The Beatles are widely regarded as the greatest band of all time, and have made some of the greatest albums of all time, such as their 1966 classic Revolver. Earlier this year, fans rejoiced as the Beatles estate announced a new stereo mix and new content from one of their greatest albums.

Revolver was originally released in 1966, a significant year for the Beatles. They were shrouded in controversy after John Lennon implied that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, and they were exhausted from touring constantly. They had been marketed as a bubblegum pop band for teen girls, the blueprint for the boy band, up until Revolver. 

“With each album, they were getting a little bit more sophisticated in terms of the instruments they were bringing into the mix, and really trying to get a little bit more out of the studio experience,” says NAI math teacher Bryan Weet, who has been listening to the Beatles since he was a kid.

Their previous album, Rubber Soul, had hinted at a more experimental sound, but was still rooted in their radio-friendly style. “In my opinion, Rubber Soul goes hand in hand with Revolver in terms of them changing their sound. It was enough of the melody and the pop that they had in the previous albums combined with this sense that they were really trying to become serious songwriters as well,” says Weet.

With Revolver, they decided to lean into the style that they had teased before. The album includes classic hits like “Eleanor Rigby”, “Got To Get You Into My Life”, and “Yellow Submarine”, however, this was a significantly less successful album compared to their previous work.

“When you look at it, it’s really not the album that had the most hit songs on it, but I think it’s an album people enjoy listening to all the way through,” says Weet. The album’s deep cuts, such as “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Taxman”,  were what made the album so influential for its time.

Announced on September 7th, this new release is to include new stereo mixes and remasters of the original mono mixes for every song, studio bloopers, alternate takes, and demos. According to the Beatles website, a special edition, deluxe special edition, and super deluxe special edition will all be released. A book will also be included in the deluxe and super deluxe editions. So far, a new mix of “Taxman” has been released, as well as alternate versions of “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Yellow Submarine.”

This new content could possibly introduce a new audience to the Beatles. “Anytime you have a rerelease it brings attention to something again, and I think you’ll see sales of Beatles records go up again,” says Weet. 

 Since the Beatles’ music was put on streaming services in 2009, the streaming mixes have been subject to criticism. The mixes use a technique where different instruments or vocal parts will only be in one ear, which doesn’t fit with the songs in question. Over the last 13 years, Giles Martin, the son of the Beatles’ original producer George Martin, has been reworking the albums one by one.

The previous re-releases have been well received overall, so fans are excited to see what Martin has in store for Revolver.