Revolver only topped the UK Albums Chart for two weeks.
Revolver is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles .. the Beatles. the Beatles. studio album. studio album. Released on 5 August 1966 , it was the Beatles ' final recording project before their retirement as live performers , and marked a progression on their 1965 release Rubber Soul in terms of the group 's readiness to experiment in the recording studio .. the Beatles. the Beatles. Rubber Soul. Rubber Soul. The album 's diverse sounds include tape loops and backwards recordings on the psychedelic `` Tomorrow Never Knows '' , a classical string octet on `` Eleanor Rigby '' , and Indian-music backing on `` Love You To '' .. Eleanor Rigby. Eleanor Rigby. Tomorrow Never Knows. Tomorrow Never Knows. string octet. string octet. Indian-music. Indian music. Love You To. Love You To. The album was reduced to eleven songs by Capitol Records in North America , where three of its tracks instead appeared on the June 1966 release Yesterday and Today .. Capitol. Capitol Records. Yesterday and Today. Yesterday and Today. Capitol Records. Capitol Records. Revolver was the last Beatles album to be subjected to Capitol 's policy of altering the band 's intended running order and content .. Capitol. Capitol Records. The Beatles recorded the album following a three-month break from professional commitments at the start of 1966 , and during a period when London was feted as the era 's cultural capital .. The Beatles. The Beatles. The songs reflect the influence of psychedelic drugs such as LSD and the increasing sophistication of the Beatles ' lyrics to address themes including death and transcendence from material concerns .. the Beatles. the Beatles. LSD. LSD. With no thoughts of reproducing their new material in concert , the band made liberal use of studio techniques such as varispeeding , reversed tapes , close audio miking and automatic double tracking -LRB- ADT -RRB- , in addition to employing musical instrumentation outside of their standard live set-up .. automatic double tracking. automatic double tracking. Some of the changes in studio practice introduced by Revolver , particularly ADT , were soon adopted throughout the recording industry .. The sessions also produced a non-album single , `` Paperback Writer '' backed with `` Rain '' , for which the Beatles filmed their first on-location promotional films .. the Beatles. the Beatles. Paperback Writer. Paperback Writer. Rain. Rain ( Beatles song ). In the UK , Revolver fourteen tracks were released to radio stations throughout July 1966 , with the music signifying what author Ian MacDonald later described as `` a second pop revolution -- one which while galvanising their existing rivals and inspiring many new ones , left all of them far behind '' .. pop. Pop music. Ian MacDonald. Ian MacDonald. The album 's US release coincided with the Beatles ' final concert tour , which was marred by the controversy surrounding John Lennon 's remark that the band had become `` more popular than Jesus '' .. the Beatles. the Beatles. final concert tour. The Beatles' 1966 US tour. John Lennon. John Lennon. more popular than Jesus. more popular than Jesus. The record topped the UK Albums Chart for seven weeks and America 's Billboard Top LPs list for six weeks .. UK Albums Chart. UK Albums Chart. Together with the children 's novelty song `` Yellow Submarine '' , `` Eleanor Rigby '' became an international hit when issued as a double A-side single .. Eleanor Rigby. Eleanor Rigby. Yellow Submarine. Yellow Submarine ( song ). novelty song. novelty song. double A-side. double A-side. Revolvers cover artwork , designed by Klaus Voormann , won the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Album Cover , Graphic Arts .. Klaus Voormann. Klaus Voormann. The album was influential in advancing principles espoused by the 1960s counterculture and in inspiring the development of pop music into subgenres such as psychedelic rock , electronica , progressive rock and world music .. pop. Pop music. psychedelic rock. psychedelic rock. 1960s counterculture. Counterculture of the 1960s. electronica. electronica. progressive rock. progressive rock. world music. world music. With the restoration of the three omitted tracks for its international CD release in 1987 , many music critics recognise Revolver as the Beatles ' best album , surpassing Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band .. the Beatles. the Beatles. The album was ranked first in Colin Larkin 's book All-Time Top 1000 Albums and third in Rolling Stone magazine 's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time .. Colin Larkin. Colin Larkin ( writer ). All-Time Top 1000 Albums. All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. 500 greatest albums of all time. 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2013 , after the British Phonographic Industry had changed its sales award rules , Revolver was certified platinum in the UK .. British Phonographic Industry. British Phonographic Industry. platinum. Music recording sales certification. The album has been certified 5 × platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America .. platinum. Music recording sales certification. Recording Industry Association of America. Recording Industry Association of America