The Monumental Legacy Of The Beatles
When I first started learning about the history of Rock and Roll I was only somewhat aware of the impact The Beatles had on the music industry. To me the Beatles were just one of those bands everyone loved and if you said anything negative about them you didn't understand music. This was a reaction I had seen frequently when people around me said they didn’t enjoy the British band. For me, despite not fully understanding the impact they had on the industry, I was able to recognize the fierce loyalty of their fan base especially during Beatlemania. My grandmother was one of their fans during her childhood and she got to see them perform live at the Cow Palace. She spoke fondly of the experience and stressed how big the Beatles were during that time. The Beatles were not only well loved but pioneers of music who helped create a new blueprint for artists to come. That being said let’s take a look at the album and big idea that helped change music forever.
The Concept of Concept Albums
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club is viewed as one of the first albums to propel records with a concept in Rock and Roll. Released in 1967 during the psychedelic era, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club helped push the experimental sound that had been popular in various cities across the world to a more mainstream audience that The Beatles had built up over their career. The experimental sound along with mindful lyrics throughout the album was a new experience that music lovers and artists enjoyed thoroughly.
In terms of the actual concept of the album John Lennon was quoted in saying “Sgt. Pepper is called the first concept album, but it doesn’t go anywhere … it works because we said it worked”. Even if the concept of the album didn't have through storyline it still had a concept. The cohesive aspect, the overall concept, of this album was how other worldly, theatrical, and spiritually rousing it was. I believe the sentiment of exploration along with the new mindset erupting in the psychedelic crowd helped audiences receive what The Beatles were trying to communicate, even if the concept wasn't as clear cut as Lennon thought.
By opening up a space for concept albums the possibilities of storytelling expanded for artists and songwriters while also providing more depth to music that was featured on the radio. This idea of viewing an album as an entire body of work verses a album full of singles was one of the major stepping stones that helped change music going forward.
The Beatles and Their Influence Today
Today The Beatles are still fairly relevant, not only through the artists who take inspiration from them but by projects that reinvent their music. Two projects that pay homage to the music and sentiments of The Beatles is a musical movie called Across the Universe and the Cirque De Soliel show called LOVE. Both have storylines that revolve around various songs from The Beatles catalog while also leaning into the weird and mysterious aspects that are described in the lyrics.
Artists today still look to the Beatles for songwriting inspiration, their experimental and honest lyrics becoming a blueprint for those who wish to expand their sound and push limits. Some artists who admire the Beatles include Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, and Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters. Another artist who also takes inspiration from the Beatles sound is Sean Ono Lennon, son of John Lennon. His voice and musical tone has similarities to his late father but he also experiments with otherworldly sounds on tracks like “Demon Daughter” from his album Ava’s Possessions. These artists have also pushed boundaries in their own ways and creatively challenged themselves to make art that makes their audience think but it could be argued that the desire to push boundaries came from generations before them.
Learning about their history has helped shift my option of The Beatles immensely, my previous idea of them being more of a commercial property slowly drifting away as I saw how much they made in effort in pushing themselves to create something outside of the box. I realized that if it hadn’t been for them many of my favorite artists and albums most likely wouldn't exist. As we’ve learned more and more about them one thing can definitely be said, all roads lead to The Beatles.
