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.
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.
