The Beatles and their influence on Queen

The Beatles were one of the largest influences on not only rock and roll, but music as a whole. The Beatles pioneered several of the most important recording techniques ever, and in that is looping. In their song, "Tomorrow Never Knows" they record one phrase of Ringo's playing and loop it throughout their entire song. One band who uses this technique is the 1970's band Queen. Queen, led by Freddie Mercury, uses looping in many of their works, almost to a point of excess. One really good example of this is "The Prophet's Song" from the album, A Night at the Opera. In this, Freddie goes a cappella for the middle portion of the song, in which he loops his on vocals over and over again, singing in descending cadences with himself. This produces a very interesting effect on the overall tone of the song, as it comes back with guitar, drums and backing vocals. This song, and many of Queen's other songs would be very different (or just not exist) had The Beatles never used this technique of recording.

Above Us Only Sky: Movie Review

I started watching this documentary late on Saturday night, and I was quickly taken from my bedroom into Tittenhurst Park in the late 1960s. The movie depicted John and Yoko's estate, their insanely large English mansion with a garden big enough to explore for a whole lifetime. To me, it seemed odd to see John outside of the studio without the other Beatles at first, but after a couple minutes it became clear that his life now was more peaceful and relaxed, which was probably how he wanted it. The footage, of him in his own studio or rowing through his own pond on the grounds, was like watching John transform from John Lennon of the Beatles into just John. It was magical, in a sense, to watch John and Yoko as they interacted and sort of became one with each other. The main focus of the movie, I would say, was the creation of the song imagine. From the moment John played the song, everyone knew it was, and would be for a long time, a huge hit. Yoko said in the movie she felt as though she met John so that Imagine could come into existence. Although I have always personally loved the song, this movie made me realize the total impact of it considering the huge cultural movement for peace. The song itself became almost a manifesto or symbol of the movement. It was beautiful watching John and Yoko come together to create this piece, one that has remained relevant and timeless ever since its creation, and this movie did a great job of explaining just a small portion of their story.

“I am the Walrus”

"I Am The Walrus," is the song with no rhyme or reason, and it was written in three parts: part one was written by John during an acid trip, part two was written during another acid trip the next week, and part three was filled in after met Yoko. Even though John claims it is gibberish many of the song's lyrics did have an inspiration

The song's opening verse, "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together," comes from the song "Marching to Pretoria," which contains the lyric, "I'm with you as you're with me and we are all together." "See how they run, like pigs from a gun, see how they fly..." came the next week directly from John's second acid trip. These are just two examples that demonstrate John’s mindset and writing process during this song. 

John Lennon is face to face with Patty Boyd, (George Harrison's future wife), in The Beatles' first feature film, "A Hard Day's Night".  Patty was playing an over-excited school girl, but she was actually a 19 year old professional model at the time.

Years later, after being married and divorced from both George Harrison and later Eric Clapton, Patty made a name for herself in her own right when she published photographs she had taken of The Beatles and Eric Clapton. 

In My Life

The song "In My Life" written by John Lennon is a reflection on his life at the moment. John had a very difficult time with all the fame and the feeling of being trapped.  His writing is recalling moments, and people he knew from before his fame restricted him from living his life. However this piece seems to be about moving forward. John may always love his life in the early years of The Beatles more, but he is coming to terms and understanding this is how he must live. He was very unsatisfied with his life when writing this because he felt like life was more fulfilling before he became the rock star he dreamed of becoming. It creates this cycle of his thirst for fame but unenjoyment when he has to face the consequences like being homebound or attacked by fans.

Ticket to Ride

Acording to A Hard Day's Write by Steve Turner, many Americans concluded the "ticket" was from British Railways, and "ride" was the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. McCartney confessed to his biographer Barry Miles that they were partly right. Paul had a cousin who ran a bar in Ryde and he and John had visited them there. Paul later mentioned that although the song was primarily about a girl riding out of the life of the narrator, they were conscious of the potential for a double meaning.

On the other hand, John coined the phrase "Ticket to Ride" for another meaning. He was referencing the girls who worked the streets in Hamburg had to have a clean bill of health and the authorities would give them a card saying they were clean.

Hard Day's Night

The Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night" was entertaining and certainly in a category of its own. The film was light-hearted and showed each of the members of the group to be unique characters with quirky personalities. The jokes and humorous scenes in the film were corny in a way that somehow fit with the band's image. Despite the fact there was really no particular plot (other than a sort of 'day-in-the-life theme), it held my attention. The Beatles are clearly not actors and don't pretend to be--which is why, in my opinion, this sort of film worked to show their personalities and showcase their songs. The scene in the picture above honestly felt like four guys just having fun and messing around in a very quirky fashion and this was the kind of feeling I got from the overall film.

