especially by events in France.
Chairman Mao Zedong is referenced in the song.
Despite Lennon's antiwar feelings, he had yet to become anti-establishment, and expressed in "Revolution" that he wanted "to see the plan" from those advocating toppling the system. In author Mark Hertsgaard's description, the lyrics advocate social change but emphasise that "political actions [should] be judged on moral rather than ideological grounds". The repeated phrase "it's gonna be alright" came directly from Lennon's Transcendental Meditation experiences in India, conveying the idea that God would take care of the human race no matter what happened politically. Another influence on Lennon was his burgeoning relationship with avant-garde artist Yoko Ono and her espousal of sexual politics as an alternative to Maoist ideas and other hardline philosophies adopted by the political left. Lennon credited Ono with awakening him from his passive mindset of the previous year.
Around the fourth week of May 1968, the Beatles met at Kinfauns, George Harrison's home in Esher, to demonstrate their compositions to each other in preparation for recording their next studio album. A recording from that informal session released in the White Album's Super Deluxe version shows that "Revolution" had two of its three verses intact. The lines referencing Mao Zedong - "But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao / You ain't gone make it with anyone anyhow"- were added in the studio. While filming a promotional clip later that year, Lennon told director Michael Lindsay-Hogg that it was the most important lyric in the song. By 1972, Lennon had changed his mind, saying: "I should have never said that about Chairman Mao."
Great "history" information.
@@gerdymcferty4124 thankyou
I agreed with earlier Lennon that the line about Chairman Mao was the most important. I still think that today, and I still want to see the "plan" for what the people who *still* want to topple everything will build in its place.
John Lennon was a deeply unhappy man and a tortured soul. He was physically abusive to his first wife (and girlfriends before her), emotionally abusive to his first son, Julian, and a serial philanderer. Politically, he meandered quite a bit, too. The man who was Lennon's personal assistant the last few years of his life has claimed that Lennon privately expressed admiration and support for Ronald Reagan in 1980 before his death, though others in Lennon's inner circle have denied this. That's a story we will never really know the truth about.
Mao and his revolution were straight up evil.
Love the Beatles!!! “Long and whinding road” is my favorite!!🤘🔥
they could do everything, so many different types of music-never to be repeated again
If you want to see these guys have goofball fun, watch their movie, Hard Days Night. It is a landmark film, not just for them, but the industry as well.
And for some screaming rock-n-roll - Helter Skelter.
Beatles have one of the most diverse music catalogues of all time. Definitely had a rock n roll backbone to it
Extraordinary keyboards by the 5th Beatle Billy Preston. The song started as a slow song by John for the White Album. Then the video for the Smother Brothers Show was this version.
Well, Nicky Hopkins , but that’s ok!
the flip side of Hey Jude single, got almost as much airplay in 1968. double sided hit. the Beatles were about total variety instead of just one style. Many people do not get that anymore.
I would suggest y’all do a reaction to the so called “Long One” medley from side two of the Abbey Road album.
You have to listen to the whole thing to get the full effect of how it was mixed to make a few different songs meld together into a masterful ending to a great album.
The sequence begins with "You Never Give Me Your Money," then continues with "Sun King," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Polythene Pam," "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window," "Golden Slumbers," "Carry That Weight" and "The End."
Then stay around for the little ditty Her Majesty as the album wraps up.
The end will depend on which album version they use: UK or US. Plus, RUclips videos are like a box of chocolate.
@@teknikel So very true. Probably should just load the US version and scroll ahead to YNGMYM and let er rip.
It’s always distracted me hearing the versions where Her Majesty wasn’t at the end.
The labeled "The Long One" on RUclips is not the one to listen to. It is an early incomete version.
I like "Her Majesty" as part of the medley, rather than 20 seconds after The End.
@@pauldevito7476 I don't mind Her Majesty being in it as much as it is a very incomplete version of the medley production wise with a lot of stuff missing that is in the final mix.
The greatest band of the 1960s. The greatest band of the 20th century. The greatest band of all time.
'When you talk about destruction .. don't you know that you can count me out .. (in)' .. that line still gets me.
#theMasters
That was John Lennon’s way of keeping his options open
Abbey Road is a great album. The back side or side 2, flows from song to song and is just gorgeous sonically and lyrically. Not as wild as The White Album, but better in my opinion. Side 1 is equally as strong, but each tune stands on its own.
