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Revolution 5 playing music of The Beatles at the West Theatre. Photo by Jill Fisher.

Revolution 5 came to town on Thursday, March 12, to help us “Get Back” to those heady, exciting British Invasion days that are so nostalgic for us baby boomers and hopefully a revelation for younger generations.

The West Theatre was pretty much packed by the time the five (not four) musicians took the stage at 7:50 pm. The late start was likely due to the blizzard that began earlier in the evening, with folks arriving later than usual. The West typically allows everyone to get seated before starting the show. You’d think the winter storm would’ve kept many folks away but no, these were true Beatles fans eager to hear their music live.

A short 10-minute video opened the show to remind everyone what a big deal the “fab four” were back in the day; most notably their 27 number one hits on the British Top 100 chart (the USA’s Billboard Hot 100 lists just 20).

It reminded us of another amazing achievement by the Beatles: their songs held the top five positions on the billboard chart on April 4, 1964. These were: “Can’t Buy Me Love” at #1, “Twist and Shout” at #2, “She Loves You” at #3, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” at #4 and “Please Please Me” at #5. It’s a record that’s never been broken and it was noted that in just six years the four “mop tops,” as they were often called, managed more chart-toppers than most artists achieve in a lifetime.

The musicians who comprise Revolution 5 are: Aaron Barthel (Guitar, Keys, Harp, Vocals), Kevin Jennissen (Guitar, Keys, Vocals), Jake Hagedorn (Guitar, Vocals and keys!), John Tetrault (Bass, Vocals) and Terry Vermillion (Drums, Vocals).

The band is based in St. Cloud though Aaron lives in Duluth. They’ve been together for 16 years and it’s been 11 years since they last played in Duluth.

Counting five, these fellas did not set out to impersonate the original group with wigs and costumes. However, they did bring to life the Beatles’ music and sound we remember hearing on the radio and our cherished records. As for attire, they looked smart in their long-sleeve white shirts, ties and dark pants that were vintage looking enough!

The order of songs Rev5 played was not chronological, but the first numbers were the earlier hits beginning with “Eight Days a Week” (1965). Three tunes played early on had “love” in the title, which must have been a hook for love-sick teenagers at the time.

Having committed to playing all 27 of their number one hits meant we were doomed to hear the sappiest of all the Beatles’ songs—“Yesterday” (1965), “Let It Be” (1970) and “The Long and Winding Road” (1970), all written by Paul though credited to Lennon-McCartney.

But then we also got to hear those great upbeat numbers that reminded me how rockin’ the Beatles could be. For instance “Ticket To Ride,” “Day Tripper” and “Help,” all from 1965, were played before the intermission.

The first set also included the Beatles’ “Birthday” which was an addition to the 27 hit songs and is SO much better than that draggy “Happy Birthday” song that typically gets sung at parties. It was dedicated to someone in the audience. (Statistically there would have been several people with birthdays that day in attendance; I assume they enjoyed hearing it.)

Young dancers to Revolution 5.

Introducing many of the songs, Aaron provided background information with clues to what we were about to hear. It was a fun chance to play trivia and guess which song was next.

One of the most beautiful songs was written by George Harrison — “Something” (1969). Jake reported that Frank Sinatra said it was “the best love song in the last 50 years.” (I wonder exactly when he said that; in the ‘80s?) It’s hard to argue with that!

The song was a double A release (a 45 rpm single without a B side) with “Come Together” by John Lennon on the flip side. Rev5 also coupled these two tunes, with the latter played first.

One of the most impressive aspects of the concert was how closely they managed to come to the highly produced sounds of these top songs. For instance, “Eleanor Rigby” (1966), another tune written by Paul, on which none of the Beatles played instruments. Instead, that recording had featured two string quartets.

Rev5 effectively replicated the sound of those stringed instruments with its keyboards.

Also remarkable was Jake’s ability to capture the vocal qualities of the individual Beatles, especially George’s. He was lead singer on all the songs except one. Their harmonies were great, just like the Beatles.

Another way Rev5 captured the original sound so well was by using the guitar models the Beatles actually played, specifically George’s “chimey” sounding Rickenbaker electric 12-string 360; Paul’s small German-made Hofner Violin Bass; and John’s Epiphone Casino Hollow Body. Besides that, they used Vox guitar amps.

It should be noted that there was absolutely no pre-recorded music used in the show. Everything we heard was by these five guys, live.

At the intermission folks shared their opinions, gushed about how good the band sounded and compared this concert to other Beatles tributes they’d heard, mostly positive.

