Last month, the Beatles announced an expansive reissue of their 1966 LP Revolver. Now, the group has shared “Yellow Submarine (Songwriting Work Tape / Part 1),” a previously unreleased early demo that features spare acoustic instrumentation and vocals from John Lennon. (Ringo Starr famously sings lead vocals on the final, actual “Yellow Submarine.”) Listen to the outtake below.
Speaking with USA Today, Starr and the reissue’s producer, Giles Martin, described how “Yellow Submarine” came together. “The boys used to write a song for me and they’d present whatever they thought would be good for me,” Starr said. “They had this song and they decided to liven it up.”
Added Martin, “I had no idea [the work tape] existed…. It wouldn’t have been as commercial in that original form, and you can hear them working together and pushing each other in different directions.”
The expanded edition of Revolver arrives October 28. Physical and deluxe editions feature newly mixed songs sourced from the album’s original 1966 mono master tapes, early studio takes and demos, a 100-page hardbound book, and more.