Protests spread to college campuses across nation
Growing controversy over Civil Rights spurs outrage and action
On their Musical Influences Anna Stoneman captures The Beatles’ inspirations
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hen the members of the Beatles were young, they were followers of British rockand-roll artists, notably Cliff Richards and the Shadows. Just after the formation of
the band, the members modeled themselves and their music after local Liverpool band Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, with whom Ringo played before joining the Beatles. In the peak of Beatlemania, John Lennon declared that “before Elvis, there was nothing.” Although all four Beatles revered Elvis, it is arguable that Presley’s musical influence on the Beatles may have been indirect. Many of the Beatles’ influences were originally American, especially Chuck Berry. The Beatles recorded covers of Berry songs such as “Rock and Roll Music” in their early days as a band, and included many of Berry’s songs in their live repertoire. George Harrison as a fan of American rock music, especially Eddie Cochran and Carl Perkins, and the Beatles’ distinctive vocal harmonies were similarly influenced by early American Motown artists. Although many of these American influences drew from the blues music form, the Beatles were not directly influenced by the blues, rock and pop being the closest general labels. Bob Marley can similarly be considered a major influence for the Beatles, as he introduced the Beatles to many of the drugs that affected their later music. Paul McCartney’s major influences include ragtime and vaudeville, mostly due to his father’s musical interests, and these influences can be seen in songs such as “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” John Lennon’s early style has clear relationships to Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, but later in his career was heavily influenced by folk music and played a major role in steering the Beatles toward Psychedelia. Although influenced by a variety of musicians from many genres, this fusion of styles made popular by the Beatles went on to become an influence to the majority of contemporary artists.
On their Studio Style Annalisa Jacobs interviews The Beatles on their technical approaches Rolling Stone Magazine: Hi, boys. Nice to meet you. I’m Annalisa, reporter for the Rolling Stone Magazine George+Paul+John+Ringo: Hi, Annalisa. George: I’m George Harrison. Paul: I’m Paul McCartney. John: I’m John Lennon. Ringo: I’m Ringo Starr. Rolling Stone Magazine: Pleasure. So, what style of music would you say you perform? John+Paul: Rock. George: Psychedelic Ringo: What?? George: Psychedelic rock. John: And a little pop here and there. Paul: Mostly rock though. John: Well, Paul, ol’ boy, there were quite a few fans who said you were more into the romantic songs after a while. Ringo: Singing ballads to the ladies. John+George: Yesterday.... All my troubles seemed so far away.... Paul: Oh, beshaw! Rolling Stone Magazine: Yeah, I’m feeling the love. So, what sorts of instruments do you rock-and romance-- with?? Ringo: Drums!! John: Guitar, lots of singing, o’course Ringo: Percussion rocks. Paul: Me and John were close. Did the same stuff; guitar and singing. I did some piano too. George: Mostly guitar, a few vocals. I really fell for the sitar in later songs, like in Norwegian Wood. Ringo: I didn’t sing in many songs. Yellow Submarine’s one of the only. Rolling Stone Magazine: Were these the only instruments available, or were you avoiding others? Any preferences? Paul: There really was a lot of instrumental
choice. Of course we didn’t use every native instrument we found on tours, but we did try quite a few!! John: We were the first band to use electric keyboards, you know. George: And synthesizers. Y’know, Moog Synthesizers... Ringo: Those were interesting. Paul: Of course there was a lot of variation in stringed instruments that we could use, so we didn’t use them all, but anything with a keyboard, I tried. John: Dozens of keyboards. But man, did I love that Rickenbacker guitar! George: Piano, organ, electronic keyboard, harpsichord; you name it, we tried it. Paul: We even got into using some classical instruments. String quartet in “Yesterday”, brass band solo in “Yellow Submarine”. We loved to have fun with everything available. We want to push the limits of music, be different. Rolling Stone Magazine: Your music is very unique. I’ve heard your band has been experimenting with new techniques in the booth. Can you tell me about that? Paul: We have done some pretty neat things. Artificial Double Tracking, where we can harmonize with ourselves by singing over a simultaneous previously recorded other “layer of sound”. John: One fun one was guitar feedback. Plucking one note on an bass guitar would rise in sound until the sound buzzed like an electric razor, lasting for a few seconds... Ringo: And remember how I stuffed that sweater into my bass drum to deaden the sound, but we put the mic close to it. Much fuller sound that way. Quite a new thing, close micing. Rolling Stone Magazine: Thank you guys so
much so for this interview. It’s been a pleasure to meet you. Ringo: Yes, thank you. George: Our pleasure. John: Nice meeting you. Paul: I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello. Hello, hello. Ringo+John+George: Goodbye. Paul: Alright, alright. Goodbye. Rolling Stone Magazine: Thanks again!