The Long One! Goes from You Never Give Me Your Money all the way through to The End/Her Majesty... Love it!
I think rubber soul. But love Abby Road too
I was a HUGE Beatle fan; and I would say that Abbey Road was their best!
After all these years still get MAJOR GOOSEBUMPS. ...
The Beatles reinvented themselves and their music many times as they grew personally and musically. It was part of their genius, and why they lasted so long as performers.
The Beatles changed the world - it’s hard to imagine just how talented and influential they were unless you lived through it
Best song - Golden Slumber/Carry That Weight/The End. One song with 3parts - I believe it was the last song on the last album they recorded
Golden Slumber/Carry That Weight/The End is also my fav Beatles tune as well with The Ballad of John and Yoko a close 2nd
"you can count me out/in" speaks of the dual complexity of the mind.
There's always some band that is lauded as more popular or better record sales but sorry there will NEVER be another band like them. They are also the only band to ever have the top 5 spots on the record charts at the same time. THE MOST influential band in music history and they were popular right across all generations. There is NO other band that even that can be said for.
And they are still and always will be the biggest selling band of all time
Period!!!
Unfortunately, the Beatles have now been surpassed by ,of all artists that have been a part of the rock genre, Taylor Swift...she had all ten of the top ten slots on the Billboard charts. I weep for the future and musical tastes of the world at having to actually post this.
@@hotbloodedtexn While that is true, it's not an apples to apples comparison. What the Beatles did in 1964, with all top 5 spots, is different because they released all of those songs as singles at different times, and people had to go out and buy them, and they had to sustain popularity. What Taylor Swift did was release an album and the top 10 songs made the top 10 in the first week, because it's about streaming now. If they had streaming in the Beatles days, rest assured, they'd have had the top 10 spots at some point, probably multiple times.
But objectivity speaking, no band has ever been more popular or or had better record sales. The Beatles, still to this day, hold the record for most number 1 hits with 20 (in just 7 short years) and are the best selling music act of all time.
Some of my fav John Beatle songs are - Glass onion - In my Life - Julia - Norweigen Wood - Happiness is a Warm Gun - Strawberry Fields - I'm only Sleeping - Girl - Tomorrow never Knows - Dear Prudence - And your Bird can Sing - A Day in the Life . Among others.
In My Life is my all-time favorite Beatles song.
All I did during this reaction was smile and enjoy "my old friends" doing what made them the legends that they are. Thank you!😊
Revolution, was a Vietnam war protest song. John Lennon became increasingly vocal against the war, to the point President Nixon had him kicked out of the country, fearing Lennon’s criticism had caused the younger generation to question our government actions in Southeast Asia. Nixon had an “enemies list” and John Lennon was on it. Revolution was emblematic for the Vietnam era, and certainly got the public’s attention. A great song from a great band, whom despised the destruction of war. Thanks guys, for reacting to it. ✌️
It was also a protest song against the violent protestors of the Vietnam War. Lennon's lyrics expressed sympathy with the need for social change but doubt in regard to the violent tactics espoused by members of the "New Left." the song was viewed by the political left as a betrayal of their cause and a sign that the Beatles were out of step with radical elements of the counterculture. Lennon was stung by the criticism he received from the New Left and subsequently espoused the need for Marxist revolution, particularly with his 1971 single "Power to the People". In one of the final interviews he gave before his death in 1980, however, he reaffirmed the pacifist sentiments expressed in "Revolution". All you have to do is listen to the lyrics to see Lennon's views "When you talk about destruction don't you know you can count me out", "But if you want money for people with minds that hate, All I can tell you is brother you have to wait", "But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow" etc.
@@nataliestclair6176 Absoulutely, this song was a reaction against the excesses of the radicals of the 60's. It's one thing to be against the Vietnam War, it's another thing to think Chairman Mao is the guy to follow.
