The Beatles' Influence on Prog?

For those who are even tenuously involved with the music industry in whatever capacity and would profess to NOT being influenced by the Beatles, it might just be time for a career change?

Davesax1965 wrote: Here's another question. Did the Beatles create or merely reflect the changing social landscape of the 1960's ? Can it be argued that there was a general anti-establishment reaction by some members of the general public which had been going on since the Beat years which resulted in a change in the musical (and political) landscape ? Did the Beatles actually create this - no - or reflect it - yes ?  In which case, the Beatles' influence on progressive pop is also minimised.

Hmm. As Dylan remarked in song prior to the Beatle's influence on pop culture, "The times they were a-changing." And so, they were. The Beatles, especially Lennon, were heavily influenced by Dylan's introspective and observational lyrics. Dylan even turned on the Beatles to pot. Another influence with manifold results.

You've answered your own question Iain, by referring to progressive pop which was not what the album's Please Please Me, With The Beatles (or Meet The Beatles as it was called in the US), A Hard Day's Night and Help! had to offer. A No. 1 album is also not prerequisite for influencing pop culture. 

Edited by SteveG - May 20 2017 at 09:21

Progressive pop came about circa 1965. Including Pet Sounds, Rubber Soul, et al. 

Yes, The Beatles influenced Prog. Next question, please.

Trolling here
Dope is : a) a brand of adhesive
               b) nick-name for marijuana
               c) colloquially, a stupid person
I've never known it to mean something that's 'cool'

SteveG wrote: Dope in the modern vernacular does mean cool such as "Those new Ferraris are dope!" But I've always found that those that couldn't handle weed usually had under lying psychological problems and found it was best for them to stay away from it and to just let them rant about it's evils.

That same modern vernacular that has 'bad' and 'totally sick' meaning 'good' will never stand up to even the flimsiest scrutiny it seems. I've certainly never enjoyed smoking pot but don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to do unless it turns the user into a stupefied clueless imbecile, and sometimes you don't even need an external agent for that to occur. We seem to have veered off topic however, as though some of us are having difficulty concentrating?

ExittheLemming wrote: SteveG wrote: Dope in the modern vernacular does mean cool such as "Those new Ferraris are dope!" But I've always found that those that couldn't handle weed usually had under lying psychological problems and found it was best for them to stay away from it and to just let them rant about it's evils. That same modern vernacular that has 'bad' and 'totally sick' meaning 'good' will never stand up to even the flimsiest scrutiny it seems. I've certainly never enjoyed smoking pot but don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to do unless it turns the user into a stupefied clueless imbecile, and sometimes you don't even need an external agent for that to occur. We seem to have veered off topic however, as though some of us are having difficulty concentrating?

Fortunately, modern slang does not hang around too long. I feel that discussing weed along with the worlds most famous psychedelic album seems related as one would not have existed without the other.

SteveG wrote: ExittheLemming wrote: SteveG wrote: Dope in the modern vernacular does mean cool such as "Those new Ferraris are dope!" But I've always found that those that couldn't handle weed usually had under lying psychological problems and found it was best for them to stay away from it and to just let them rant about it's evils. That same modern vernacular that has 'bad' and 'totally sick' meaning 'good' will never stand up to even the flimsiest scrutiny it seems. I've certainly never enjoyed smoking pot but don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to do unless it turns the user into a stupefied clueless imbecile, and sometimes you don't even need an external agent for that to occur. We seem to have veered off topic however, as though some of us are having difficulty concentrating? Fortunately, modern slang does not hang around too long. I feel that discussing weed along with the worlds most famous psychedelic album seems related as one would not have existed without the other.

Aye, there's the rub. Unlike Bill Hicks and other considerably less cherished hippies, I don't hold that drugs enhance or even facilitate the creative process. Despite its 'trippy' production facade (and let's remember Lennon didn't even consider it a 'concept' album), Sgt Pepper obeys the same time honoured aesthetic criteria that has held sway for every conceivable strand of song based popular music before or since i.e. if the old grey doorman can whistle the tune, it's gonna be popular. Many will of course point towards Within You Without You or the subsequent experimentation of something like Revolution No 9  from the White Album as evidence of mind altering substances opening hitherto closed doors, but wise up, you're now in the realm of the dilettante avant-garde a.k.a. theatre ponces pretending they can't read.

I would say it's pretty significant. They certainly laid the foundation for what was to come & had an early influence on a lot of prog artists. I have head Jon Anderson & Phil Collins among others talk about The Beatles influence in them as young musicians.