Drummer reacts to "Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles 

It wasn't "psychedelic influenced". The Beatles created Psychedelia! That is probably the first "Trance" music song in the history of Rock/Pop. Amazingly ahead of their time.

No synths, just tape loops. Revolver was THE game changer.

Here is the trippy part. In 3 short years they went from She Loves You, Yeah Yeah Yeah to this masterpiece.

The Beatles with Tomorrow Never Knows created psychedelic rock and with Strawberry Fields Forever and A Day in the Life they created progressive rock. The most brilliant band of all time.

The Beatles walked down the hall of music knocking down doors on either side that opened up new fields for other bands to go in to explore. They made pop music into an art form that showed everyone that anything was possible. They explored all kinds of genres and combinations of genres and pushed the boundaries of the recording studio. As Alice Cooper said, "Everybody was influenced by somebody, but I think everybody was influenced by The Beatles." One of the many amazing things about The Beatles is how quickly they evolved in such a short time. As Elvis Costello said, "Every record was a shock when it came out. Every single was an event.” Or, as Ozzy Osbourne called them, “The Greatest Band To Ever Walk The Earth!”

This track was revolutionary in its time. Nobody had ever heard anything like it, and some fans and critics thought they had lost their minds. The fact that it still sounds modern is a testament to how far ahead of its time it was. The Revolver album marked the point where rock and roll ceased to be teenage music and became an adult art form (although the Beatles had been moving in that direction since 1965). Speaking of teenage music, you really should check out some of their earlier hits. They're more sophisticated than they get credit for, as the band were using quite innovative chord progressions for the time. Musicologists are still debating the opening chord to A Hard Day's Night.

The Beatles deciding to stop touring was the best decision they ever made. It allowed their creativity to expand sooooo much!

This song is a fine example of what has made Ringo so great. He isn't a virtuoso. He isn't highly trained or technically advanced with his chops. He is a basic Rock n Roll drummer with a good measure of swing influence and an incredible sense of rhythm and timing. What made Ringo stand out with The Beatles was his ability to play things that simply made his band sound better. The beat to this song is imprinted in my brain like it was etched by a laser and I'm not even a drummer. If this song didn't have Ringo's simple trance-like beat, it just wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be as good. That simple beat is like our anchor that keeps us from floating away into oblivion and never returning. That beat allows us to safely take a deep journey, knowing that we are still connected to ourselves and to everyone and everything in the universe. Once you've heard that beat, you can take it away and it will still be there, because it has always been there. We've heard the saying, "Less is more". Well, Ringo is the living embodiment of less is more.

"Revolver," "Rubber Soul," and "Sgt. Pepper"....the Holy Trinity of Rock Albums.

I was born in Liverpool in 1953 and grew up with all the Merseybeat / Beatles / Sixties vibes and it is great to see music lovers of this generation is finding how lucky we were. excellent Thanks Dave

The Beatles were like brothers. John was 16, Paul was15, and George was 14 when they started playing together. Ringo came alone a few years later, he was 21. They loved each other like brothers, till business, and wives got in the way and caused problems. But they loved each other through all of it. You are right, they were creating masterpieces.

Revolver is my favorite Beatles album. She Said She Said is an amazing song.

Sorry, one more comment. Strawberry Fields Forever will blow your mind. 1967, analog recording (no digital) no computers, no synthesizers

Man, one of the most insightful and honest reactions to one of the greatest and most influential psychedelic tunes of the 20th century…you blew me away with this one. Thanks.

Arguably the greatest track on the greatest album ever made.

I love how you’re beginning to appreciate how great these guys were. Their catalogue is so deep and diverse that it’s hard to believe that it was all accomplished in just seven years.

Ringo keeps a perfect beat, never changing speed while George lays down that acid guitar sound.

This song was produced almost 60 years ago. Genius !

This is the first pop song consisting mostly of tape loops. Afaik, this is where psychedelic rock started.

Paul’s bass is such a killer on this track.

Revolver is my favorite Beatles album.

