I gave the film 'Yesterday' the swerve until I found out it didn't actually feature the Beatles. I thought it was a great film and thoroughly enjoyed it, and recommended it to a friend under the same sort of advice 'don't worry, it features their music but it's not about the Beatles'. He liked it too. By way of contrast I was forced to sit through Mamma Mia which I thought was excruciating, dire film with a loathesome soundtrack. But as for the Beatles, I grow weary of people who grew up with them lecturing the rest of us about how great they were. If you take away Eleanor Rigby, there isn't a single Beatles track I would listen to out of choice, and my musical tastes cover a lot of guitar bands. I get that a lot of people love them, and fair play, but there's this 'if you don't like the Beatles, you have no musical taste' viewpoint which gets yelled by their fans, and it drives me to the opposite conclusion. If I want to listen to a Scouse pop group, give me OMD or A Flock of Seagulls any day of the week. Or Teardrop Explodes.
yesterday was a fantastic concept that was killed by the last 30 minutes of the film - no spoilers here, but it was unnecessary.
Beatles were a great band. Yesterday was a shit film.
My MIL, saw them live in London somewhere (can't remember where). A couple of weeks before the show, she left her purse, that had the ticket inside on a bus. Naturally, she was devastated but tried lost property in hope more than anything. It had been handed in and both the ticket and her money were both still in there. Doubt it would happen now.
She's also got all their autographs. On a sheet of old paper and dedicated to her but still worth a few quid. She just keeps it in a drawer. I've got my eyes on them already!
they appeared at the Lewisham Odeon (now demolished) in (I think) 1963/64 .. my mates and I could not get tickets .. if I remember it was a package tour .. Freddie and the Dreamers, groups like that and, again I think, Del Shannon
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
Agreed.
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
I gave the film 'Yesterday' the swerve until I found out it didn't actually feature the Beatles. I thought it was a great film and thoroughly enjoyed it, and recommended it to a friend under the same sort of advice 'don't worry, it features their music but it's not about the Beatles'. He liked it too. By way of contrast I was forced to sit through Mamma Mia which I thought was excruciating, dire film with a loathesome soundtrack. But as for the Beatles, I grow weary of people who grew up with them lecturing the rest of us about how great they were. If you take away Eleanor Rigby, there isn't a single Beatles track I would listen to out of choice, and my musical tastes cover a lot of guitar bands. I get that a lot of people love them, and fair play, but there's this 'if you don't like the Beatles, you have no musical taste' viewpoint which gets yelled by their fans, and it drives me to the opposite conclusion. If I want to listen to a Scouse pop group, give me OMD or A Flock of Seagulls any day of the week. Or Teardrop Explodes.
yesterday was a fantastic concept that was killed by the last 30 minutes of the film - no spoilers here, but it was unnecessary.
Beatles were a great band. Yesterday was a shit film.
It wasn't shit, it was bang average but perfectly watchable.
I'd probably leave it on if I saw it in ITV2 on a random evening etc.
I gave the film 'Yesterday' the swerve until I found out it didn't actually feature the Beatles. I thought it was a great film and thoroughly enjoyed it, and recommended it to a friend under the same sort of advice 'don't worry, it features their music but it's not about the Beatles'. He liked it too. By way of contrast I was forced to sit through Mamma Mia which I thought was excruciating, dire film with a loathesome soundtrack. But as for the Beatles, I grow weary of people who grew up with them lecturing the rest of us about how great they were. If you take away Eleanor Rigby, there isn't a single Beatles track I would listen to out of choice, and my musical tastes cover a lot of guitar bands. I get that a lot of people love them, and fair play, but there's this 'if you don't like the Beatles, you have no musical taste' viewpoint which gets yelled by their fans, and it drives me to the opposite conclusion. If I want to listen to a Scouse pop group, give me OMD or A Flock of Seagulls any day of the week. Or Teardrop Explodes.
yesterday was a fantastic concept that was killed by the last 30 minutes of the film - no spoilers here, but it was unnecessary.
