MUSC 309 Lectures 12 and 13: The Beatles
I. Without serious competition as most important rock group in history
A. Conservative and innovative
B. Impacted every pop and rock artist that followed
C. Two big questions to consider
1. What makes Beatles sound unique?
2. How did it change over time?
D. Another – where did they come from – musically? What influences can be heard in
their music?
1. Key to “uniqueness” of sound
2. First rock group to absorb multitude of influences, and integrate all into music
3. So – need to know, understand influences
4. Familiar with some, but others – and environment that created Beatles –
exclusively British
II. Part of larger movement of British Invasion
A. English rock groups become popular in U.S.
B. British culture 1950s
1. Marked by decline and boredom, post-industrial blight
2. Economic hardship
a. Widespread destruction in WWII
b. Large number of single-income households
c. Wartime rationing continued until 1954
3. Class consciousness – pretty impossible to move up
4. Idle middle class with poor economic prospects = rebellious teens
5. Rock and roll perfect vehicle for angst
C. English record companies begin to manufacture rock and roll singers, but generally
bad
1. Lack of familiarity with roots of rock results in pretty sterile copies of
American groups
2. Much akin to Brill-Building, teen-idol phase of early rock and roll
3. "Quickly reverted to being up-tempo teenage pop singers." [Chalmers, 38]
a. Ex: Cliff Richards – biggest English “rock star”
b. Listen to excerpt from “Move It”
4. Worse, number of popular dance bands create "rock 'n' roll combos"
a. Extension of white dance music culture flavored with influence of
(largely) white covers of R&B tunes
b. Typical lineup sax, guitar, piano, drums, and vocalist
D. In some creates desire to look elsewhere for new music – particularly young guitar
players who admired Elvis and (especially) Chuck Berrry
1. Look to records of country blues artists, starting to be released in UK
2. Particularly associated with revival of traditional, Dixieland jazz
E. Sparks skiffle craze that sweeps England from '56 to '58
1. English version syncopated mixture of jazz, folk, and blues elements
a. Book says mixture of Dixieland jazz and country blues
b. Decent way to consider
2. Instrumentation mostly cheap, easily accessible
a. acoustic guitar
b. washboard
c. "tea-chest" bass
d. other optional instruments, such as kazoo
3. Primarily influenced by black folk artists
a. Leadbelly
b. Josh White
4. Attracted young guitar players
5. Biggest artist - Lonnie Donegan
a. Has 1st skiffle "hit" with Leadbelly "Rock Island Line"
i. Released as a single in 1956
ii. One of 1st British records to make American Top 20
b. Play ex. – start at 1:15
c. Claims it was the "single record that introduced Afro-American music
to
Britain" exaggerateed
i. But probably did introduce to many people for 1st time
ii. And popularized the acoustic guitar
F. Skiffle craze largely responsible for British rock acts of the 1960s
1. Elvis popularized rock
2. Donegan made it seem playable
III. Personal influences
A. John Lennon (1940-1980)
1. Learned to play guitar after hearing Elvis
2. Primarily instructed by mother, who played ukulele
3. Formed skiffle group, the Quarrymen, at age 17
4. Primary influences
a. country blues
b. trad. jazz
c. rockabilly, specifically Buddy Holly
B. Paul McCartney (1942)
1. Grew up in musical household – father amateur musician
2. Musical education from father
a. Also took piano lessons
b. And learned a little trumpet
c. Took up guitar in late teens
3. Primary musical influences
a. English popular music
b. Dance hall music
c. trad jazz
d. rock and roll, rockabilly, R&B
C. George Harrison (1943-2001)
