These are some links that can help you to learn and understand different events or facts that have to do with this great music band.
Power point presentation: this link redirects you to a power point presentation in which you can find some interesting information about The Beatles. You can see information about each of the components of the band, its social context, the different music styles they performed, and the legacy they left.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12pBKRP1HOyv2xShysXb5yX17zElb1Cxvxa2atzgnPAQ/edit#slide=id.p
Wiki: this link redirects you to a wiki where you can find a really interesting and surprising task about the legend of Paul McCartney's death. You can make a task consisting on a debate about this scandalous and surprising event.
http://marinamcarbajal.wix.com/webquest#!info/c161y
Gallery: this link redirects you to a page in which you can find many Beatles images ordered chronologically, as well as other interesting photos concerned with their instruments, their houses, etc.
http://www.beatlesbible.com/gallery/
lunes, 19 de mayo de 2014
Legacy
Discography
The Beatles released a total of 12 studio albums, 13 EPs, and 22 singles. We have to take into account that the band international discography is complicated, since The Beatles albums bought by fans in the United States were not the same as the Beatles albums bought by fans in the United Kingdom. Their first single in UK and the United States was “Hey Jude” and the album “The Beatles”, also known as the “White Album”. (Sullivan 2014). Not until 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" did the countries get in sync.
It was the 1980s when The Beatles’ UK discography was released on CD, and from 2005 over a four-year period, the original recordings were re-mastered using the latest technology. (
We can see a list of the Beatles´ albums below:
- Please Please Me (1963)
- With The Beatles (1963)
- A Hard Day´s Night (1964)
- Beatles For Sale (1964)
- Help (1965)
- Rubber Soul (1965)
- Revolver (1966)
- Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
- Sgt. Pepper Lonely Heart´s Club Band (1967)
- White Album (196
- White Album 2 (1968)
- Yellow Submarine (1969)
- Abbey Road (1969)
- Let it be (1969)
Influences
We can enumerate several important contributions that this band brought along the music level: from innovations in music to popular, fashion and cultural influences.
POPULAR INFLUENCES
The Beatles had a large influence on popular culture, and it continues nowadays.They did not only were successful during the British Invasion of the US, but their musical innovations and commercial success inspired musicians worldwide becoming so an influential phenomenon.
The Beatles performed the first concert played at an outdoor stadium at Shea stadium, demonstrating that outdoor concerts on a large scale could be successful and profitable.
FASHION INFLUENCES
Concerning fashion influences, we can emphasize their clothing and hairstyles, which had a global impact on fashion, and it was imitated worldwide between 1964 and 1966. The Beatles´ haircut was also known as the mop-top, due to it suggests the idea of a mop, it consisted in a straight cut-collar-length at the back and over the ears at the sides, with a straight fringe. (Freeman 2013)
One of the members, Lennon, later began to wear his signature round glasses which gave a more mature image for the “mop-tops”, and this style of eyewear is still popularly known as "John Lennon glasses."
During their next stage, known as the psychedelic era, the members of the group brought into fashion coloring suits and shirts, and trousers with floral patterns imitating the hippy style wearing also collars and sandals. Finally, in the last period of their career, the Beatles decided to wear t-shirts, blue jeans and denim jackets presenting so a more casual style
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The Beatles changed people fashion style and the way people listened to popular music, even they had a great popularity in sociocultural movements of its period; they became icons of the 1960s counterculture, they acquired an activist role in various social and political arenas, including movements such as hippy movement, women´s liberation, gay liberation, and environmentalism.
Within The Beatles´ influences we can emphasize artists such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Roy Orbison. (Hecl 2006: 34)
Awards
Within The Beatles´ influences we can emphasize artists such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and Roy Orbison. (Hecl 2006: 34)
Awards
The Beatles have been conceded a large amount of achievements and awards. The Beatles have been granted with 28 Grammy Awards, American Music Awards and Brit Awards, 6 Diamond albums among others.
