What Would George Harrison Think of The Beatles’ New ‘Revolver’ Super Deluxe?
George Harrison enjoyed working on The Beatles‘ Revolver, but that doesn’t mean he would’ve liked the new Super Deluxe version. Keep in mind George often contradicted himself. He said he’d come to terms with The Beatles’ legacy, but that didn’t stop him from revealing his true feelings.
It’s possible George would’ve liked the new Revolver Super Deluxe edition, but here’s what he would’ve been critical of at the same time.
The Beatle loved the 1966 album
Around 1965, George hit a wall where nothing and no one impressed him. He was sick of fame and everything else that came with being one of the most famous guitar players. There had to be more to life.
Thankfully, many changes came his way and fast. George met sitar legend Ravi Shankar and learned that God is sound. This put George on a fast track to spirituality.
During this time, The Beatles’ sound was also changing. They’d begun experimenting on Rubber Soul and stopped touring the following year, which allowed them more time in the recording studio and, therefore, more time for exploration. George finally started enjoying making music with his band again.
During a 1992 interview with Guitar World, George said working on Rubber Soul and Revolver was like being “lost in the middle of it-not knowing a thing-and at the same time somehow knowing everything.”
“Around the time of Rubber Soul and Revolver it was like I had a sudden flash, and it all seemed to be happening for some real purpose,” George said. “The main thing for me was having the realization that there was definitely some reason for being here. And now the rest of my life as a person and a musician is about finding out what that reason is, and how to build upon it.
“That’s when I really enjoyed getting creative with the music-not just with my guitar playing and songwriting but with everything we did as a band, including the songs that the others wrote. It all deepened and became more meaningful.”
George was most proud of the chords in Revolver‘s “I Want To Tell You,” but it’s safe to say he was proud of the whole album. If George had a soft spot for the record, then maybe he’d like all forms of it.
Why George Harrison wouldn’t enjoy the new ‘Revolver’ Super Deluxe edition
If George were alive today to hear The Beatles’ new Revolver Super Deluxe edition, he’d be thinking many things.
George had a hard time understanding the fans and members of the press that harped on about The Beatles years after they broke up. In 1979, he told Rolling Stone, “They’ve got lots and lots of songs they can play forever. But what do they want? Blood?”
Re-releasing a Beatles album would give the fans George is talking about what they want. It would keep the whole Beatle world open when George often wanted it closed and done with forever. He liked moving on from the past, especially his past with The Beatles, which wasn’t always great. Hearing about the Revolver Super Deluxe would prompt him to say something like, ‘Oh, we’re back on those songs again? How about we hear something new.”
On the other hand, in the 1980s, George said he’d come to terms with being a Beatle. He even joked that he’d better start getting used to the fact that The Beatles weren’t going anywhere. So, maybe he would’ve thought re-releasing the album was a good idea.
There’s another reason why George wouldn’t have liked the ‘Revolver’ Super Deluxe
George also told Rolling Stone that it didn’t bother him anymore that The Beatles’ music was repackaged over the years without the band’s permission.
“At first it was pretty crummy,” he said. “We always had complete artistic control from the outset, and we took great care over running orders, having the right songs in the right places and good sleeves – it was all done with a bit of taste.
“But straightaway they started screwing that up in the States, holding back tracks from albums so that, for every two albums released in Britain, they could release three over there. But still, everything we did continued to be in pretty good taste until the contract expired, and then they started shoving out all these repackages with crummy sleeves and everything. It doesn’t bother me as long as they keep paying the royalties.”
Since The Beatles regained control of their catalog, they’ve had the final say on everything, including the Revolver Super Deluxe. So, maybe that would’ve won George over too.
However, George’s views on The Beatles’ music on CD remain. During a 1987 interview with Charles Bermant (per George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters), George said he liked the older versions better.
“I listened to some of them,” George said. “I still prefer the old versions, how I remember them on vinyl. There’s a lot of stuff that you can hear now that’s good. In some cases, there’s a lot of stuff that you shouldn’t hear so loudly, that’s somehow come out in the mix.”
Speaking to MuchMusic, George said, “I think some of those CDs, I’m not sure if they did something to them or if-it just gives you the ability to sort of get behind and hear what’s happening whereas on the vinyl they were all packed in there neat. Somethings just jumped out a bit too much.”
Listening to the Revolver Super Deluxe, nothing jumps out that is particularly jarring. It’s certainly clearer than ever before. Plus, two of George’s tracks on the album, “Taxman” and “Love You To” have new psychedelic videos, which are awesome.
Ultimately, we’ll never know if George would’ve liked the Revolver Super Deluxe edition. There’s equal evidence to say he would and wouldn’t. However, if George was still alive today, it’s more than likely he would’ve been down for anything as long as The Beatles’ legacy was honored and respected.
