December 28th 1968, and The Beatles had gone to No.1 on the US album chart again with the 'White Album'. It was the group's 12th US No.1 album.
This time the group had recorded much more as individuals and their own separate compositions had produced some unexpected results.
McCartney's 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road', Harrison's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' etc. etc. but Lennon's 'Revolution No.9', assisted and encouraged by Harrison, was something no one had been prepared for.
The sound collage effects in two previous Lennon songs, 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and 'I Am The Walrus' (see all posts for 'Lennon's sound collages') had reached it's zenith when the entire side 4 of the White Album was included (apart from one short track 'Goodnight' at the end of the side).
Now the sound collage had become not just an integral part of the song it was now a piece in itself and replaced the song. A daring and controversial statement in itself.
Lennon having been an art student in his early days and now with the influence of Yoko Ono, an avant garde New York artist in her own right, he must have been reveling in the opportunity to express himself in sound just as an abstract painter or sculpture would. He'd even been seen on the fringes of free jazz in a very small London venue experimenting with the guitar.
Revolution No.9, recorded in Abbey Road, June 1968, had been prepared with a mix of loops and tape edits arranged in random or intentional order as writer William Burroughs had previously done with words, and if works like Stockhausen and John Cage were familiar to the classical listener of the day it certainly wasn't the case for a young audience and pop music. This was a complete shock of the new into their ears.
No other mainstream pop artist has attempted anything as avant garde or commercially suicidal before or since. It was abused by some and still is, but also understood and appreciated by many others.
Over the years of rock and roll and pop, Lennon had found himself in a new world of sound. 'Revolution No.9' was the last of his experiments and use of the sound collage.
It stands today just as convincing and carefully prepared as any of the songs he'd written. It's as much a challenge to the listener and musician as ever it was.
For Lennon there was no where else to go except back to the songs.
