However, the fact that they could sing, write, play their own instruments, come up with some pretty nifty songs/harmonies/musical approaches/instrumentation, etc. I'd say puts them in a league a notch or two above your average surface-only, teen schlock machine "band".
All I know is that I like them and their music. Not really nostalgia at all because, to me, they're still very relevant and "around".
In 50 years, we'll STILL be talking about - and listening to - the Beatles. THAT'S the difference between them and much of today's artists.
Stick around...you'll see.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yeah, the fact that they honed their craft on stage makes all the difference. They were NOT some PR flack's creation, at first. Sure, they did their share of that kind of stuff later, but they had the goods.
<strong>If some deranged fan puts six hollowpoints into Justin Timberlake, only a small segment of the population is going to be distraught and feel any true "impact" over it.
And they'll be over it by New Year's because it'll be getting close to prom planning season, so...
Too late. I'm sorry, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for this.
As for Buddy Holly the Beatles themselves cited him as a big influence.
Did you see that Paul McCartney special a week or so ago? I know he isn't your favorite Beatle - he isn't mine either - but that was an amazingly good show.
I missed it, but you're about the 10th person I've heard who said it was really good! Rats!
I like McCartney fine. But Harrison was just cooooool.
I saw McCartney live in Atlanta years ago (1992, I think). It was his first American tour in YEARS. We drove down without a ticket, planning to get one from a scalper. Literally 10 minutes before the show was set to start, my girlfriend and I were about to give up and this doctor ended up getting an emergency page. He and his wife came up to us and said "do you need tickets? We have to leave right now...". He sold them to us at face value (all the scalpers were wanting $150 and up). Face value was like $40 or something!
Talk about awesome luck. He put on a great show. Did tons of Beatles and Wings stuff and was even playing his famous Hofner violin bass throughout most of the show. Said he pulled it out of storage because he missed it.
Yeah, they loved Buddy Holly. They covered "Words of Love" on "Beatles For Sale". Sounds really nice. On those old tapes of them performing in clubs in Hamburg, Germany - before they were famous - they're doing R&B, blues, Chuck Berry and Little Richard covers, pop standards, instrumentals, novelty songs, ballads, etc. Even then, their harmonies were tight and they had a cool sound. They more than paid their dues, gigging in shithole clubs and bars for hours and hours each night. No one came along and said "ooh, let's put four guys together and...".
I think Dylan and them kinda had a mutual appreciation thing going. I kinda think the Beatles were a major influence on Dylan going electric...think about it. Then, in turn, I think his writing had a huge influence on theirs, starting in the mid-60's. Some of John's stuff (and George too) got more "sideways" and oblique and with clever wordplay and all. A cool give-and-take thing, it seems.
I think Dylan and them kinda had a mutual appreciation thing going. I kinda think the Beatles were a major influence on Dylan going electric...think about it. Then, in turn, I think his writing had a huge influence on theirs, starting in the mid-60's. Some of John's stuff (and George too) got more "sideways" and oblique and with clever wordplay and all. A cool give-and-take thing, it seems.
The Beatles were NOT a major factor in Bob going electric. Bob was a rocker before he was a folkie, and he was familiar with everyone you have mentioned (Buddy Holly, The Everlys, Little Richard, Elvis, & Chuck Berry). Bob definitely reacted to the Beatles later on in the 60s (see 4th Time Around as compared to Norwegian Wood), but I think Bob is a much larger influence on the Beatles than they were on him.
Later Bob & George had a really good artistic relationship going. If you haven't heard it yet, you should check out Bob's recent cover of "Sometimes" over at bobdylan.com under the performances section.
I've heard the Dylan cover. I heard another one too. I read an interview with Dylan one time in Rolling Stone or Spin or one of those magazines where he said he loved Harrison's electric 12-string sound and loved the mesh of their "electric guitars".
I'd consider that a bit of an influence.
In any case, this isn't a Dylan vs. Everyone Else pissing contest...
[/B] [quote][B]but I think Bob is a much larger influence on the Beatles than they were on him. <hr></blockquote>
oh most definately! i think the difference between the groups that made it through the british invasion
thing, and the ones who didn't were the people who were influenced by dylan. mostly the beatles and the stones and a lesser degree the who and even less the kinks.
getting back to the lennon death annivesary, i heard it from howard cosell on monday night football and he gave it the respect and dignity it deserved, they even cut away from the broadcast. ironically lennon had been a halftime guest earlier (maybe the previous season, the same night as ronald reagan!) and howard had interviewed him.
i remember howard saying the news put the game in perspective (i.e. it was just a game) and the rest of the broadcast was a really subdued affair.
i meant to add that in the later years of howards life or when someone was always ragging him for his abrasiveness i always kept quiet.
i got to meet him as he was coming out of the hyatt on moichigan as i was coming in and i shook his hand to tell him thank-you. i couldn't tell him why (the lennon thing) i would of choked up. but he shook my hand and said "why thank YOU young man."
and man he said it just like howard cosell, you know what i mean?
All the same, I don't see a great depth to lyrics like "She Love's Me, yeah yeah yeah..." or even uniquely interesting musicality, etc etc. </strong><hr></blockquote>
True, but what about the lyrics "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah."?
And no, no great depth to the lyrics, but it was a new sound, and one that still sounds fresh, almost 40 (!) years later.
That's really quite something, when you think about it.
