British Invasion

Beginning in 1964, British Bands made a Big Impact on the American Culture

27 of the Top 100 were British Bands

Two Types: Clean Cut/Vocal Harmony Bands; Scruffy Bluesy Bands

British Invasion

English Musicians Heavily Influenced by Traditional Jazz

“Skiffle” American Folk Music (usually African-American) Played on Acoustic Instruments (Guitar, Banjo, Tea Chest Bass)

Wash Tub (Tea) Bass

British

Lonnie Donegan “King of Skiffle”

“Rock Island Line” (1956) a Leadbelly Song

“Does Your Chewing Gum . . . “ (1961)

He Influenced English Boys to Form Bands, Including the Beatles

British

Trad Jazz Briefly Hit American Charts

“Midnight in Moscow” (1962)

Lonnie Donegan Played Bass in a Trad Jazz Band, Entertained with Skiffle During Intermissions

British

Most British Popular Music was Pale Imitation of American Pop

“He’s Got the Whole World” (1956)

“Halfway to Paradise” Billy Fury

“Well I Ask You” Eden Kane

“Only 16” Craig Douglas

“Living Doll” Cliff Richard

British: Blues

Younger Members of Trad Jazz Bands took an Interest in Blues

• “Cyril Davies All Stars” and Alexis Korner’s “Blues Incorporated”

• Most of the Next Generation, Including the Rolling Stones were Members.

The Beatles

John Lennon

Paul McCartney

George Harrison

Ringo Starr (Original Drummer: Peter Best)

Stu Sutcliffe (original Bass)

British: Beatles

Why Were They So Successful?

The Right Moment in History?

1. Kennedy

2. Civil Rights

3. original stars gone

4. Viet Nam

Beatles

Clever Marketing by Manager?

1. Turned Down By Most Labels

2. Exi Movement: Haircut & Leather

3. German Identity

4. American DJ

5. American Merchandise

Beatles

Was it their Physical Appearance?

1. Matching Collar-less Suits

2. “French” Hair cuts

Beatles

Was It Their Charming Personalities?

1. Witty Answers Did Charm American Journalists

2. American Rock Stars Seemed Dull

Beatles

Was It Their Musical & Songwriting Talent?

1. They Reshaped American Music

2. Avoided 12 Bar Blues and I-vi-IV-V-I Patterns

3. Developed unique record production skills

Beatles

Was It Their Conceptual Abilities?

1. Brought “Fringe” Ideas to the Forefront (Peace & Love, Anti-War Politics)

2. Movies (“Hard Day’s Night” & “Help”) were Not typical Rock Movies

Beatle Phases

1. 1957-62: Skiffle Through Record Contract

2. 1963-65: Initial Success, Love Songs

3. 1965-68: Experimental years (Song Forms, Studio Techniques, Drugs)

4. 1968-70: Final Years Through the Breakup

Early Beatles: Quarrymen

Early Beatles

John forms the Quarrymen

Meets Paul in 1957

Paul Introduces George 1957

Go Through Several Names: “Johnny and the Moondogs” “Long John and the Silver Beetles”

Early Beatles

Add Stuart Sutcliffe 1959, Fellow Art Student

1960 1st Manager Alan Williams books them in Hamburg, They Add Drummer Pete Best

Early Beatles

Early BeatlesIn Hamburg They Change Their Look: Black leather, then “French” Hair Cuts

Learn to Play

“Taste of Honey” Be Bop A Lula” “Besame Mucho”

1st Pro Recording (Beat Brothers)w/Tony Sheridan

“My Bonnie” (Sheridan)& “Aint She Sweet”

Early Beatles

Beatles

1961 Back in England At the Cavern Club They Begin to Attract Attention

Beatles

Early Beatles

NEMS Record Store Owner, Brian Epstein Sees Beatles and Asks to Manage Them

He Dresses Them in Matching Costumes, Forces them to Tighten Up Their Act

Beatles

Early Beatles

Turned Down By All The Major Labels

1962 Signed By Parlophone, George Martin

1962 “Love Me Do” and “Please, Please Me) Become Hits in England

Beatles

Beatles Phase Two: Stars

Beatles are released on Three Different Labels, None Capitol None Chart

Capitol Finally Releases “I Want to Hold Your Hand

Beatlemania Hits America

Beatles

Ist Album

On Vee-Jay

Beatles

1st on Capitol Label

Beatles

Three Appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, Carnegie Hall, & Stadiums