They were presented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and even in 1965, the four members of the band were appointed as Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. The Beatles sold between 600 million and over one billion units worldwide, being so the best-selling band in history. As well as being included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century´s 100 most influential people. (Van Dyk 1998)
After their break-up, The Beatles have been recognized as a popular music icon, and we could say The Beatles to be the most successful band in history due to their best-selling albums, and their amount of Nº 1 songs in world wide.
References
Aceshowbiz.“the ace in entertainment zone – The Beatles Awards.” June 27 2013.<http://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/the_beatles/awards.html>.[Consulted 21st March 2014]
Freeman, Larry.”Hairstyle: the Story Behind the Beatles Mop Top Haircut”.2013.<http://larryfreeman.hubpages.com/hub/The-Mop-Top>.[Consulted 21st March 2014]
“Discography.” Wikipedia “The Beatles discography.”2014.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_discography>[Consulted 21st March 2014]
“Fashion Influences.” Wikipedia “The Beatles´ Influence on popular culture.”August 2009.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles'_influence_on_popular_culture> [Consulted 21st March 2014]
Gerber, Jonathan.”TheBeatles: A Legacy of Innovation and Elusiveness.” Nov 2009.<http://www.popmatters.com/feature/115697-the-beatles-a-legacy-of-innovation-and- elusiveness/>[Consulted 21st March 2014]
“Popular Influences.” Wikipedia “The Beatles: History.”2014.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles#Musical_style_and_development>[Consulted 21st March 2014)
Rudolf Hecl. Masaryk University, Brno Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies. "The Beatles and Their Influence on Culture." 2006. <http://is.muni.cz/th/108918/ff_b/The_Beatles_and_Their_Influence_on_Culture.txt?lang=en.> [Consulted 21st March 2014]
“Socio cultural influences.” Wikipedia “Counterculture of the 1960s.”2014, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960s> [Consulted 21st March 2014]
Sullivan,Jim.“USNews: The Beatles Discography: Album by Album.”Jan.23th.2014. <http://www.usnews.com/news/special-reports/articles/2014/01/23/the-beatles-discography- album-by-album>.[Consulted 21st March 2014]
“The Beatles Discography”<http://todomusica.org/beatles/discos.shtml>. [Consulted 21st March 2014]
"The Mersey Beatles: The Beatles Legacy".<http://www.themerseybeatles.com/legacy.htm>. [Consulted 21st March 2014]
Van Dyk, Bill. “The 100 most influential people of the 20th century.” 1998. <http://www.chromehorse.net/lists/100most.htm> [Consulted 21st March 2014]
Social and Historical Context
The first years of the band
The band was officially formed in 1960; however, it did not publish its first album until 1963. During these three years, the components of the band (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best) travelled from Liverpool to Germany searching an opportunity in the musical scene.
During their stay in Hamburg, the band played in many pubs and clubs obtaining a success increasingly higher. The first appearances of the band on the stage were described by some critics as wild or chaotic because the members of the band do not follow any kind of rules: they ate, smoked or drank in the stage which was something not seen until that moment.
However, the songs of the band had an undeniable quality and their popularity increased. TheBeatles’ songs were pervaded by Beat Music that is characterized by a strong and marked rhythm in the melody. They also adopt a characteristic style in their hair and clothes that made them recognizable from other bands.
In 1963, after the leaving of Stuart Sutcliffe and Peter Best and the incorporation of Ringo Starr as drummer, the band released its first album Please, please me. Their music caused a great impact on the youngest people because it supposed a break point in the musical styles of that moment. Those facts joined to their unexpected image provoked that many people recognize in them an icon.
The songs of the first album became hits in UK so the manager of the band decided to release the band in the United States.
“British invasions”
The popularity of The Beatles increased enormously in UK as in US so the band travelled to the United States. A huge number of fans were waiting for the band since they landed in the airport, and that great number of fans was increasing as they offered different concerts or interviews.
Its CD’s occupied the first positions of the best seller albums and their success was so enormous that thousands of fans followed them wherever they go. It started what nowadays known as Beatlemania.
Beatlemania
In 1964, after the massive attendance to their contexts, the media began to name that fan phenomenon as Beatlemania.