@@busterkeaton1001 BINGO!! You nailed it. Most people never got the real meaning of this song
Awesome
@@nataliestclair6176 in truth this song is an "anti-protest song", criticizing the Radical Left of the time (the Maoists in France, May 1968) about its violent protests, Lennon's view was pacifist (somewhat romantic, politically utopian), the Radical Left would call this song as a reactionary song. There was no such idea or term of "New Left" at the time, this was a marginal or a group without relevance, until the late 1980s the idea of the classic European division of Left and Right (lesse in US) was still quite strong in Europe and the rest of the World, we are talking about the vision of a British man (European) at that time. Only when Lennon fixed in the US after the separation of the Beatles (1970s), due to racism against Yoko in England, he gets more involved with these US counterculture groups through Yoko. This song is from 1968. People read "Revolution" and many think this is a song calling "Revolution" but not, things of John.
P.S. maybe in Beatles Anthology you could read or hear about ir or in books about Beatles songs (find the Mark Lewisohn's books about Beatles, he is the main biographer of the band).
"I'm Down" is a hard rockin early Beatles track that I really like ( I think it was the B-side to Help) . For some strange reason it gets ignored , but it's original and really great !
Here's the strange reason it gets ignored: lesser known but great songs will never win a poll.
'Man buys ring, woman throws it away. Same old thing happens every day...'
It was ignored because it wasn't in the movie or on the soundtrack even tho it's a great song.
@@jeffmartin1026 "Hey Jude" isn't in a movie or on a soundtrack and that gets reacted to on RUclips every five minutes.
One reason is, that they almost always played it pretty sloppily live. While e.g. "She's a woman" is much more energetic in almost every live version, than the studio version and also the genre-identical cover of "Long tall Sally" was usually really intoxicating live, they have it with "I'm down", for whatever reason, usually just played...down.
Nothing like a Paul scream is there. They could change their sound anytime they wanted from song to song on the same album it just amazes we just how good they really were and far they came in 8 short years.
I watched the studio version on RUclips some months ago and laughed when I saw that the first thing I read in the comments underneath gave the timestamp for that and said "RIP all headphone users"! But this version is a fair bit meatier!
The Beatles totally rocked out! Especially when they played live. George Harrison once said " With all of that Beatlemania stuff going about I was sad that people ignored the fact that we were a really good rock and roll band.".
I never used to listen to much of The Beatles growing up, because of the notion of Beatlemania, and I thought listening to them would be to follow the hype train, which I don't like. The more I listen to them though, the more I appreciate them for their musical talent. They're genuinely good musicians, I like The Beatles, but I don't like the hype or Beatlemania.
Neither did they. Another quote of George, “We were a really good dance hall band!”
They first came to the U.S., Brian had cleaned up their look so much it was assumed "oh what nice boys" - little did people know they had been typical young men who drank and had sex.
Some great Lennon moments: "I'm Down" at Shea Stadium, and their studio version of "Twist and Shout", recorded in one take at the end of a 10+ hour session
The live versions of Twist and Shout are all amazing.
Both great songs, but "I'm Down" was Paul singing lead
@@harrisfleming7431 I think he meant John getting crazy on the organ
@@harrisfleming7431 Yes, but...John played the organ with his elbow!!!
I think this is my favorite Beatles song ever! I used to have this on a 45. It was the “B” side for “Hey Jude”. Lyrics, guitar, attitude. It has it all. Love the crunchy overdrive.
Best A side B side combination ever in my opinion!
Again ... the Beatles had about a billion radio hits because they were SO VERSATILE! (incredible writes and musicians, too)
You gotta hit Helter Skelter, Back in the USSR, Come Together. This was the end of the Beatles as they rocked harder and gpt away from their lovey dovey stuff that they did in the beginning, like 8 days a week, cant buy me love etc... . Nothing wrong with that, but at the end of their reign they were edgier and harder rocking.
Keep doing The Beatles! This is great! Thank you
I love watching you guys hear these songs for the first time just as I heard them in the 60s. You bring that wonder and excitement back in a big way.
I see the recommendations flying in and they're all great! But the best way to experience the Beatles, is to listen to every song they EVER recorded, and do them all in chronological order. It's actually not that many, you will hear their growth, and you wil NOT be disappointed ❤
@JC SKI sorry 😔
If you want more rock Beatles check out their song "Oh Darling". You wont be disappointed. My favorite song sung by Paul McCartney
The thing with the Beatles is they knew how to end a song . genius
You should hear "Oh darling" with Paul Mccartney on vocals is like fire! These guys have so many songs its just incredible!