The Beatles-Revolver

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Introduction

  • The Beatles began in 1960
  • Their producer was George Martin
  • The album was studio-based which enabled the incorporation of experimental effects such as double-tracking, looping, etc
  • There was a presence of 'psychedelic and Avant-garde techniques
  • Unconventional love songs
  • Based upon blues music
  • Members included:
    • George Harrison
    • Paul McCartney
    • Ringo Starr
    • John Lennon
  • Album was released in 1966
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Wider Listening

  • Pyscho influenced strings
  • And Dream of Sheep-Kate Bush-Homophonic
  • Tommy-The Who-sustained chords and developed drum patterns
  • Sound of Silence-Simon and Garfunkel-A minor
  • Kate Bush-Melody dominated homophony
  • Vaughan Williams-scotch snaps (for influence)
  • In my Life-Generic Beatles song in comparison to Tomorrow Never Knows
  • Carole King-Tapestry-Out of the ordinary, more experimental with techniques
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Melody

  • Eleanor Rigby
    • Lydian mode implied (bar 1), Dorian mode (bar 10), aeolian mode (bar 13)
    • triadic descends 
    • Avoids 6th and 7th degree of the scale
    • octave leaps (bar 20), a leap of a minor 10th (bar 24), close on the middle (Bar25)
    • chromatic descends on strings
  • Here, There and Everywhere
    • syllabic word setting
    • broken triads in the intro
    • the range is wide (a 9th)
    • conjuncts movt with leaps 
  • Tomorrow never knows
    • flattened thirds
  • I want to tell you
    • begins with a guitar riff
    • melisma
    • dislocated phrases of varying length
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Harmony and Tonality

  • Eleanor Rigby
    • Built on two chords: E minor and C major
    • A minor chords (bar 61)
    • slow harmonic rhythm
    • E minor is the key
  • Here, There and Everywhere
    • Plagal cadence at close
    • false relation
    • dissonant E
    • mostly in G major
  • Tomorrow never knows
    • Broken chords
    • Moves between Bb major and C major
  • I want to tell you
    • A limited number of chords (A, B7, E7, A)
    • Dissonance E minor 9ths
    • Key is mostly A major
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Structure

  • Eleanor Rigby
    • strophic form with three verses
    • each verse consists of three lines with a loose rhyme scheme
  • Here, There and Everywhere
    • verse-chorus with a coda at the end
  • Tomorrow never knows
    • Strophic form
  • I want to tell you
    • Strophic form/verse-chorus
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Instrumentation

  • Eleanor Rigby
    • Doubled string quartet
    • Staccato figures
    • vocal harmonies with the line double a 3rd below
    • McCartney sang the verses
  • Here, There and Everywhere
    • sung by McCartney
    • piano, vocal, three-part backing vocals, mandolin, bass and acoustic guitar
  • Tomorrow never knows
    • Sitar 
    • double tracking ie McCartney's laugh (seagull)
  • I want to tell you
    • double tracked
    • includes tambourine and maracas
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Texture

  • Eleanor Rigby
    • homophonic
    • frequently varied: contrapuntal and cello doubles vocal lines
  • Here, There and Everywhere
    • melody dominated homophony
    • Guitar alternates between block chords and broken chords
    • Three-part supporting ovcals
  • Tomorrow never knows
    • solo voice supported by a drone
    • electronic polyphony
  • I want to tell you
    • melody dominated homophony
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Rhythm and Metre

  • Eleanor Rigby
    • sustained notes
    • syncopation (bars 2, 9-11, 20-21)
    • repeated crotchets (Bars 3-4)
  • Here, There and Everywhere
    • scotch snaps (bar 13)
    • steady pulse
    • notes carried over (Bar 5)
  • Tomorrow never knows
    • Syncopation
    • dotted rhythm and scotch snaps
    • triplet quavers
  • I want to tell you
    • Syncopation in vocal parts
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