Yesterday

Yesterday is a song was written primarily by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in their fourth album titled “Help”. John Lennon went through the loss of someone he loved and this is reflected through some of the lyrics he was writing within the album. For example, the song Help and Yesterday are both apparent cries for help and yet they aren’t recognized until later in their career. With the entire albums slower rhythm and less of their famous upbeat tempo showed a shift within their attitude towards making music. Overall, these songs are examples and give us some insight into how their emotions influence what style of music they release.

You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away

Released in August 1965, the Beatles fifth album, Help! contains many of the songs that people commonly recognize, including Yesterday, Help, and Ticket to Ride. One of the other songs on the album is titled You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away, it, as with many Beatles songs, was written and sung by John Lennon. The song has a very clear influence from Bob Dylan; Lennon himself said “That’s me in my Dylan period again.” Due to the influence from Dylan, the song has more of a folk feel to it than other Beatles songs. The main aspect that differs from Dylan’s work is that a flute is used in the Lennon song rather than the harmonica that Dylan used in his works. 

The meaning of the song has been debated among Beatles enthusiasts. There are many sides to the debate but the main two are that Lennon wrote the song about Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ manager who was gay, and the other is that Lennon wrote it about having to keep the fact that he was married under wraps. Either way, the song tells of someone who must hide their love due to either societal pressure or simply fear.  

Due to its presence on such a famous album, You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away is often overlooked when people who aren’t Beatles fans listen to Help! As a song, it is underrated and needs to be brought into the spotlight alongside songs like Yesterday.

Classical Influences of the Beatles

The Beatles became one of the most unique rock bands of all time due to their unique style that distinguished them from the other bands of the era. Part of this unique sound is their incorporation of many different styles of music, including much influence of classical music. While most music can claim classical influences, the Beatles used this greatly, with their harmonies and chord progressions mimicking many baroque, classical and romantic composers. One of the songs we listened to today was Paul McCartney’s Yesterday, which features a classical string quartet in the background, giving a softer tone to the piece. One of their influences, the Everly Brothers, used harmonies that would appear in many early Beatles songs, those same harmonies being very classical in nature.

The Yellow Submarine

The Yellow Submarine was a popular song years ago and is till taught at school to little kids. It was originally written by The Beatles, more specifically by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. There are a few ways on interpretating the exact meaning one way is that throughout the Beatles music career they had to stay in hotels while they were pressured by people as well as the fans. This would be seen as the submarine. Next the color yellow is supposed to signify friends inside the submarine. During the song it mentions sea of green wich reprsents money and costs. This song was put in the Revolver album and was written especially for Ringo to lead the singing. Paul McCartney later explained after its release  in 1966: "'Yellow Submarine' is very simple but very different. It's a fun song, a children's song. Originally we intended it to be 'Sparky' a children's record. But now it's the idea of a yellow submarine where all the kids went to have fun. I find this cool in a way because most of their songs are songs that teens and adults would listen to and that was like an expectation of them. However, they create this song that will last who knows how long. I meant that   In a positive way. 

Instruments and the Beatles

The Beatles recorded with a great many instruments during their years together. Ranging from the iconic Höfner 500/1 "violin" bass, to the relatively standard Fender Stratocaster, to George Harrison's sitar, they no doubt contributed to the overall quality and diversity of the Beatles' sound. The Beatles recorded with numerous "country" style guitars with f-holes, lending a unique sound to the rock-and-roll style of the Beatles, and later in their more experimental phase, a prime example being the Epiphone Casinos as seen with John Lennon in their final rooftop appearance, as well as those owned by George and Paul. The source of the feedback in the intro to "I Feel Fine" was a Gibson acoustic-electric, and George's Rickenbacker 12-string was featured heavily in their work. Paul's iconic Höfner bass, which cemented Höfner as a name in the instrument industry, was not necessarily the source of his iconic basslines; rather, he used his Rickenbacker 4001S for most of his career following Rubber Soul, utilizing its powerful low end for such hits as "Come Together". Ringo played Ludwig 4- and 5-piece drumsets throughout his career, with Zildjian and Paiste cymbals, with sound varying due to his constant experimentation with new muting techniques. The guitars and vocals were mostly recorded by the studio's provided Neumann microphones, although the drum mics were probably from AKG or Shure. Of note is their recording engineer, Geoff Emerick, who experimented with many recording techniques, some of which are now commonly used in many studios. One such method using a speaker as a microphone to record bass tones which would normally have blown out a microphone. They also recorded with a large number of keyboards, including a harpsichord, a Steinway upright, and even a Moog synth, as well as several other eclectic instruments, like the aforementioned sitar, harmonica, recorder, and assorted percussion such as bongos and timpanis. All of these myriad factors contributed to the unique, instantly-recognizable sound that is heard every time someone plays Abbey Road on Spotify, or spins up the White Album on vinyl, or clicks on "A Hard Day's Night" on YouTube, showing just how iconic the Beatles managed to become.