1. Influences
a. Dance hall music
b. jazz
c. American country music
- Jimmie Rodgers, specifically
-- Made him want to play guitar
d. Skiffle
e. Rock and roll, rockabilly
2. Friend of father’s taught him to play guitar
D. Ringo Starr [Richard Starkey] (1940)
1. Started drumming at age 14, when hospitalized for tuburculosis
2. Influences
a. Country music, esp. Gene Autry
b. Big Band jazz
c. skiffle
d. English pop
e. blues
III. Periods
A. Book divides into four, roughly equal stages
1. “Beatlemania” (1962-64)
2. Dylan-inspired seriousness (1965-66)
3. Psychedelia (late 1966-1967)
4. Return to Roots (1968-70)
B. Good a way as any to consider career, but need to add one more – Early Career
1. Book says had unique sound “right from the start”
2. Not exactly
3. The Quarry Men/The Beatles performed for five years before first major
releases
4. Influences, repertoire then shaped sound
IV. Early career
A. Gigs in Liverpool
B. Hamburg
1. Manager who ran most of big Liverpool groups (incl. Beatles) was friends with
club owner in Hamburg
2. Many acts from the city hired for several weeks or months to play at various
clubs
3. Beatles played Hamburg number of times between 1960 and 1963 (show
transparency)
a. Expected to play 6-7 hours a night 6 nights a week
b. Had to
i. Know a lot of songs
ii. Be able to respond to requests
iii. Learn to quickly absorb, adapt, and reproduce anything to fill
time
4. Playlists, though, reveal core influences
a. Elvis
b. Buddy Holly and the Crickets
c. Little Richard
d. Chuck Berry
e. Eddie Cochran
i. May not be familiar with
ii. Fusion of energy of rockabilly, crispness of country music, and
Elvis vocals – Buddy Holly + Elvis + Carl Perkins
iii. To my ears, primary influence on vocal style (not sound) of
Paul McCartney
iv. Play some of Twentieth Floor
5. Much of early material closely modeled upon these influences
III. “Beatlemania” – to 1964
A. Assume you know of the phenomenon, so won’t go into it
1. Height of group’s fame in England, conquest of U.S.
2. Begins with release of “Please, Please Me” in U.K. in Jan. of 1963
3. First public mobs in Oct. of that year
4. Significant date: Dec. 26, 1963
a. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”/”I Saw Her Standing There” released in
U.S.
b. Hits #1 in matter of weeks
c. Tops chart for seven weeks
d. Marks beginning of the British Invasion
B. Albums
1. Please, Please Me (1st)
2. With the Beatles
3. Hard Days’ Night
4. Beatles for Sale
5. Help!
C. Please, please me
1. Influences
a. Roy Orbison
b. Bing Crosby song “Please”
c. Carl Perkins, “Lend Me Your Comb”
i. Harmonies, shape seem to be from this song
ii. Group admits was a favorite, on Cavern play list
iii. Play some of Beatles version from Anthology
2. Oblique harmonic descent
a. Lennon stays static
b. McCartney descends
3. Some complex harmonic turns
4. Favorite Beatle sound (specifically Harrison) – guitar lines in octaves
a. No real precedent for
b. Chuck Berry double note style, but never playes in octaves
c. Reason for the 12 string Rickenbacker – easier
d. Many other British acts pick this up
5. Forceful drumming
6. “Proto-punk” bass line – why?
D. I Wanna Hold Your Hand – first U. S. #1
1. Rhythm
a. Backbeat?
b. Style beat?
c. Other? Variant of clave rhythm in claps
d. Layers of rhythm common in early style – didn’t have drummer until
1961
e. Note the rhythmic effect created by opening riff
i. Tap foot
ii. Don’t know where downbeat really is until vocals enter
2. Form?
a. Again, quite typical of early style
b. Verse and refrain, with prominent hook
i. Or strophic with contrasting section in middle
ii. Frequently have tag line or coda
3. Vocal harmonies?
4. Solo vocal style?
a. Falsetto shouts?
b. Melismas?
c. Shouting?
