ABSTRACT
The work on the music of the Beatles, including booklength studies by Walter Everett, Ian MacDonald, Tim Riley, and Allen Moore, acknowledge the significance of the Beatles' drum and percussion tracks. In this chapter, the author investigates in greater depth the subtle and complex manipulations of rhythm, timbre, and tempo that went into these tracks. The drum and percussion tracks on Revolver demonstrate new applications of the Beatles' unique approach to percussive timbre, present from their earliest recordings with Ringo, while pointing to developments in the Beatles' management of rhythm and tempo that would have significant ramifications for their post-Revolver sound. Before turning to Revolver, it will be necessary to consider some general conventions of rock 'n' roll drumming that obtained during the late 1950s and early 1960s as the Beatles prepared to burst onto the international music scene. The percussive register in 'Taxman' is also notable for the propulsive drum fills that Ringo uses to lead into each refrain.