The band filled stadiums in their concerts and they became famous around the world. That success wherever they go promoted an international tour that consolidated them as one of the greatest bands of that moment being.
The Beatles in cinemas
The Beatles continued taking advantage of their fame and in 1964 they filmed their first motion picture, named “A hard day’s night”. The film helped to reinforce their youngish and not-worried image so characteristic.
The Beatles’ criticism from US
However, not all the critics to the band were positive. In 1966, John Lennon’s declaration about their popularity was severely criticized, especially in US. He said “We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity" caused a great impact and provoked that many conservative people promoted a campaign against the band, convincing people of do not buy their albums.
Finally, that negative criticism stopped without major consequences.
Summer of love
It was an important hippie festival that took place in San Francisco. The importance of the festival was the social movement that it represented; it surged as a counterculture movement against the war conflicts of that moment. The Beatles was one of the bands that played in the festival becoming their songs and music as hymns of freedom and love.
It is undeniable the debate about which band was more relevant at that time and the belief that the styles of the two bands were antagonists.
“The Beatles” and “The Rolling Stones” share many similarities that it is inevitable to compare them.
Whilst the first ones had the image of “good boys”, “The rolling stones” represent the wildest part of the Rock ’n’ Roll. The debate about which band was better has arrived until our days, although there is not a clear response to that question.
Works Cited
“The Beatles Biography.” Rolling Stone. N. p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
“The Beatles | Biography.” AllMusic. N. p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
“The Beatles.” IMDb. N. p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
“50 Years Since Beatles Tour.” Zak, Dan. dailyrecord. N. p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
Cohen, S. “More Than the Beatles: Popular Music, Tourism and Urban Regeneration.” (1997): 71–90.
Print.
“The Beatles Bible - Live: International Amphitheatre, Chicago.” The Beatles Bible. N. p., n.d. Web. 20
Mar. 2014.
“The Beatles Vs. the Rolling Stones - Classic Rock’s Greatest Debates.”Ultimate Classic Rock. N. p.,
n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
“The Pop History Dig » Beatles American Concert Tour 1964.” N. p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
“Summer of Love Concert Features Popular Tunes from 1967-69.”Atria, Richard. Gainesville.com. N. p.,
n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
The styles of The Beatles
Abstract
The Beatles played different music styles, not only rock and roll as many people think. The main music styles they performed were skiffle, rock and roll, and psychedelic rock. The different styles were marked by some events or attitudes. This paper deals with all of these music styles, the role they played on them, and some of their characteristics.
1. Different music styles
The web page called The Beatles Music (1995) affirms that “The Beatles were undoubtedly the most influential band of the century” but they say that “they changed not only rock and roll, but also the face of all music forever.” This means that they did not only play rock and roll but other music styles.
The Beatles played many different music styles in their career; they were originated as a skiffle band, and then they evolved to rock and roll style. In the year 1966 they began to play psychedelic rock with some songs like “Rain”, “Tomorrow Never Knows” or “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” as DeRogatis mentions in his book (DeRogatis, 2003.)
1.1.SKIFFLE
Firstly skiffle appeared on the music scenery because of the different degree of acceptability of rock and roll music, there were a large number of people that accepted it but there were also people that did not accept it. Skiffle is a combination between two different music genres: pop and rock and roll. Siobhan Mulligan, K. (2010: 4) said that “Skiffle was a hybrid that ran down the middle of these two genres, turning up the tempo and rhythm of pop, and turning down the scandalous lyrics of rock and roll.” This new music style was fun for young people, it did not need instruments, it just keeps the beat. This book mentions that people in Liverpool was in love with this particular music style, however, John Lennon thought that rock and roll was the thing that would be correct and he was right; so The Beatles became a rock and roll band.
