During the past 24 hours, news of a previously unreleased version of the Beatles’ "Revolution" had been circulating wildly on various websites. Now, regrettably, the powers-that-be at EMI Records appear to have demanded the track be removed from YouTube.
Those fortunate enough to hear the track in its entirely got a terrific glimpse into the experimental side of the Fab Four. The 11-minute track, which runs a full seven minutes longer than its official counterpart, is rife with sonic adventure. According to the book "The Beatles: Recording Sessions," by Mark Lewisohn, the newly surfaced version was recorded on May 30, May 31, and June 4, 1968. In its full glory, the song mutates midway through into sonic experimentation rife with tape loops and strange vocal effects.
Lewisohn writes that the Beatles ultimately decided to chop the song in half, thus creating the commercially oriented "Revolution 1" and the avant garde noisefest "Revolution 9," both of which appeared on the album The Beatles, commonly known as The White Album. While YouTube no longer hosts the unreleased track, given the degree of interest generated, it’s a safe bet the track will soon surface again.