Beatles - 1
We all have atleast heard the name of the Beatles, if not heard their vast collection of germinal rock and roll songs. It might not be known to many how the Beatles came together and how they finally parted precisely between the 1960 and the 1970; 10 years of their existence which would leave a non-effaceable mark on the future world music. Not only did the Beatles bring a revolution in the music industry, their relentless touring to far off lands from the center of the world (Britain) has influenced the modern touring industry heavily. And they are still remembered in their own right for these reasons.
The story of the Beatles is no less than a drama one would see in films and plays. Beatles had their own share of struggle and problems when they started off. Originally from Liverpool, the real Beatles were not formed till some time after the founding of the band. Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison were the founding members of the band; the band which went to Hamburg to play in night clubs. Reeperbahn and St. Pauli were infamous even then. Ringo Starr was introduced to the band there, and was into the Beatles when they returned back to England.
After some initial struggle to get EMI produce their first record, their music records started getting on top of the charts in England, and they began to get noticed by music lovers. They started touring local areas around Europe and started getting involved in live performances. That was one big reason why the Beatles became so famous in so less time. Their energy and inclination towards touring and live shows was tremendous, which brought them into the eye of the public right away. USA was considered a big market then as well, and for any musician capturing the American market would have been an achievement.
The initial albums of Beatles had reluctant buyers in the American market, who said that their music was not for the American crowd. EMI, which was producing Beatles albums in England, struggled to convince its American operations Capitol Records in America to produce those initial albums. But they were let down on all occasions. EMI, then asked smaller labels in the American market to launch Beatles albums. The albums for obvious reasons did not do well.
But after nearly a year and a half, the first album of the Beatles 'Love Me Do' reached the top of the charts in America. And Beatles were starting to get famous in America. They had always held that they would tour America only after they had a single in the top chart. And once this was clear, their American tour was on the way. During the same time the release of their next single 'I want to hold your hand' was scheduled. This brought about a major publicity in itself.
It was crazy to see the response they got in America. J. F. Kennedy airport was flocked and crowded with people for the arrival of the band. Footage of the moment just show how mad and excited the crowd was getting. I reckon there was nothing even close to this kind of reception in the history of world music; their tour was instantly a success.
In the coming months, such tours continued and they continued to make remarkable music. But there were signs of controversies and problems creeping in. Their Phillipines tour was a failure, and none of the band members were happy with the way things went there. The behavior of the Phillipines government was openly condemned and criticized. Then, a remark made by John, claiming that Beatles are more famous than Jesus, sparked a turmoil. This was just before their third tour of America in 1966, and John had to make apologies to the press in Chicago.
In addition to these unwanted controversies, the music of the Beatles suffered. Their live performances were getting chaotic rather than enjoyable. Paul is most quoted in the press as saying that they could not just hear what they are playing on stage, amidst fanatic audiences. The result of all this was they started getting discontent with their music, and the long for live performances and tours was brought down to an all time low. Their third tour of America in 1966 was their last tour ever to America as a band. They then decided that they would concentrate on studio albums. And this marked the beggining of a new phase for the Beatles.
The story of the Beatles is no less than a drama one would see in films and plays. Beatles had their own share of struggle and problems when they started off. Originally from Liverpool, the real Beatles were not formed till some time after the founding of the band. Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison were the founding members of the band; the band which went to Hamburg to play in night clubs. Reeperbahn and St. Pauli were infamous even then. Ringo Starr was introduced to the band there, and was into the Beatles when they returned back to England.
After some initial struggle to get EMI produce their first record, their music records started getting on top of the charts in England, and they began to get noticed by music lovers. They started touring local areas around Europe and started getting involved in live performances. That was one big reason why the Beatles became so famous in so less time. Their energy and inclination towards touring and live shows was tremendous, which brought them into the eye of the public right away. USA was considered a big market then as well, and for any musician capturing the American market would have been an achievement.
The initial albums of Beatles had reluctant buyers in the American market, who said that their music was not for the American crowd. EMI, which was producing Beatles albums in England, struggled to convince its American operations Capitol Records in America to produce those initial albums. But they were let down on all occasions. EMI, then asked smaller labels in the American market to launch Beatles albums. The albums for obvious reasons did not do well.
But after nearly a year and a half, the first album of the Beatles 'Love Me Do' reached the top of the charts in America. And Beatles were starting to get famous in America. They had always held that they would tour America only after they had a single in the top chart. And once this was clear, their American tour was on the way. During the same time the release of their next single 'I want to hold your hand' was scheduled. This brought about a major publicity in itself.
It was crazy to see the response they got in America. J. F. Kennedy airport was flocked and crowded with people for the arrival of the band. Footage of the moment just show how mad and excited the crowd was getting. I reckon there was nothing even close to this kind of reception in the history of world music; their tour was instantly a success.
In the coming months, such tours continued and they continued to make remarkable music. But there were signs of controversies and problems creeping in. Their Phillipines tour was a failure, and none of the band members were happy with the way things went there. The behavior of the Phillipines government was openly condemned and criticized. Then, a remark made by John, claiming that Beatles are more famous than Jesus, sparked a turmoil. This was just before their third tour of America in 1966, and John had to make apologies to the press in Chicago.
In addition to these unwanted controversies, the music of the Beatles suffered. Their live performances were getting chaotic rather than enjoyable. Paul is most quoted in the press as saying that they could not just hear what they are playing on stage, amidst fanatic audiences. The result of all this was they started getting discontent with their music, and the long for live performances and tours was brought down to an all time low. Their third tour of America in 1966 was their last tour ever to America as a band. They then decided that they would concentrate on studio albums. And this marked the beggining of a new phase for the Beatles.
Labels: beatles
posted by Rajesh at 1:46 PM
1 Comments:
nice to read ur post. do u know aboutthe bengali band called "mahiner ghora" they were the first rock band in asia, basically from bangladesh. infact bands like Euphoria,strings ,silk route they always said that they were very inspired by the band and their style of singing.
" bhigi bhigi si hai raate bhigi bhigi " is one of the songs which is taken from " mahiner ghora"
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