One attendee admitted that having seen Paul in concert not long before, this concert wasn’t quite up to that level but was still very enjoyable. Most of those folks I spoke with thought Rev5 was “terrific.”

A rousing cover of “Hard Day’s Night” (1964) was the first song of the second set that began at 9 pm. After “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1964) we were told that the next number was composed as a children’s song; of course it had to be “Yellow Submarine” (1966) complete with megaphone!

We learned that the BBC approached Lennon and McCartney asking them to write a song that would be Britain’s contribution to a worldwide live broadcast, “Our World,” on July 25, 1967. Because the event was to be broadcast in 24 countries to a multi-lingual audience, the request was for a song with simple, understandable English lyrics.

Instead of collaborating on it, as was their usual method of songwriting, Paul and John each tackled the assignment on their own. As it turns out, “All You Need Is Love,” written by John, was the one chosen for this first-ever multinational broadcast.

On Rev5’s rendition of this song, Kevin finally played the saxophone that was present on stage.

I was surprised to learn that “The Ballad of John and Yoko” (1969) was a chart topper, which Rev5 did all right by. Then, in what seems to have been the Paul section of the concert, four of his compositions were played back-to-back starting with “Penny Lane” (1967). On this number Jake played a third set of keys, while Kevin sang lead vocals.

Next came the aforementioned “The Long and Winding Road” which approximated the high production of the original record. This was the Beatle’s last number one hit. It was followed by “Lady Madonna” (1968) and “Hello, Goodbye” (1967). This latter song was reputedly was the outcome of Paul’s demonstrating how something as simple as word association can be the basis for song composition. It sounded just as we remembered it, even including the “chuh chuh” sound effects.

One of the songs successfully performed was “Paperback Writer” (1966), which, at least one fan insisted, was the best one of all. I couldn’t disagree.

As the concert neared its end, the early hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (1963-64) was paired with “Get Back” (1969), bringing out dancers, young and old alike.

With more than 26 songs performed by 10 pm, Jake informed us that “Hey Jude” (1968) brought them to their final, 27th number. But it was not to be as the audience hooted and hollered for an encore.

And what an added treat it was to have Rev5 respond by playing “Revolution,” “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” plus the apt “The End” from the 1969 Abbey Road album.

The concert proved that there were plenty of rock and roll numbers in the Beatles’ repertoire, along with catchy pop hits, sentimental ballads and the quirky sound effects that were part of the ’60s music scene.

This memorable music was loud, virtually everyone knew the lyrics to all of the songs (no deep cuts played in this gig) and we all sang along.

Several of my cohorts mentioned how the music had them remembering words they hadn’t heard or sung in 50 or 60 years. Music truly occupies a special place in our brains as well as our shared culture. In a nutshell, it was a super fun concert that left everyone feeling uplifted.

Pink Marlena

While this concert satiated my thirst for live music this past week, the Curmudgeon and I did get out on Friday the 13th. We checked out Pink Marlena’s opener for Peat Bogg’s set at Bent Paddle and enjoyed this trio, with Marlena on saxophone backed by Manny Eisle on bass and Ian Hopp on drums. Real jazzy!

It was fun to see the cool cats again that make up the band Peat Boggs — Charlie French (guitar, vocals), Cole Webster (acoustic and resonator guitars), Ben Wagener (electric bass) and Chris Shea (drums). They kept the jazz vibe going.

Peat Boggs

Later that same evening we made it over to Sir Ben’s to hear Boxcar in an acoustic show. Wow, the six of them crammed onto the small stage sounded just as great as when they are electrified! You can bet that dancing ensued!

Boxcar

UPCOMING: The annual Head of the Lakes Jazz Festival takes place at UMD this Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21. This year it features notable jazz saxophonist Sharel Cassity. Check it out online for all the ticketing details.

Also on Friday, Laurie BoeDee’s Teen Show takes place at Wussow’s from 7 to 9 pm. It’s a benefit for the Kids of Note music program. There’s no cover but donations are welcome. This is a chance to see young talent that we may see blossom into showstoppers in the not too distant future.

Starting a bit later that evening Rory Van James and Ross Thorn will be appearing at Earth Rider’s taproom, the Cedar Lounge, in Superior from 8:30 to 11 pm. Both shows promise to be interesting.

The rock and rollers among us should be sure to get out to hear Rich Mattson & The Northstars from Sparta, Minnesota, at Bent Paddle on Saturday, March 21. It’s a launch party for their latest album, Wake Up Songs. The show starts at 7 pm. See you out there!