I would consider myself a Beatles fan, not a fanatic. I like them but I'm not that overly into them. Earlier today, my friend invited me to watch the first disk of the Beatles Anthology, and not even ten minutes into the film, it struck me the extent to which The Beatles changed music. The fact was chronicled in the first segment of the piece, but the presentation just blew me away because I had never noticed it.
This is my favorite all-time photo of The Beatles. In high school public speaking class we had to prepare a speech on a piece of art, and I choose the original album featuring this photo on the cover. I found the cardboard cover in my basement among my parent's vast collection of vinyl and there was just something about it.
Anyways, this is first song that The Beatles ever recorded: That'll Be The Day, an original Buddy Holly recording. Discussing my revelation with my friends while watching the film, the idea stretched to other musical artists. Bill Haley, credited with the first widely popular rock song of all time, became popular in the 1950s years before The Beatles blew up in 1963 on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Buddy Holly, who died at the tender age of 22 in a plane crash, is know as a pioneer of Rock N' Roll. But, the one guy who Paul McCartney was speaking talking about when he said, "That's what we were waiting for. It was like the messiah had arrived" was Elvis. Before Elvis, stage acts were boring compared to what he brought to the spotlight. His outfits, hair, and female appeal especially were irresistible:
The quote from McCartney says it all. In a way, I compare Elvis to The Beatles in that The Beatles were to group music what Elvis was to the solo movement; they each became the most well-known acts in their genre that literally the world had ever seen. The Beatles were essentially four Elvis' on stage. The four combined to form the kind of following that only Elvis had enjoyed previously.
Interesting facts that I learned:
- Paul McCartney is a natural lefty on the guitar, but when I think of the most famous lefty guitar players of all-time I first think of Jimi Hendrix.
- According to the anthology, Neil Aspinall, The Beatles first road manager, introduced the band to marijuana. Not Bob Dylan as the legend holds.
Hey Pete,
ReplyDeleteI took a communications class last semester titled Music and Identity, and for my final paper (which was 15 pages long hah) I chose to write about Elvis and how his music and dancing indefinitely changed music. Therefore, I agree that Elvis was incredibly influential but I think the thing that made The Beatles so great was not only the new spin they put on rock 'n' roll, but their consistency in their performances. Elvis was great in the late 50's and few years into the 60's, but after that his image was remembered much more than his music. This is certainly not the case with The Beatles!
I love the picture you chose of the Beatles. When I listen to their music, it's hard for me to imagine it as highly innovative because they're just such a classic band. But I can understand how they would've been incredibly original at the time they were popular. They're the one "oldies" band I listen to on a regular basis, which probably speaks to how enjoyable their music is if people from Generation Y love their music, even though we didn't grow up with them. As someone who doesn't know much about Elvis, I enjoyed reading your insights on him and his influence on music. Great post overall.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Beatles, but never really knew quite that much about them until I lived with a few huge Beatles fans abroad. Short of watching Across the Universe on repeat everyday, my exposure to the band is still fairly limited, yet I am always impressed with their work when given the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI know very little about Elvis other than the fact that he has an extensive amount of impersonators and ate something like an entire loaf of bread filled with peanut butter for lunch on most days. But I would like to know more, thanks for the info, its clear that you know a lot about music and its history