Beatles were a great band. Yesterday was a shit film.
It wasn't shit, it was bang average but perfectly watchable.
I'd probably leave it on if I saw it in ITV2 on a random evening etc.
I gave the film 'Yesterday' the swerve until I found out it didn't actually feature the Beatles. I thought it was a great film and thoroughly enjoyed it, and recommended it to a friend under the same sort of advice 'don't worry, it features their music but it's not about the Beatles'. He liked it too. By way of contrast I was forced to sit through Mamma Mia which I thought was excruciating, dire film with a loathesome soundtrack. But as for the Beatles, I grow weary of people who grew up with them lecturing the rest of us about how great they were. If you take away Eleanor Rigby, there isn't a single Beatles track I would listen to out of choice, and my musical tastes cover a lot of guitar bands. I get that a lot of people love them, and fair play, but there's this 'if you don't like the Beatles, you have no musical taste' viewpoint which gets yelled by their fans, and it drives me to the opposite conclusion. If I want to listen to a Scouse pop group, give me OMD or A Flock of Seagulls any day of the week. Or Teardrop Explodes.
yesterday was a fantastic concept that was killed by the last 30 minutes of the film - no spoilers here, but it was unnecessary.
Beatles were a great band. Yesterday was a shit film.
It wasn't shit, it was bang average but perfectly watchable.
I'd probably leave it on if I saw it in ITV2 on a random evening etc.
I thought it was a fun film … easy watch to relax
Exactly, think you put it better than me to be honest, nothing special but fun and easy to watch.
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
I have all the Led Zep LP’s on original vinyl - best Led Zep song IMO is ‘Ramble On’, with ‘Rock and Roll’ and ‘Black Dog’ high up there for me as well
I've gone on a bit of a Beatles binge this year, mostly their later, trippier stuff.
It's pretty crazy that teen heart-throbs soon went and made songs like Tomorrow Never Knows & Blue Jay Way, and Yellow Submarine must be one of the most druggy films ever.
Listening to albums flow you can hear a lot of what influences later music too, intro songs, outros, dips and peaks, songs merging into the next ones. Sgt Pepper still has one of the coolest riffs ever.
Not my favourite band ever but surely the best. The Stones obviously made great music but I don't think they did it in such quantity and quality.
What counts against the Stones for me is that they so derivative and American sounding.
Satisfaction was a 100% classic single though, one of the greatest.
Yeah, but that was the point. Their inspiration was American blues and R & B.
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
Agreed.
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
We must be around the same age. My sister was five yrs older. I sang Beatles songs (and others) with a friend on a step looking over the school playground. It’s impossible to convey to people today how exciting it was when a new Beatles single came out, when you were pre teen. It did feel like the world was changing and it felt like they were the cause somehow. No band can follow that really, no matter how good they are. I’ve written a blog about those early years, and how when it came to actually having the money to buy my first LP (in 1969), choosing Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, rather than the Beatles, despite not having a clue who he was.
I've gone on a bit of a Beatles binge this year, mostly their later, trippier stuff.
It's pretty crazy that teen heart-throbs soon went and made songs like Tomorrow Never Knows & Blue Jay Way, and Yellow Submarine must be one of the most druggy films ever.
Listening to albums flow you can hear a lot of what influences later music too, intro songs, outros, dips and peaks, songs merging into the next ones. Sgt Pepper still has one of the coolest riffs ever.
Not my favourite band ever but surely the best. The Stones obviously made great music but I don't think they did it in such quantity and quality.
What counts against the Stones for me is that they so derivative and American sounding.
Satisfaction was a 100% classic single though, one of the greatest.
Yeah, but that was the point. Their inspiration was American blues and R & B.
I know, but for me they didn’t do enough with it, and then they produced records like Angie :-( But it’s all a matter of taste.
Tbh I loved Jumping Jack Flash, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction and Honky Tonk Woman, and we played all those song in our band at school when I was about 15. Happy days! We also did Sex Machine. Can you imagine how bad that must have sounded!
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
Agreed.