1.2.ROCK AND ROLL
According to Beatlebay, there is no other rock and roll group that had a bigger influence on people as did The Beatles. There is no only because of the rock and roll style, they also changed the culture, lifestyles, the way of clothing, the attitude, and the hairstyles. The Beatles were influenced by Elvis Presley, another great rock and roll start. Before became famous, they listened and copied the styles of other rock and roll singers of the previous decade (1950s). They were the first group of England that performed rock and roll, and little by little they achieved the role of the rock and roll kings for a completely generation. This web page says that “The Beatles are the most collected and celebrated group in rock ‘n roll history” (Beatlebay, 2012).
1.3.PSYCHEDELIC ROCK
This band performed the psychedelic styles in music, and they also helped to popularize this style in other arts like graphic design where we can find artists like Milton Glaser, Peter Max, or Heinz Edelmann. Lennon himself introduced the psychedelic style in drawing, The Beatles also made a poster campaign with their sentence “War is over!” that inspired minimalist protests even nowadays (A Visual History of Beatlemania, 2014).
According to DeRogatis, as well as other artists, the Beatles wanted to check anything at least once, so they tasted LSD between 1964 and 1965 like the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones. Because of this fact, the Beatles were convicted as irresponsible due to their comments. This book supports the idea that “the psychedelic experience inspired radical changes in each band’s music, and the music inspired fans and other musicians to follow in their psychedelic footsteps” (DeRogatis, 2003.) Psychedelic drugs inspired the band to see all the problems of the world and they expressed this in some of their songs like “Caroline No” or “You Still Believe in Me.”
REFERENCES
A Visual History of Beatlemania. 2014. 22 de March de 2014. <http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025974/a-visual-history-of-beatlemania>
Concept, Media. The Beatles Music. 1995. 22 de March de 2014. <http://www.delta.ro/beatles/phist.html>
DeRogatis, J. Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. 2003.
The Legend of Rock. The Beatles Music Style and Evolution. 2009. 21 de March de 2014. <http://rockerinfo.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/the-beatles-musical-style-and-evolution/>
Siobhan Mulligan, K. The Beatles: A Musical Biography. ABC-CLIO, 2010.
Process of formation and Components
In this part of the page we include very briefly how the group was formed, a really short summary of the biography of each of the members of the group and some links to extensive biographies and videos.
Process of formation:
In 1957 Paul McCartney met John Lennon in Liverpool, who invited him to join to his group “The Quarrymen”. George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and the drummer Pete Best joined them the following year. Pete Best was later was substituted by Ringo Starr and Stuart Sutcliffe suffered a brain hemorrhage in 1962.
Once that we have seen how the group came to be what it is nowadays, we are going to see a short review of the life of each member. As they were, and keep being, so popular, it is easy to find a lot of information regarding their lifes. However, we had to be really careful when deciding what information we should include and which should not, because most of the information we found on the web belonged to blogs or were just rumors.
John Lennon:
John Winston Lennon was born in 1940 in Liverpool, England. When he was young, his parents separated and he went to live with his aunt. Some years later, John's mother Julia died. When he was only sixteen, he created the group called “The Quarrymen". He went to an art school where he met a Cynthia Powell, who later became his first wife. They had a son together and divorced two years later and John remarried later to Yoko Ono.
In 1970, the Beatles broke up, when Paul McCartney announced he was leaving. After this, he and Yoko Ono carried on solo careers until 1975 when he disappeared from the public eye. Five years later he was shot and died. However, “John's memory will live forever in the hearts of his fans.” (John Lennon Biography, 2014.)
Related links:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/john-lennon/biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4_ghOG9JQM
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/extras/2011/12/08/dec-8-john-lennon-shot-killed-1980/
Ringo Starr:
As well as John Lennon, Ringo Starr was born in 1940 in Liverpool. His parents divorced when he was three. During his childhood he suffered from many illnesses and operations that ruined his education. According Steve Shelokhonov (2014), “at the age of 15 he could barely read or write”. So he finally left school and got a first job. He decided to become a drummer and his stepfather bought him a new drum kit, and Richard promised to be the best drummer ever (Shelokhonov, 2014). In 1957 he started his own band called 'Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group' and five years later he substituted Pete Best in The Beatles. “Ringo's musical originality as well as his inventive drumming patterns, time signatures and accentuations became essential to the sound of The Beatles.” (IMDb, 2014.)
