Revolution 1 (Take 20) (found mix of The Beatles song; 1968): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:24, 1 December 2022

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 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 was 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 titled simply "Revolution" was recorded later 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 on take 18 until the final overdub take - take 20.

In his 1992 book The Complete Beatles Chronicle, noted Beatles Historian, who in the mid-1980's 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 form Paul McCartney and John Lennon repeatedly chanting "mama, dada" in child-like voices, detuned radio sounds and feedback.

Take 20 would late be remixed and edited into two separate songs. "Revolution 1" the initial slower, acoustic blues song before the extended jam at the end, was edited and faded out at 4 minutes 15 seconds. The second jam half would be completely re-edited with further tape loops and samples by John Lennon, George Harrison, Lennon's then-future wife and collaborator Yoko Ono and Producer George Martin into the experimental "Revolution 9". ^[1]^[2]

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.^[3] A monitor mix would typically be a recording from a portable tape recorder in the control, 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 typically of low quality as they would be recorded using a single microphone pointed at the studio monitors.

The monitor mix released on Kinfauns To Chaos. did not feature the complete take, but snippets as the tape was 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 recorders 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^[4]. 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 sound clips used in this version seem to be earlier versions of those used in "Revolution 9".

Upon release of the bootleg, "Revolution 1 Take 20 RM1" was later shared to onto YouTube in 2009. The unlike many leaks of Beatles recordings, this received notable mainstream press which spread the awareness of the song even further ^[5] The Beatles record company, EMI, did everything in its power to suppress it, including demanding YouTube take it down and stopping websites that offered download links to the song. However, due to its popularity and the number of users who downloaded it, the song remained in circulation.

"Take 18" officially released

From the album's 50th anniversary, a 6-CD box-set 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 the Lennon and McCartney's "Mumma, Dadda" chants or the some of the effects and tape loops on "Take 20". Meaning "Take 20" is still officially unreleased.

Gallery

"Revolution 1 (Take 20)".

External Link

Wikipedia article about the track. Retrieved 30 Jan '17
Mediafire link to the track. Retrieved 03 Sept '20

References

↑ Beatles Rarity overview of the song from 2010. Retrieved 30 Jan '17
↑ Beatles Bible article. Retrieved 30 Jan '17
↑ Kinfauns To Choas - beatleg.info
↑ RM1 (Remix Mono 1) meant this was the first mix of the song in mono.
↑ The Beatles’ Experimental “Revolution 1 (Take 20)” Surfaces

[1] Beatles Rarity overview of the song from 2010. Retrieved 30 Jan '17

[2] Beatles Bible article. Retrieved 30 Jan '17

[3] Kinfauns To Choas - beatleg.info

[4] RM1 (Remix Mono 1) meant this was the first mix of the song in mono.

[5] The Beatles’ Experimental “Revolution 1 (Take 20)” Surfaces

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |imagecaption=''Revolution: Take Your Knickers Off!'' album cover.
 |datefound=23 Feb 2009
-|foundby=''Unknown''
+|foundby=''His Master's Choice''
 |status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
 }}
-"Revolution" is a song by The Beatles that was originally released as a single in 1968. Later, the song "Revolution 1" was released on ''The Beatles'' (the White album) in 1968, although this version was recorded before "Revolution". "Revolution 1" is a slower, bluesier version of the song. Both of these feature similar lyrics. Another song that followed in this tradition was the mystifying "Revolution 9". While this one is also off of the White Album, it's completely different from the other two as it combines many discordant sound loops and lasts about nine minutes. Reportedly, Revolution 9 had started as an extended outro to Revolution 1.
+"Revolution" is a song by 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 was 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 titled simply "Revolution" was recorded later as an up-tempo, hard rock song with similar lyrics.  "Revolution" was released as the B-side to "Hey Jude" in August 1968.
-After these versions of "Revolution", another version was rumored to exist on a bootleg Beatles CD called ''Revolution: Take Your Knickers Off!'' which has since been uploaded online. This version was referred to as '''"Revolution 1 (Take 20)"''' because early in the track we can hear one of the Beatles say "Take 20!" before the music begins. This unusual version of the track is 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".<ref>[https://www.beatlesbible.com/2009/02/24/unreleased-revolution-1-mix/ Beatles Bible article.] Retrieved 30 Jan '17</ref> Some of the sound clips used in this version seem to be earlier versions of those used in "Revolution 9".<ref>[http://www.thebeatlesrarity.com/2010/03/15/the-beatles-rarity-of-the-week-114/ Beatles Rarity overview of the song from 2010.] Retrieved 30 Jan '17</ref>
+== 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 on take 18 until the final overdub take - take 20.
-Upon the leak of this version onto YouTube in 2009, EMI did everything in its power to suppress it, including demanding YouTube take it down and stopping websites that offered download links to the song. However, due to its popularity and the number of users who downloaded it, the song survived and is available to listen to below.
+In his 1992 book ''The Complete Beatles Chronicle,'' noted Beatles Historian, who in the mid-1980's 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 form Paul McCartney and John Lennon repeatedly chanting "mama, dada" in child-like voices, detuned radio sounds and feedback.
-For the 50th anniversary of ''The Beatles'', a 6-CD box-set was released containing 50 studio outtakes from the album's sessions.  However, "Revolution 1 (Take 20)" was not released.  Instead, an early version (label "take 19") which did not contain Lennon and McCartney's "Mumma, Dadda" chants or the some of the effects and tape loops on "Take 20". Meaning "Take 20" is still officially unreleased.
+Take 20 would late be remixed and edited into two separate songs.  "Revolution 1" the initial slower, acoustic blues song before the extended jam at the end, was edited and faded out at 4 minutes 15 seconds.  The second jam half would be completely re-edited with further tape loops and samples by John Lennon, George Harrison, Lennon's then-future wife and collaborator Yoko Ono and Producer George Martin into the experimental "Revolution 9". <ref>[http://www.thebeatlesrarity.com/2010/03/15/the-beatles-rarity-of-the-week-114/ Beatles Rarity overview of the song from 2010.] Retrieved 30 Jan '17</ref><ref>[https://www.beatlesbible.com/2009/02/24/unreleased-revolution-1-mix/ Beatles Bible article.] Retrieved 30 Jan '17</ref>
+== 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''.<ref>Kinfauns To Choas - beatleg.info</ref>  A monitor mix would typically be a recording from a portable tape recorder in the control, 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 typically of low quality as they would be recorded using a single microphone pointed at the studio monitors.
+The monitor mix released on ''Kinfauns To Chaos''. did not feature the complete take, but snippets as the tape was 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 recorders 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<ref>RM1 (Remix Mono 1) meant this was the first mix of the song in mono. </ref>.  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 sound clips used in this version seem to be earlier versions of those used in "Revolution 9".
+Upon release of the bootleg, "Revolution 1 Take 20 RM1" was later shared to onto YouTube in 2009.  The unlike many leaks of Beatles recordings, this received notable mainstream press which spread the awareness of the song even further <ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-beatles-experimental-revolution-1-take-20-surfaces-75720/ The Beatles’ Experimental “Revolution 1 (Take 20)” Surfaces]</ref>  The Beatles record company, EMI, did everything in its power to suppress it, including demanding YouTube take it down and stopping websites that offered download links to the song. However, due to its popularity and the number of users who downloaded it, the song remained in circulation.
+== "Take 18" officially released ==
+From the album's 50th anniversary, a 6-CD box-set 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 the Lennon and McCartney's "Mumma, Dadda" chants or the some of the effects and tape loops on "Take 20". Meaning "Take 20" is still officially unreleased.
 ==Gallery==