The Beatles

The original Boy Band in the Global Village Teaching Popular Music

By Professor Rob McMinn.

Yesterday

Post-war Britain

Food Rationing

• Rationing started in 1940, shortly after the start of WW2

• Didn’t end till 1954, when meat finally came off the ration

• Sweets and sugar were

rationed until 1953

Girl

War Babies

• The Beatles were all War Babies (born in Liverpool 1940-1943)

• • They grew up in

Austerity Britain

• They were teenagers (or nearly) when rationing ended and Elvis hit the airwaves

The Silver Beatles

• Paul’s friend George Harrison joined the group.

• They were then known as the Silver Beatles

• Later, just The Beatles

Something

Liverpool & Hamburg

These two seaports, in Britain and Germany, were where The Beatles learned their trade

In Hamburg, they would play 6 or more hours per night, often warming up for strippers

They played a vast repertoire of rock ‘n’ roll, show tunes, and even hits of the day (like Motown records)

Brian Epstein

• Manager of the NEMS record store in Liverpool

• Saw The Beatles playing in the Cavern Club one lunchtime

• • Became their manager in

November 1961

• Often seen as The Beatles’ “Svengali”

Suits

Epstein’s first move was to get the Beatles to wear suits and ties on stage He tried to get them a record contract in London with little success

Guitar groups, he was told, were “on the way out.”

With a Little Help from my Friends

Parlophone

• Epstein finally got The Beatles signed to EMI’s subsidiary Parlophone

• Producer George Martin was known for working with Charlie Drake and The Goons, who were popular on the radio in the 1940s and 1950s.

• Parlophone mainly released comedy records, like Charlie Drake’s “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back”

Composers

The Beatles were delighted to work with Martin, because they loved The Goons.

Martin was surprised to find that two of the group, Lennon and McCartney could write their own songs.

The first single, “Love Me Do” was released in October 1962 and went to #17, mainly on the strength of sales in Liverpool.

First album

• Recorded in one session of about 12 hours

• Released March 1963

• Included 8 original Lennon/McCartney compositions and 6 covers

The Fool on the Hill

Second Album

• Released 22 November 1963

• Same formula, but also includes the first George Harrison song

• On the same day, President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas

• In 1963, The Beatles toured the UK twice, and released two albums of 14 songs each

• They also released three additional classic singles, none of which were on any of the albums

• They also released a Christmas record, and played the Royal Variety Performance

• By the end of the year, their UK fan club had 80,000 members

• Advance orders for “I Want to Hold Your Hand” totalled 700,000

1963

Don’t let me down

America

The Beatles were the first British artists to make it big in the USA

On February 1, 1964, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” is #1 in the US charts

On February 7, The Beatles arrive in the USA

On February 9, 73 million Americans watch them on The Ed Sullivan Show – no crimes are reported while The Beatles are on TV. It’s a HUGE media event

Somehow, they have succeeded in selling a distinctly British mix of music hall, cheeky comedy, and rock ‘n’ roll to an America still mourning the death of JFK

US Chart Records • During the week of 4th

April, 1964, The Beatles occupied the top five spots in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

• They had another seven singles further down the chart, making a total of 12 in the top 100 that week!

All you need is Love

Second US Tour - August/September 1964

• Two More albums

• Another film: Help!

• Another US Tour, including a concert at Shea Stadium in New York: 56,000 fans, and the largest concert attendance ever at that time...

• ...and a Christmas record

1966

• Death threats, diplomatic incidents, and the constant grind of travelling the world take their toll.

• The Beatles think their music is suffering and sometimes fear for their lives.

• Controversy follows them everywhere and some American fans organize “Beatle bonfires” when John is quoted as saying that they’re “bigger than Jesus.”

• They play their final concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on August 29, 1966.

• Revolver, released 5th August, is the beginning of a new era of sophisticated studio albums.

Hey Jude

• After the double A side single “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane,” The Beatles release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.

• Tracks like “A Day in the Life” take popular music to a new level

1967

• The Beatles take part in the first global satellite television broadcast on June 25, 1967

It’s another HUGE media event!

They sing “All You Need Is Love” to an audience of 400 million viewers in 24 countries

Brian Epstein dies 27 August

1967 - The Global Village

• Start their own record label: Apple

• Release The Beatles (known as The White Album), on which they pastiche just about every popular musical style

• Also release singles “Lady Madonna” and “Hey Jude/ Revolution”

1968

Get Back

1969

• Ill-fated attempt to film themselves recording an album results in on-camera arguments and misery

• They finish the filming with a publicity stunt: a concert on the roof of their offices in London – the police are called.

• In July, record their last album together: Abbey Road, named after their favorite studio

• The group is finished by September, but they don’t announce it till the following year. Continue to issue singles and albums till 1970

• ..They still release their annual fan club Christmas record!

• Let it Be, film and album, are released

• Beatles release solo albums

• In 8 years, The Beatles released 13 albums, plus countless singles and EPs, as well as films

• In today’s music business, The Beatles’ level of output would take around 25-30 years

1970

Rooftop Concert - January 30th, 1969

Let it Be

What did The Beatles do for us?

• Between them, The Beatles reinvented popular songwriting and pioneered innovative recording techniques

• Huge changes in British society are reflected in their image and music. As a global phenomenon, they ushered in the era of theso-called Global Village.

• Because of The Beatles, most rock groups write their own songs and fans expect artists to look and sound different from record to record

• Because of George Martin, few artists have sounded as good – before or since. The Beatles are the Gold Standard of record production.

• The Beatles opened up the US market to British bands

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Text & Photos:Teaching Popular Music - Rob McMinn.

Music: AAVMAugust 21, 2010