5. Melody?
a. Rising at end of verse into falsetto – leads into refrain
b. B section smoother, more lyrical
c. Melody writing another hallmark of Beatles style
i. McCartney specialty
ii. Lennon songs generally less tuneful, more static
6. Texture?
a. Note when harmonized, when not
b. And style of drumming
7. Also note: no solos
E. Twist and Shout
1. Vocal – incredibly influential
2. Harder edge than most music out there, esp. in US
3. Revisit chronology
a. By 1960 rock and roll had been, for the most part, taken over by
corporations
b. most blues and country elements disappear from rock and roll
c. Motown has first hit in 1960 with “Shop Around”
i. Motown sound in general not heavily influenced by blues
ii. Smooth, refined sound preferred by Berry Gordy
d. Stax/soul sound doesn’t even hit R&B charts until 1964-65
4. Re-introduces “shouting” to rock music
5. As well as badly needed reminder of R&B, blues
6. Compare to Isley Brothers version
F. Sum up – early period style characteristics
1. Emulation of rockabilly, rock and roll, R&B idols – rock and roll band
2. Number of songs covers, or modeled after songs that formed early repertoire
3. Recordings basically “live” – little studio production
4. 3 part harmonies
5. “Woo,” “Yeah” and other such vocal embellishments
6. Largely romantic lyrics
II. Mature period, or Dylan-influenced 1965-66
A. Albums
 Rubber Soul (Soul = Stax soul)
