"Revolution 9" By The Beatles Video Showcase

"Revolution 9" is an experimental recording which appeared on The Beatles' 1968 self-titled LP release (known as the White Album).

The recording began as an extended ending to the album version of "Revolution", to which were added vocal and music sound clips, tape loops, and sound effects influenced by the Musique concrète styles of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Edgard Varèse, Luigi Nono, and John Cage, further manipulated with editing and sound modification techniques (stereo panning and fading).

At over eight minutes it was the longest track on the album, as well as the longest Beatles track ever officially released. The work is credited to Lennon/McCartney (as were most Beatles songs written by either composer), though it was primarily the effort of John Lennon. George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono made small contributions, while Paul McCartney did not actively participate in the track's creation.

Ono's avant garde influence on Lennon's songwriting and composition is clear throughout "Revolution 9."

Believing the track to be too uncommercial for even the Beatles to get away with, McCartney and producer George Martin fought hard to keep the track off the White Album, but Lennon and Ono won out, and the track was included as the second from last song at the end of the album's fourth side.

Read the Wikipedia article about Revolution 9...

Photo author: Allisona from flickr.com