A Hard Day’s Night

A Hard Day’s Night is one of the most recognizable Beatles songs. The track was the title of both the group’s first movie and their third studio album. The name of the song originated from something Ringo Starr said during one of the Fab Four’s tours. Starr described coming up with the title in an interview with a DJ named Dave Hull. "We went to do a job, and we'd worked all day and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking it was day I suppose, and I said, 'It's been a hard day …' and I looked around and saw it was dark so I said, '… night!' So we came to 'A Hard Day's Night.'" The track is a Lennon-McCartney song, but John did most of the writing. Lennon wrote the first draft in one night because of his friendly competition with Paul to see who could write the band’s A-sides. The rest of the band liked the song, so they soon took to the studio to record. It took them only three and a half hours and nine takes to prepare the song for its final release. The track had commercial success in both the United States and the U.K. In the states, the song held a number one spot for two weeks straight, which had never been done before. In the United Kingdom, it reached number one and lasted a total of nine weeks on the charts. 

Paul's Baby

Yesterday is without a doubt one of the most popular Beatles songs, yet is a strong contrast to their usual and recognizable rock and roll style. This song, written by Paul McCartney, is somber, melancholic, and beautiful. The story of this song coming into being is almost comical, as it came to Paul in a dream and was originally named "Scrambled Eggs" as Paul was trying to figure out the lyrics. Somehow by chance, one of Paul's most famous and popular songs of all time came to him in a dream."Yesterday" was a breakthrough for the Beatles, as it was the first song they created that was only sung by one member, Paul. John Lennon was quoted in the Beatles Anthology saying "I have had so much accolade for "Yesterday". That's Paul's song and Paul's baby. And I never wished I'd written it"(175). This quote particularly speaks out to me because I believe it represents the true respect the Beatles shared for each other and the music each one created. However, what's truly special about this song, in my opinion, is its' recognition of the fundamental human desire to express sadness and pain. Yesterday captures a wistful tune, one that has achieved immense success and has stayed with listeners for many years, including myself. To me, it shows that the Beatles were true musicians and artists, not just a popular rock and roll fad. They understood their audience, and especially with their experiences dealing with the unpleasant parts of life, understood the importance of creating a sad song that a multitude of people could identify with. 

Jimmie Nicol

When Ringo Starr collapsed with tonsillitis in June 1964 on the eve of their Australian tour, the Beatles were faced with the grim possibility of cancelling their tour. Instead of canceling their tour manager Brian Epstein suggested a fill in for Ringo. After negotiations the group and their manager agreed an understudy drummer was the way to go. Producer George Martin suggested Jimmie Nicol a relatively unknown studio drummer. In the span of a day he auditioned and got on a plane with the Beatles to start their tour. Nicol hoped his time with the Beatles would give him fame and fortune, but in the span of two weeks he went from obscurity to fame and back. Years later he said playing with the Beatles was the worst thing that had ever happened to him because he got a taste of fame that he could never keep long term. For his troubles he was given a £500 gold watch inscribed: “From the Beatles and Brian Epstein to Jimmy – with appreciation and gratitude." The watch is estimated to be worth close to a million dollars in 2019.

There's A Place

Although the Beatles' first album, Please Please Me, released in early 1963, is not known for having been an experimental, groundbreaking masterpiece, such as some of the band's later efforts, it certainly left a mark on popular music. Some of the most enduring tracks off the record are simple, effective pop tunes like "Love Me Do" and "Twist and Shout," but, in my opinion, the most memorable song is "There's A Place." Later released as a B-side to the "Twist and Shout" single, the song occupied the penultimate spot on the album, and is interesting from both a musical and lyrical perspective. In terms of the songwriting and arrangement, the song uses more advanced harmony than their typical compositions: the song opens with a harmonica playing a D# over an E major chord. This major seventh interval is dissonant and almost unsettling, but also simultaneously pretty. The vocal harmonies are also complex, particularly on the lyric "and it's my mind," wherein the band utilizes a mixture of thirds, fourths, and sixths, as opposed to just using thirds, which was commonplace at the time. Lyrically, the song touches on deeper ideas than would have typically been expected of a pop band in the early 60s. Instead of writing the usual love song, Lennon and McCartney decided to shed light on the idea that, when they are sad, the place they go to console themselves and feel better is their mind, not "round the back of the stairs for a kiss and a cuddle," as McCartney later put it. This was a step beyond their normal territory, and foreshadowed further developments in lyrical writing from the band.

