I come from a long line of performers. My grandfather and his brothers formed the group The Esquires in the ’60s and won two gold records. They toured the world and supported their families. I still hear their songs in the grocery store sometimes. My father was a singer and piano player, and I’ve been carrying on the tradition. So, you can imagine my excitement last year as I planned my album release tour with my band for my third record. I scoured the internet looking for the best venues to fit my music, for booking contacts, emailed back and forth for two months with different venues, wrote numerous grants, and finally nailed down all the details. We were set for the MARROW East Coast tour for August 2020. When March rolled around and the world shut down, I didn’t freak out. I listened to the news, stayed inside, rested with my family, enjoyed the momentary break, and was optimistic that in a couple months everything would be under control. Six months later, the pandemic is still roaring, and it’s gotten harder to stay optimistic, to say the least. My tour is postponed to March 2021, which I’m hoping can actually happen.
My first cancelled gig came at the very beginning of March. It was actually for a performance in June through a large corporation. Since March, I have lost over $10,000 in revenue from gigs that were already on the books for the year. And likely another $20,000-$30,000 in potential income that could have been by the end of 2020. Let’s break this down, for those that have no idea how musicians and artists make a living.
There are six main ways musicians make money: performing, CD and merch sales, teaching, studio session work, licensing music, and royalties/streams. Arguably, a musician could focus their efforts on just one of these areas, but generally, working indie artists are shooting for them all. Now, we all know streaming pays pennies and you can’t stake a living on that alone. Royalty checks usually come quarterly and depend on how well your music got streamed and played. In 2015, Pharrell claimed to make only $2700 from ‘Happy”, one of the biggest songs in the world that year. Now, licensing music does happen and when it does it is glorious; but, most indie artists don’t stake a living on getting their song on a TV show. Studio session work comes and goes usually through industry connects and friends, but isn’t the bulk of most musicians income. Some musicians are good teachers and can make a decent living this wage, but not everyone who can play can teach (it takes a special person). CD sales and merch get sold a lot actually, to the surprise of most people who think CDs are dead. But, you can only sell CDs and merch, if you can…perform. Performing makes up the vast majority of most working musicians income.
I have a band myself, and I also get hired as a lead singer for other bands. Let’s talk about how I make a living with my own band first. On a good year, my performing, helps to employ 15-20 other artists and musicians. When my band is hired for a performance, and let’s say paid $1500 for a two-hour show; I don’t get to keep that $1500. As the band leader, I contract and pay the other band members. My being employed for one show, helps three or four other musicians be employed as well. Sometimes I book gigs on my own, sometimes an agent books gigs for me, and sometimes I’m asked to sing at weddings or other corporate events.
Now, when I am hired as a lead singer, rather than the band leader, I don’t have the expense of paying a band. Usually this means there’s someone else acting as the band leader, and I am the one being hired as a contract worker. So, if I make $500, that’s mine to keep. I get hired for these gigs from word of mouth, experience, other band leaders that I know, corporate bands who need a lead singer, and awesome organizations like ATL Collective, who understand how musicians make a living and help to keep money circulating in the local musician community.
Let’s say, my average pay for one show, whether I’m the band leader or singer for hire, is $300. I would need to play two to four gigs every week to make an annual income of $30,000-$60,000. Most musicians I know, do this regularly. We book gigs in advance and we plan out our year. When January rolls around, we should start filling up dates for February, March, April. Usually the goal is to leave no weekend open; all weekends should be filled with work. This is a success and normal for a working musician.
Now, how did musicians lose so much money all at once when COVID hit and why are they all freaking out? Most gig bookings are booked months in advance. Festivals, tours, corporate events, weddings, are all booked six months to a year in advance of the actual performance date. So, this means not only has all of our gig work for the last six months been cancelled since March, but also future gigs have been very difficult to book or plan; since no one knows when it will be safe to have live performances again. This is nearly a year of cancelled work. There are of course local gigs, like bars and restaurants, that can be booked the month of, but many are still closed and sadly, some may never reopen. Churches play a huge part in keeping steady work for musicians to count on each Sunday. With churches closed as well, they have had to cut budgets, which means less pay for musicians. Most gigging musicians have been living in a state of suspended belief since March, and for the near future, with little to no income, outside of federal assistance.
