The Beatles : Revolution (John's Demos From The White Album)

 The Beatles : 

Revolution

 (John's Demos From The White Album)

REVOLUTION 1 (Take 20)

The track makes it clear why seemingly unrelated Revolution 1 

and the maniacal Revolution 9 

sound collage share the same name.

 In Revolution 1 (Take 20)

 John Lennon steers an extended, more experimental version of Revolution 1 to its breaking point, 

using it as a conduit before launching into the avant-garde Revolution 9.

The song first surfaced on an upcoming, 

Europe-only bootleg 

Revolution: Take… Your Knickers Off, 

a nod to Lennon saying 

“Take your knickers off and let’s go” 

before

 Revolution 1 (Take 20)

 started rolling.

 As for how the song leaked out,

 that’s an even bigger mystery.

 According to 

Mark Lewisohn’s book 

The Beatles: Recording Sessions, 

only two copies 

of the take were made 

when recording the song

 was completed on

 June 4, 1968.

 One copy left the studio 

with Lennon that day, 

and the other 

remained behind.

 It’s unclear which copy 

appears on the bootleg, 

nor how the

 Revolution makers 

even acquired it.

The recording is similar to

 the White Album version

 of Revolution 1, 

with various differences

 including the absence

 of the opening lead guitar. 

There are also a 

number of sound effects 

and vocals which 

didn’t make the final version, 

including a chorus of 

“Mama, dada, mama, dada”

 sung by 

George Harrison

 and, 

possibly, 

Paul McCartney’s 

then-girlfriend

 Francie Schwartz.

The most fascinating part 

of this recording

 begins where the

 album version fades out.

 In this mix,

 the track becomes a

 bed for improvisations 

and ad-libs, 

which later formed

 the basis of 

Revolution 9. 

Although it lacks

 many of the

 sound effects of 

Lennon’s sound collage,

 the links between

 the two recordings 

can be clearly heard.

This rough mix 

was taken away by

 John Lennon

 after it was made. 

A previous version

 of the mix has been

 available for some time

 but featured a 

Yoko Ono monologue 

over the

 top of much of it.

 This clean mix, 

of better quality

 than previously-heard bootlegs,

 is being heralded by

 Beatles fans as a

 significant find.

TRACKLIST

Dear Prudence 

(Vocal, Guitar & Drums)

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

 (home demo; mono)

I'm So Tired 

(Takes 3, 6 & 9)

Yer Blues

 (Take 5 with Guide Vocal)

Revolution 1 (Take 20)

Everybody's Got Something to Hide

 Except Me and My Monkey 

(Instr. Rehearsal)

Everybody's Got Something To Hide 

Except Me and Monkey

 (Alt. Take)

The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill 

 (Alt Take)

Cry Baby Cry

 (Take 1)

Sexy Sadie 

(Take 6)

Glass Onion

 (Esher Demo)

Julia

 (Take 2)

9# noituloveR

 (backward)

Revolution 1

 (Esher sessions) 

(Acoustic version)

Yer Blues 

(Esher Demo)

Happiness Is a Warm Gun

 (Esher Demo)

I'm So Tired

 (Esher Demo)

Dear Prudence

 (Esher Demo)

Cry Baby Cry

 (Esher Demo)

Glass Onion

 (Take 10)

Julia

 (Esher Demo)

Happiness Is A Warm Gun 

[New Remix]

LINK