I give a lot of credit to the 5th Beatle (there are two honorary 5th Beatles, actually), producer George Martin. The lads would tell George what kind of sound they were going after and George Martin figured out what instrumentation best worked to achieve it, and on the case of studio trickery (backwards tape, as in this song) that was George. The other honorary 5th Beatle was Billy Preston, as he was the only non-Beatle whose picture was featured on an album (albeit the back) cover, and the piano riff on Get Back was his own creation. Beatlemaniacs may want to toss in Jimmie Nicol, because he sat for Ringo on a few dates on the Australian leg of their tour because he was sick. Not to forget actual Beatle members before Ringo, Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best, just to appease everybody who knows everybody who ever wore Beatle Boots. The Beatles, as the world knows them, had two honorary Beatles. George Martin, the wizard behind their sound, and the great Billy Preston.

In 1966 I was just 11 years old. The Beatles were the biggest entertainment act in the world. The transition to cultural phenomenon begian with this album, Revolver. From this point it's bigger than just the music THIS SONG is what launched the entire experience into interplanetary orbit! Transendental meditation was what the spiritual technique is called "Turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream"

It's joyous to see someone who had kind of dismissed The Beatles discover how amazing they were.

As a drummer, you should check out "Rain" soon. Ringo believes it is his best playing, and it's hard to disagree. "Hello, Goodbye" is another I'd recommend. His fills in the latter part of the song are amazing.

The Beatles were a pop music phenomenon. As you explore their entire output you'll be hard pressed to find a track that is anything less than good while the majority of their songs are simply great. You'll also find that they were a band that was constantly evolving with each new album sounding different than the previous one, all the while maintaining the same level of quality throughout their 8 year run as recording artists.

1966. One of the first psychedelic tracks in rock history. This whole album is diversely fantastic!

1. IIRC no synthesizers were used in 1966 (outside of a Maxwell House commercial). Maybe a mellotron? 2. The "seagulls" are the sounds of Paul laughing played back in reverse (along with the guitars). 3. Lyrics by John in his Tibetan Book of the Dead phase.

I was 8 yrs old sitting in front of our black & white tv in Feb 1964 when The Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. I didn’t know what was happening but I could feel, even at 8, something was happening. The Beatles changed the music landscape and became my generation’s music. Everything from then on was influenced by them. My daughter is 18 yrs old now. She was influenced by my playing Beatles music to influence her the same as it did me. She listens to the Beatles and has several Beatles t-shirts.

This is the one I am really waiting for today. Tomorrow never knows, but today we know it's the Fab Four showing everyone else how it's done.

The Revolver album was a huge advance and groundbreaking change in their music and recording techniques from the already brilliant and also groundbreaking Rubber Soul album that came before it.. But with this final track on Revolver, Tomorrow Never Knows, they were sending a huge message. It was the end of an era for them and the beginning of a new one. And then came the Sgt Pepper album, which not only changed music, it changed culture.

The Beatles said that Ringo was the drummer the group needed. The kind of sound they were looking for. As you say, all four of them were great.

I don't understand how anyone can talk while listening to music this good.

Ther greatest band of all time. No question. Released in 1966, this was produced with stone age recording techniques by today's standards. They were the most innovative and ground-breaking band and laid the road for all others to come after them. And they were from my country! Yes!

I’ve often said it: while I believe that Zeppelin were the greatest band ever, The Beatles were the most IMPORTANT band ever. The thing they both share in common is that neither band ever put out a bad song. I’ve been listening to The Beatles since I was 7 and I’m now 56.

Now you gotta hear " Within you, Without You"

Great reaction and you have only scratched the surface with the Beatles. They were incredibly versatile and true pioneers of music.

Check out "Rain" .... its a masterpiece.

In between Tomorrow Never Knows & A Day In the Life...is another masterpiece that you must react to and that is Strawberry Fields Forever..recorded in November/ December.. 1966.

John was a certified genius...