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
We must be around the same age. My sister was five yrs older. I sang Beatles songs (and others) with a friend on a step looking over the school playground. It’s impossible to convey to people today how exciting it was when a new Beatles single came out, when you were pre teen. It did feel like the world was changing and it felt like they were the cause somehow. No band can follow that really, no matter how good they are. I’ve written a blog about those early years, and how when it came to actually having the money to buy my first LP (in 1969), choosing Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, rather than the Beatles, despite not having a clue who he was.
I remember singing Beatles songs in bed at night when I was 6/7 and can clearly recall my mum coming in to my room to tell me to stop as I was singing 'She Loves You' at the top of my voice about an hour after I should have been asleep!
It wasn't just The Beatles that changed everything - The Stones, The Kinks, The Who and Small Faces were, for me, the nap hand of game-changers. But it was the fab four that were the catalyst.
Happy, happy days.
P.S. Electric Warrior (T.Rex) was the first album I bought with my own money!
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
Agreed.
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
We must be around the same age. My sister was five yrs older. I sang Beatles songs (and others) with a friend on a step looking over the school playground. It’s impossible to convey to people today how exciting it was when a new Beatles single came out, when you were pre teen. It did feel like the world was changing and it felt like they were the cause somehow. No band can follow that really, no matter how good they are. I’ve written a blog about those early years, and how when it came to actually having the money to buy my first LP (in 1969), choosing Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, rather than the Beatles, despite not having a clue who he was.
I remember singing Beatles songs in bed at night when I was 6/7 and can clearly recall my mum coming in to my room to tell me to stop as I was singing 'She Loves You' at the top of my voice about an hour after I should have been asleep!
It wasn't just The Beatles that changed everything - The Stones, The Kinks, The Who and Small Faces were, for me, the nap hand of game-changers. But it was the fab four that were the catalyst.
Happy, happy days.
P.S. Electric Warrior (T.Rex) was the first album I bought with my own money!
I think this should be a new thread. I bet there are some really interesting tales.
The Beatles were ridiculously important in the history of rock and pop, as apart from the quality of their music, whether deliberately or accidentally they created or popularised so many "norms"
Bands writing their own material Albums which were more than 2 hit songs and 10 filler tracks A band which wasn't "one person and a backing band" Inadvertently creating the template that inspired every manufactured boy band - the cute one, the quiet one, the leader etc. The Monkees were the first manufactured band to follow the Beatles template Pop videos The first big stadium concert (Shea) The use of Indian instruments The use of electronics and musical effects like tape loops in popular music Concept albums Interest in non western religions by westerners Creating their own management company - Apple Getting involved in issues and politics - Lennon's peace campaigns were the start of rock stars using their fame to promote issues Big benefit concerts - Harrison pioneered this with his concert for Bangladesh just after the Beatles split
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
Agreed.
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
We must be around the same age. My sister was five yrs older. I sang Beatles songs (and others) with a friend on a step looking over the school playground. It’s impossible to convey to people today how exciting it was when a new Beatles single came out, when you were pre teen. It did feel like the world was changing and it felt like they were the cause somehow. No band can follow that really, no matter how good they are. I’ve written a blog about those early years, and how when it came to actually having the money to buy my first LP (in 1969), choosing Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, rather than the Beatles, despite not having a clue who he was.
I remember singing Beatles songs in bed at night when I was 6/7 and can clearly recall my mum coming in to my room to tell me to stop as I was singing 'She Loves You' at the top of my voice about an hour after I should have been asleep!
It wasn't just The Beatles that changed everything - The Stones, The Kinks, The Who and Small Faces were, for me, the nap hand of game-changers. But it was the fab four that were the catalyst.
Happy, happy days.
P.S. Electric Warrior (T.Rex) was the first album I bought with my own money!
Definitely. You can't disregard how big the Stones, Kinks, etc were at the time and the record sales they were making. But they were following the impact that The Beatles had started and re-inforced it.
It became a tidal wave; popular music and young people's culture changed for ever. Not disregarding the impact of Rock'n'Roll in the mid-50s either.