 Revolver
B. Singles
 We Can Work It Out
 Day Tripper
 Paperback writer
 Yellow Submarine
 Eleanor Rigby
C. The influence of Bob Dylan
1. “Your songs aren’t ABOUT” anything
2. Drugs – particularly marijuana
D. Characteristics of mature period
1. Expanded palate of tone colors
a. Sitar – Indian string instrument
i. introduced to West by Ravi Shankar
ii. Both Byrds and Beatles employ in songs in 1965
b. Orchestral instruments
i. Strings – but not “wall of sound” strings
ii. Trumpet, clarinet
iii. used sparingly
iv. Or, in case of Eleanor Rigby, in place of band
c. Even guitars
i. Employed 12 different guitars in studio
ii. Slightly different sounds to each
iii. And made modifications to change further
2. Willingness to depart from traditional ensemble
3. Increased role of producer George Martin
a. Becomes collaborative part of ensemble
b. Key in creating Beatles sound
c. Starting to take advantage of multitrack recording
i. Each part recorded separately
ii. Then mixed into master
d. More overdubbing of vocal, guitar parts
4. More complicated harmonically
5. Subject matter of songs changes
a. More social commentary
b. And personal reflection
D. Norwegian Wood
1. Slow waltz – 3 beats per measure
2. Form: A A (instrumental – sitar, guitar+sitar) A A B B’/A A A A B B’/A A A
3. Gentle, pop vocal style
a. No influence of blues, gospel
b. Different than earlier songs
4. Thin texture
5. Modal, not tonal, orientation
a. Different kind of scale - older
b. Not major or minor, so lacks harmonic direction, drive of blues,
rockabilly
5. Storytelling song, but
a. Intensely personal
b. Deals with free love
6. End-weighting? Does instrumentation, texture shape song?
7. How much of the producer do you sense here?
E. Drive My Car
1. Point out genius of Beatles borrowing
2. it IS a soul riff ala Redding
a. In fact, it’s taken directly from Respect
b. but it doesn’t sound like it’s trying to be a soul song
c. Something new is created
3. Other influences?
III. The Psychedelic period 1966-67
A. Huge cultural changes taking place by 1965
1. Civil rights movement in full flower
2. As were free speech movements, early protests of Vietnam war
3. And, new drug beginning to filter through the country – LSD
4. Creating new artistic and cultural movement – psychedelia
a. distortion of reality
b. new emphasis on imagination, creativity,
c. Individual perception over rules, norms of society
d. New, non-Western viewpoints were attractive
5. One of the musical reflections of psychedelia was acid rock
a. Rock inspired by LSD, Eastern music
b. Loose, improvisatory style incorporating many free-form solos
c. Drone-like foundation
i. Drone – long, sustained note (often tonic) held for long duration
ii. Component of Indian classical music, most Arabic music
iii. Provides harmonic foundation, thickens texture
d. Modally-based harmonies – lack of harmonic drive
e. Often lacks a definitive beat
f. Free-form lyrics
g. First acid rock song – The Byrds, Eight Miles High
i. Intro
aa. Thick, dense texture
bb. Heavy reverb on all, particularly guitar
cc. Static quality
dd. Riff-based, but riffs repeated, expanded – robbed of
momentum
ii. Vocals – 3 part harmonies, some reverb
iii. Droning, directionless guitar solos, at times cut in on vocals
iv. Lyrics that might, or might not, be about drugs
v. To my ear, only partly acid rock
vi. Play
B. Beatles burned out from touring, resolved to retire from road after filled commitments
1. Never toured again, and only played live once more after early 1966
2. Instead, focused attention (nearly) full-time on recording
3. Increased attention to production, careful composition was already in the wind
4. Also influenced by Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
a. Brian Wilson suffered nervous breakdown in 1966, had to stop touring
i. Replaced on road by other musicians
ii. Group continued to tour
b. Wilson focuses whole attention on song writing, producing
c. Result was totally new kind of album
i. Theme album
aa. all songs treat same basic subject
bb. Hopes, dreams, worries, and anxieties of growing up
ii. Very much a product of the studio
aa. Very heavily produced
bb. Spector-influenced
iii. Employs lots of new sounds, non-traditional instruments
d. Brian followed with best-selling single, and most creative rock song to
that date, Good Vibrations
i. Put up transparency
ii. No intro – straight into lyrics with high voice treated with heavy
echo
aa. Accomp. by repeated, short organ chords (one per bar)
bb. and sparse bass line that repeats every two measures
cc. Both sounds engineered – lots of reverb
iii. Third line of vocals – drums, tambourine added
aa. Don’t really emphasize beat or backbeat
bb. Touches of rhythmic texture here and there
iv. Four hard drum shots lead into
v. B section – chorus
aa. Low vocals replace high ones
bb. Accomp. by theremin – electronic instrument
cc. After 4 bars, doo-wop influenced backing vocals and
tambourine (only percussion in B section, on
backbeat) enter
dd. Less heavily produced than A section
vi. A section – 2nd verse
vii. B section repeated
viii. C - extension of B
aa. Sudden change of texture
bb. Piano modified to sound like jangly, barroom piano
cc. Alternates chords with bass
dd. Drums and tambourine add more tone colors, but don’t
emphasize beat or backbeat
ee. Several layers of vocals added, singing vowel sounds
ix. D section
aa. Texture suddenly breaks, leaving only sustained chords
on church organ sounding keyboard
bb. Maracas establish slower tempo before vocals enter
cc. Midrange vocal line
dd. Repeated; bass and backing vocals added
ee. Repeats again; high organ line added
ff. Ends with a little burst of B
x. E section
aa. Bass, high vocals with heavy echo
bb. Jointed shortly by second vocal melody
cc. Creates polyphony
dd. Other voices enter with other melodic ideas that
intertwine
ee. Then returns to second half of B, with usual instruments
5. Beatles carried example of Pet Sounds with them into studio
D. Characteristics of period
1. Very experimental
a. Creating new sounds and effects
b. New styles, forms, methods of composition
c. New influences – avant-garde classical music, acid rock, Beach Boys
2. Surrealistic/psychedelic lyrics, often drawn from impersonal sources
3. Album takes precedence over single
a. Those seen as separate entitites
b. Most singles from this period never released on album
i. Penny Lane
ii. Strawberry Fields Forever
iii. Hey Jude
iv. Lady Madonna
4. Abandoning traditional roles in band
a. John primarily plays keyboards
b. Paul, using overdubs, playing both bass and rhythm guitar
C. Sgt. Peppers
1. Considered the first “concept album”
a. Album in which all of the songs arranged around a central concept or
story
b. Debatable whether Sgt. Pepper’s really is
i. Begins with whimsical tune of Paul’s – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely
Heart’s Club Band
ii. Reprised near the end
iii. Other songs don’t really have anything to do with
iv. But still seem unified, if for no other reason than framed by Sgt.
