100 Recordings That Changed Music: 90 – 81
We’re continuing our trawl through music history this week (See the first part here) with ten more tracks that re-defined music production methods in either their technical construction, their arrangement or by a unique approach to recording studio practice that affected or influenced many other artists and producers. These ten tracks are an eclectic bunch […]

We’re continuing our trawl through music history this week (See the first part here) with ten more tracks that re-defined music production methods in either their technical construction, their arrangement or by a unique approach to recording studio practice that affected or influenced many other artists and producers. These ten tracks are an eclectic bunch of different genres, artists and from different eras, we’ll continue our look back the coming weeks as we approach our number one, but let’s begin with a stone cold classic:
90: Tomorrow Never Knows
The Beatles (1966) Producer: George Martin
Recorded for the seminal Revolver album, Tomorrow Never Knows made pioneering use of tape loops, overdubbed onto Ringo Starr’s hypnotic drum track to create its unworldly sound. The track was also the first to feature ADT (Artificial Double Tracking), an effect invented by EMI technician Ken Townsend that would become integral to the sound of Revolver and Sgt. Pepper. John Lennon wanted his voice to sound like the Dalai Lama singing from a mountain top but settled for his vocal processed through the revolving Leslie speaker of a Hammond Organ. This was experimentation on an unprecedented scale.
Listen: