The British Invasion: The Beatles versus the Stones

The State of American Rock and the Rise of Britain

• By $1964$, the raw backbeat of rockabilly and blues-based rock from the $1950s$ had largely faded from the American mainstream.
• The market was dominated by "puppy love" songs from teen idols and girl groups, often backed by thickly arranged studio orchestras.
• Elvis Presley, a founder of rebellious rockabilly, had transitioned into a movie star focused on pop ballads rather than rock music.
• The American spirit of optimism was significantly damaged by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November $1963$, creating a cultural void and a readiness for new musical movements.
• Britain, like America, had diverse regional musical styles:
  • London: The hub for youth subcultures like the Mods (preferred "modern" music) and Rockers (preferred rockabilly and older rock). It also fostered a strong American blues and rhythm and blues (R&B) scene.
  • Manchester and Liverpool: Industrial and seaport cities where groups had less connection to southern subcultures. Musicians here favored Skiffle—a simple, folk-based music—and the rock style of Buddy Holly.
• Mersey Beat: The collective term for the sound of groups from Liverpool and Manchester, named after the River Mersey.
• Skiffle Characteristics:
  • Utilized simple chords accessible to beginners.
  • Instrumentation often included guitar, homemade bass, and a washboard for percussion.
  • Its simplicity democratized music-making for British youth.

Image and Influence: The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones

• The Beatles:
  • Influenced by Skiffle and Buddy Holly and the Crickets.
  • Image: Clean-cut, humorous, and appealing. They wore distinctive, matching tailored suits (often without lapels) and "Beatle boots" (heeled boots).
  • Hair: Long by American standards of the time, but neat and clean.
• The Rolling Stones:
  • Cultivated a "nasty" image as the antithesis of the Beatles.
  • Image: Casual, non-matching clothing; they resisted "tarting themselves up" with mohair suits and short haircuts.
  • Musical Influence: Heavily influenced by the gritty R&B of Bo Diddley rather than the pop-rock of Buddy Holly.
• Mutual Respect: Despite their public divergence, the bands were friends. The Stones' second hit, "I Wanna Be Your Man," was written by Lennon and McCartney. The Stones' B-side for that single, "Stoned," was a $12$-bar blues instrumental that contrasted sharply with the Beatles' $1964$ style.

The Beatles: Formation, Hamburg, and Early Management

• Timeline of the Band:
  • March $1957$: John Lennon ($1940$-$1980$) forms The Quarry Men, named after Quarry Bank High School.
  • July $1957$: Lennon meets Paul McCartney (born $1942$), who joins the group. They occasionally performed as the Nerk Twins (or "Nurk").
  • Expansion: George Harrison ($1943$-$2001$) joins; the name changes to Johnny and the Moondogs.
  • Stuart Sutcliffe: A friend of Lennon from art college who joined on bass despite not being a musician ($1960$).
  • The Beatles Name: Emerged by $1960$ as an homage to Buddy Holly’s Crickets, with a deliberate misspelling to reference "beat" music and the American Beat movement.
• The Hamburg Era:
  • Performance residencies in Hamburg, Germany, involved long hours and a repertoire of covers (Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc.).
  • Pete Best: Joined as drummer for the Hamburg trip ($1960$).
  • Sutcliffe’s Departure: Left in $1961$ to stay in Hamburg with his girlfriend; died of a brain hemorrhage shortly after. McCartney subsequently moved to bass.
• Brian Epstein and George Martin:
  • Brian Epstein: A wealthy Liverpool record store manager who discovered the band at the Cavern Club. He became their manager and enforced a cleaner image (suits and neat hair).
  • George Martin ($1926$-$2016$): Producer at EMI’s Parlophone subsidiary. His background in classical music and comedy records (musique concrète) deeply influenced the band's later studio experimentation.
  • Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey, born $1940$): Replaced Pete Best at Martin's request for better studio drumming. Ringo was formerly with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
  • "Love Me Do" ($1962$): Recorded with Ringo on drums for the single and studio drummer Andy White for the album version.