Lee, bless you for your journey discovering The Beatles music!! Welcome to the preeminent Rabbit Hole of Rabbit Holes! Great that you started with some of their music from the 2nd half of their recording career. But, don't forget about their "Guitar/Drums/Vocals"-driven, 1st half of their career! To hear songs like "Tomorrow Never Knows" juxtaposed with "She Loves You", for instance, can be an incredibly jarring experience. You almost can't believe it's the same group! But that was one of the great things about the Beatles. They didn't stay too long in one "sound" or musical attitude. They kept growing, improving, getting better as musicians/songwriters -- especially in that first year and a half, between late 1962 and early 1964 -- and they soon silenced the critics who declared that they would "fizzle out" by the end of '64. They were a musical force in Pop music, they were a force to be reconned with in the first 3 years and then they just LAID WASTE all music lovers in 1966/67. They flipped the world on its ear, literally! So, check out their early stuff too, with a focus on their excellent vocals, Ringo's kickass drumming and the sound of their guitars leading the way! This part of their career influenced so many great guitar-bands, such as The Replacements, Green Day, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Panic! at the Disco, Marshall Crenshaw, Jellyfish, Tears For Fears, and even Prog bands like Genesis. Great, high-energy New Rock, circa 1963-1966: check out "It Won't Be Long", "All My Loving", "She Loves You", "Don't Bother Me", "Not a Second Time", and ALL the songs on the album "A Hard Day's Night"! They rip the heck out of those songs and so many others.

Listen to their 1st album.....then their last.....be amazed at the difference....... THEN fill in the space between them & marvel at the 7 year journey. They were best of all time.....no question.

Loop tapes, backward guitar solo thirty years before anyone else was using them. The Beatles were the most popular band in the world, but also the most creative and influential

You must remember the 5th Beatle! George Martin, producer. Enjoying your channel here in Liverpool UK ✌🏻

Don't regret it,you my young bud have an amazing journey ahead of you,iam 60yrs old and iam still finding music from past and present that i had originally dismissed. Thats the beauty of music.

When i think of the year 1966, the year of my birth, I think of this song and Eight Miles High by the Byrds

We bought these albums BEFORE we had heard the songs. We had our first reactions and then invited our friends to share and witness their first reactions. That was the best fun.

They played together for years in Hamburg, 3 sets a day often, what sets them apart is their inventiveness, what makes them great is how tight they are

The willingness of The Beatles and the expertise of George Martin.....

Bought Revolver first Beatles album and TNK BLEW MY 12YO MIND. Still does. ...also, this track was the first one they recorded for the album. Love John's voice on this, too, and the incredible lyrics

1966. No synth no autotune. Amazing.

John did attend Liverpool College of Art. He didn't graduate, but he certainly had an artist's eye and ear, when it came to music and writing. You use the word texture perfectly. When the Beatles quit touring and began their lives as 'studio recording artists' they created immortal works of such depth and intricacy they may never be forgotten or surpassed. You are next in a long line of people of younger generations who were not previously exposed to the Beatles who are amazed at their genius. If you have only heard 10 of their works, you have a long way and many enjoyable hours ahead of you!

One of my favorite Beatles songs. Every song on the Revolver album is amazing. I think it is their best album.

_Sacred Geometry in music form._ That's about the best description I've heard yet concerning Beatles music (especially the 2nd half of their catalogue from 1966 onwards). Awesome reaction and thoughtful analysis, not only for the song, but concerning the music industry in general --- truly appreciate it!

And the production on this...back then it was all on tape. Can't imagine all the work that went behind this, splicing tapes with razors and pasting them back together until it worked. This track was truly ahead of its time.

There is so much to learn from the Beatles. A deep dive will change your life.

The “seagulls” you hear is Paul’s laughter sped up and looped played backwards, “Hey Bulldog” and “It’s All Too Much” from the Yellow Submarine Album released in 1969.

Never too late to discover the Beatles. Im a huge fan of theirs and every time I listen to a song at a different age its like a whole new song again. They were special like that. Im 30 now and constantly learninf and growing from their music, words and art

I love watching people fall under the spell of The Beatles. Whenever you look into them you always find more.

I love it when people discover the genius of the Beatles for the first time.

The Beatles toured the US in 1966 and Revolver was the #1 album in the country yet they didn’t play a single song off of it live,ever. This particular song is in the key of C and never changes a single chord throughout,pure musical genius.