But The Beatles broke down the initial barriers and unsettled the traditional conservative society of that time - and were considered 'anti-establishment'. I can remember it as I was growing up at the time. Kids grew their hair long in imitation, fashions changed radically, girls screaming out of control at concerts, the challenging of parental authority, drugs, Eastern religion, media dominance etc ..... Britain had never seen anything like it before.
And their domination of the pop charts, string of consecutive number ones, even 3 records in the top 10 at the same time. They popularised the concept of making LPs (albums) with huge sales, never done before. It was the beginning of a revolution. The other big bands of the time swept along in their footsteps, huge in their own right, but benefiting from the impact of The Beatles initially breaking down barriers.
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
Agreed.
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
We must be around the same age. My sister was five yrs older. I sang Beatles songs (and others) with a friend on a step looking over the school playground. It’s impossible to convey to people today how exciting it was when a new Beatles single came out, when you were pre teen. It did feel like the world was changing and it felt like they were the cause somehow. No band can follow that really, no matter how good they are. I’ve written a blog about those early years, and how when it came to actually having the money to buy my first LP (in 1969), choosing Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, rather than the Beatles, despite not having a clue who he was.
I remember singing Beatles songs in bed at night when I was 6/7 and can clearly recall my mum coming in to my room to tell me to stop as I was singing 'She Loves You' at the top of my voice about an hour after I should have been asleep!
It wasn't just The Beatles that changed everything - The Stones, The Kinks, The Who and Small Faces were, for me, the nap hand of game-changers. But it was the fab four that were the catalyst.
Happy, happy days.
P.S. Electric Warrior (T.Rex) was the first album I bought with my own money!
Definitely. You can't disregard how big the Stones, Kinks, etc were at the time and the record sales they were making. But they were following the impact that The Beatles had started and re-inforced it.
It became a tidal wave; popular music and young people's culture changed for ever. Not disregarding the impact of Rock'n'Roll in the mid-50s either.
But The Beatles broke down the initial barriers and unsettled the traditional conservative society of that time - and were considered 'anti-establishment'. I can remember it as I was growing up at the time. Kids grew their hair long in imitation, fashions changed radically, girls screaming out of control at concerts, the challenging of parental authority, drugs, Eastern religion, media dominance etc ..... Britain had never seen anything like it before.
And their domination of the pop charts, string of consecutive number ones, even 3 records in the top 10 at the same time. They popularised the concept of making LPs (albums) with huge sales, never done before. It was the beginning of a revolution. The other big bands of the time swept along in their footsteps, huge in their own right, but benefiting from the impact of The Beatles initially breaking down barriers.
The first generation not to dress the same as their parents - so true.
I got into The Beatles in my early teens when the "new romantics" and ska were at their height. Parents had the "Blue" album (xmas present from a relly but they never really listened to it) and so I completed the "set" by buying the Red one. At that time I was more into the early stuff & it wasn't until I started work & had enough money to start buying the rest of their albums that I discovered Sgt Pepper, Revolver & my all time favourite Abbey Road. I can never rate bands in order of favourites as things change depending on my mood, but The Beatles are in my top 5 along with Led Zep*, The Stones, Pink Floyd and The Doors. So many good songs & looking forward to watching Get Back just to see the craftsmen at work.
* Was going to start a thread about how this month is the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zep 4. One of THE best albums ever recorded......and dare I say that Stairway is not the best track on there, not even 3rd best !!
Agreed.
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
We must be around the same age. My sister was five yrs older. I sang Beatles songs (and others) with a friend on a step looking over the school playground. It’s impossible to convey to people today how exciting it was when a new Beatles single came out, when you were pre teen. It did feel like the world was changing and it felt like they were the cause somehow. No band can follow that really, no matter how good they are. I’ve written a blog about those early years, and how when it came to actually having the money to buy my first LP (in 1969), choosing Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, rather than the Beatles, despite not having a clue who he was.