What in the world are we supposed to do to make a living then? Well, thank God for the internet. Musicians with an audience base (This is important to note, because many musicians are side men and don’t have their own following) have been able to pivot and turn to virtual performances as a way to make a performance income. Virtual performances allow you to reach and perform for people anywhere in the world. Keep in mind though, that this is a very expensive pivot. When you are looking at capturing good sound and video, you have to pay a sound engineer and video production, which severely cuts into profit margin. Nevertheless, this is the best alternative for some musicians right now.
Music is such an integral part of a vibrant city. The net weaved by musicians is large and affects so many people. Right now, musicians need support more than any other time. Fans who can donate or pay for virtual performances helps so much. The biggest help was coming from federal assistance, which has stopped assisting. So, we look to organizations like ATL Collective and their With the Band Fund to help alleviate some of the financial burden in a moment of crisis. Working musicians have families to feed to homes to pay for; it is not a hobby or pretend job. I think a lot of people have this perception that it’s not a real job. It is a very real job when it puts food on your table.
Get tickets to Brenda’s virtual concert on Saturday, August 15 here. Listen to MARROW on most streaming platforms.
To meet the critical needs of our Atlanta-based musical community, ATL Collective has moved swiftly to create a relief fund we call With The Band Live Music Fund. The purpose of the fund is to create crisis relief for those for whom illness, injury, immediate family death, sudden care giving responsibilities or disaster has temporarily or permanently halted their ability to work. Support full-time musicians (or crew members) whose primary residence is in the metro Atlanta area that spend the majority of their time devoted to live music performance and preparation or technical support of performances. We’ll be rolling out the opportunity to support and engage this fund in the coming months, but in the meantime, you can donate to the ATL Collective’s broad mission to empower and connect Atlanta’s music community here.
In a nutshell Thriller is the most influential record of my time. I grew up in a very strict, religious home & Thriller was the only “secular” album my mom would allow me to have.
The year was 1983: The Jackson Five are performing at Motown’s 25th anniversary, and I’m glued to the TV. Toward the end of there performance, I hear my mom yell “GO TO BED”. What happened next changed my life forever: The “Billie Jean” drums start, and I can’t move. I’m torn between my mom telling me to go to bed and this music that’s changing my life. I decided in that moment that a spanking was well worth what my ears were hearing. Good thing my mom was too tired to get up. That was the first time I heard “Billie Jean,” which led to a quest to get the record. My mom finally agreed to purchase the album for me (I bugged her for months). Before I even knew what credits were, I would read the names of the people involved in making this record and felt like we were connected, from Temperton to Phillinganes to Quincy.
The feeling that I got every time I played the record was unmatched with anything that I had ever experienced. Soon I realized how powerful the compositions were and still are. I played the hell out of the album (literally) until it would play no longer and my mom had to go and purchase another copy. Without any doubt this record has shaped my approach to music as a producer, artist, musician, writer, arranger and mix engineer (and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way).
-Jamie Portee
In a nutshell Thriller is the most influential record of my time. I grew up in a very strict, religious home & Thriller was the only “secular” album my mom would allow me to have.
The year was 1983: The Jackson Five are performing at Motown’s 25th anniversary, and I’m glued to the TV. Toward the end of there performance, I hear my mom yell “GO TO BED”. What happened next changed my life forever: The “Billie Jean” drums start, and I can’t move. I’m torn between my mom telling me to go to bed and this music that’s changing my life. I decided in that moment that a spanking was well worth what my ears were hearing. Good thing my mom was too tired to get up. That was the first time I heard “Billie Jean,” which led to a quest to get the record. My mom finally agreed to purchase the album for me (I bugged her for months). Before I even knew what credits were, I would read the names of the people involved in making this record and felt like we were connected, from Temperton to Phillinganes to Quincy.
