The Beatles' Revolver Entry

Prior to the release of Revolver, The Beatles were known as a 4-member pop/rock group from Britain that had recorded several catchy tunes.  The Revolver album changed how the group was viewed by the world.  The album was inspired by a combination of drugs, politics, and foreign cultural music styles and instruments. This album was truly an album of experimentation.  The Beatles incorporated several unusual instruments, including the Indian Sitar, into their music.  They also experimented with many technical aspects of the production.  They used tape loops, ADT (Automatic Double Tracking), compressors, and guitar effects in unique or new ways.  These experiments were mostly very successful and led to advancements in recording technology and revolutionized the recording industry for good.  Double tracking was a complicated and laborious task prior to Abbey Roads’ invention of ADT.  It was that way because it would quickly result in a limited number of tracks, which was not good.  This new ADT was a newly developed method of doing it, making it easier, without limiting tracks.  ADT is just one example of an innovative technology on Revolver.  On the song “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the vocals are being put through a rotating Leslie Cabinet reinforced by a creative use of tape loops.  The loops came from various clips of experiments that were edited together by the band mates themselves.  The way the loops were used in this album are unique and original too.

The Revolver album is definitely full of experimentation and innovative uses of technology.  The album revolutionized music and influenced listeners and other artists.  The album is inspiring and meaningful, like the rest of the Beatles’ albums, but with a twist.  This album is different.  It uses unconventional instruments and technology to get a unique sound that works.  The album is so revered because of that.  I am a huge Beatles fan and love this album not only as a fan, but also as an industry professional, as I look at it from a technical angle.

The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds Entry

Prior to the recording of Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys were known mainly for their surfing and car songs.  The Beach Boys were able to relate very well to teens at the time because of the subject matter of their music.  They were viewed as a very unique sounding pop/rock group with tight harmonies and catchy melodies.  Their music grew very popular, and the Beach Boys became the most popular band in America.  Once the Beatles came along, the game had changed.  When Brian Wilsons’ mind was blown by the Beatles’ album Rubber Soul, he took on the challenge of topping it with his own album.  He collaborated with Tony Asher to create the album we now know as Pet Sounds.

Brian Wilson was the founder, producer, arranger, writer and leader of the Beach Boys.  His role within the Beach Boys was extremely significant, as he was a major factor in the band’s success. 

Pet Sounds was the first pop album where all of the songs were conceptually linked to a certain theme.  The journey from adolescence to adulthood was the theme of the album.  Brian Wilson used several different instruments that were very rarely, if ever, used in pop music at the time.  He used instruments such as accordions, a theremin, bicycle bells, and makeshift percussion. Wilson used 23 session musicians in one studio to record parts of the album.  The arrangements were extremely well done, and the blend of the different instruments worked very well, creating a unique sound that people wanted to hear.  Wilson took many things he learned from watching Phil Spector in the studio and applied them to this album.  The song “God Only Knows” was the first pop single to have “God” in its title.  This album would prove to be inspiring and influential to his peers and listeners, much like the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album was. 

The album Pet Sounds is very influential and inspiring to me, as it is with other musicians and music industry professionals.  I grew up listening to the Beach Boys among several other artists from that time.  The first time I listened to this album, I remember how I couldn’t help but just listen to the magnificent harmonies and the unique sounds that came from the speakers.  Their sound was so unique, and this album in particular, was even more unique than any of their other work.  The Beach Boys finally began experimenting with other sounds and building on their talent in this album.  I feel as though Pet Sounds was a huge success and revolutionized how people produced and listened to music.  I love how everything is blended together and how different it sounds than anything else on the radio.  The Beach Boys had a huge impact on pop/rock music throughout the world, and Pet Sounds was a large factor in their inspirational success, and it’s all thanks to Brian Wilson.

Welcome Entry

Welcome to my blog!  My name is Isaac Lynn and I am 19 years old, from Livingston, NJ.  I am currently attending Full Sail University, earning a Bachelors degree in Recording Arts.  I have listened to music my entire life and have developed a passion for it.  I grew up listening to mostly Classic Rock and “Oldies” but was exposed to several different genres and grew to love all kinds of music.  My favorite genres are Classic Rock, Jazz, Blues, and Classical.  I do not have a primary focus in the music industry, but I would like to work with audio post-production, sound design, music editing/recording or game audio.  I hope you enjoy my blog!