You can now listen to ‘Take 1′ of The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’
‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ sounds like nothing else in The Beatles’ catalogue. As Paul McCartney later explained, that was sort of the point: “We did it because I, for one, am sick of doing sounds that people can claim to have heard before,” he said shortly before the album came out. Now, over 50 years after the song came out, you can hear ‘Take 1’ of the era-defining track. The outtake forms part of a new special deluxe edition of Revolver, which is slated for release on October 28th.
On April 6th, 1966, The Beatles returned to Studio Three of Abbey Road Studios (then EMI Studios) to commence work on Revolver. With George Martin, recording engineer Geoff Emerick and technical engineer Ken Townsend behind the desk, they kicked off with ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, undoubtedly one of the group’s most innovative and experimental recordings.
A reminder of The Beatles’ burgeoning fascination with traditional Indian Ragas, ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ features just one chord, leaving room for all manner of experimental production tricks. John Lennon’s vocals were fed through a rotating Leslie Speaker, while Paul had the bright idea of using tape loops to craft the song’s pendulous drum track. That’s not to mention George Harrison’s intoxicating backwards guitar solo.
This new version of Revolver was confirmed by Giles Martin – son of the great George Martin – back in August. It is the latest Beatles album to be re-released as a deluxe box set. Past releases have included expanded and remixed versions of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band, The White Album and Let It Be.
The 14-track version of Revolver has been mixed by Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell in stereo and Dolby Atmos. They were working from the original 1966 mono master tape. Take a listen to ‘Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)’ below.
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