Pepper songs
v. Which is enough
c. Created new idea of what an album could be
2. Highly produced
a. Extensive manipulation of sounds, tracks
b. Lots of overdubbing, mixing down, and overdubbing again – only 4
tracks
3. Many songs acid rock
a. Beatles turned on to LSD by Roger McGuinn and David Crosby
b. Certainly knew Eight Miles High
i. Originally “Six miles high” – cruising altitude for jets
ii. Renamed in homage to “Eight Days a Week”
c. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
i. Intro on electric organ with very heavy reverb – thick feeling
ii. Verse – vocals, drone-like bass, echo and overdub on vocals
aa. Note change in second half
bb. More active bass line, outlining triplets (foreshadowed
in first half)
cc. Shuffle rhythm on cymbols
dd. Echo on vocals increased, guitar doubles
ee. Different harmonies as well
ff. Four even hits on tom-toms lead into…
iii. Chorus – Lucy in the Sky
aa. Meter change – duple to triple
bb. Never been done before
cc. Harder sound
dd. reinforcing vocals on last repetition
ee. Guitar – or active bass?
iv. Back to verse
v. Chorus
vi. Half-verse
vii. Tag line – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
viii. Lennon claims not drug lyrics – you make the call
4. A Day in the Life
a. Stands outside “Sgt. Pepper” frame
b. Form: AABA, but unique, in that sections of all different length
i. 4 bar intro – clapping, extraneous noise, piano
i. “I read the news” – 10 bars
aa. Sparse accompaniment
bb. Piano, bass, occasional guitar
cc. Maraca
ii. “He blew his mind” – 9 bars
aa. Drums added
iii. “I saw a film” – 11 bars
aa. Drums fills become more active
bb. More from piano
iv. Interlude after tag line “I’d love to turn you on” – 10 bars
aa. Piano
bb. Strings, electronically manipulated to create crescendo
into
v. B section – 22 bars
aa. 2 bar intro - piano
bb. Then two phrases of 5 bars
i. Any difference?
ii. No – not weighted to end of section
cc. 10 measure “dream sequence” - brasses
vi. A’ section
aa. “I saw a film today…”
bb. 11-12 bars
cc. Accompaniment roughly similar to
vii. 11 measure outro – balances interlude, not intro
aa. Long electronically manipulated ascent and crescendo,
culminating in note only dogs can hear
bb. Crashing piano chord with LONG dissolve
c. Lyrics: “Mysterious and poetic approach to serious topics that come
together in a larger, direct message to its listeners, an embodiment
of the central ideal for which the Beatles stood” that a truly
meaningful life can be had only when one is aware of one’s self
and one’s surroundings and overcomes the status quo.”
i. Actually, A sections (most) from Daily Mail of Dec. 19, 1966
ii. B section started as different song, by Paul
IV. Final period – Return to Roots (1968-1970)
A. Pretty good description of style
1. Decrease in experimental tendencies
2. Largely independent songwriting – little collaboration
3. Music in wide variety of styles
4. Rock and roll, but rock that reflects musical influences form past and present
B. The Beatles (The White Album) (1968)
1. Obviously less
1. Demonstration – variety of influences
2. Put back up list of early influences on lads
3. Play excerpts from
a. Rocky Racoon – folk rock, country
b. Honey Pie – English dance hall, pop
c. Yer Blues – R&B
d. Revolution 1 - rockabilly
e. Sexy Sadie – doo-wop
e. Mention Back in the U.S.S.R. – Chuck Berry, Beach Boys
V. Importance of the Beatles -- Expand possibilities of rock
A. Unorthodox ensembles
B. Demonstrate what is possible in studio
C. Start to shift balance of importance from single to album
D. Expand acceptable length of single
E. Expand harmonic, tone color choices