My thoughts on why 'Revolver' has eclipsed 'Pepper' as the Beatles' masterpiece

It's like that scene in Annie Hall where Woody brings Marshall McLuhan out from behind the lobby poster

 

personally, i don't think it has....pepper is still #1 for me.

 

Agreed. Another important distinction to make: an artistic "masterpiece" doesn't mean "most enjoyable" or "most listened to" or "most appreciated by the 'real' fans"...

While I deeply love Revolver and probably listen it to more often than Sgt. Pepper's, there is no question whatsoever that far more time, effort, inspiration, and ingenuity (in songwriting, production and design) went into Sgt. Pepper's - and consequently the latter was more impactful and lasting on pop culture. It was, and still is, their masterpiece.

 

Probably the six best songs of his career, too.

 

I find Revolver progressive and a big leap forward which was the Beatlesque thing to do no?
Rubber Soul has some fine songs but sounds closer to the traditional songwriting/arranging that influenced the band in the first place.
I can easily understand it being THE favorite for fans of the early period particularly.

 

Revolver was 4 guys fully invested in being Beatles and just trying hard to come up with the best songs possible and record them well.

Pepper was 1 guy fully invested in being Beatles (with George fairly disinterested after his India trip, and Ringo feeling very bored, and John interested and contributing but also very zonked out on acid so not as productive), but Pepper after a few tracks really took on a life of it's own as a "concept", a whole piece, with the theme of not trying to sound like Beatles. That led to a lot of decisions that were experimental or odd in nature, and that built up the Pepper mythos and the overall vibe of the album, but didn't always lead to the very best songs.

 

Although McCartney cites Lennon McCartney as a more or less equal songwriting partnership through 65, McCartney is the prime performer on a minority of Beatle tunes and singles until Revolver. Can't Buy Me Love and She's a Woman are upstart efforts Yesterday,We Can Work It Out and Michelle are breakthrough moments amidst Lennon's running the table on RS... but on Revolver Lennon and McCartney "own" 6 songs each displaying distinct voices and powering each song in their own way. There is not LESS McCartney on Revolver... potentially he could have top tenned everything on there except For No One as it stands. If Harrison had been consistently pushing as a songwriter in 63 64 and 65 and not gone as deep into spirituality after 65, all things being the same, I can imagine that in those 10 weeks he might have had a similar breakthrough. Taxman could have even been a single! Of course all this room comes from Lennon receding as a relentlessly dominant presence as song owner. Revolver is peak Beatles. If they'd intended to make 1966 a 34 or 36 song year we'd be worshipping those tunes too!!

Considering that the same 12 months produced Revolver and Pepper, I'm not so ready to condemn McCartney's efforts on one vs the other. I see the mature popcraft of Revolver and the maniacal music Hall of Pepper as McCartney's two faces on display. In a different universe, Rubber Soul- Revolver- Pepper are a single volume encapsulating the Beatles R&B, garage rock, folk, music hall, psychedelic, country and pop excursions. More Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison(maybe some more substantial country efforts from Ringo ....if he liked) not less is better Beatles.

 

And all they had to to do is Act Naturally.

 

Both Revolver and Pepper are great albums. I don't understand why so many people think the White Album or Abbey Road are the best though. Both albums, particularly the White Album, have a lot of of below par stuff that should have been cut. I agree with George Martin---they should have made a really good single album with the best songs. For example, Revolution 9 has no place on a Beatles album. Abbey Road has some good material, but Maxwell's Silver Hammer is Paul at is his worst, John was phoning it in a lot, when he actually showed up---his best contribution to the album was a re-write of a Chuck Berry song (it isn't just that one line---listen to the melody. Apparently when John first brought it in, it was faster and sounded more like "You Can't Catch Me"---and Paul called him on it, and suggested doing it all slow and funky with that signature bass and drum part). George went 2 for 2 with a real strong showing here, but that is only measured against George's uneven output up to then (George just wasn't in the same league as John and Paul---although not measured against them and against "ordinary" songwriters, he comes out much stronger. Sorry, George fans). Some of the worst Beatle tracks were George songs in the 67-68 period. Blue Jay Way, Northern Song, Within You, Without You, The Inner Light, Piggies. He did better in his contributions to Help!, Rubber Soul, and Revolver than he did until 1969, excepting While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which was probably his best song with the Beatles.

 

I'm with you. Revolver and Rubber Soul are my 'go to' Beatles albums.

 

Yeah 1966 was Paul’s best year in my opinion, at least if you focus on quality over quantity.

Here, There and Everywhere
For No One
Paperback Writer
Eleanor Rigby
Got To Get You Into My Life

And that guitar work on my favorite George song, Taxman!

 

I prefer The White Album to both of 'em.

 

Agree with tracks 1-4 and the Taxman solo.

 

I’m a sucker for horns, though I have to say the production on that song is quite awful, probably the worst sounding Revolver track. The snippet from the Anthology DVD is awesome

 

All of the Beatles albums are masterpieces inmo but Pepper is my favorite.

 

Fair enough but for me it is easily the 5th best song on your list.

 

Pepper was never a masterpiece based on track for track.
If anything, most have always agreed that it doesn't have as many great songs as a lot of other Beatles albums.
Revolver has as many great songs as probably any album by anyone ever.
Sticky Fingers by The Stones has more great songs maybe than Exile but Exile is a better album experience just as Pepper remains a better album experience than Revolver.