The feeling that I got every time I played the record was unmatched with anything that I had ever experienced. Soon I realized how powerful the compositions were and still are. I played the hell out of the album (literally) until it would play no longer and my mom had to go and purchase another copy. Without any doubt this record has shaped my approach to music as a producer, artist, musician, writer, arranger and mix engineer (and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way).
-Jamie Portee
Sade – Love Deluxe
In 1992, the musical landscape appeared to be suffering from a mild case of schizophrenia. Where there had once been clear and defined lines separating music genres from one another, those lines began to blur at an unprecedented rate as R&B, hip-hop, rock, jazz and even country began bleeding into one another and garnering crossover success in the process.
Seminal releases by the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Mary J. Blige, TLC, Dr. Dre and R.E.M. crowded the airwaves and music charts. As music began taking on a more experimental approach, one release in particular had no trouble standing out amongst the ever growing list of releases—Sade’s fourth studio album, Love Deluxe. In the midst of the cacophonous sea of sounds that were spilling forth in the name of grunge, electronica, New Jack Swing and everything in between, Love Deluxe provided a bed of comfort and familiarity. Much like the previous work from this British band, Sade’s fourth album was filled with atmospheric sounds mixed with a hint of the mysteriousness that had made the group an international success dating back to their 1984 debut, Diamond Life.
However, a closer listen to Love Deluxe would reveal that the album did mark a turning point for the band that consisted of lead singer Sade Adu, guitarist and saxophonist Stuart Matthewman, bassist Paul S. Denman and keyboardist Andrew Hale. For a group of musicians that had built its brand up on crafting understated and brooding music, it’s not farfetched to assume that their venture into new territory would be ever so slight.
Even though it had always been difficult to neatly package the Sade’s sound into one category, the genre they became closest associated with was jazz, perhaps due in part to Matthewman’s saxophone riffs that often lent color to songs such as Promise’s “Is It A Crime.” Despite the hard lean into jazz territory, other influences could be often be uncovered like the sounds of bossa nova carefully woven into the fibers of Diamond Life’s “Smooth Operator.” Perhaps the best description of the type of music brought forth by Sade would be to call it world music, a title that though broad, best encompasses Love Deluxe.
“Feel No Pain,” the second single release from Love Deluxe, bears the traces of Africa, with its hypnotic drums as she paints a portrait of a family’s struggle with unemployment, poverty and pride. The slow and steady thump of the drums provides the perfect canvas to portray the combative nature of fighting for survival, she warns of impending doom if situations don’t improve (“One day we’re gonna wake up and with the ghetto’s all around/All over my friend/Have you ever seen a man break down?”) The accompanying video was equally stark as the lead singer and her longtime backing vocalist Leroy Osbourne are seen in the barren desert.
Equally as grave in both content and musical composition is “Pearls,” a solemn tale of a Somalian woman’s struggles. The violin and cello-driven song offers a near-classical performance that is juxtaposed by Adu’s wails of “Hallelujah!” towards the end, a cry that is as close to gospel that the traditionally-restrained vocalist gets and jars listeners out of their somber reverie. Matters of the heart were treated with the same glum outlook as “Like A Tattoo” feels equally as plaintive as Adu wails across a melancholic guitar that wavers somewhere between Spanish classical and American blues.
In the midst of all of her doom and gloom, Sade still found the time to exalt in power of love. To this day, “Kiss of Life” remains a venerable love song, kept alive by timeless proclamations like, “When I led to you, I knew you were the one for me/I swear the whole world could feel my heartbeat.” While a much of the band’s success relied on Adu’s voice, much of it can be attributed to the musicianship of Matthewman, Denman and Hale, who perfected the art of telling a story with just music alone. Songs like the album’s lead single, “No Ordinary Love” actually feel as if the listener is submerged in water, much like the lovelorn mermaid Adu portrays the video.