Beatlemania and Three Musical Periods

• US Arrival: Capitol Records initially refused to release the band’s music. After a publicity campaign, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became a hit in January $1964$. Their February $1964$ appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show launched "Beatlemania."
• Period $1$: Pop-Influenced Love Songs ($1962$-$1964$)
  • Characterized by lighthearted tracks like "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
  • Early experimentation included the use of feedback in the intro of "I Feel Fine" ($1964$).
• Period $2$: The Introspective/Dylan Period ($1965$-$1966$)
  • Influenced by meeting Bob Dylan in $1964$. Dylan introduced them to more complex lyrics and, reportedly, marijuana.
  • Rubber Soul ($1965$): Included "Norwegian Wood," which featured George Harrison on sitar and cryptic lyrics about an affair.
  • Revolver ($1966$): Included tracks like "Eleanor Rigby" and "Taxman," showing growth in lyrical maturity and social critique.
  • The Rickenbacker Effect: George Harrison’s use of an electric $12$-string guitar in A Hard Day’s Night ($1964$) influenced the "jangly" sound of the Searchers and the Byrds.
• Period $3$: Studio Concentration ($1967$-$1970$)
  • After their final concert in San Francisco (August $1966$), they focused entirely on the studio.
  • Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band ($1967$): A concept album influenced by the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. It utilized musique concrète (e.g., spliced tapes on "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!") and psychedelic themes.
  • The White Album ($1968$): Displayed the members' growing individuality (e.g., Lennon’s experimentation, McCartney’s parodies, Harrison’s collaboration with Eric Clapton).
  • Abbey Road ($1969$): The final recorded album, featuring themes of the impending breakup and the use of musical leitmotifs in "Carry That Weight."

Post-Breakup and Individual Legacies

• John Lennon: Moved to New York with Yoko Ono; worked on peace activism and solo recordings produced by Phil Spector. Assassinated in December $1980$.
• Paul McCartney: Formed the group Wings with his wife Linda Eastman; remained highly successful in the $1970s$.
• George Harrison: Pursued a solo career and movie production (Handmade Films). Died of cancer in $2001$.
• Ringo Starr: Successful career as a singer, actor, and leader of his "All-Starr Band."

The Rolling Stones: Origins and Evolution

• Formation: Mick Jagger (born $1943$) and Keith Richards (born $1943$) bonded over Muddy Waters and blues. They formed the group in $1962$, naming it after the Waters song "Rollin' Stone."
• Original Lineup: Mick Jagger (vocals/harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar), Brian Jones ($1942$-$1969$, guitar), Ian Stewart (piano), Bill Wyman (bass, joined $1962$), and Charlie Watts ($1941$-$2021$, drums, joined $1963$).
• Andrew Oldham: Their manager who pushed for original songwriting and a rebellious image.
• Songwriting: Jagger and Richards developed as a team, initially using the pseudonym "Nanker-Phelge" for group-written tracks. Their breakout hit was "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" ($1965$).
• Musical Experimentation:
  • Aftermath ($1966$): First all-original album. Brian Jones added sitar ("Paint It Black"), dulcimer ("Lady Jane"), and marimba ("Under My Thumb").
  • Their Satanic Majesties Request ($1967$): A psychedelic response to Sgt. Pepper, featuring the mellotron.
  • Beggars Banquet ($1968$): Featured "Street Fighting Man" and "Sympathy for the Devil," highlighting a macho, aggressive image compared to Motown’s peaceful messages.

Tragedy and Transition for the Rolling Stones

• The End of Brian Jones: Jones left or was asked to leave in $1969$ due to drug issues; he drowned in his pool in July $1969$. He was replaced by Mick Taylor.
• The Altamont Incident ($1969$): A free concert at Altamont Speedway intended to mirror Woodstock. The Stones hired the Hells Angels for security on the advice of the Grateful Dead. This resulted in the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter, a young African American man, marking the end of the idealized $1960s$ rock festival era.
• Stylistic Expansion in the $1970s$ and $1980s$:
  • Genre Blending: Explored country ("Dead Flowers"), gospel ("I Got the Blues"), and soul.
  • Lineup Change: Mick Taylor left in $1975$ and was replaced by Ron Wood (formerly of the Faces).
  • Disco/Funk Influence: "Miss You" ($1978$) reached number $1$ on US charts during the disco craze.
  • Reggae/Ska Influence: Songs like "Send It to Me" and "Too Rude" incorporated Jamaican rhythms.
  • Modern Era: Darryl Jones replaced Bill Wyman on bass in the $1990s$. The album Voodoo Lounge ($1994$) won a Grammy for Best Rock Album.

