Anatomy of an Album: "Revolver" Quiz

Answer: Mr. Wilson/Mr. Heath

Written and sung by George Harrison, "Taxman" was an angry response to the 95% super-tax that The Beatles were paying in the UK under the Labour government of Prime Minister Mr. Wilson. Prime Minister Harold Wilson did however recommend The Fab Four to The Queen for the MBE, (Member of the Order of the British Empire) which they were awarded in 1965. Mr. Heath was leader of the opposition at the time "Revolver" was released. John Lennon had earlier embarrassed "Good old Mr. Wilson" at the 1964 Variety Club showbiz awards ceremony in London when he jokingly thanked them for the Purple Hearts (a stimulant drug) instead of the Silver Heart award that The Beatles received.

Mr. Neville Chamberlain was British Prime Minister from 1937-1940.
Mr. Winston Churchill was British Prime Minister from 1940-1945 and 1951-1955.
Mr. Clement Attlee was British Prime Minister from 1945-1951.
Mr. Anthony Eden was British Prime Minister from 1955-1957.
Mr. Harold Macmillan was British Prime Minister from 1957-1963.
Mr. Douglas-Home was British Prime Minister from 1963-1964.
Mr. Harold Wilson was British Prime Minister from 1964-1970 and 1974-1976.
Mr. Edward Heath was British Prime Minister from 1970-1974.

Answer: Eleanor Rigby

"Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby" was number one for four weeks on the UK chart in 1966. "Yellow Submarine" reached number two and "Eleanor Rigby" reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.

"Yellow Submarine" was the only Beatles record sung by Ringo Starr to reach number one in the UK. It completed a record-breaking 11 consecutive UK number one hits for The Beatles. The song was written by Paul McCartney but was credited to Lennon/McCartney. It received an Ivor Novello award for the highest sales for a single in the UK in 1966. Among the objects used for special effects on the record were chains, a ship's bell, wind and thunderstorm machines and a tin bath filled with water. A cash register which would later be used by Pink Floyd for the track "Money" on their 1973 album "Dark Side Of The Moon" was also used on "Yellow Submarine"...

"Eleanor Rigby" was another Paul McCartney song credited to Lennon/McCartney. There is always speculation about Beatles songs and this one is no different. One theory is that the name McKenzie (Father McKenzie) was found in the telephone book. Eleanor was named after the actress Eleanor Bron who starred in The Beatles movie "Help". Rigby was named after a wine and spirit shipper in Bristol, UK, Rigby and Evans Ltd. There are other theories, like the one about the graveyard of St. Peters Church in Woolton Village, Liverpool, UK, where John and Paul first met in 1957. It has a gravestone with the name of an actual Eleanor Rigby on it. Father McKenzie may refer to the then compere of Northwich Memorial Hall in Cheshire, UK, Tommy McKenzie. I think we should just enjoy the music.

Answer: John Lennon

"Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am, I'm only sleeping" sings John Lennon who wrote the song but which is credited to Lennon/McCartney.

"Revolver" entered the UK album chart just as the controversy broke in the US about John Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" remarks. When the article containing these remarks was first published in The London Evening Standard in March 1966 there was no reaction to them at all. When it was published in the US teen magazine "Datebook" in August 1966 anti-Beatles protests broke out in the US and Mexico and countries as far apart as South Africa and Spain. Their music was banned from the radio and their records were burned. "Revolver" was number one on the UK album chart for seven weeks and spent 34 weeks on the chart.

Answer: Klaus Voormann

Klaus Voormann won a Grammy for his design work on the "Revolver" album cover. He also designed the art work for The Beatles "Anthology" albums in the '90s.

Klaus Voormann first saw The Beatles at the Kaiserkeller club in Hamburg, Germany. He tried to introduce himself to John Lennon who gave him the brush off but he did meet the then Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe. They became friends and Voormann's girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr became Sutcliffe's girlfriend. He moved to London and lived with George and Ringo in the early '60s while working as a graphic artist. He returned to Germany were he formed the band Paddy, Klaus and Gibson. While designing the "Revolver" album cover he became a member of Manfred Mann after turning down The Hollies and The Moody Blues. His name and face can be seen on the cover of "Revolver", entangled in the hair of George Harrison on the the left side of his head.

Answer: Love You To

"Love You To" is the second George Harrison composition on The Beatles "Revolver" album.

With Anil Bhagwat on tabla and other Indian musicians on sitar and tambura (although it may have been George Harrison on sitar), "Love You To" is recognized as the first Beatles song to fully incorporate Indian classical music. The only other Beatle to play on the track is Ringo Starr on tambourine.

Answer: She Said She Said

"She Said She Said" is another song written by John Lennon credited to Lennon/McCartney.

The line "I know what it's like to be dead" was inspired by remarks made by actor Peter Fonda. In 1965 The Beatles were on tour in the US and Brian Epstein rented a house at 2850 Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills so they could rest between gigs. Guests they invited included The Byrds, Peter Fonda and Joan Baez. Some of The Beatles and guests were using certain pharmaceuticals. Peter Fonda was telling them about and showing them his self-inflicted gunshot wound and told them that he knew what it was like to be dead. Apparently The Beatles thought he was a bore and kept trying to get away from him.

Answer: True

The only other album released by EMI featuring The Beatles in 1966 was a compilation of material released between 1962 and 1966, "A Collection Of Beatles Oldies".

EMI owned a number of record labels and The Beatles record label Parlophone was one of them. EMI did not have any new material of The Beatles to release in the UK for the Christmas period in 1966. Although there was one track on the album "Bad Boy", that had never been released in the UK the album only reached number six on the UK album chart. The album did stay available for years before being deleted in the '80s. It was The Beatles' longest album to date with 16 tracks and nearly 40 minutes of playing time.

Answer: Doctor Robert

Paul McCartney once suggested that the song had been inspired by a Doctor Robert that The Beatles had been told about in New York, who supplied any pills that you wanted. What did he mean?

"My friend works for the national health, Doctor Robert
Don't pay money just to see yourself with Doctor Robert
Doctor Robert, you're a new and better man
He helps you to understand
He does everything he can, Doc. Robert"

Answer: I Want To Tell You

George Harrison finally gets into his stride and for the first time he gets to write and sing three songs on a Beatles album.

He completed the task on The Beatles seventh UK album "Revolver" with "Taxman", "Love You To" and with this song "I Want To Tell You". Dave Laing wrote in his 1969 book "Notes For A Study of The Beatles", of this song's "serene desperation" in its "attempt at real total contact in any interpersonal context". Come on mate, I know you are a research fellow at the Liverpool University School of Music but it's just a song by George Harrison who never went to university and would not have had any idea what you are talking about.

Answer: Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers

Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers had a number six hit on the UK chart with "Got To Get You Into My Life" in 1966. It did not chart in the US.

Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers were a group from the south of England and were formed in 1957. They recorded singles for record producer Joe Meek but without success. In 1964 they signed up with The Beatles manager Brian Epstein and had a UK number nine hit in October that year with "One Way Love". After another minor hit in 1965 they had their third and last UK hit with "Got To Get You Into My Life" in 1966. After the group split Cliff Bennett joined a group called Toe Fat, later turning down the opportunity to join Uriah Heep and Blood, Sweat & Tears. Charles Hodges and David Peacock of the Rebel Rousers became Chas & Dave who had three UK Top ten hits in the '80s.