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- in contrast to the typical rock act that establishes a style and clings
with it to retain their popularity, the Beatles took a different position
- freedom to experiment ... with music and drugs
- "Yesterday" - song was intended for acoustic guitar & vocal
- Martin suggested string quartet
- pure "pop" music
- McCartney woke up with the tune running through his head
- thought it was a familiar jazz standard, but none of his friends could
identify it!!
Albums & songs released during this period:
- Rubber Soul (#1, late 1965)
- Yesterday & Today (#1, 1966) - a US release
- due to musical & production complexity, Beatles recordings were taking longer
- their American label assembled this recording to fill the gap between Rubber Soul and Revolver
- made up of singles & extra UK album tracks, including "Nowhere Man" (Rubber Soul, UK) and "I'm Only Sleeping" (Revolver, UK)
- Revolver (#1, 8/66)
- I'm Only Sleeping
- listen to backwards guitar solo at 1:32
- Tomorrow Never Knows
- "Penny Lane" (#1, 3/67) & "Strawberry Fields Forever"
(#8, 3/67) - 2-sided single; later included on Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
- during this period (in an interview with Maureen Kleeve, Evening Standard),
John commented that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus:
"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that: I’m right and will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now: I don’t know which will go first: rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity." (Feb. 1966)
- public backlash, finally forcing him to apologize
- "Beatle burnings" - books, records, etc.
- 8/29/66 - last live performance at Candlestick
Park (San Francisco)
- felt that playing concerts was "not fun anymore" (McCartney)
- "can't develop when no one can hear us." (McCartney)
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