On Themselves Zachary Newman profiles The Beatles band members
John Winston Lennon o Dates: Born on October 9, 1940 Parents: Julia and Alfred Lennon Died on December 8, 1980 Assassinated by Mark David Chapman
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James Paul McCartney o Dates: Born June 18, 1942 Still alive
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Picture of Lennon in 1964:
Picture of McCartney:
George Harrison
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Dates:
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Born February 25, 1943 Died November 29, 2001 Died of lung cancer that spread to his brain after a period of ill health o Previous to this, he had been attacked by a man with a knife who broke into his apartment
Picture of Harrison:
Ringo Starr o Born Richard Starkey o Dates: July 7, 1940 Still alive
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Picture of Starr:
National & International News Laura Nicholas covers the Vietnam Conflict, Racial Tension, and Drug Usage in Relation to the Beatles
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he beginnings and the engine of the opposition to the war were college campuses, with students as the main protesters. Young political and social activists were a large portion of the Beatles audience. Rock and Roll was an important participant in the fight against the Vietnam Conflict. In the Beatles’ lifetime, from 1966 to 1970, support
for the war dropped from 59% to 32%. Anti-war activists saw the Beatles as great representatives of their bohemian lifestyle. John Lennon in particular was known for his criticism of the Vietnam War and some of his works were used as anthems for the anti-war movement. Recreational Drugs such as cannabis, LSD, Marijuana, and “magic” mushrooms, were a growing part of counterculture in the 1960s. Many people were exposed to Marijuana and LSD through test trials. When they liked it they spread it to their friends, and so on. They were seen as a way to reach higher consciousness and explore your soul, personal growth, and internal reflection. The hallucinations and experiences of being on these drugs were influences on philosophy and ethics (hippies), art, religion, and music. The kaleidoscopic colors associated with hippies most probably came from the hallucinations caused by these drugs. A genre of music even emerged from this cultural element: Psychedelic Rock. At one point in their career, the Beatles were seen as a psychedelic rock band. Works from this period include “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, which Paul McCartney admitted was about LSD. Especially songs written by John Lennon tended to have a mystical, psychedelia feeling about them. It is very likely that at least a couple of the band members were on drugs.
The messages and ideas of the Civil Rights movement of the late nineteen sixties, although not heavily reflected in the music, were heavily influential on the band members themselves. The song “Blackbird” is direct commentary on racial conflict. Paul and John were inspired to write this piece after they had encountered a particularly powerful article about the movement in the US. In singing to a “blackbird”, symbolizing a black person, they projected a message of hope to all disenfranchised African-Americans around the world. As of then, the Beatles became heavily involved icons of the Civil Rights Movement. By refusing to play for segregated audiences and raising support for the Race Relations Act in the UK, The Beatles used their star power to spread a message of unity and love for one another throughout Britain and America. The Beatles were very pointed in singing to their audience about pressing issues facing them today. They provided social commentary and encouraged young people to stand up for their beliefs. By becoming the voice of the ‘60s young people, The Beatles were not only a musical legend, but a political and cultural icon as well.
Achievements & Legacy Anna Stoneman and Laura Nicholas recall The Beatles’ success Throughout their years as a band, The Beatles set many world musical records - the majority of which have not been equaled by any other musical artist - and became the most influential band in history as they raised the standards for popular music. Album Achievements
Sold an estimated one billion media (records, tapes, CDs) worldwide, making them the bestselling musical group of all time. Most multi-platinum selling albums for any artist or musical group. Greatest number of diamond selling albums (10 million + copies), including Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles, Abbey Road, The Beatles: 1962-1966, and The Beatles 1. Had nineteen #1 albums in the USA and fifteen #1 albums in the UK. Stood 174 weeks in UK at #1 position on albums chart (132 weeks in USA). The Beatles 1 is fastest-selling CD of all time - over 13 million copies in just four weeks.
Single Achievements
Record for having most #1 singles of any musical group. Three more #1 singles than Elvis Presley. John Lennon and Paul McCartney are most successful songwriters in history, with 23 #1 singles in the USA and 25 in the UK. In 1964, The Beatles had twelve songs on the Billboard Hot 100 singles (including all of the top five positions). “Yesterday” is the most covered song in history, with over 3,000 recorded versions. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” fastest-selling single of all time, selling 250,000 copies within three days in the US. Sales reached one million within two weeks. Have five of the Top 100 Best-Selling Singles in the UK, while no other group has more than two.
Performance Achievements
New record for concert attendance (55,600) and revenue with performance at Shea Stadium in 1965. Broke television ratings records in US with over 70,000,000 viewing their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
With just their talent and good looks, The Beatles would never have made the lasting impression they are known for today. But The Beatles were more than that. They were truly revolutionary to the music industry as well as society and culture. Even the simple things they did like experiment with classical, Indian-style, electronic instruments and pioneer new studio techniques were replicated from then on to today. The Beatles wrote their own songs, whereas before bands had gone to professional writers, popularizing the singer-songwriter label. The form The Beatles used in their music switched the focus of songs to the melody, and by filming themselves, they virtually created the modern “music video”. Still, the biggest musical impact was their initiation of the British Invasion. By going global, The Beatles opened up the US market, creating a path for future bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who to flourish. The pop cultural impact, while mostly short term, was immense in its days. For a while, everyone wanted The Beatles style. To the ladies, The Beatles were crazy good looking, so the guys capitalized on the look: “mop top cuts” in the early days, longer hair towards the end of The Beatles’ career, collarless suits, tight pants (sounding familiar, Directioners), and Beatle Boots. Their messages, both of individuality and rebellion, as well as peace and love, were catalysts for the younger generation to make political and social change that is still remembered in our history books. The Beatles’ influence was over such a vast range of topics and spanned across continents, leaving large traces of their great legacy behind in our world today.