Skip to main content

TL;DR:

  • Oasis’ Noel Gallagher said The Beatles’ Revolver was a milestone in the Fab Four’s career.
  • He compared Revolver to the band’s work before and after the release of the album.
  • Three of the singles from the album reached the top 20 in the United States.
The Beatles' Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison on a roof during the 'Revolver' era
The Beatles‘ Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison | John Pratt/Keystone/Getty Images

Oasis’ Noel Gallagher said The Beatles were an influence on him. In the same vein, he explained why The Beatles’ Revolver was one of his favorite albums of all time. Notably, three of the songs from Revolver became hit singles in the United States.

Oasis’ Noel Gallagher discussed the influence of drugs on some of The Beatles’ music

In a 2011 article in The Quietus, Gallagher named his 13 favorite albums. The only Fab Four album on the list was Revolver. “Revolver was when the sitars really started to come in with The Beatles, and all the backwards stuff on ‘Tomorrow Never Knows,'” he wrote. 

Gallagher felt Revolver was a milestone in the band’s discography. “It’s their first drug album,” Gallagher said. “The drums sound great on it and it’s a masterclass of how to make guitar pop. That’s just it.”

Oasis’ Noel Gallagher said what he thinks of The Beatles’ work before and after the release of ‘Revolver’

Gallagher felt the band transformed artistically while creating Revolver. “They took what The Beatles had been, they did Revolver and then the next week they’re making ‘Strawberry Fields Forever,'” he wrote. “They’re a completely different band. It’s a cliché to talk about it now because it’s so well-known, but this is a mindblowing album.”

Gallagher further elaborated on the legacy of Revolver. “If you’re in a band and you’re playing guitar, you have been influenced by The Beatles,” he said. “That really is all you need to know. The psychedelic stuff they did after this was mindblowing and the Fab Four mop top stuff before this was equally as good but on this record it all came together.”

Related

Earth, Wind & Fire’s Cover of a Song From The Beatles’ ‘Revolver’ Became a Hit

How ‘Revolver’ and its songs performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

Revolver became a huge hit in the United States. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for six weeks, staying on the chart for 85 weeks in total. Three tracks from the album — “Yellow Submarine,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Got to Get You Into My Life” — reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.

The Official Charts Company reports Revolver was No. 1 in the United Kingdom for seven weeks. The album stayed on the chart for 34 weeks altogether. In the U.K., “Yellow Submarine” and “Eleanor Rigby” reached No. 1 when they were released as a double A-side single.

Gallagher holds Revolver in high regard — and the public responded well to the album.