Tomorrow Never Knows
A mock-up of a vinyl record with a plain white cover that has the album title and artist on it
Compilation album by
the Beatles
Released24 July 2012 (2012-07-24)
Recorded25 February 1964 – 20 August 1969
Genre
Length44:30
LabelApple, Capitol, EMI
ProducerGeorge Martin
The Beatles chronology
The Beatles in Mono
(2009) 		Tomorrow Never Knows
(2012) 		On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2
(2013)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Tomorrow Never Knows is a compilation album of songs by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 24 July 2012 through the iTunes Store. The album was conceived to highlight the band's influence on the history of rock music and bring together many of the Beatles' most influential rock songs.[2] It is named after the Revolver album track "Tomorrow Never Knows", which is featured on the compilation.

Release

Tomorrow Never Knows was released as an iTunes Store exclusive, in partnership with EMI Records and the Beatles' own Apple Corps, upon the approval of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the Board of Directors representing the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison. The release coincided with a streaming and downloadable promotional film for the song "Hey Bulldog".[3]

Tributes

The album's release was accompanied by several written tributes from contemporary rock acts praising the band. Ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl wrote, "If it weren't for the Beatles I would not be a musician. It's as simple as that". Citing the gritty distorted guitar, rolling bass line, Ringo's drum fills and the groove of the song "Hey Bulldog", Grohl described it as "a quintessential Beatles rocker... raw and real".[3]

Win Butler of Arcade Fire theorised that "There is a straight line from James Brown to death metal and it runs through 'Helter Skelter.' The primal edge to the singing on certain Beatles songs was present all along—from 'Twist and Shout' onwards. It's that edge in the voice that, to me, makes rock n' roll. I've always thought of them as heavy".[4] Mark Stoermer of the Killers further opined that "With 'Helter Skelter', the Beatles rocked harder than Led Zeppelin ever did, one year before their first album came out".

Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses praised "She Said She Said", stating "Cheers to all involved on this track. Ringo Starr should be commended for the absolutely mental drums playing. The time signature alone is difficult to understand but to think of this performance being captured boggles my mind".

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 observed that "The Beatles are a massive part of who I am. My mother lived and breathed the Beatles and they were a huge part of my upbringing. Every time we went anywhere the Beatles were playing on the stereo. That seeped into my consciousness and completely shaped my musical style". Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park added "Nearly everything my band knows about how to approach recording a song is attached to the Beatles in some way".[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Lennon–McCartney, except tracks 5 and 10, by George Harrison.

  1. "Revolution" – 3:25
  2. "Paperback Writer" – 2:19
  3. "And Your Bird Can Sing" – 1:59
  4. "Helter Skelter" – 4:31
  5. "Savoy Truffle" – 2:54
  6. "I'm Down" – 2:32
  7. "I've Got a Feeling" (Let It Be... Naked mix) – 3:38
  8. "Back in the U.S.S.R." – 2:44
  9. "You Can't Do That" – 2:35
  10. "It's All Too Much" – 6:26
  11. "She Said She Said" – 2:36
  12. "Hey Bulldog" – 3:11
  13. "Tomorrow Never Knows" – 2:59
  14. "The End" (Anthology 3 mix) – 2:52

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Tomorrow Never Knows
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 34
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 34
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] 29
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[10] 15
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[11] 17
Italian Albums (FIMI)[12] 35
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 37
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] 22
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 44
US Billboard 200[16] 24

References

  1. ^ "The Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ ""Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles' most influential rock songs in one powerful collection. Available Now at the iTunes Store". Apple Corps. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b Contributor, Rolling Stone (24 July 2012). "New Beatles Collection 'Tomorrow Never Knows' Hits iTunes". Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved 24 July 2012. ((cite web)): |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ Michaels, Sean (25 July 2012). "The Beatles release new iTunes compilation Tomorrow Never Knows". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  5. ^ Cashmere, Paul (24 July 2012). "Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Talks Beatles". The Noise Network. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  6. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  10. ^ "The Beatles Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Italiancharts.com – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  15. ^ "The Beatles | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  16. ^ "The Beatles Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
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