ABSTRACT
Revolver is the pivotal album of the Beatles' career, and, consequently, it is the pivotal album, or one of them, in the history of rock music. The music of the Beatles had been growing and changing like a living entity since their first release in 1962. The growth was gradual: non-rock instruments were introduced into rock music, song structures gradually changed the shape of popular song, and lyrics grew in sophistication to become descriptive poems set to music. Two aspects of harmony on Revolver should be considered: the overall chord progressions of the songs and the manner in which the lead and supporting vocals are harmonized above the chord progressions. The Beatles use vocal harmonization in three important structural ways: to reinforce or emphasize the hook or to emphasize the climactic point of a song, to contrast or differentiate the various song sections, and to underscore the importance of certain lyrics or help describe the lyrics and relate the narrative.