Today was day 6 of the Beatles class

Today, (day 6), we listened to songs from "Help", The Beatles' 5th LP.  (The U.S. releases didn't correspond with the British ones).  The songs we listened to were, "Help!", "Ticket to Ride", "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", and "Yesterday".  This was, of course, only a brief taste of the album, but it touches on the most significant tracks of the album. We then saw a few others when we watched some scenes from the film and live performances of "You're Gonna Loose That Girl", and "Act Naturally."  (We only included "Act Naturally" so people could see and appreciate Ringo singing and playing drums).

Recordings of The Beatles in Hamburg Germany.

I discovered some great recordings of The Beatles in Hamburg Germany that I never knew about before.  These recordings were made before they were famous.  To a serious fan, I would strongly suggest looking for them. You realize, listening, how good The Beatles were before the slick recording sessions and all the fanfare.  To have seen them in that period would have been great. It's kind of too bad that the recording process dulled that down a bit, but you still get it in certain performances like 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Twist and Shout'.  In  a live show, the bass came through much louder and the drums were thudding and hard.  It wasn't Ringo at that time, and you can tell why they had to fire Pete, but the drums still sound very rock n' roll.  It's too bad that this is all history now.

Planning the class (Entry number 2)

I have spent several hours each day this week planning The Beatles class for this spring.  We will start on May 10th and run through June 4th. I have been reviewing materials on The Beatles for about the last week and a half as well as touching up on some contextual '60s history. One thing about The Beatles, as much as I've heard them I can always find something fresh to spark my imagination. Last night I received their Live at the BBC albums in the mail.  Up until now I just had a burned copy, but to really have the experience I felt I needed the legit CDs.  (Maybe I'll get vinyl next).

The Beatles class (Entry number 1).

This Beatles blog is devoted to the study of The Beatles done for a high school short-term class on the subject of this highly influential band from Liverpool.  The Purpose of this class is to study The Beatles' story and emphasize their cultural significance. Most people know OF the Beatles, but they may not know exactly how much The Beatles influenced the evolution of rock music, the recording industry and western culture as a whole. In fact, it could be argued that The Beatles' performance on the Ed Sullivan show in February of 1964 is the most important pop event of the 20th Century. This view does not ignore other important pop events but is merely a view based on the level of significance and influence the Ed Sullivan performance had at that time.  Virtually overnight, a change in mass youth consciousness took place which ultimately lead to (but was not responsible for) the strong leftward shift of youth views in the mid to late 1960s. The most commonly referenced look of the '60s is long hair, free love and flower power, and while The Beatles can not claim responsibility for the peace movement of the late '60s or for the women's or civil rights movements, they CAN claim at least partial credit for growing their hair out virtually before anyone else did and changing the roll that pop music played in uniting youth culture.  They were 'cool', 'hip', 'fab' to such a degree that society took notice on a global scale.  They were probably the very first musical phenomenon to gain recognition in so many countries, especially in so little time.  A student of The Beatles does not have to be a Beatles fan but only needs to recognize that these four young men from Liverpool England were and will probably remain the most important rock band in rock 'n roll history.

     Detractors will argue that it is not The Beatles that deserve so much credit for the evolution of Rock music.  We must give credit where credit is due. The Beatles had their own heros and idols that inspired them.  The Beatles would have never created what they did without the African American artists that first came up with the concept that became known as rock n' roll.  The Beatles owe a huge debt to musicians such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino.  Also on the list of greats are artists such as Elvis Presly, Buddy Holly and some of the Country Western and folk stars of the 1950s and '60s.  The Beatles never hid their admiration for these musicians and no blog, book or documentary would be complete without mentioning each of them. The Beatles went on to meet and even perform with many of their own heros.  They even managed to rejuvenate the careers of Little Richard and Chuck Berry by covering their songs. The Beatles always sought to pay tribute to and honor these musicians, giving credit where credit was due.  But the Beatles music was very different from their predecessors.  As the very first non-American rock band to really make it big, The Beatles brought a new flavor to rock music that was all their own.  They were also heavily influenced by English and Irish folk music and their own experience playing for rough German audiences in the reeperbahn in Hamburg. There, drunken Germans demanded nightly for The Beatles to, "Mach shau!" in German meaning, "make a show!"  (Their distinctive hair cut was actually picked up in Germany), meaning that they were influenced by culture on a more global scale than most other rock musicians at the time. Perhaps, it was the wide range in influence and their experiences with different cultures in a time before mass globalization that made their music so unique and so influential.