I remember singing Beatles songs in bed at night when I was 6/7 and can clearly recall my mum coming in to my room to tell me to stop as I was singing 'She Loves You' at the top of my voice about an hour after I should have been asleep!
It wasn't just The Beatles that changed everything - The Stones, The Kinks, The Who and Small Faces were, for me, the nap hand of game-changers. But it was the fab four that were the catalyst.
Happy, happy days.
P.S. Electric Warrior (T.Rex) was the first album I bought with my own money!
I think this should be a new thread. I bet there are some really interesting tales.
Some great contributions to this thread, Oggy Red, bobmunro, JamesSeed, killerandflash and others. The Beatles both drove and reflected changes in society. Their musical development and innovations took them from Love Me Do to Sgt. Pepper in the space of 5 years. Where they led others followed They turned "throwaway" pop into an art form culminating imo in the ultimate pop album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Of course, the Beatles made great music after Pepper, but I'd contend that that was the watershed moment. The sheer bravado and "everything but the kitchen sink" production that announced that anything was possible, arguably freeing their contemporaries to plough their own furrows and not just follow the Beatles lead. From that well, rock sprang from pop and there followed metal, prog and all the subsequent genres.
What happens when the Beatles generation has all passed on? All that will be left is the music. You could argue that much of it already sounds primitive and dated - some of the early stuff a victim of their own rapid musical development. I do often find myself passionately having to emphasise the context to people that find their musical legacy underwhelming.
Some great contributions to this thread, Oggy Red, bobmunro, JamesSeed, killerandflash and others. The Beatles both drove and reflected changes in society. Their musical development and innovations took them from Love Me Do to Sgt. Pepper in the space of 5 years. Where they led others followed They turned "throwaway" pop into an art form culminating imo in the ultimate pop album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Of course, the Beatles made great music after Pepper, but I'd contend that that was the watershed moment. The sheer bravado and "everything but the kitchen sink" production that announced that anything was possible, arguably freeing their contemporaries to plough their own furrows and not just follow the Beatles lead. From that well, rock sprang from pop and there followed metal, prog and all the subsequent genres.
What happens when the Beatles generation has all passed on? All that will be left is the music. You could argue that much of it already sounds primitive and dated - some of the early stuff a victim of their own rapid musical development. I do often find myself passionately having to emphasise the context to people that find their musical legacy underwhelming.
Agree with all of that (especially the bit about bobmunro!).
On your last point, I think it's about the obligation of the Beatles generation to educate those that didn't experience it. That's what I've done with my two and although neither would cite The Beatles as their favourite band (oldest Stones/Floyd/The Who and youngest the likes of Dylan and Sam Cooke) they fully understand the legacy and the overwhelming influence of The Beatles.
Some great contributions to this thread, Oggy Red, bobmunro, JamesSeed, killerandflash and others. The Beatles both drove and reflected changes in society. Their musical development and innovations took them from Love Me Do to Sgt. Pepper in the space of 5 years. Where they led others followed They turned "throwaway" pop into an art form culminating imo in the ultimate pop album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Of course, the Beatles made great music after Pepper, but I'd contend that that was the watershed moment. The sheer bravado and "everything but the kitchen sink" production that announced that anything was possible, arguably freeing their contemporaries to plough their own furrows and not just follow the Beatles lead. From that well, rock sprang from pop and there followed metal, prog and all the subsequent genres.
What happens when the Beatles generation has all passed on? All that will be left is the music. You could argue that much of it already sounds primitive and dated - some of the early stuff a victim of their own rapid musical development. I do often find myself passionately having to emphasise the context to people that find their musical legacy underwhelming.
Agree with all of that (especially the bit about bobmunro!).
On your last point, I think it's about the obligation of the Beatles generation to educate those that didn't experience it. That's what I've done with my two and although neither would cite The Beatles as their favourite band (oldest Stones/Floyd/The Who and youngest the likes of Dylan and Sam Cooke) they fully understand the legacy and the overwhelming influence of The Beatles.
I've taught them well!