Comments
<strong>Well, uh...yes, the Beatles were a "boy band", I suppose. In the sense that they were a) boys and b) in a band.
<img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
However, the fact that they could sing, write, play their own instruments, come up with some pretty nifty songs/harmonies/musical approaches/instrumentation, etc. I'd say puts them in a league a notch or two above your average surface-only, teen schlock machine "band".
All I know is that I like them and their music. Not really nostalgia at all because, to me, they're still very relevant and "around".
In 50 years, we'll STILL be talking about - and listening to - the Beatles. THAT'S the difference between them and much of today's artists.
Stick around...you'll see.
Yeah, the fact that they honed their craft on stage makes all the difference. They were NOT some PR flack's creation, at first. Sure, they did their share of that kind of stuff later, but they had the goods.
<strong>If some deranged fan puts six hollowpoints into Justin Timberlake, only a small segment of the population is going to be distraught and feel any true "impact" over it.
And they'll be over it by New Year's because it'll be getting close to prom planning season, so...
who?
<strong>Oh, and Bob Dylan too!
Too late. I'm sorry, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for this.
As for Buddy Holly the Beatles themselves cited him as a big influence.
Did you see that Paul McCartney special a week or so ago? I know he isn't your favorite Beatle - he isn't mine either - but that was an amazingly good show.
I like McCartney fine. But Harrison was just cooooool.
I saw McCartney live in Atlanta years ago (1992, I think). It was his first American tour in YEARS. We drove down without a ticket, planning to get one from a scalper. Literally 10 minutes before the show was set to start, my girlfriend and I were about to give up and this doctor ended up getting an emergency page. He and his wife came up to us and said "do you need tickets? We have to leave right now...". He sold them to us at face value (all the scalpers were wanting $150 and up). Face value was like $40 or something!
Talk about awesome luck. He put on a great show. Did tons of Beatles and Wings stuff and was even playing his famous Hofner violin bass throughout most of the show. Said he pulled it out of storage because he missed it.
Yeah, they loved Buddy Holly. They covered "Words of Love" on "Beatles For Sale". Sounds really nice. On those old tapes of them performing in clubs in Hamburg, Germany - before they were famous - they're doing R&B, blues, Chuck Berry and Little Richard covers, pop standards, instrumentals, novelty songs, ballads, etc. Even then, their harmonies were tight and they had a cool sound. They more than paid their dues, gigging in shithole clubs and bars for hours and hours each night. No one came along and said "ooh, let's put four guys together and...".
<img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
I think Dylan and them kinda had a mutual appreciation thing going. I kinda think the Beatles were a major influence on Dylan going electric...think about it. Then, in turn, I think his writing had a huge influence on theirs, starting in the mid-60's. Some of John's stuff (and George too) got more "sideways" and oblique and with clever wordplay and all. A cool give-and-take thing, it seems.
[ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]</p>
<strong>
I think Dylan and them kinda had a mutual appreciation thing going. I kinda think the Beatles were a major influence on Dylan going electric...think about it. Then, in turn, I think his writing had a huge influence on theirs, starting in the mid-60's. Some of John's stuff (and George too) got more "sideways" and oblique and with clever wordplay and all. A cool give-and-take thing, it seems.
[ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: pscates ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
The Beatles were NOT a major factor in Bob going electric. Bob was a rocker before he was a folkie, and he was familiar with everyone you have mentioned (Buddy Holly, The Everlys, Little Richard, Elvis, & Chuck Berry). Bob definitely reacted to the Beatles later on in the 60s (see 4th Time Around as compared to Norwegian Wood), but I think Bob is a much larger influence on the Beatles than they were on him.
Later Bob & George had a really good artistic relationship going. If you haven't heard it yet, you should check out Bob's recent cover of "Sometimes" over at bobdylan.com under the performances section.
I'd consider that a bit of an influence.
In any case, this isn't a Dylan vs. Everyone Else pissing contest...
Dylan is great.
oh most definately! i think the difference between the groups that made it through the british invasion
thing, and the ones who didn't were the people who were influenced by dylan. mostly the beatles and the stones and a lesser degree the who and even less the kinks.
getting back to the lennon death annivesary, i heard it from howard cosell on monday night football and he gave it the respect and dignity it deserved, they even cut away from the broadcast. ironically lennon had been a halftime guest earlier (maybe the previous season, the same night as ronald reagan!) and howard had interviewed him.
i remember howard saying the news put the game in perspective (i.e. it was just a game) and the rest of the broadcast was a really subdued affair.
i got to meet him as he was coming out of the hyatt on moichigan as i was coming in and i shook his hand to tell him thank-you. i couldn't tell him why (the lennon thing) i would of choked up. but he shook my hand and said "why thank YOU young man."
and man he said it just like howard cosell, you know what i mean?
[ 12-09-2002: Message edited by: superkaratemonkeydeathcar ]</p>
<strong>
All the same, I don't see a great depth to lyrics like "She Love's Me, yeah yeah yeah..." or even uniquely interesting musicality, etc etc. </strong><hr></blockquote>
True, but what about the lyrics "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah."?
And no, no great depth to the lyrics, but it was a new sound, and one that still sounds fresh, almost 40 (!) years later.
That's really quite something, when you think about it.
-robo
It STILL sounds good and fresh...nearly 40 years later. Not too many bands can say that.