Less than four years after "Love Me Do." The 60s were a rocket blast of creative change.

I dont think we can appreciate just how far ahead this track was in 1966.

You're in for a treat and you're only 10 songs into their catalog. Glad you're discovering how great they are. Would never had touched a guitar if it weren't for them.

Lee..... Thank you for listening to this for me. I am so glad you liked it. And I think you are beginning to understand that every song they did was different. Can you believe that there wasn't a synthesiser anywhere on the track... They hadn't even been invented yet.... This was all real instruments but treated in the studio.... ALL TAPE work. George's lead guitar work was worked up painstakingly because he knew whet he wanted to hear but he had to work it out and play it backwards first of all, so that when it was played backwards, as it is on the track he got the melody line her wanted... And that was just one element... Keep On Rocking young sir.... I look forward to my next choice... I will try to make it not a Beatles track even though I am the biggest Beatle nerd. HEY GUYS, SUPPORT LEE ON PATREON IF YOU CAN.... !!

The crazy thing is their early work was in many ways great pop music but even then their friendship and understanding of each other came through in their music. BTW their early work had their best harmonies. It didn't hurt that their producer knew everything about music and held their work to the highest production standard.

In a way I feel bad for you, and in another I’m jealous that you have that experience of hearing The Beatles for the first time. I’m 33, my dad is 71, first gen Beatles fan. He raised my brother and me on all 60’s and early 70’s music, with emphasis on The Beatles. My vinyl collection contains every mono and stereo album by them, both original pressings that my father gave me, and newer boxsets in vinyl, both as The Beatles and as solo artists. “Tomorrow Never Knows” is a song I’ve adored since the age of 11. You have an amazing time ahead of you. The things you will hear will change you. I studied physics in college, and I’m (still) a believer in String theory. At the tiniest, the sub-quantum, are vibrating strings that make up the universe(s). The Beatles were given the ability to untangle the strings, reach into the base of reality, and bring out the music of those strings. No band, no individual, has ever done that, before, now, and if humanity has a future (doubtful) will never play the strings like they do/did. Sorry for rambling, but as a Beatles newbie, your reaction to Tomorrow Never Knows shows me how well you actually understand their extraordinary abilities to pierce the void.

Revolver was one of the landmarks of music in the 20th century. What a collection! Taxman, Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine and the concluding track- Tomorrow Never Knows. These songs, individually, are so familiar that we lose sight of what an astoundingly diverse album this was. The Fabs and George Martin proved here that the recording studio was the ultimate audio playground. Needless to say, this was never performed live- for that, look up 801’s amazing version.

Either proof of time travel, or proof that they were way ahead of their time...... But further, to quote you.........."Sacred geometry in music form." - and "Art moves at it's own pace." - I think you and John are kindred spirits. Really.

As soon as I saw the subject "Drummer reacts to "Tomorrow Never Knows", I knew the reaction was going to be good. Ringo is truly amazing in this one (he's always great). It is so distinct from anything else.

Nearly six decades later, there still are not adequate words to describe this track. Tomorrow STILL doesn't know! Just an incredible piece of music. And John Lennon's voice coming through a Leslie speaker sound like it's coming straight out of the void!

Im so glad I grew up with this music. Graduated high school in 75. This music is magic.

Synths weren’t a thing in ‘66. All the sounds you hear,the four boys came up with. Awesome band.

There was no synthesizer; the weird sounds were made by the tape loops. McCartney went home and made loops and brought them to the studio, and they set them up on tape machines throughout the building, and they recorded directly into the deck using the sliders.

Applause also to Klaus Voorman, old friend from their Hamburg days, who designed the album artwork, AMAZING!!! and also the Anthology covers

The went from “Love Me Do” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “Tomorrow Never Knows” in four years. Four years. Their entire recording career as the Beatles lasted eight years. There is the Beatles, and then there is everyone else.

"Tomorrow Never Knows" sounds amazingly futuristic -- like something from the future not just of 1966, but way beyond 2024! The Beatles were so far ahead of their time that we *still* haven't caught up to them.