Speaking of those videos, Love Deluxe also marked a transition in how fans were able to view the singer. Whereas past videos always featured Adu with her sleek, tightly-constrained ponytail and signature red lipstick, the videos for “No Ordinary Love,” “Feel No Pain,” “Kiss of Life” and “Cherish the Day” each featured the singer with her long hair billowing in the wind, her lips decidedly absent of lipstick. For the first time, fans were able to literally see her “let her hair down,” a stark contrast to the decidedly detached and sometimes downright iciness found in her delivery. It allowed her to appear just the slightest bit more accessible, despite the fact that we knew that she would never completely pull back the curtain of her carefully constructed façade.
At the time of the album’s release, reviews were mixed. Many felt that it had strayed too far away from the lush, ambient sounds heard on their earlier works. Still, others felt that it had not far drifted enough from the original formula. However as with most things, the best judge is the test of time. The first hint of the Love Deluxe’s longevity came two years after its release when Sade took home a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1994 for “No Ordinary Love.” To date the album has sold over four million copies.
As the years have worn on, songs such as “Kiss of Life,” “No Ordinary Love” and “I Couldn’t Love You More” have certainly passed that test, remaining in rotation on many adult R&B radio stations while also inspiring covers by the likes of Richard Marx, The Deftones and the Rosebuds, who decided to cover the entire album in honor of the 20th anniversary of its release. Meanwhile, “Feel No Pain” feels just as timely as the economy still struggles to rebound from the recent recession, making it easy to wonder if the band had the foresight then to know that such issues would still prevail 22 years after Love Deluxe’s release. One thing is certain, however; by leading with their heart and intuition, Ms. Adu and company have quietly provided a timeless classic that will likely continue to reach out to the world for another 22 years more.
Ivory M. Jones
ESSENCE.com, SoulBounce.com, Billboard, BET
Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle
So where to start? The Zombies were in a bit of a bad place in 1967. Odessey and Oracle was the result of frustration. Toiling for years with very little commercial success to speak of and their current recording contract long past expiration, primary songwriters Rod Argent and Chris White sought a new beginning. Set with a new CBS contract and relatively minuscule 1,000-pound budget, as well as access to Abbey Road Studios, the Zombies embarked into an environment without label pressure, meaning no specific deadline for release and more notable, no producer. The Zombies had no illusions coming into the recording sessions; they knew this was the end or just the beginning. One thing was certain, though: Odessey and Oracle would be completely subject to the whim of the artists.
With this in mind, Argent and White went out to create a cohesive album. Up until Odessey and Oracle, the Zombies had released a pair of LPs. These, for the most part, were collections of singles rather than actual albums. Through those releases the Zombies did manage to invent a distinctive sound, a sound which would ultimately be expanded upon under Odessey and Oracle. The cause of the distinctive sound was the fact that the Zombies were classically trained musicians, an image which perhaps did worse than good. Often, the Zombies came off as studious squares compared to more rebellious acts. Either way, the Zombies’ musical background led to intricate songs that perhaps were beyond the scope of the popular rock audience. Spatters of sudden tempo and key changes, Argent’s raging organ work and baroque composition filled the band’s singles. All of these songs are really pretty easily accessible but also have a distinct sound when compared to the work of peers. The Zombies also brought interesting musical influences such as jazz undertones and blue-eyed soul, further separating them from R&B-based bands of the time. So while the Zombies are considered part of the then-burgeoning psychedelic era, aside from the vocal harmonies, arguably they had more in common with the church organist and chorale rather than the typical psychedelic band.