Haha, yeh spot on bob. Likewise I tasked myself to do the same with my two. There are also some great tomes out there, which do a great job of contextualising and expounding on the music (cf. Ian MacDonald's "Revolution in the Head").
Paul Gambaccini had an interesting take on the timing of the Beatles success in America.
He was 14 years old and stood on the porch of his family home in Connecticut. The radio DJ decided to play a dedication to the British shipping workers on the West side of Manhattan. It was number one in England, it was I Want to Hold Your Hand. It blew him away and he wasn't alone.
Kennedy had been assassinated on 22nd November, a little over two months earlier, the country was still in a state of deep, profound national mourning. The Singing Nun had got to number one in their charts, it was to be replaced by a 1940s revival song (There I've said it Again) by Bobby Vinton ... and then the Beatles hit town, it was just what the Americans needed.
It was so positive and everybody wanted a piece of the action. On April 4th 1964 the Beatles had the top five with Can't Buy me Love, Twist and Shout, She loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand and Please, Please Me. In fact the Beatles had twenty five Hot 100 hits that year.
The Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show drew an audience of seventy three million people. They literally tore America apart.
(I've paraphrased this from the Who Killed John Lennon book).
Paul Gambaccini had an interesting take on the timing of the Beatles success in America.
He was 14 years old and stood on the porch of his family home in Connecticut. The radio DJ decided to play a dedication to the British shipping workers on the West side of Manhattan. It was number one in England, it was I Want to Hold Your Hand. It blew him away and he wasn't alone.
Kennedy had been assassinated on 22nd November, a little over two months earlier, the country was still in a state of deep, profound national mourning. The Singing Nun had got to number one in their charts, it was to be replaced by a 1940s revival song (There I've said it Again) by Bobby Vinton ... and then the Beatles hit town, it was just what the Americans needed.
It was so positive and everybody wanted a piece of the action. On April 4th 1964 the Beatles had the top five with Can't Buy me Love, Twist and Shout, She loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand and Please, Please Me. In fact the Beatles had twenty five Hot 100 hits that year.
The Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show drew an audience of seventy three million people. They literally tore America apart.
(I've paraphrased this from the Who Killed John Lennon book).
Good post, Raith. Really highlights the wave that hit America at that time.
Plus the Beatles having 5 songs in the top 5 in the American charts at the same time. That was a huge amount of record sales dominating a huge market.
Not even Elvis had sold anywhere near as many records. Nothing like it had ever been seen before.
All of the greats (like all of us) seem to have feet of clay. Recognition of what they created is valid, but we must be careful if tempted to sanctify.
most of their stuff is better than the majority of music being written today .. classics will always stand the test of time .. look at the popularity of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Lizst ((:>)
At the time, this event had almost no impact on me. Back then, I listened to an entirely different kind of music. I was a bloke and The Beatles were a band that 11-year old girls screamed at rather than actually listened to. Did they play on a roof somewhere or was that a different thing altogether?
Of course, now, I can see that they wrote some quite pleasant ditties and actually have most of their albums.
Yes, on the roof of The Apple building in London (note....the building they owned & nothing to do with the company that produces phones).
Great live set. Not only for Get Back but also Dont let me down.
Comments
'When the Levee Breaks' for me. But I don't think 4 is their best album!
We digress though! As cultural icons and societal changers The Beatles are unsurpassed. Lennon and McCartney are also up there with the greatest song writers, lyrically, and especially melodically.
I was six when they had their first hit, and it helped to have a sister three years older so I got into the music even at that tender age. But I was always Stones over Beatles (I was Blur over Oasis as well!).
I'd probably leave it on if I saw it in ITV2 on a random evening etc.
I’ve written a blog about those early years, and how when it came to actually having the money to buy my first LP (in 1969), choosing Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, rather than the Beatles, despite not having a clue who he was.
But it’s all a matter of taste.
