I am moving my Beatles catalogue to my iPod. I decided to NOT include Revolution #9. When I am done, I will have every official Beatles song released when they existed (forgoing the rubbish released after they broke up) except for this one avant garde noise medley by John and Yoko. Is this a crime against art? Or is it addition by subtraction?
go ahead and leave it out. It’s not even a song.
Is fun to listen to R9, you hear the outtakes from that album.
If your objection is that it was John’s work and not the Beatles, several songs on the same album were the work of only one of the Beatles, including Paul’s Blackbird or John’s Julia; and on Sgt. Pepper, George’s Within You, Without You.
And if your objection is that it’s a sound montage and not a song, well, so what if it is? It’s interesting, it’s original, and it’s not random — there is a rhythm and pattern to the sounds. I like it, and would not think of leaving it off an otherwise “complete” collection of Beatles recordings.
BTW, have you included their Live at the BBC album?
Although I do agree that it’s most definitely a musical piece, the only thing original about Revolution #9 is that it was released on an otherwise “pop” album. Avant-garde composers had been doing sound collages like that for almost 20 years, starting with pieces like Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry’s Symphonie pour un homme seul (1949) and John Cage’s William Mix (1951). John knew about music like that, through George Martin and Yoko, and that was his own, IMO, not-so-succesful attempt at musique concr?te.
I say do what you want. But I guess I am not a completist.
When I used to make cassette tapes of Beatles records to play in my car I would always, always leave off Octopus’s Garden from the Abbey Road tape, and Good Night and R9 (and several others) from the White Album tape.
Had the white album been a single disc, it would have really ruled. But I guess you can say that about most doubles not named Quadrophina.
As for the BBC Album, I didn’t care for it and even sold it back when I was in college. It was an interesting listen, but I thought it was a bit boring and not something I would listen to again.
The new Let it Be is sweet though.
Revolution #9 is a great song compared to What A Shame Mary Jane Had A Pain at the Party.
I don’t see what the point of this topic is… you’ve already made up your mind.
Believe it or not Paul was interested in this sort of sound collage before anybody! He made a similar piece called Carnival Of Light, part of which was used in Tomorrow Never Knows from Revolver.
As far as whether to include Revolution #9, it WAS included on an official release, therefore, it merits inclusion. But I’m a fanatical Beatles completist from WAY back. I managed to make an MP3 disc of all their material and I do indeed include Rev #9.
Chris W
I thought it would be interesting to see what other Beatles fans have to say… and it seems like they are all over the map.
“Revolution #9” works for me in the context The White Album. The whole album is about dissolution and fragmentation, and #9 represents the point where the disintergration even breaks down what we would normally consider music.
It is an interesting piece of aural avante garde, and much more thought and planning went into it than is immediately apparent. It’s not the type of thing you hum driving down the road though.
I would want to listen to the Beatles only in the context of their original albums…well, that plus the Pastmasters and Anthologies. So, I would have to say that I want to keep #9 on The White Album.
“Why Don’t We Do It In The Road,” on the other hand, is a deep and profound work of art.
y’all are going to hate me, but I like Octopus’s garden.
I like Octopus’s Garden and Revolution Number 9. In fact, the only Beatles music I can say I dislike is their early music* (when they were very pop, and not at all artistic) and a lot of Rubber Soul. (The only tracks I like are Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, Michelle, and In My Life. The rest could be burned and it would not bother me one bit.)
*I happen to own the album 1 (the collection of all their number 1 hits, tracked in chronological order), and I usually skip to Yellow Submarine when I listen to it. Anything before that is simply not to my taste. (I also skip a bit after that, too, as charts aren’t a good judge of quality.)
I sympathize, eli. It’s one thing to punch up “Revolution 9” once in a while on the disc, but another thing entirely to not add another more listenable song on iPod in order to be completist about a band.
I mean, would anybody walk to work or exercise to “Revolution 9?” Or whatever random alternate incomplete take of a given song from one of the Anthology albums?* For me it’s a matter of function…if I consider the iPod as a deluxe desert island collection of songs to take anywhere I go, I can’t see wasting space on something that I’d listen to once in a blue moon. Now, if I’m at home and the album’s at hand, I might spin it while reading about the sessions in one of the Mark Lewisohn books.
Or Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter. 
*Having said that, I’d probably include the Anthology versions of “Good Morning Good Morning,” “I’m Looking Through You,” “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” and “One After 909.” They’re just radically different enough to warrant inclusion in my iPod…
I listen to it if I’m listening to the album, but if it comes up on shuffle, it’s skip time.
*Block that kick!
Take this brother, may it serve you well.
If you become naked.*
Put a dance beat under “Revolution 9” and you’ve got a trance or techno song. It’s practically pop music now.
Note: I am not advocating the dancification of “Revolution 9”, just pointing out the similarities between what is apparently still scarily avant guard music and the music that millions of people listen and dance to every day. “Revolution 9” makes better use of samples than 90% of P Diddy’s catalog.
My personal opinion of Revolution #9 is that it could have been a brilliant part of the album. But even as a sound collage, it isn’t remotely compelling.
Let’s put it this way: Someday you come across someone who asks to hear “The White Album”. Leave in #9, and you’ll be able to give them the whole thing, and won’t have to explain what’s missing.
I included everything in mine, The Beatles were the best and nothing will ever compare. To leave it out is a matter of choice, I think you missing out, IMO.