Perhaps purposely distancing themselves from equals, Odessey and Oracle finds the Zombies in an interesting place. Lyrically, the band had begun to mature from routine “about a girl” topics. While a fair share of songs on Odessey could be considered romantic songs, the direction the lyrics came from was much more varied. The album opener, “Care of Cell 44” is the perfect example. The Argent-penned song, originally titled “Prison Song” and later, “Care of Cell 69,” finds a guy dreaming about his girl’s release from prison, “hoping she’s ok’ and waiting to “get to know her for a second time.” Not only does the story have a thematic twist, the man waiting for the woman to be released from jail, but the song’s explosive chorus and Colin Blunstone’s lead vocals are utterly amazing on this track, bringing an emphatic charge that fits the song’s distant mellotron, percussive tack piano and White’s steady bass. Energetically, the album does a 360 with “A Rose for Emily,” another Argent song, this one much more plaintive and with a completely new lyrical theme. Based on a William Faulkner short story, “A Rose for Emily” is incredible musically minimalist tale of a spinster who lives and dies alone. The song simply features Argent’s piano backing and shared vocals between Blunstone and Argent, yet evokes such emotional depth.
“Maybe After He’s Gone” returns to romance, this time Blunstone mourns, “maybe… she’ll come back and love me again.” More exquisitely crafted vocal harmonies exude from the track, although the highlight of this track is drummer Hugh Grundy’s work. Grundy strikes quick with reverberating strikes during the verses, stops, pulls back in during the chorus, lather, rinse, repeat. Grundy’s drumming here is evocative of much of the musical aesthetic the Zombies prided themselves on: meticulously design yet an irrevocable feeling of spontaneity lying behind every corner. “Changes” features such spontaneity as well, commencing with a lone flute that reoccurs, throughout. Eastern-inflected rhythms coupled with all five Zombies on vocals can make “Changes” a challenging song at first listen but the excellent vocals and expert production even the song out, making even the outlandish earthbound. “Changes” was also the final recorded track during the sessions, finished just as their time was ending; White recalls, “the fellows in the white coats were removing the piano while we were recording it. That’s actually on the album!” I can’t hear it but I’ll take his word for it.
The final five tracks of Odessey and Oracle each deserve inordinate amounts of praise but I’ll be brief for a moment. “I Want Her, She Wants Me” is a pop essential. Once again, White gives a stellar performance on bass, making up for lost time. White’s bass was perhaps most neglected during earlier years but here and on most of Odessey, White gives great performances. Argent returns for vocals once again, as well as providing his harpsichord playing to the track. White’s “This Will Be Our Year” pushes the baroque pop the Zombies do so well even further, adding an awesome brass section to Blunstone’s strong vocal performance. The upbeat “Friends Of Mine” is a joyful ode to, well, friends. One of the most charismatic of all the songs, “Friends” has Blunstone tearing through names of friends, the recording ending with Blunstone’s gasp for breathe.
Of the final five, two stand out far beyond every other track on the album for me: the aforementioned “Time of the Season” and “Butcher’s Tale (Western Front 1914).” Upon first listening to”Butcher’s Tale”, I couldn’t help but be taken by surprise. The song is penned by Chris White, self admitted World War I buff, and the lyrics evoke the terror of war from the eyes of s soldier. The song seems somewhat out of place in the context of the album but it fits somehow and is definitely a creative zenith for the Zombies. White gives a rare lead vocal performance here, although his shaky vocals are perfectly suited for the lamentations: “I have seen a friend of mine/Hang on the wire, like some rag toy/Then in the heat, the flies come down/And cover up the boy.” His vocals are backed by a Phantom-of-the-Opera pedal organ they dragged to the studio specifically for the song. When White reaches the chorus, his voice takes a turn towards the atonal but one can’t help but feel the force behind his vocals, no matter how amateur. Powerful stuff.
And once again, we are back to “Time of the Season”. This was the first Zombies song I ever heard, I remember convincing myself in years past that the song was done by a Mo-Town band. The track is the epitome of smooth, from the amazing organ solos courtesy of Rod Argent to Grundy’s interesting rhythms and the instantly recognizable hand claps and ahhs. And while the song is constructed complexly, one can help but reach the conclusion that it just sounds too simple. The Zombies did what all great bands do, make the utterly impossible sound effortless.
