Where (and what) constitutes the divide between early and late era Beatles for you?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Kim Olesen, Mar 14, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. longaway

    longaway Senior Member

    Location:
    Charlotte, NC, USA
    I'm also a three era guy.

    Early - through Revolver

    Mid - Pepper & Mystery

    Late - White Album through Abbey Road


    If, for the sake of this thread, I was to split it into two eras, I would combine Mid & Late, with Early still going through Revolver.

    With all of their tremendous success, Revolver feels like the culmination of their youth, to me. It's everything they've learned, including the freedom to experiment, bundled into one album, but not so completely advanced from anything prior. Taxman, for all it's rocking, still has a shuffle (skiffle) feel to it.

    The opening guitar lick to Sgt Pepper feels different. It's like a mission statement, "We are grown." This is where a band that has access to all of it's tools and faculties emerged.
     
  2. The inclusion of Can't Buy Me Love and I Should Have Known Better "ruined" the Hey Jude album for me. Paperback Writer and Rain fit in with the other songs.

    I'm also one of those people who used to think that Rubber Soul was the dividing line, but then realized that many Help tracks weren't that different from the later album. (On cassette, I'd kick Run for Your Life and What Goes On off Rubber Soul, and replace them with selections from Help.)
     
    Crimson Witch and Mister Charlie like this.
  3. Frittenköter

    Frittenköter Forum Resident

    Location:
    Germany
    they started to really change on Help. It's a transitional album.
     
    Crimson Witch and linclink like this.
  4. troggy

    troggy Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow

    Location:
    Benton, Illinois
    I'd say after Revolver. They were decidedly still a rock and roll band up to that point.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  5. OnTheRoad

    OnTheRoad Not of this world

    I'd have to include a "mid-period". No...I'd have to include an early mid-period, mid mid-period, and late mid-period to the early and late period. Those categories would also extend to the early/late periods ala early early-period, mid early-period......you get my drift.

    To me the mid period would be Rubber Soul - Revolver. The last of the early period would be the late early-period Help. RS would have a few mid mid-period tunes like Drive My Car and If I Needed Someone along with the early mid-period tunes on the album. Revolver would be mostly mid mid-period except for the obvious late mid-period Tomorrow Never Knows and say....Taxman. Sgt. Pepper would of course start the late period, but that would be early late-period. ;)
     
    Crimson Witch and Johnny Reb like this.
  6. troggy

    troggy Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow

    Location:
    Benton, Illinois
    There's definitely a transition there as they became album artists. Going on the assumption that I need one clear break, I'd rather put it after Revolver than before Rubber Soul.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  7. kaztor

    kaztor Music is the Best

    The main transition from early to late era Beatles is when they stopped touring (mid-1966) and the release of Revolver.
    However, if I would have to split it into early/mid/late era's things seem to map out a bit differently.
    I would place the dividing line from 'early' to 'mid' inbetween A Hard Days Night and Beatles For Sale. AHDN seems like the perfect crystallization of what was done up to that point whereas BFS shows a maturity that was new to the band and their image. It showed them losing a chunk of their innocence. The 'mid' to 'late' dividing line would be where the White Album comes in and the loss of innocence is complete: Four bandmembers who would rather spend their time doing other things than putting up with each other. Fortunately this negativity didn't necessarily reflect in the quality of the music.
     
    Crimson Witch and Tonmeister like this.
  8. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Beatlemania (early period) - Please Please Me - Help! - while there was some experimentation it was still mostly the same lovey-dovey stuff, for the most part
    Middle period - Rubber Soul and Revolver - lyrical progression, lots of great musical experimentation, etc.
    Late period - Pepper to the end. All in the studio, everything that's been said, blah blah blah.
     
  9. So The Beatles late era begins with Beatles For Sale?
     
  10. Vinylfindco

    Vinylfindco The Pressing Matters

    Location:
    Miami
    The girls stopped screaming when Paul no longer looked like Paul. He was cute and adorable and a few months later wasn't. And I'm sorry, four acid trips don't account for it. So my answer is between 1966 and 1967.
     
  11. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Side two of "Help", UK version. Two tracks wound up on the USA Rubber Soul, fitting in perfectly.
     
  12. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Need I note that the Beatles were the other band noted for their trousers?
     
  13. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Past 40 something, as the testosterone ramps down and the estrogen really starts to kick in. There are often other symptoms as well.
     
  14. Another Steve

    Another Steve Senior Member

    The rules changed radically starting with Rubber Soul. They then seemed like an entirely different band from the early Beatles by their next album, Revolver.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  15. broshfab4

    broshfab4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    I feel that there are several eras. Early era would but up until Help!, the second would be through Revolver, the third through MMT and then the late period after that. But if I had to pick between two separate eras, then I would use Revolver as the cutoff point.

    -Richard
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  16. simond9x

    simond9x Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    As someone who grew up with the Beatles, there didn't seem to be a dividing line at the time in their musical progression. Each album built on the previous and added new experimentation - lyrically, musically and studio effects. It's easy, with hindsight to start dividing it into early, middle and late. What I would say though is that I agree with an earlier poster that "the dream" came to a shuddering end around the time that Brian died. From that point on they were no longer 'the Fabs', they were struggling for an identity and no longer did everything they touch turn to gold. So that's where I'd put any dividing line.
     
    Crimson Witch likes this.
  17. Gems-A-Bems

    Gems-A-Bems Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Duke City
    No, the early era ends where the cannabis begins.
     
    lobo likes this.
  18. lobo

    lobo Music has always been a matter of Energy to me...

    Location:
    Germany
    Mary Jane. Because it changed them and their music.
     
    Gems-A-Bems likes this.
  19. lobo

    lobo Music has always been a matter of Energy to me...

    Location:
    Germany
    Great minds and stuff... ;)
     
    Gems-A-Bems likes this.
  20. Mal

    Mal Phorum Physicist

    Hotel Delmonico?
     
  21. Gems-A-Bems

    Gems-A-Bems Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Duke City
    You can check out but you can never leave? A little bit of Zimmerman will always remain with you?
     
  22. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    I think I Feel Fine is the first sign of how the Beatles would progress later on.
     
  23. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    Norwegian Wood - their first 'adult' song.
     
    Crimson Witch and ohnothimagen like this.
  24. pinkrudy

    pinkrudy Senior Member

    norwgian wood is where i started to like them.
     
  25. Mal

    Mal Phorum Physicist

    Just say "No thanks, I'm rhythm guitar and mouth organ".
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine