The Birth of the Beatles & their Impact On
Pop Culture
Contrary to popular opinion, the Beatles were not an overnight sensation.
In fact, they had a difficult time landing their first recording contract.
Incredibly, the now defunct Decca Records turned down the world's most
influential band. Actually, the first Beatles record was a 45 called "My
Bonnie". This German record, released from Polydor, was the Beatles
backing Tony Sheridan. To further secure their humble beginnings, the
record was credited to "Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers". The label
believed that the name Beatles was too difficult for German people to
pronounce!
This research will explain the early incarnation of the Fab Four.
Sadly, these formative years represent an era that lives in the long
shadow of their success. Many who feel that the Sullivan show was handed
to the Beatles will see the hard work that led to that historic
appearance. I will trace their steps from the shores of the river Mersey,
to the early tour of Germany, their triumphant return to Liverpool, and
finally, their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.
The second part of this research will focus on the impact the Beatles had
on pop culture. I will examine the early stages of music video's, stadium
tours, and several other innovations that are commonplace in today's
world.
Part I: The Birth of the Beatles
The Beatles were the world's first rock & roll band. Of course there was
Bill Haley and the Comets some five years prior to the British invasion.
However, one would be hard pressed to name a member of the Comets! The
Beatles were the first band that rock music fans knew as individuals.
John, Paul, George, and Ringo were indeed the Fab Four.
It all started when John Lennon was performing with his amateur skiffle
group, the Quarrymen, at a church picnic on July 6, 1957 when he met Paul
McCartney. Later that year, John asked Paul to join his group. They
immediately began to write original material such as "One After 909",
among others. Paul urged John to let his friend, George to join the group.
The band was now called Johnny and the Moondogs. Later on, John would
re-christen the Moondogs as the Silver Beatles. The final moniker,
Beatles, was in reference to Beat Music, an early name for pop music that
swept through Liverpool.
Without a legitimate recording contract, the Beatles were forced to play
cover tunes from other artists. They honed their craft with a tour of
Hamburg, Germany, playing songs by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl
Perkins, and Buddy Holly. They would play three shows a day, each one
clocking in at over two hours. At the conclusion of their tour of Hamburg,
the Beatles were true showmen. It was now time to prove it to their
homeland.
When they returned to Liverpool, they began a string of nearly 300 shows
at a local club called the Cavern. In late 1961, Brian Epstein who was
interested in becoming their manager discovered them. Eptsein's first
order of business was to clean up their act. He replaced the black leather
jackets, tight jeans, and pompadours with collarless gray suits and mildly
risky haircuts by today's standards.
After being rejected by nearly every label across Europe, Epstein landed
the boys a deal with E.M.I.'s Parlophone records. Producer George Martin
auditioned the group in June 1962. While Martin was clearly impressed by
the Beatles, he insisted the drummer, Pete Best be replaced. Ringo, the
final piece to the puzzle, joined shortly thereafter. On September 11,
they recorded "Love Me Do" b/w "P.S. I Love You," which became their first
U.K. top twenty hit the following month. Their next single in 1963,
"Please Please Me" went to number 2. They were starting to enjoy the
appreciation of their local fan base. Little did they know what was ahead?
Their modest success earned them a spot on a major tour with Gerry and
the Pacemakers, J. Kramer and the Dakotas, and the Searchers. The Beatles
were winning the adulation of audiences at every stop. Later that year,
Roy Orbison, a star in his own rite, was the opening act for the Beatles!
The early hysteria of Beatlemania had begun. Constantly mobbed by fans,
the Beatles required police protection whenever they appeared in public.
Late in that same year, "She Loves You", became the biggest selling single
in the history of the U.K. They ended 1963 by playing for the Mother Queen
at the Royal Command Variety Performance.
The Beatles were on a roll; however, interest in the United States was
limited. EMI's stateside company, Capital, refused to release any Beatle
records because American audiences historically were cold towards British
entertainers. Small labels like Vee Jay, Swan, and Tollie released some
singles and finally a full Beatles album. These records were modestly
successful because none of these labels were big enough to generate any
real publicity. It wasn't until the Beatles delivered their next song,
that Capital had no choice but to invest some money and released the
record. That song was "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The immense popularity
of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" also led to the release of their first
American Capital album called "Meet The Beatles". The Beatles were now
ready to conquer America.
Fueled by a then unheard of, $50,000 publicity campaign, the Beatles
arrived at New York's JFK Airport to a throng of screaming fans. The boys
themselves were unaware that the mobs of teenagers were there to greet
them. Instead, John had thought the President of the United States had
landed at the same time. It was this excitement that caught the eye of
impresario, Ed Sullivan. He immediately booked the Beatles to appear on
his variety show. On February 9, 1964, the Beatles performed before a sold
out studio audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater, while 70 million viewers
tuned in to watch on television! Needless to say, Capital was extremely
happy to be in the business of selling Beatle records. In April 1964,
"Can't Buy Me Love" became the first record to top the American and
British charts simultaneously. In the same month, the Beatles held to top
five positions in Billboard's singles chart. The songs, "Can't Buy Me
Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and
"Please Please Me" were the top five songs in the coveted top ten that
dominated AM radio waves. The Beatles had opened the American shores to
the British Invasion. Later that year, the Dave Clark Five, the Rolling
Stones, and the Kinks enjoyed some success on American shores, and the
rest as they say is history.
Part II: Their Impact on Pop Culture
The stamp of the Beatles, not only on rock and roll, but also on all of
Western culture is simply immeasurable. As musicians, they proved that
rock music could include an endless medley of harmonies, structures, and
sounds. In essence, every rock experiment has some prior instance on
Beatles records. As a unit, they were a musically synergistic combination
of talent. Paul McCartney's rhythmical bass lines, Ringo's slaphappy
drumming, George Harrison's rockabilly style guitar leads, John Lennon's
unabashed rhythm guitar, and their four earnest voices. One of the first
rock groups to write most of their material, they ushered in the era of
self-contained bands, and forever centralized pop. When television
appearances became impossible to keep up with, they developed promotional
films for nearly all of their songs. These are better known today as music
videos. When audiences became too large for arenas, they embarked on the
world's first rock and roll stadium tour. When the Beatles took to the
stage at New York's Shea Stadium, they blazed a trail that is now common
place for today's bands. When the demand for tickets was so overwhelming
in Washington, D.C., tickets were sold to view the show in movie theaters
via closed-circuit television. Thus creating a prototype pay-per-view that
has been used for all types of entertainment to this very day.
As personalities, they defined and embodied sixties style: sharp,
optimistic, spirited, brazen, and discerning. Their music, from the not so
simple love songs they started with to their later studio extravaganzas,
set new standards for both commercial and artistic success in pop. At the
very center of this artistic storm was "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
Band." Prior to the assembly of Pepper, pop music was dismissed as ritual
dance music. With Pepper, the Beatles changed the landscape of critic's
perceptions of rock & roll forever. Conceptual albums like Pink Floyd's
"Dark Side of the Moon", and the Who's "Tommy," owe their thanks to the
Beatles records in the late sixties.
To show their economic clout, in 1967, the muscled themselves into the
manufacturing and recording business by launching their own company
called, Apple Corp. Records. From that point on, they were able to have
more control of their albums and singles. The very first record they
delivered on the Apple label was "Hey Jude." As was the case with
everything the Beatles touched, it was their biggest selling single to
date. Monster acts like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Grateful
Dead, employed similar practices during the 70's by incorporating their
name on privately held labels. Each has left behind some of the richest
legacies in rock history.
Although many of their sales and attendance records have been surpassed,
no group has so radically transformed the sound and meaning of rock &
roll.