Odessey and Oracle, in all the ways it separates itself from other albums of the era, was ultimately subject the methods of the time. The album ended as a rushed affair, which was the result of several factors. While the Zombies were guaranteed artistic control, CBS expected them to produce. So when the first singles produced by the album flopped, much to the dismay of both the Zombies and their benefactors, things began looking grim. The Zombies were still in the process of completing the mixing of the album at this point and seeing this failure was the last straw for the band. Since most of the time spent lately had been in the recording studio, the band wasn’t able to perform live and thus, had entered financial difficulties. The failure of the initial singles cemented it: the band would disband after the album was finished. Odyssey and Oracle was chosen as the title but rushed cover artwork led to a misspelling, “Odessey,” a mistake that wasn’t even noticed until it was too late. The album was released unceremoniously in England and only made it state-side by providence and the will of CBS A&R man, Al Kooper. By the time “Time of the Season” had become a hit single in the U.S., the band had been disbanded for almost a half a year.
The album has been released a myriad of times now, re-mastered, piled on with extras, extensive liner notes and the works. The brevity of Odessey allowed room for future versions to add mono and stereo versions, unreleased tracks and whatever else. But the core album, 12 tracks and about 34 minutes, is pure magic.
Happy Monday, everyone! Some quick updates about some of our favorite ATL Collective artists:
The Shadowboxers and Chinua Hawk are playing at Vinyl on Thursday, March 8: http://www.centerstage-atlanta.com/show?id=517&artist=CHINUA+HAWK
The Shadowboxers and Amy Ray (of the Indigo Girls) are playing at the Variety Playhouse on Saturday, March 10: http://www.variety-playhouse.com/event/90855/
And our very own Micah Dalton is playing at Vinyl on Friday, March 16:http://www.centerstage-atlanta.com/show?id=529&artist=MICAH+DALTON
Get your tickets now!
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/atlcollective
Warm thanks and holiday cheer to everyone who came out to our show atEddie’s Attic last night! You all helped make it such a festive evening. Make sure to stay tuned for updates on our next show on January 11, 2012, featuring Neil Young’s “After The Gold Rush” with Micah Dalton, Tyler Lyle and David Berkeley.
Happy Holidays!
In this time of caroling, spiced drinks, and mistletoe, we are happy to ring in the holidays with you, our friends of the Collective! We are thrilled to announce that our surprise featured artist will be Tanner Merritt of Atlanta’s own O’Brother. To spread even more holiday cheer and help get you as excited as we are, here is a blog by our co-founder David Berkeley. David is writing from San Francisco, where he is continuing his music and writing career. His albums and books make great stocking stuffers and you can find them on his website. We look forward to seeing you this Wednesday, December 14th at Eddie’s Attic for Burl Ives’s “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas”!
Nothing Beats Burl for the Holidays by David Berkeley
In researching a bit to write this blog, (from respected sources, including Wikipedia), I learned a few great facts about our good friend Burl. First, his full name is Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives. I could probably stop right there, and this would already be a tremendous blog. Icle? Ivanhoe? As if the Burl part weren’t enough. He also dropped out of college, (the college which has since named a building after him), and was a Freemason, an organization about which I’ve always been curious myself.
Burl, of course, released a ton of records and appeared in an impressive list of TV shows and films. He also performed in several Broadway productions and authored an autobiography and several songbooks.
But onto matters at hand: the album, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, a wish most of us share (at least for those we love). The album came out in 1965 and includes such favorites as “White Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Silver Bells,” “Drummer Boy,” (yes the little one), and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
There may be nothing groundbreaking about this album, but who wants a groundbreaking Christmas album? What we want, and yes even I, (a member of the Jewish faith), want it, is familiarity, comfort, warmth. We want to basically be serenaded by our grandpa…or even by Santa. And Burl manages to channel both (assuming your grandpa sounded similar to mine). We want the classics done in classic style.
