Revolution 1 (Take 20) (found mix of The Beatles song; 1968)

Revolution: Take Your Knickers Off! album cover.

Status: Found

Date found: 23 Feb 2009

Found by: His Master's Choice

"Revolution" is a song by the English rock group The Beatles. The song was released in three different versions: "Revolution 1", "Revolution 9" and "Revolution". "Revolution 1", a slow bluesy song and "Revolution 9", an Avant-grade, sound collage based on the same recording from May 1968, both versions being released on their self-titled double album (also known as the White Album) in November 1968. The third version, "Revolution" was later recorded as an up-tempo, hard rock song with similar lyrics. "Revolution" was released as the B-side to "Hey Jude" in August 1968.

History

The recording of "Revolution 1" took place on the first session of the White Album on 30 May 1968. The Beatles recorded 18 takes of the song, with the 18th marked as "best". Take 18 was longer than the earlier takes as take 18 would extend into an extended jam that would last over 10 minutes. Further overdubs would later be added to Take 18.

As per the terminally of EMI Studios, additional overdubs to an initial take would be logged as its own take number. These overdubs would continue onto take 18 on 1 June when Lennon re-recorded his vocals. Looking to archive a particular tone, John recorded his vocals laying on the floor of Studio 3. Take 18 was reduced into take 19 (by bouncing a mix of take 18 onto another 4-track tape or “SI” (superimpose) in EMI’s terminology). After John’s vocals were recorded, take 19 was bounced again to another tape to what would be known as take 20.

In his 1992 book The Complete Beatles Chronicle, noted Beatles Historian, who in the mid-1980s was given access to the group's session tapes described Take 20 as "pure chaos ... with discordant instrumental jamming, feedback, John repeatedly screaming 'RIGHT' and then, simply, repeatedly screaming ... with Yoko talking and saying such off-the-wall phrases as 'you become naked', and with the overlaying of miscellaneous, home-made sound effects tapes." Also overdubbed on take 20 were backing vocals from Paul McCartney and George Harrison repeatedly chanting "mama, dada" in child-like voices, detuned radio sounds and feedback.

Also recorded on this day were another drum track by Ringo Starr, a guitar part played by John Lennon, and an organ part played by Paul McCartney. Later, a rough mono mix of take 20 (slated as “RM1”) was made.

Further work would continue on 21 June with the tape being reduced further (until take 22). It was at this stage the “Revolution 1” mix known on the released album would take shape as the slower, acoustic blues song before the extended jam at the end, which was edited and faded out at 4 minutes 15 seconds. Brass would be recorded to the song this day as well.

The extended jam at the end would begin to be edited and changed into “Revolution 9” by Lennon and Harrison in collaboration with then-future wife and collaborator Yoko Ono and Producer George Martin.

Early partial releases

Fans had been aware of Take 20 since it was first reported in Mark Lewisohn's books The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions in 1988 and The Complete Beatles Chronicle in 1992. It wouldn't be until December 1999 when a monitor mix of the session appeared on a bootleg compilation From Kinfauns To Chaos. A monitor mix would typically be a recording from a portable tape recorder in the control room, so the artist or producer could have easy access to review the day's session, without having to wait for recordings to be copied from the master tapes. These were typical of low quality as they would be recorded using a single microphone pointed at the studio monitors.

The monitor mix was released on Kinfauns To Chaos. did not feature the complete take, but snippets as the tape were being wound back and forth while the engineer was mixing the track. The recording of the song was also masked by Lennon and Ono's conversation near the tape recorder's microphone.

"Take 20" leaked to the public

In 2008 a high-quality copy of a mix was released on the bootleg CD Revolution: Take ... Your Knickers Off! by the label His Master's Choice. The version included was Take 20 RM1. The album's title came from engineer Peter Bown announcing the remix as "RM1 of Take ..." and then momentarily forgetting the take number, which Lennon jokingly finishes with "Take your knickers off and let's go!". The full length of Take 20 was 10 minutes and 46 seconds long, starting with a slower version of "Revolution 1" before beginning a pattern of sound looping much like that of "Revolution 9". Some of the overdubs and sound clips used in this version contained earlier versions of those used in "Revolution 9".

Upon release of the bootleg, "Revolution 1 Take 20 RM1" was later shared on YouTube in 2009. Unlike many leaks of Beatles recordings, this received notable mainstream press which spread the awareness of the recording even further The Beatles’ record company, EMI, did everything in its power to suppress it, including YouTube take-down notices and issuing notices to websites that offered download links to the song. However, due to its popularity and the number of users who downloaded it, the recording has remained in circulation.

"Take 18" officially released

From the album's 50th anniversary, a 6-CD boxset was released containing a new remix of the album, demos and studio outtakes from the album's sessions. However, "Revolution 1 (Take 20)" was not released. Instead, the initial take 18 was included on the Sessions disc in its place. This meant that it was missing Harrison and McCartney's "Mumma, Dadda" chants or some of the effects and tape loops on "Take 20". Meaning "Take 20" is still officially unreleased.

Gallery

Monitor mix recording of Take 19's mix session.

Another monitor mix recording of Take 19's mix session with Yoko Ono talking in the control room.

The officially released "Revolution 1 Take 18"

“Revolution 9”, released on The Beatles (1968). This was edited from the original Take 20 mix.

See Also

• The Threetles (lost unreleased recordings from Beatles reunion sessions; 1990s)
• The Long and Winding Road (found workprint of unfinished Beatles documentary; 1970s)
• Help! (partially found deleted scenes from The Beatles film; 1965)
• Late Night Line-Up (partially found Beatles "Abbey Road" special; 1969)
• The Beatles Cartoon (partially lost skits/bumpers of animated TV series; 1965-1967)
• Carnival of Light (lost experimental Beatles song; 1967)
• Late Night Line-Up (partially found Beatles "Abbey Road" special; 1969)
• A Hard Day's Day - A Day in the Life of a Beatles Tribute Band (found parody film; 2002)
• Yellow Submarine (partially found production material for cancelled CGI remake of Beatles animated film; 2010-2011)
• The Beatles - Cavern Club tapes (partially lost recordings of British rock band; early 1960s)
• "Now and Then" (lost overdub session of Beatles song; 1995)

External Link

• Revolution Take ... Your Knockers Off! - The album preserved - Internet Archive. Retrieved 5 Dec '22
• Wikipedia article about the track. Retrieved 30 Jan '17
• Mediafire link to the track. Retrieved 03 Sept '20
• Discog|The Beatles – Revolution Take... Your Knickers Off! Retrieved 01 Dec'22
• Discogs|The Beatles – From Kinfauns To Chaos Retrieved 01 Dec'22