Revolver is great (obvs) and this is an absolute banger. Genius. I love this period of The Beatles, probably my favourite.

I have been listening to this song for almost 60 years now, and its still great.

The fact that you said that it could be released tomorrow as some trippy indie music tells you exactly how influential they were.

Ringo is an *incredibly* underrated drummer

Wonderful to see a young person enjoying this masterpiece of music. Enjoy the next 50 years of your life listening to beatles music. " Turn off your mind relax and flow down stream..."

The Beatles journey through the sixties mirrored society’s journey from innocence to enlightenment to self-awareness. As a generation we grew up.

You said this is so different, that's what we thought too in 1966 when this song came out. This song is from the future and still is all these years later The Beatles were so far ahead of their time!

This tune single handedly invents multiple music genres in just over 2mins of pure genius- decades ahead of its time

I'm 66 and I have been listening to them since I was 6. It was like I was living in a black and white world and suddenly there was color. Their music influenced me completely. Growing up in the 1960s was the best.

Good you discovered the Beatles. Every musician should study the Beatles. Start with how the songs sound, but then go into the technical details. You will be even more amazed. Chords, melodies, building up of the songs. And then of course the technical part of playing and recording all those sounds. The Beatles reshaped music and culture totally. On every level. Also don't disregard their earlier work. The journey to get to their later is also what brings you knowledge of how everything in music works. And never forget: they pioneered everything. They made those changes themselves. In only 8 years...

greetings from germany, i heard the beatles the first time in 1963, i was 6 years old and ,man, it changed my whole life. try revolution no 9 from the white album, i´m sure, you will be SURPRISED

Thank you for this reaction. This is one of my favourite songs, from one of my favourite albums. I was a child (8 years old) when I listened to my older brothers' albums - this being one of them - when they were not at home. It moved my personal expectations of what popular music could be. They were the pathfinders for others to follow, and as others have already said, they created new music, songs, and production techniques that moved the definition of popular music into a new era. A perfect alignment of creativity from all sides. Keep on discovering new - old music!

I heard this song for the first time in 1989, I was 15 (Yes the Beatles were already an "old band" then) and it changed my life, I became a complete Beatles fanatic shortly after. Would get "stoned" and listen to all their trippy songs lol To this day, The Beatles are my fav act, they changed how we listen to music! Imagine ppl in 1966 hearing this, right after some lovey dovey song on the mainstream radio 😆😆

The Beatles have influenced so many people who were lucky enough to grow up with this music including myself

There has never been a generation of college radio where this song would not draw attention. Even if introduced as new today.

Yep I grew up in the late 60s / 70s it was hell! We had to put up with bands like The Beatles followed in short order by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.... No Internet No Social Media, No Mobile Phones... we didn't even have Justin Bieber 😂😂😂

You should try I'm Only Sleeping. Again, emotionally haunting lyrics and vocals by John. Now and Then - released last year with a wonderful documentary on how it came together and showing that they are still musically relevant today. The video too is a must. Enjoy!

You described your spiritual reaction to Tomorrow Never Knows beautifully and the effect of Lennon's voice was perfect.

So good to watch you evolving into a fan of the Fab 4, and then other 2, GM and BP. enjoy for the future dude. I'm 73 and have them in my life for 6 decades! Andi Bristol England

I was 15 when Revolver was released. I was and still am a Beatles fan, but the comparison of Revolver to anything they did prior is moot. The album is a critical turning point in music...period! The addition of George Martin as producer totally solidified the talent of the group. Martin was the genius behind the curtain. Whatever the Beatles dreamed up artistically Martin could make it actually happen. Thanks for the reaction, Lee. Congrats on topping 10K. Really respect your comments. Peace and love to all!

The reason they were so intertwined is twofold. first they grew up in a time where most bands harmonised their vocals and everyone in a band sang together, secondly the 3 of them played in hamburg together for years, up to 18 hours a day 6 to 7 days a week, and they had been together since they were young

I wish I could experience The Beatles for the first time again. 1968 was a magical time for a 16 year old Beatles fanatic.

To me, Revolver was the beginning of PROG Rock. And it was commercial!