Burl’s voice and these arrangements bring a blast of snow and a glimpse of colored lights, a puff of chestnut smoke and peppermint right into our living rooms and, if I may, right into our hearts. The music makes us feel close to our loved ones—even those far away. And as I write this, almost 3000 miles from you, my dear Collective, this is exactly what I want in a Christmas record.
And although I can’t be there with you, I’ll be thinking of you. And I’ll be looking forward to our Collective in January, where I will be back among you to welcome in 2012.
Lots of love and holiday cheer,
David
Some of my earliest memories stem from listening to the Beatles with my father. Sitting together on Saturday mornings, over warm bagels and coffee, (apple juice for me), my dad would put a Beatles’ vinyl on the record player, and we would sit together and listen. Interspersed throughout the course of the album, my dad would tell me stories about the various songs, or anecdotes about the Beatles themselves. I looked forward to those days, those moments with my dad and the Beatles. Their music remains an integral component of my and my father’s relationship, as well as an enduring constant, my touchstone, throughout life.
The songs of the Fab Four have become the soundtrack to my life, from those early days as a young child to my morning drives to work today. And each album, each song, holds a special place in my heart. Whenever people ask me what my favorite Beatles’ album is, I hesitate and imagine that this is what it must feel like to be a parent and asked whether you have a favorite child. The choice cannot really be made in good conscious when a musical catalogue is as momentous, as inspiring, as iconic as that of the Beatles. Yet, if I were forced to pick just one, Revolver would rise to the top. Because not only did this album change the way I listened to music, considered music, for the rest of my life, but it shifted the course of rock and roll like no other album before it, and no other album after.
Revolver not only represented a fundamental shift in the Beatles’ sound; it also marked an evolution of the way in which the band created its music. Following Revolver, the rest of their music was forged in the studio without any consideration as to whether or not the songs would be able to be played live. In fact, when Revolver was released in August 1966, the Beatles were completing what would end up being their final live tour, without any of the 14 tracks on Revolver ever being played on stage during that time.
Each song on Revolver exudes imaginative thinking and unparalleled creativity. With outside influences from the emerging hippy movement and the increasing prevalence of psychedelic drugs in the lives of the Beatles, the variety of those 14 tracks challenged all the standard conventions of pop music to date. With a range of music styles, from the sitar sounds of India on Tomorrow Never Knows to the children’s sing-a-long style on Yellow Submarine, Revolver introduced a track-by-track distinction that has since become a rock and roll standard.
Revolver represents the Beatles’ first truly experimental album, yet, in true Beatles’ fashion, each song is incredibly memorable and accessible. Eleanor Rigby, For No One and Here, There And Everywhere are still known as some of the most beautiful and beloved songs Paul ever wrote, while Taxman and I Want To Tell You are still considered the best compositions George had done up to that point. Yellow Submarine would later inspire a feature animated film, its youthful spirit a stark contrast to the wistful notes and mood encapsulating lyrics to some of John’s contributions to the album: I’m Only Sleeping and She Said She Said.
With the release of Revolver, the Beatles officially became recording artists rather than performers, able to happily focus on the more fulfilling art of crafting records rather than having to squeeze in any songwriting time from the road or between television and film appearances. After Revolver, they were finally free to be the artists they were always destined to become.
– Written by Alexandra Stieber, branding and marketing extraordinaire, and featured blogger for the ATL Collective.
Join us on Wednesday, October 12th at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA for the ATL Collective, featuring the Beatles’ Revolver, top to bottom, with Yellow Submarine Sandwiches. Tickets can be purchased in advanced on the Eddie’s Attic website or at the door for $13. We look forward to seeing you there!
The ATL Collective Team
P.S. Check out our co-founder, Micah Dalton’s, KICKSTARTER “Sponsor A Song“ Campaign.