Bands writing their own material
Albums which were more than 2 hit songs and 10 filler tracks
A band which wasn't "one person and a backing band"
Inadvertently creating the template that inspired every manufactured boy band - the cute one, the quiet one, the leader etc. The Monkees were the first manufactured band to follow the Beatles template
Pop videos
The first big stadium concert (Shea)
The use of Indian instruments
The use of electronics and musical effects like tape loops in popular music
Concept albums
Interest in non western religions by westerners
Creating their own management company - Apple
Getting involved in issues and politics - Lennon's peace campaigns were the start of rock stars using their fame to promote issues
Big benefit concerts - Harrison pioneered this with his concert for Bangladesh just after the Beatles split
Definitely. You can't disregard how big the Stones, Kinks, etc were at the time and the record sales they were making.
But they were following the impact that The Beatles had started and re-inforced it.
It became a tidal wave; popular music and young people's culture changed for ever.
Not disregarding the impact of Rock'n'Roll in the mid-50s either.
But The Beatles broke down the initial barriers and unsettled the traditional conservative society of that time - and were considered 'anti-establishment'.
I can remember it as I was growing up at the time. Kids grew their hair long in imitation, fashions changed radically, girls screaming out of control at concerts, the challenging of parental authority, drugs, Eastern religion, media dominance etc ..... Britain had never seen anything like it before.
And their domination of the pop charts, string of consecutive number ones, even 3 records in the top 10 at the same time. They popularised the concept of making LPs (albums) with huge sales, never done before. It was the beginning of a revolution.
The other big bands of the time swept along in their footsteps, huge in their own right, but benefiting from the impact of The Beatles initially breaking down barriers.
The Beatles both drove and reflected changes in society.
Their musical development and innovations took them from Love Me Do to Sgt. Pepper in the space of 5 years. Where they led others followed
They turned "throwaway" pop into an art form culminating imo in the ultimate pop album, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Of course, the Beatles made great music after Pepper, but I'd contend that that was the watershed moment.
The sheer bravado and "everything but the kitchen sink" production that announced that anything was possible, arguably freeing their contemporaries to plough their own furrows and not just follow the Beatles lead.
From that well, rock sprang from pop and there followed metal, prog and all the subsequent genres.
What happens when the Beatles generation has all passed on?
All that will be left is the music.
You could argue that much of it already sounds primitive and dated - some of the early stuff a victim of their own rapid musical development.
I do often find myself passionately having to emphasise the context to people that find their musical legacy underwhelming.
On your last point, I think it's about the obligation of the Beatles generation to educate those that didn't experience it. That's what I've done with my two and although neither would cite The Beatles as their favourite band (oldest Stones/Floyd/The Who and youngest the likes of Dylan and Sam Cooke) they fully understand the legacy and the overwhelming influence of The Beatles.
I've taught them well!
Likewise I tasked myself to do the same with my two.
There are also some great tomes out there, which do a great job of contextualising and expounding on the music (cf. Ian MacDonald's "Revolution in the Head").
He was 14 years old and stood on the porch of his family home in Connecticut. The radio DJ decided to play a dedication to the British shipping workers on the West side of Manhattan. It was number one in England, it was I Want to Hold Your Hand. It blew him away and he wasn't alone.
Kennedy had been assassinated on 22nd November, a little over two months earlier, the country was still in a state of deep, profound national mourning. The Singing Nun had got to number one in their charts, it was to be replaced by a 1940s revival song (There I've said it Again) by Bobby Vinton ... and then the Beatles hit town, it was just what the Americans needed.
It was so positive and everybody wanted a piece of the action. On April 4th 1964 the Beatles had the top five with Can't Buy me Love, Twist and Shout, She loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand and Please, Please Me. In fact the Beatles had twenty five Hot 100 hits that year.
The Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show drew an audience of seventy three million people. They literally tore America apart.
(I've paraphrased this from the Who Killed John Lennon book).
Plus the Beatles having 5 songs in the top 5 in the American charts at the same time.
That was a huge amount of record sales dominating a huge market.
Not even Elvis had sold anywhere near as many records. Nothing like it had ever been seen before.
Unless someone else is getting a round in.
They weren't the first British artist to get a number 1 in the US, that was ........
Acker Bilk!