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Did The Beatles Ruin Rock And Roll?
DJ Craig.NetDid The Beatles Ruin Rock And Roll? |
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 Sergeant Pepper Album |
Did The Beatles Ruin Rock And Roll?They took music to places it had never gone before. But it has long been contended by some that in doing so, The Fab Four changed Rock music into something it was never meant to be.In the late 1960s, The Beatles driving obsession was to come up with a concept record that would rival Beach Boy Brian Wilson's masterpiece album, "Pet Sounds". John Lennon and company desperately wanted to trump what many considered to be the best rock album ever. Fueled by this desire, "herbal jazz cigarettes" and whatever other mind altering substances they may have been experimenting with at the time, The four lads took to the studio in 1967. Their recent retirement from live performing meant they could devote all their free time to recording. With legendary producer George Martin at the helm, The Beatles finally emerged from the studio with the ambitious and divinely inspired, "Seargent Pepper" album. There were sounds on this record that had never been attempted before and probably cannot be duplicated. A cornucopia of diverse instruments, overdubs, backwards loops, reverb, various filters and treatments, something that sounds like a Star Wars "Wookie" and even alarm clocks and roosters. Of course, the core of the album was the amazing songs written by the team of Lennon and Mc Cartney. Old hats at this songwriting business by now, both were at their creative peaks. The finale of this opus was "A Day In The Life". This song's ending crescendo features a full orchestra hurtling wildly out of control, ending in a single massive E major piano chord being held for a full 42 seconds. In an era when most pop songs clocked in at 3 minutes or less, The Beatles had the "audio-dacity" to use much of this precious time for one single note. Of course, the album quickly rose to #1. A sonic marvel when it was first released, Sgt. Pepper is still revered as the standard by which other rock records are measured. But was this truly "Rock" music? The point has been made that if one cannot reproduce these songs live on stage and without aid of studio trickery, it's really just audio masturbation. The Beatles increasing use of diverse elements in their music evolved it far beyond the blues driven, rebellious, primordial stomp of predecessors Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. While The Beatles inspired many of the greats who followed, it's true they also made it possible for studio overproduced schmaltz to gain a foothold in Rock. This criticism was not lost on The Fab Four who, in their subsequent albums, strived for a more organic, rootsy sound. "The White Album", "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be" seemingly deconstructed the complicated sound they had achieved with Sgt. Pepper. "Let It Be" culminated in their final, live, rooftop performance in 1969. Blame for much of the musical tripe that passed as Rock in the early 70's has to be placed on its producers and the record buying public, whether or not it was inspired by The Fab Four. Arguments over "Sgt. Pepper" and its impact will rage on but The Beatles' other grand accomplishments stand on their own. Perhaps most important among them was their unmatched ability to write catchy, simple yet profound, universally relatable lyrics. And knowing when to quit, leaving their legacy untarnished. Keep it simple. Do your best. Get out before you burn out. Here the Boys from Liverpool remain undisputed champions. Other Articles From DJ Craig: The Disturbing Truth About Apple, iPods and iTunes Laguna Beach Weddings Are Hot 8 Things Your Disc Jockey Doesn't Want You To Know Simple Test For Hiring A DJ New Wave of Swing Reinvents Timeless Music Science Fiction Rock; The 70's Glam Era Coldplay "Chills" At The Anaheim Pond Ziggy Stardust Celebrates 59th Birthday When The Music Died- John Lennon 25 Years Later Rolling Stones Bang Into Orange County U2: How To Stay Vital Irony In Radioland: How The Legendary KROQ Went Wrong Did The Beatles Ruin Rock & Roll? Grammy's Best New Artist Award = Kiss Of Death "Big Mac" Radio Junk Food The Class Of '85- The Last Great Era Of Rock Why A Garter Toss? Live 8 Your 15 Minutes Are Up! NextWave- Back To The Future! Sex Pistols Snub Hall Of Fame To schedule an appointment with DJ Craig or inquire about date availability, please call 949.362.3535. DJ Craig.Net is an approved iTunes Affiliate with access to over two million songs.  Warning: The use of DJ Craig's sound and lighting may cause spontaneous partying! DJ Craig.Net is Music For Fun People! The contents of this page are proprietary and exclusive property of DJ Craig. Any unauthorized use or reproduction without express written consent is prohibited. Copyright © 2005- 2022, Creative / DJ Craig / djcraig.net All rights reserved. |