Technical Spotlight: The Sitar in Rock

• Origins: Cultural instrument of Northern India; its Southern counterpart is the vina.
• Mechanics: Metal frets are positioned nearly $1$ inch above the fingerboard, allowing for extreme string bending (microtones).
• Strings: Features melody strings and sympathetic strings that vibrate without being plucked, creating a sustained "drone."
• Rock Adoption: Popularized by Ravi Shankar, who taught George Harrison. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones also utilized the instrument.

Guided Listening: Analysis of Seminal Hits

• "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (The Beatles, $1964$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $132$\text{ BPM}.
  • Instrumentation: Electric lead and rhythm guitars, bass, and drums (Crickets-style).
  • Highlights: Polyrhythmic hand-claps and an ambiguous intro beat that makes a half-beat sound like a downbeat.
• "Norwegian Wood" (The Beatles, $1965$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $60$\text{ BPM} ($3$-part triplet divisions).
  • Instrumentation: Acoustic guitar and sitar.
  • Lyrics: Cryptic narrativa about an affair; use of "Norwegian wood" possibly a pun on "knowing she would."
• "A Day in the Life" (The Beatles, $1967$):
  • Structure: Combines a John Lennon section (collage of British life/news) with a Paul McCartney section (routine life/drifting).
  • Orchestration: Features a $40$-piece orchestra recorded four times to simulate a $160$-piece ensemble providing a massive "sound build-up."
• "Not Fade Away" (Rolling Stones vs. Buddy Holly):
  • Holly ($1957$): Bo Diddley beat on drums, polite vocals, stop-time used.
  • Stones ($1964$): Faster ($208$\text{ BPM}), aggressive vocals, maracas, and blue notes on harmonica to create an R&B feel.
• "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" (The Rolling Stones, $1965$):
  • Tempo: $138$\text{ BPM}.
  • Technique: Keith Richards used a Gibson Maestro fuzzbox to create a saxophone-like guitar riff.
• "Miss You" (The Rolling Stones, $1978$):
  • Style: Disco-oriented with the drums maintaining a steady pounding beat.
  • Vocals: Jagger employs varied tones, including an imitation of African American "jive talk."

Questions & Discussion

• Question $1$: If one compares the music and image of the Beatles in $1964$ to their music and band image in $1967$, what changes does one see? What might be the reasons for those changes in both the music and the reputation of the band members?
• Question $2$: The Rolling Stones changed their way of dressing and style of music between $1964$ and into the $1970s$. Describe those changes and guess at what might have been behind the decisions to make those changes?
• Question $3$: What was it about the American social, political, and popular music in the early sixties that helped the British bands become so popular so quickly once their music "invaded" the United States? Was the music by the British artists really that much better? Was there anything about the British groups music that was influenced by music that was brought to Britain from American artists?

Questions & Discussion: Transcription of Dialogue and Interviews

• The Beatles (Early American Interview):
  • Interviewer: "How do you find America?"
  • John Lennon: "Turn left at Greenland."
• Mick Jagger ($1964$ Interview):
  • "If people don’t like us, well that’s too bad. We’re not thinking of changing, thanks very much. We’ve been the way we are for much too long to think of kow-towing to fanciful folk who think we should start tarting ourselves up with mohair suits and short haircuts."
• Keith Richards (On Public Perception):
  • "The mayor of Denver once sent us a letter asking us to come in quietly, do the show as quietly as possible and split the same night, if possible. . . . They might entertain the Beatles, but they wanted to kick us out of town."
• Keith Richards (On Altamont):
  • "The Dead told us, ‘It’s cool. We’ve used them for the last two or three years.’" (Referring to hiring the Hells Angels for security).
• Mick Jagger (On "Miss You"):
  • "‘Miss You’ is an emotion, it’s not really about ‘a’ girl. To me, the feeling of longing is what the song is."