Man, unbelievable. That’s using some regulation Howard Stern lingo to describe both the Beatles seminal Revolver album and the 50 years that have passed since the Fab Four dropped it on us. Half a century. Stern was a socially awkward 12-year-old (by his own testimony) when The Beatles changed the world again with Revolver — and he can trace a lot of his life’s path to the record’s lasting influence. Now Stern is a socially awkward 62-year-old (by his own testimony) with hundreds of millions of dollars and he’s celebrating one of his favorite — and one of the greatest — albums of all-time.
Taking a Deadicated approach, Stern has put together a tribute where contemporary artists pair off with each song from Revolver, delivering a new version that captures the power and diversity of the Beatles enormous influence. Living Color, Cheap Trick and O.A.R. all recorded tracks, Stern revealed on his show. Grace Potter did “Good Day Sunshine” for Stern and Jewel jams a version of “Eleanor Rigby.” (She looks, as usual, at “all the lonely people.”) James Taylor renders “Here There & Everywhere” in his maple syrup voice while Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear join the billions of people who have sung this refrain: “We all live in the Yellow Submarine.” That vessel is now fifty years old. Howard Stern is helping us all sail the sea in it one more time. (Stern has played some clips and will play all the songs during his show October 7.)
Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear warming up for Yellow Submarine: