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Originally Posted by jazzrocks
What do the Monks have to with the Beatles? Why make the comparison? Nothing against the Monks but how do you compare Revolver with the Monks they are different musically. It's like comparing some Motown group with a Country Act.
Basically every modern electronic artist owes something to "Tomorrow Never Knows". The Beatles did more artistically in this one song than currents bands have done (and will do) in their entire careers. It blows my mind that Revolver was done on a 4 track mono soundboard. I'm a musician myself and have some understanding of recording equipment but they did this with 4 track technology. Tomorrow Never Knows they began experimenting with tape loops effects, musique-concrète, backward music, repetition drum & bass sound, and all in one song which influenced modern electronica.
In the television program Howard Goodall's 20th-Century Greats, Goodall says that in mixing pop and classical techniques, and cross-fertilising them with Indian and electronic music, The Beatles refreshed and revitalised western harmony. They also transformed the recording studio from a dull box where you recaptured your live sound, into a musical laboratory, of exciting and completely new sounds.
The Beatles (Revolver) 1966 Revolutionary in early preoccupation with "psychedelic" effects as a studio instrument, including electronic/tape effects, sound distortion, influence of Indian music, and avant-garde. New recording technique inclued Automatic Double Tracking, layered tape looped effects, many kinds of reserve tape effects, and vocals through leslie amps
You can make up your point without bringing the Beatles into it. If you understood what they did for rock music or pop music you would not bring the Beatles into this. Black Monk Time is a great album and it's one of my favorites but Revolver is considered by many the greatest pop album of all time. Black Monk Time and Revolver are different albums go ask what early Progressive Rock artists thought of "Eleanor Rigby" or "Love You To".
RadioheadOasis’s Journal – The Beatles Timeline 1962-1966 – Last.fm |
I think the above and your comments on my journal are slight over reactions, but of course shows music passion so fair enough. But it's really not like comparing Country music with Motown, its like comparing one landmark album which everyone loves from a former Beat group, with a Cult classic from the same year which not everybody knows from another former Beat group.
If there's one thing I've learnt in the last few years, its that nothing in sixties music is cut and dry and as I originally thought. The Beatles at the end of the day were art school students, who as such, were open to new ideas, ideas not neccesarily their own, but when taken on board were certainly taken to new levels, no doubt about it, thats why the relationship with George Martin for example was so important.
But you as a fan of jazz (an assumption from your name) must know that some of the stuff being done by artists in the sixties (including The Beatles and The Monks) had actually been done to some degree all before, just taken by each artist, rejigged and taken up a gear.
The Beatles of course were brilliant, no one really is suggesting otherwise, see my Magical Mystery Tour review if you dont believe me, my Revolver review will indeed be coming up in my journal in the next couple of weeks, as believe it or not I actually value this album too.
But as I stated in my Monks review, you may think I'm using Revolver for effect but thats not the intention. I really bring it up as Revolver I believe is the benchmark for 1966 output to many (as you've proved), but Im attempting to make a reasoned arguement, as much as you can describing music with the written word, that maybe Black Monk Time was just as groundbreaking and just as influential.
One of the whole points of that journal is to highlight some of the acts who may have flown under the radar and broke their own version of the mould......I firmly believe that The Monks were one such act.
Put it this way, it would defeat the object of that journal and my passion for sixties cult records if my views didnt fly in the face of the popular opinions that you have stated above. Sorry if I've offended you for seeming to slur one of your favourite bands, they are actually one of mine too, but c'mon, there's plenty of music love to go round.