The Beatles and the “Revolver” opener “Taxman”: guitar anger at the state

Paul McCartney played the raga-esque guitar solo, John Lennon helped with the lyrics, but the bitter cynicism came entirely from George Harrison.

George Harrison’s slap in the face to the royal tax collectors not only qualified for the “angry guitar rock” genre, but also for the most coveted position on “Revolver”: 1st side, 1st track. “I wrote, Taxman,'” says Harrison, “when I first realized that we had to pass on almost everything to the taxpayer. The government cut over 90…

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