Paul McCartney Explains How The Beatles ‘Revolver’ Could Have Been a Totally Different Album

The Beatles’ Revolver album was recently re-released as a special edition with restored sound and previously unheard audio. Released in 1966, Revolver is regarded as one of the band’s best records, and the new version only enhances its finest qualities. Singer and guitarist Paul McCartney says Revolver could have been a different album entirely if The Beatles recorded it somewhere else. 

The Beatles recorded ‘Revolver’ at Abbey Road Studios

EMI Recording Studios was established in November 1931 in London, where The Beatles primarily recorded many of their hit singles and albums, including Revolver. Throughout the 1960s, The Beatles used EMI for many of their innovative recording techniques that made the band so influential. 

Outside the studio is a zebra crosswalk that became the iconic location used for the Abbey Road cover. Following the success of that album and the legendary status of that crosswalk, EMI changed its name to Abbey Road Studios in 1976. Since then, many artists have been honored to record there, including Pink Floyd, Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Oasis, Radiohead, Amy Winehouse, and Frank Ocean. Film scores for movies like Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy have also been recorded there. 

Paul McCartney says ‘Revolver’ was almost a different album

In an interview for his website, Paulmccartney.com, McCartney discusses the Revolver: Special Edition release. During the interview, it was revealed that the recording sessions for the album were initially supposed to be at Stax Studios in Memphis but were later changed to take place at EMI Studios. 

Revolver was an album that The Beatles couldn’t play live because so much of the music relied on EMI technology. McCartney says the tracks would have sounded completely different if the album had been recorded at Stax. 

“In a different circumstance, we might not have felt we could take as much time with the record. EMI was always home, so it was easy to push boundaries and get creative. We didn’t have to think about it! And the really great thing about EMI, let’s not forget, was that it had instruments lying around. There was the Mrs Mills Piano, the sound effects cupboard, a harpsichord, a celesta, the Lowrey organ (which I used on the next album Sgt. Pepper, on ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’) – this stuff was all there. A Mellotron, even! EMI was definitely the best place for us.”

The ‘Revolver: Special Edition’ brings new life to this album

The special edition of Revolver by The Beatles was released on October 28 and features a new stereo mix by Giles Martin and de-mixing technology developed by Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films. In addition to fresh mixes of classic songs like “Eleanor Rigby,” “Yellow Submarine,” and “Got to Get You Into My Life,” the album also includes new mixes of the “Paperback Writer” single and its B-side “Rain.” 

The special edition of Revolver also includes bonus tracks with exclusive recordings from The Beatles, including first versions, rehearsal fragments, and songwriting work tapes. The album debuted at number 2 in the U.K. and would have done better if it didn’t have to compete with Taylor Swift’s Midnights.