Revolver (Beatles album) group collective since 1962, and gave them an unprecedented amount of time to prepare for a new album. Writing in "The Beatles Forever", Nicholas Schaffner cites 1966 as the start of the band's "'psychedelic' period" and adds: "That adjective implies not only the influence of certain mind-altering chemicals, but also the freewheeling spectrum of wide-ranging colors that their new music seemed to evoke." Music journalist Carol Clerk describes "Revolver" as having been "decisively informed by acid", following John Lennon and George Harrison's continued experimentation with the drug LSD since the spring of 1965.<ref name="Clerk/Uncut"> Available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).</ref>
Revolver (Beatles album) instrumentation played by a Beatle and a novelty song marked a significant departure from the usual content of the band's singles. Schaffner likens the Beatles' 1966 recordings to the moment of transformation in the film "Wizard of Oz", "where, when Dorothy discovers herself transported from Kansas to Oz, the film dramatically changes from black-and-white to glorious technicolor". The album was also the source of confusion for the group's more conservative fans. A female fan later complained in "Beatles Monthly" that 1966 represented the end of "The Beatles we used to know before they went stark, raving mad." The release coincided