The Beatles Breakthrough

Having listened to Revolver as a child, I heard the U.S. Version, which omits 3 songs. So it was years later that the transformative effect which I think Dean is talking about became a unique experience for me .when I heard it the very first time. This experience is timeless to me. The song is "I'm Only Sleeping" and as it is ending, it fades out while guitars are playing backwards, then silence, then the brushing of the Tabla ( I'm really not sure if its a Sitar exactly)

halabalushindigus wrote: Having listened to Revolver as a child, I heard the U.S. Version, which omits 3 songs. So it was years later that the transformative effect which I think Dean is talking about became a unique experience for me .when I heard it the very first time. This experience is timeless to me. The song is "I'm Only Sleeping" and as it is ending, it fades out while guitars are playing backwards, then silence, then the brushing of the Tabla ( I'm really not sure if its a Sitar exactly)   I can't explain how this moment tweaks my mind, but it does

The Beatles incorporated sounds, textures and recording techniques that were not commonly associated with pop music and rock music. The example are numerous ranging from running  a series of loops though a recording console or writing and recording backward parts. Listen to some of “Strawberry Fields Forever” demos, there is a definite feeling that this was a groundbreaking song. It doesn't fit into any R'n R / folk /Muscle Shoals(?) template does it? So they had to invent a whole new musical vocab. to accommodate the song.

This obviously had an influence on the Rolling Stones psychedelic period and everyone else. The Beatles were known for their melodies and odd chord progressions they changed how musicians thought of the album just ask Brian Wilson. Robert Fripp of the pioneering progressive rock band King Crimson said on Cambridge Guide to the Beatles his goal was to build on what the Beatles did on Sgt Pepper.






Edited by Floydman - January 30 2010 at 15:45

You'd better listen to Rain/Paperback Writer  Taking nothing away from the early stuff, that's where the band turned the corner. 

J-Man wrote: Glad to see another person converted to The Beatles! I never thought I'd hear that from you!  Out of curiosity, what's your opinion of Abbey Road? I think that's their best album by a large margin... -Jeff

halabalushindigus wrote: yeah, but  I still dig the early stuff like Paul's rippin' bass on "Little Child"

I totally dig the early stuff, of course it doesn't compare to what came later but I even think it's a bit underrated. A Hard Day's Night and Help surely deserves a listen if you already got into the post Rubber Soul albums, they already started devolping their songwriting on those albums.

^ better late than never I guess...   the Beatles are the Beatles for a reason. They aren't the brain child of some evil L.A. publicist and a load of style over substance... they are who they are because they made the music that defined and directly inspired  the most incredible era of popular music, maybe ever, and still resonate with people, old and young today.

micky wrote: ^ better late than never I guess...   the Beatles are the Beatles for a reason. They aren't the brain child of some evil L.A. publicist and a load of style over substance... they are who they are because they made the music that defined and directly inspired  the most incredible era of popular music, maybe ever, and still resonate with people, old and young today.

Edited by MovingPictures07 - January 31 2010 at 22:17

rogerthat wrote: MovingPictures07 wrote:   My brother's favorite Beatles albums are Please Please Me and Help!, so my first actual exposures to the Beatles were me wondering, "And this is it?"   That's exactly like how I could not convince progheads who had only heard Owner of a lonely heart to take Yes seriously, as a prog rock band that is...likewise with those who had heard only pop-Genesis.

Corny but true - The Beatles' music was the soundtrack to my life, along with many other artists of course, but the earliest songs have a special place for me, i first heard  "Love Me Do" in 1962 and was hooked, the hook is still in but has gone a lot deeper over the years, and i will be buried with it still firmly lodged there..

What kind of a world is it when 2 of the Beatles are dead and all 4 of the Monkees are still alive?