When the Beatles first started
Bibliography.com editors (2017) tells us the Beatles first formed in 1957 when John Lennon invited Paul McCartney to join his skiffle band. They had several name changes but in in 1960 they settled on the ‘Beatles’. In 1962, they recorded their first hit ‘love me do’ which charted in the UK and reached the top of the US single charts.
London became their new home in 1963 and in October of that year, they played the London Palladium which made them famous in Britain and initiated the Beatlemania in the UK.
In January 1963, the Beatles were rejected by Decca, who were a record company, with the criticism of ‘guitar groups are on the way out’. By August, they had their first hit song.
The Beatles were influenced by primarily the American rock and roll artist especially Elvis and Chuck Berry.
Why the Beatles were significant
Dark Horse Institute (2014) explains that the Beatles were important because they were responsible for the mid 60s musical British invasion to the USA. They were also important because they not only defined music of the time, they also had a big influence on popular culture in general.
John Lennon wanted to take the Beatles in a more abstract and political direction. This included themes of non-violence, anti-war sentiment [especially the Vietnam war] and peaceful revolution.
People believe that they changed the sound of pop music because they were the first British band to write their own songs and music. They are also said to have been the first real ‘boy-band’
They were the first and most popular band in one of the most important music movements in American history, the British invasion. They changed the rules of music.
The Beatles pioneered the music video. America famously became the first country to have an all music television network when MTV debuted in 1981. Music videos became big in the 1980s and the Beatles were one of the first to jump on board.
The Beatles were different to other artists because whenever they had interviews or the press asked them questions, they just stayed themselves and didn’t change because of the press. Furthermore, this changed how people were to the press and influenced being cocky.
Shea Stadium
The Beatles performed on August the 15th 1965 in New York, Shea Stadium. There was an attendance of 55,600 fans.
Shea stadium was one of the factors as to why the Beatles ended. They couldn’t hear themselves over the screaming of their fans. They felt that no one actually came to see them play their songs. They thought everyone came to just see them.
The Beatles Bible (2012) tells us that the concert set a world record for attendance figures and also for gross revenue. The Beatles got $160,000 of the $304,000 box office takings. There was 2,000 security guards that were enlisted to handle the manic fans.
There was statements of people that attended the concert that they couldn’t hear the Beatles playing. One because of the screaming fans but also because the sound was very poor.
During the performance of Day Tripper hundreds of fans broke through barriers and attempted to reach the stage. They were held back by security guards and none managed to get close to The Beatles.
The effect of the Shea Stadium
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Richard Franks . (2017). A Brief History of The Beatles. Available: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-beatles/. Last accessed 18th november 2019.
Dark Horse Institute . (2014). Why Are The Beatles Important to Music History?. Available: https://darkhorseinstitute.com/why-are-the-beatles-important-to-music-history/. Last accessed 21st November 2019.
Kemp Edmunds. (2016). How the Beatles changed music. Available: https://www.digitalmediaacademy.org/2016/01/21/how-the-beatles-changed-music-2/. Last accessed 21st November 2019
The Beatles Bible . (2012). Live: Shea Stadium, New York . Available: https://www.beatlesbible.com/1966/08/23/live-shea-stadium-new-york-2/. Last accessed 25th November 2019.
dDayye. (2012). John Lennon on Government . Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDf3vcvaRw4. Last accessed 2nd december 2019.
Louie Newman 