April 1964 #1-#5 on Charts, All Different Labels

Beatles

1st Album Breaks the Mold, Many Hits Rather than One

I Saw Her Standing There

This Boy

It Won’t Be Long

All My Lovin’

Beatles on Sullivan

Beatles at Atlanta

Beatles

2nd Album American Standards

Chuck Berry

Little Richard

Motown

Beatles: Phase Three

Experimentation, Studio/Drugs, Begins with “Rubber Soul”

Lyrics Influenced by Dylan

Sitar on “Norwegian Wood”

French & Mandolin on “Michelle”

Fuzz Bass “Think For Yourself”

Baroque Keyboard solo “In My Life”

Beatles: Phase Three

Experiment cont. “Revolver”

Tax Protest Song, Distorted Guitar Using Indian Scales

String Group on “Eleanor Rigby”

Sitar & Table “Love To You”

Beautiful Harmony “Here There . . . “

Backwards Sounds “Tomorrow Never K .. “

Beatles Phase Three

Strawberry Fields: two studio recordings put together. Paul is Dead Clue “I Buried Paul”

“Turn Me On Deadman”

“Stairway to Heaven”

http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

Beatles: Sgt Pepper

Beatles: Sgt. Pepper

1967 Revolutionized the Record Album

Concept Album, A Song Cycle, Beatles Recorded as if they Were Some Other Band

One Song Segues into Another

Beatles Phase Four: Final years

The Breakup: Manager Dies 1967, Creative Differences, Yoko Ono, Lee Eastman/Alan Klein

White Album Interpreted as a Goodbye and A Tribute to All the Styles of American Music

White Album

Back In The USSR

(Chuck Berry/Beach Boys)

Happiness Is A Warm Gun (doo wop)

Goodnight (popcrooner)

Rocky Racoon (Dylan talking blues-style)

Don’t Pass Me By (old time country)

White Album

Honey Pie (Music Hall)

Helter Skelter, Manson’s call to action

Little Piggies, Manson liked this also

Revolution Number Nine (tape collage)

I Buried Paul, Deadman, backward masking

Beatles

Last Released “Let It Be” Mixed by Phil Spector

Last Recorded “Abbey Road”

Last Appearance Together May 1970

Beatles

Solo Projects

John recorded avant-garde albums with Yoko

Assassinated 1980

“Double Fantasy” Grammy Album of the Year 1981

Beatles

Paul records with Linda, several #1 records “My Love” (1973) “Band on the Run” (1974) “Silly Love Songs” (1976) “Ebony & Ivory” (1982) with Michael Jackson

Beatles

George “My Sweet Lord” (1970) copyright infringement with “He’s So Fine” UNICEF “Concert For Bangladesh” Member of the Traveling Wilburys (Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison)

Ringo had a few hits in early 1970s

Beatles Imitators

Monkees - Put together by Don Kirshner. 1st hit “Last Train to Clarksville” released before TV Show (1966-68). Featured Beatles-like music videos

British Invasion Pop Groups

Gerry and the Pacemakers & Herman’s Hermits, Peter and Gordon- Clean cut with nice vocal harmonies.

British Blues Groups

Groups developed out of the blues into metal & Progressive.

Yardbirds featured three famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, & Jimmy Page. Featured long improvisations (Rave Ups)

Led Zeppelin formed to cover Yardbirds’ gigs after breakup.

British Blues Groups

Cream - Clapton joins with Ginger Baker & Jack Bruce to form “power trio”

“Sunshine of Your Love” (1968) early metal, uses slower tempos, more active drumming

Mods & Rockers

Two youth movements

Rockers - Elvis (Teddy Boy) hair, black leather, tough image

Mods (Moderns) - Continental appearance, short hair, colorful clothing, rode motor scooters, female elfin-like (Twiggy)

Carnaby Street Fashions

Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones

Second Generation Blues Band developed out of Alexis Korner

1st Performance at Marquee Club for Korner’s Band

Positioned Opposite From the Beatles - tough & scrufty

Named For Muddy Waters SongReverence for Chicago Blues

Stones

Album “Satanic Majesties Request” an answer to Sgt Pepper’s

“Sympathy For The Devil” causes problems when performed

Altamont Raceway Concert 1969, Hell’s Angels as Police Force Kill Meredith Hunter