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Revolution 9

What is revolution 9? A clear definition from the electroacoustic music section of our glossary, with 14 related terms, tools to try and further reading.

Definition of Revolution 9

"Revolution 9" is a sound collage by English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles (also known as the "White Album"). The composition, credited to Lennon–McCartney, was created primarily by John Lennon with assistance from Yoko Ono and George Harrison. An attempt to paint a picture of a revolution using sound, the composition was influenced by the avant-garde style of Ono as well as the musique concrète works of composers such as Edgard Varèse and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

The recording began as an extended ending to the album version of Lennon's song "Revolution". Lennon, Harrison and Ono then combined the unused coda with numerous overdubbed vocals, speech, sound effects, and short tape loops of speech and musical performances, some of which were reversed. These were further manipulated with echo, distortion, stereo panning, and fading. At eight minutes and twenty-two seconds, it is the longest track that the Beatles officially released while together as a band.

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What is Revolution 9?

"Revolution 9" is a sound collage by English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles (also known as the "White Album").

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