Dude, I creep into this world like once a month, but you guys live here every day! The three of you have such deep knowledge on music history, I love it.
It’s interesting how the Beatles constituted a defining moment in so many people’s lives. They seemed to represent joy in the midst of pain as well as change in the midst of long standing tradition. They played the paradox well.
I’m curious if you have seen the movie “Yesterday”? I think it’s an interesting take on The Beatles and everything about them. I became aware of them about 15 years before you were introduced, but I didn’t have much opportunity to listen to them until I started university in the mid 1970’s. Interestingly, I lived in England for a while in the early 70’s, with my much older brother who was stationed there. Wasn’t introduced to any of the British bands, though I did pick up an appreciation for Three Dog Night and Neil Diamond. Again, I had to wait for college friends to introduce me to The Who, Rolling Stones, as well as the Beatles. Any particular song or songs of their’s that you still resonate with today? Circling back around, Yesterday is one that, when I’m in a particular mood, still hits me hard. Link it with CSN&Y’s Wasted on the Way and Billy Joel’s Tell her About It and I can become a puddle of memories and emotions.
Actually did get it to play. Interesting collection. The first whole album of the Beatles I listened to was The White Album and, of all the songs, “Rocky Raccoon” is the one that sticks with me. Especially when one visits our back deck.
There's just a Beatles song for everything, isn't there? They had such wide range. I feel like I never thought anything creative I was doing was "off limits", largely thanks to my early exposure to them.
My mom loved The Beatles when I was growing up, so I'd been exposed to a lot of their music. I think it's fair to say they were among the first ever musical artists I'd been exposed to, and I'm pretty sure we had a lot of their stuff on vinyl that would play when I was falling asleep, as I mentioned in a recent comment.
Later on, when I played the piano, I played many of their greatest hits, some of which I'd just pick up by ear. (I am completely rusty these days, but I can still play Let It Be okay-ish.)
That's a neat little memory about learning piano by ear. I am pretty sure I was really focused on getting Axel F (Harold Faltermeyer) down on piano, and I could certainly hear the right notes to play if I stumbled around enough, but bass guitar was even easier to learn by ear. I think I played the Beatles on an old acoustic guitar my uncle bought me, but I never learned the chords - just mimicked the individual string sounds coming out. That made bass a snap.
A great story about your exposure to the Fab Four! There are precious few still around who experienced Ed Sullivan's introduction of the band to the U.S.! Similar to your revelation, while I'm sure I couldn't express it at 8 (even in my head), looking back to that February 1964 moment, I must've been formulating, in my noggin, this: "I don't know what this is or what it's called, but I want to hear more of this, and I want to look for music that sounds like this....forever!" Kinda been doing that!
I remember, too, that once "I got tired of a Beatles song," I would suddenly realize there's a whole 'nother song in there! That's when I discovered harmonies, although I didn't know the word for it. I'd learn that "new song" in the background, and love the song all over again!
After nearly 3 years of playing accordion, and traveling to recitals in Enid, OK and Louisville, KY (with Mom, of course....but, hey, I was a "touring musician"!), I noticed from the Sullivan appearance a disturbing "lack": "Mom, how come no Beatles were playing accordion?" I must've perceived the squeezebox was something a bit less than a "hip" instrument. "Mommy, do I have to keep playing the accordion? I don't wanna play it if no Beatles were!"
Thankfully, she didn't force me to stick with it. Ironically enough, about 3-4 years later, I chose another instrument that weighed but a tiny fraction of the heavy accordion I had been lugging around while winning recital trophies and ribbons! Starting in 1968 (I was 13), Jethro Tull albums had introduced me to Ian Anderson's flute playing. I was off'n'running learning all his licks through 1973's "A Passion Play"...all by ear, learning his licks off of the records!
"I remember, too, that once "I got tired of a Beatles song," I would suddenly realize there's a whole 'nother song in there! That's when I discovered harmonies, although I didn't know the word for it. I'd learn that "new song" in the background, and love the song all over again!"
I learned so much by just listening intently to the Beatles. Harmonizing, scales - and my own ability (or lack thereof!) to read musical notation actually mirrors Paul's and John's. Good enough for those two, good enough for me, I figured, and started writing my own songs toward the end of my teen years. I learned to do that first by listening to the Beatles.
I also wanted to mention: I badly wanted to play guitar left-handed. I bet you can guess why.
Southpaw guit-fiddle had to be a love for Paul, Hendrix, and/or Tony Iommi!!
Your life direction (although not in Sullivan/'64 real-time) the '64 revelation of FR&B key contributor, Stephen Michael Schwartz..he was ten, then! He, like you, was led to discovering his talents in guitar playing, singing, and songwriting! Hence, his '74 album for RCA Records, and his coupla decades in the popular children's music trio, Parachute Express: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_Express
I sense Ringo and Paul have a tiny clue as to the musical "lessons" their scene-bursting caused...from whelping more guitarists, musicians in general, singers, songwriters, and those, like me, who just got catapulted into a lifetime of seeking tuneful, creative, dynamic, and captivating music! Back to Ringo and Paul....they have NO idea!🎵
Curiously, my drive was purely musical, which ultimately shaped my later love and appreciation for pop songwriting (never doing it...had I been talented in that direction, I'd-a known it and done it!), and seeking it out wherever it occurred!