He married Maureen Cox and had three children. The couple split up after ten years and he married actress Barbara Bach. After the breakup of The Beatles he started a solo career, he appeared in various TV shows with his wife. “During the 1980s, after having a long period of troubles with alcohol, Ringo and his wife attended a rehabilitation clinic, and came back to the scene sober.” (Mcmenzie, 2013)
In 1994, after Lennon’s death he reunited with George Harrison and Paul McCartney to work on the Anthology project.
Related links:
http://www.ringostarr.com/tour/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7kc3Zhee10
Paul Mccartney:
Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool in 1942. As John Lennon he also lost his mother being just a child. According to The Beatles Bible he had trouble playing the bass at the beginning because he was left-handed. He took music lessons for a while, but preferred to learn by himself. Some years later John invited him to be part of The Quarrymen. They became friends and began writing and performing songs together.
Paul met his first wife Linda in a night club, she was also a musician and a photographer.
McCartney announced the band's break up in April 1970. As the rest of the members, he started a solo carrier and formed a band called Wings with his wife He retired from live performances for a while until Lennon’s death when he reunited with the rest of the group to work on the Anthology project.
Accordindg to The Beatles Bible (2008) “Today Paul McCartney holds the record of being the most successful musician and composer in pop music history.”
Related links:
http://www.beatlesbible.com/gallery/paul-mccartney/
http://www.lifetimetv.co.uk/biography/biography-paul-mccartney
George Harrison:
He was born in 1943 in Liverpool. George Harrison attended to the same grammar school than Paul McCartney. However, he was not very interested in studying. He started playing the electric and taught himself to play it.Paul McCartney and Lennon invited him to be part of The Quarrymen.
“Largely referred to as the "Quiet Beatle" Harrison took a back-seat to McCartney, Lennon, and to a certain extent, Starr. Still, he could be quick-witted, even edgy.” (IMDb, 2014.) After the breakup of the Beatles, Harrison, as the rest of the members, started a solo career and he started a band with Ringo Starr and other musicians.
In 1974, his marriage to Pattie Boyd ended when she cheated on him with a member of his new band. He was reunited with McCartney and Ringo Starr when Lennon died. After what he stopped playing.
In 1997, he was diagnosed cancer. In May 2001, Harrison's cancer returned and he died.
Related links:
http://georgeharrison.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kNGnIKUdMI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBe_1ZalrOM
References:
Collins, Gary. “George Harrison Biography.” IMDb Mini Biography. N.d. Web. 2 May 2014.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365600/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm>
"John Lennon Biography" 2014. N.p. n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
< http://www.angelfire.com/celeb/Shannon/John.html>
Mcmenzie, Frazer. “The Beatles Biography 1970-2013: The Long and Winding Road after Breakup”. Digital Print News, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 2 May 2014.
<http://www.dpnlive.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1791:the-beatles-biography-1970-2013-part-3-of-4&catid=45:music----->
<http://www.dpnlive.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1791:the-beatles-biography-1970-2013-part-3-of-4&catid=45:music----->
“Paul McCartney.” The Beatles Bible. N. p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
< http://www.beatlesbible.com/people/paul-mccartney/>
Shelokhonov, Steve. “Ringo Starr Biography.” IMDb Mini Biography. N.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0823592/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm>
“Sir Paul Mccartney Biography.” Bio. N.p.,n.d Web. 2 May 2014.
<http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/paul-mccartney.html>
“The Beatles Biography.” Bio. N.p.,n.d Web. 2 May 2014.
<http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/the-beatles.html>
Introduction
The Beatles were one of the most important bands of its time and that fact influenced to 1960’s youngest generation, selling around 400 millions of copies around the world.
The band was a product of 1960's society and for that reason it is important to see it in context. In order to appreciate how sixties society affected the band but also, how the band affected its society the blog will be divided into different subsections: brief description of components, the main historical facts of 1960's society, the music styles that the band incorporated to their songs and, finally, the legacy that the band has left to subsequent generations.
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