It was when the Beatles got tired of touring that they came to experiment more in their music and their music got more highly developed. Once they were only together in the studio, not in front of an audience in places like stadiums, they could spend more time on making each album and allowed them to make music they could not possibly perform live. Three of the Beatles did tour after break-up, John did not? Was John the Beatle of the Beatles?
I think if The Beatles carried on, they would have continued to do excellent things for a long time to come. There was something about the four of them together that gave everything they did something extra....musically and artistically took it all to new levels whether they meant it to or not. Plus, as McCartney has often said, they were a great little band.
Yes, you bet they would have. Paul would continue to drive, be productive and deliver masterpieces. John would keep up with Paul's drive and productivity, delivering his own masterpieces. The possibilities are endless...
Well so far, the Beatles were the first music act to perform in stadiums and after getting tired of touring, they were the first to use artificial double tracking, backwards recordings and tape loops, at least in a rock or pop context. They were also the first to use live radio broadcasts in their recordings. They also pioneered live music on international television and the White Album was the first rock or pop album to feature a sound collage. I am not so sure that the Beatles were the first to use a sitar on a pop recording, the Rolling Stones' Paint it, black, also released in 1966, also features a sitar. However, maybe the Beatles were the first to feature a tambura on a rock or pop recording, on Love You To (by George Harrison) and Tomorrow Never Knows (by John Lennon). The Beatles also made the first rock or pop concept album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Does anyone here understand why I say it is the Beatles record of Beatles records? Imagine the Beatles continuing on, perhaps making the first rock use of Moog synthesizers, being the first rock band to appear on Eurovision and maybe the first rock band to preform in Bangladesh and maybe make the first triple studio album. I know George Harrison's first solo album, All things must pass, is a triple album but disc three just consists of jamming sessions. It was John's group but they presented themselves as a group, not a band backing John Lennon. But was John perhaps more of a Beatle (if you know what I mean) than all the rest?
No, IMO John was the leader at one time but it ended there...Paul and George were also tremendously talented and held their own with each other...they were a BAND.
But we don’t know if the innovations they might have come up with would be the same as what others did come up with. None of them would have been working in a vacuum. All the artists were watching each other and building on what each other did. But someone might have nudged a big group of people in another direction. I could see the Beatles being hugely influential in multimedia and marketing. All four of them got further into filmmaking in various ways, so obviously they were all interested in film. John influenced by Yoko influenced by Fluxus was doing social marketing of a sort. Paul had a lot of interesting marketing ideas of his own, such as trolling (Thrillington and “bootlegging” his own album - assuming those were his ideas and not from his marketing people). Apple Corp could have been much more if it had survived - Apple Boutique, Apple Films, Apple Electronics, Zapple (like a blog only on a record), Apple School - they were starting to think about deliberate social engineering which corporations routinely do now. For an entertainment group to start to think about that, well they may not have been the only ones but how many entertainment groups had that kind of clout and creativity together? And the audacity? It’s a real shame they gave up on Apple so soon. They were just getting started!
If you haven’t already, check out the most recent podcast episode Andrew Hickey did about the Grateful Dead. I think you will be intrigued about what he says the marketing field and live performance of rock owes to the Grateful Dead. Apple perhaps had the potential to do some of that work if they hadn’t imploded it seems.
Norwegian Wood is 1965 and predates Paint it Black. Roll a Stoney and you can imitate everyone you know, you can imitate everyone you know.
Ken Thorne Thousands of albums before 1963 used guitars and drums. I believe all vocal records before 1963 used voices too.
I also believe that, post-breakup, if he hadn't later on sold it to Eurodisco titan Giorgio Moroder, George could have used that same Moog on some of his hit solo records, including on his 1979 eponymous album that opens with "Love Comes to Everyone"; on that song, Steve Winwood plays the related Minimoog for the solo break. Paul could also have used one for his solo work with Wings, including on Band on the Run (the title track, "Jet," and the standalone single "Helen Wheels" all feature Minimoog synth breaks by his wife Linda). ~Ben
Last time I quote you, I promise. I'm sorry it made you go ugh, last time. I'm also sorry for everybody else with this endless cycle. You were the one claiming that my comment about The Beatles doing more innovations than other acts in rock and pop music was a myth. That is why you should be obliged to try to disprove my claim. I did try to prove the case by listing their innovations. Some will agree with what I stated, others, like yourself will disagree. But at least I came up with something instead of just calling something a myth and failing to back it up. Yet you keep on claiming I haven't proved anything (Please bear in mind that, I may have, to some prople) At least I tried, you've failed to have even done that, despite going around asserting that my statement was a myth.
I Keep claiming you haven't proved anything because listing some innovations (some of which I agree with) does not prove "your case" that they innovated more than all other acts. (I mean, did you make a case? You just made an assertion, not a case, but why quibble over semantics?) You keep apologizing for "this endless cycle"while perpetuating it.
I forgot that the Beatles were using a sitar back in 1965. Still, could the Beatles have pioneered, say, what was instead pioneered by Radiohead?
I'm afraid I've broken my promise. Oh the irony! You say I keep apologizing while perpetuating it!!! What do you think you are also doing? Did I make a case? What do you want me to do, as well as listing Beatles innovations? Do you want me to go through every sixties act and saying so and so only made 1 innovation, another made no innovations, another made three, ad infinitum? I don't get it. You were the one saying that The Beatles didn't make more innovations than other acts, that it was a myth, that was your assertation, therefore it's up to you to prove it, surely? Why don't you give it a go or just stop this endless cycle, if you can't? Unless you come up with some examples of other acts with more innovations or say some other ridiculous comments, I'm no longer continuing with this.
Yes the Beatles could've pioneered more. Yes they could've broken more ground. So what? Neither of these things mean their music is any worse or better. To me, threads like this highlight a side of Beatles fandom that makes my eyes roll - was it not enough that they are one of the most influential bands of all time??? They're only a band, and they're not above criticism. Would you have actually 'liked' the Beatles if they were the first to experiment in heavy metal or in reggae?? (how about dub-step?). The fact that they had limits (whether by chance or intentionally) is one of their strengths. While it's worth admitting that they were pioneers, it's also worth reflecting that just because they popularised something doesn't mean that they were the first to introduce it. Next thread - what was John Lennon's favourite sandwich filling?
We missed out on them pioneering disco, punk rock, and outlaw country. Oh wait...they already did all those.