Quality songcraft is what I was searching for! My discoveries live and breathe, happily, all over FR&B! And, the search continues!
In my 6th grade social studies class my teacher invited a Vietnam Vet to talk to us. This was about 1972 or 73. He told us how he patrolled the Mekong River on a patrol boat. He went on to tell us how they caught a kid our age spying. They assumed they were getting ambushed at night because this kid rode along with them on patrols as a kind of mascot. They threw him in the river and opened fire on him with M-60. We all just went quiet...
Okay, that's one helluva memory! Wow. I can only imagine the thoughts about your own mortality creeping in, and if I'm honest, the closest I came to that around that age was the Challenger disaster - a far cry from a first hand account, and yet we kids all felt we knew Christa McAuliffe and the other six astronauts headed up there. As into the Beatles as I was in sixth grade, I was probably just as into NASA and space exploration in fifth grade.
I think the trick is to alienate them early enough on so that a reconciliation due to age is possible. Maybe I'm projecting (but you sound like you've thought about the right things!).
Can't say I'm friends with my folks, but I have still drawn much closer to them as I've aged. They are still here, too! I'm just smart enough to take advantage of some of the time we have together. I'm going to interview them when I visit next month.
I like your social studies class a lot more than mine... We did have Frank Borman visit our school in about 1974ish. That was a treat. He was investing is Sterling Homex in our town. It was a modular 2 story home, but it went belly up within a short time.
Borman was a legend! I feel like the space hype was at its peak in the mid 80s, but the sugar high from the Moon landings (still active, too!) in 74 must have been truly incredible.
Thanks for the shout! I'll second your recommnedations of both Brad and Faith. The latter is my go-to source for anything Beatles-related.
Dude, I creep into this world like once a month, but you guys live here every day! The three of you have such deep knowledge on music history, I love it.
It’s interesting how the Beatles constituted a defining moment in so many people’s lives. They seemed to represent joy in the midst of pain as well as change in the midst of long standing tradition. They played the paradox well.
Not to mention, I think they were truly in the right place and at the right time.
As we all are…
So was I, at 8, sitting cross-legged on the floor on that 1964 Sunday night!
I traveled back in time to hang out with you! I was older, though.
I’m curious if you have seen the movie “Yesterday”? I think it’s an interesting take on The Beatles and everything about them. I became aware of them about 15 years before you were introduced, but I didn’t have much opportunity to listen to them until I started university in the mid 1970’s. Interestingly, I lived in England for a while in the early 70’s, with my much older brother who was stationed there. Wasn’t introduced to any of the British bands, though I did pick up an appreciation for Three Dog Night and Neil Diamond. Again, I had to wait for college friends to introduce me to The Who, Rolling Stones, as well as the Beatles. Any particular song or songs of their’s that you still resonate with today? Circling back around, Yesterday is one that, when I’m in a particular mood, still hits me hard. Link it with CSN&Y’s Wasted on the Way and Billy Joel’s Tell her About It and I can become a puddle of memories and emotions.
Daniel, yes! The Beatles very much still resonate with me today. They are like my musical "true north" in a sense. I put this together over the pandemic: https://www.pandora.com/playlist/PL:142684725595611624:74638688
You may not be able to play the songs, but hopefully you can see the 37 songs I picked.
I have not yet seen Yesterday, but now it is on my radar!
Actually did get it to play. Interesting collection. The first whole album of the Beatles I listened to was The White Album and, of all the songs, “Rocky Raccoon” is the one that sticks with me. Especially when one visits our back deck.
There's just a Beatles song for everything, isn't there? They had such wide range. I feel like I never thought anything creative I was doing was "off limits", largely thanks to my early exposure to them.
I forgot about Yesterday! I liked it; the ending got me.
My mom loved The Beatles when I was growing up, so I'd been exposed to a lot of their music. I think it's fair to say they were among the first ever musical artists I'd been exposed to, and I'm pretty sure we had a lot of their stuff on vinyl that would play when I was falling asleep, as I mentioned in a recent comment.
Later on, when I played the piano, I played many of their greatest hits, some of which I'd just pick up by ear. (I am completely rusty these days, but I can still play Let It Be okay-ish.)
That's a neat little memory about learning piano by ear. I am pretty sure I was really focused on getting Axel F (Harold Faltermeyer) down on piano, and I could certainly hear the right notes to play if I stumbled around enough, but bass guitar was even easier to learn by ear. I think I played the Beatles on an old acoustic guitar my uncle bought me, but I never learned the chords - just mimicked the individual string sounds coming out. That made bass a snap.
Thanks for the "Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation", Andrew! BTW, a terrific 1981 book by Philip Norman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shout!:_The_Beatles_in_Their_Generation
A great story about your exposure to the Fab Four! There are precious few still around who experienced Ed Sullivan's introduction of the band to the U.S.! Similar to your revelation, while I'm sure I couldn't express it at 8 (even in my head), looking back to that February 1964 moment, I must've been formulating, in my noggin, this: "I don't know what this is or what it's called, but I want to hear more of this, and I want to look for music that sounds like this....forever!" Kinda been doing that!
I remember, too, that once "I got tired of a Beatles song," I would suddenly realize there's a whole 'nother song in there! That's when I discovered harmonies, although I didn't know the word for it. I'd learn that "new song" in the background, and love the song all over again!
After nearly 3 years of playing accordion, and traveling to recitals in Enid, OK and Louisville, KY (with Mom, of course....but, hey, I was a "touring musician"!), I noticed from the Sullivan appearance a disturbing "lack": "Mom, how come no Beatles were playing accordion?" I must've perceived the squeezebox was something a bit less than a "hip" instrument. "Mommy, do I have to keep playing the accordion? I don't wanna play it if no Beatles were!"
Thankfully, she didn't force me to stick with it. Ironically enough, about 3-4 years later, I chose another instrument that weighed but a tiny fraction of the heavy accordion I had been lugging around while winning recital trophies and ribbons! Starting in 1968 (I was 13), Jethro Tull albums had introduced me to Ian Anderson's flute playing. I was off'n'running learning all his licks through 1973's "A Passion Play"...all by ear, learning his licks off of the records!
Thanks again, Andrew!
I love this part so much:
"I remember, too, that once "I got tired of a Beatles song," I would suddenly realize there's a whole 'nother song in there! That's when I discovered harmonies, although I didn't know the word for it. I'd learn that "new song" in the background, and love the song all over again!"
I learned so much by just listening intently to the Beatles. Harmonizing, scales - and my own ability (or lack thereof!) to read musical notation actually mirrors Paul's and John's. Good enough for those two, good enough for me, I figured, and started writing my own songs toward the end of my teen years. I learned to do that first by listening to the Beatles.
I also wanted to mention: I badly wanted to play guitar left-handed. I bet you can guess why.
Southpaw guit-fiddle had to be a love for Paul, Hendrix, and/or Tony Iommi!!
Your life direction (although not in Sullivan/'64 real-time) the '64 revelation of FR&B key contributor, Stephen Michael Schwartz..he was ten, then! He, like you, was led to discovering his talents in guitar playing, singing, and songwriting! Hence, his '74 album for RCA Records, and his coupla decades in the popular children's music trio, Parachute Express: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_Express
I sense Ringo and Paul have a tiny clue as to the musical "lessons" their scene-bursting caused...from whelping more guitarists, musicians in general, singers, songwriters, and those, like me, who just got catapulted into a lifetime of seeking tuneful, creative, dynamic, and captivating music! Back to Ringo and Paul....they have NO idea!🎵
Curiously, my drive was purely musical, which ultimately shaped my later love and appreciation for pop songwriting (never doing it...had I been talented in that direction, I'd-a known it and done it!), and seeking it out wherever it occurred!
Quality songcraft is what I was searching for! My discoveries live and breathe, happily, all over FR&B! And, the search continues!
Man. The Beatles must have spawned more musicians than any other group, ever.
In my 6th grade social studies class my teacher invited a Vietnam Vet to talk to us. This was about 1972 or 73. He told us how he patrolled the Mekong River on a patrol boat. He went on to tell us how they caught a kid our age spying. They assumed they were getting ambushed at night because this kid rode along with them on patrols as a kind of mascot. They threw him in the river and opened fire on him with M-60. We all just went quiet...
Music and war... quite a time.
Okay, that's one helluva memory! Wow. I can only imagine the thoughts about your own mortality creeping in, and if I'm honest, the closest I came to that around that age was the Challenger disaster - a far cry from a first hand account, and yet we kids all felt we knew Christa McAuliffe and the other six astronauts headed up there. As into the Beatles as I was in sixth grade, I was probably just as into NASA and space exploration in fifth grade.
Yeah, that's how I want my kids to feel about me. 😀
I think the trick is to alienate them early enough on so that a reconciliation due to age is possible. Maybe I'm projecting (but you sound like you've thought about the right things!).
Ha! Yes... That's the way my dad was with me. We went on to be like friends. I'm sure it was a great improvement over what his father did.
Can't say I'm friends with my folks, but I have still drawn much closer to them as I've aged. They are still here, too! I'm just smart enough to take advantage of some of the time we have together. I'm going to interview them when I visit next month.
You will never regret what an interview can reveal about them and you.
It was. My dad taught 6th grade and did rocketry. Borman signed his Saturn V Estes rocket model. Magical time.
Whoa, your dad did rocketry? I would have killed for a dad so cool back then (but absolutely adore my dad these days)
I like your social studies class a lot more than mine... We did have Frank Borman visit our school in about 1974ish. That was a treat. He was investing is Sterling Homex in our town. It was a modular 2 story home, but it went belly up within a short time.
Borman was a legend! I feel like the space hype was at its peak in the mid 80s, but the sugar high from the Moon landings (still active, too!) in 74 must have been truly incredible.