Fifty years since ‘Revolver’ released by The Beatles

Yellow Submarine, Eleanor Rigby among tracks on album regarded by many as band’s best

Regarded by many as the Beatles’ greatest album, Revolverwas released in August 5th, 1966 in the UK and three days later in the US.
Regarded by many as the Beatles’ greatest album, Revolverwas released in August 5th, 1966 in the UK and three days later in the US.

Friday marks the 50 year anniversary of when The Beatles released their renowned album Revolver.

Regarded by many as the Beatles’ greatest album, it was released in August 5th, 1966 in the UK and three days later in the US.

Critics praised the group for the creative and experimental music and Revolver stayed for 34 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, including seven weeks at no.1.

The 14 tracks include Yellow Submarine, Eleanor Rigby, I'm Only Sleeping, Good Day Sunshine, Tomorrow Never Knows, and For No One.

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Revolver has ranked third in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and topped numerous similar greatest album lists.

In the US around the time of the album’s release, there was controversy over John Lennon’s comments that the Beatles had become “bigger than Jesus”.

Producer George Martin said about the group recording the album:

“Their ideas, now, were beginning to become much more potent in the studio, and they would start telling me what they wanted, and they would start pressing me for more ideas.”

Paul McCartney explained the name of the album: “We suddenly thought, ‘Hey, what does a record do? It revolves. Great!’ You know - and so it was a Revolver.”

Full track list:

1 Taxman

2 Eleanor Rigby

3 I’m Only Sleeping

4 Love You To

5 Here, There and Everywhere

6 Yellow Submarine

7 She Said She Said

8 Good Day Sunshine

9 And Your Bird Can Sing

10 For No One

11 Doctor Robert

12 I Want to Tell You

13 Got to Get You Into My Life

14 Tomorrow Never Knows

Rachel Flaherty

Rachel Flaherty

Rachel Flaherty is Digital Features Editor and journalist with The Irish Times