In December 1965 , the Beatles ' '' Rubber Soul '' album was released to wide critical acclaim . According to author David Howard , the limits of pop music " had been raised into the stratosphere " by the release , resulting in a shift in focus away from singles to creating albums of consistently high quality . The following January , the Beatles carried out overdubs on live recordings taken from their 1965 US tour , for inclusion in the concert film '' The Beatles at Shea Stadium '' . The group 's manager , Brian Epstein , had intended that 1966 would then follow the pattern of the previous two years , in terms of the band making a feature film and an accompanying album , followed by concert tours during the summer months . After the Beatles vetoed the proposed film project , the time allocated for filming became a three-month period free of professional engagements . This was the longest period the band members had experienced outside the group collective since 1962 , and gave them an unprecedented amount of time to prepare for a new album
1965 US tour
The Beatles' 1965 US tour
Revolver (Beatles album)