The Beatles

The Beatles were an extremely popular and

influential group in Rock n' Roll. My question is, "Why?" What drew thousands

upon thousands of screaming fans to these four British musicians? Was it

something in the sound of the instruments? Could it have been the bass

beat, or maybe the guitar playing? What about their lyrics? They had a

certain personality, too. Was that it? Let's look at each of these, and

some other factors as well.

What is the first thing you wonder

when you hear something new on the radio? You wonder who sings it. The

first thing you see when you pick up an album is who sings or performs

it. Hmm? This suggests the power of a catchy title. Something out of the

ordinary to catch the eye. Something misspelled, perhaps? The Beetles?

No, The Beatles. What's in their name? In the words of Beatle John Lennon,

"when you hear it, the name is little crawly things. When you see it, it's"beat" music." I think that's quite attractive to a record store browser,

don't you?

Of course, another thing that could

catch a browsing customer would be the pictures on the album. The fronts

of record albums are versatile that way because one can fit a lot on them.

I have looked at the images on a few Beatles' records and, I must say,

they are rather attractive and flashy. One particular cover that I was

able to view is an album that went unreleased due to its picture. On the

cover there is a photograph of The Beatles in a butcher shop with carcasses

hanging around them; it certainly caught the eye. On another album, the

boys were all dressed up in Spanish bullfighter uniforms that were gaudy

enough to catch the eye of a blind man.

The sounds that the ear hears in

a song are without a doubt important to the person's opinion of that song.

To examine the sound of the instruments, I played the Anthology music through

a stereo with adjustable graphic equalizers. On a few songs, I isolated

the bass, and therefore the bass beat, then the treble, which includes

vocals and guitar, and finally, the background, which is mostly Ringo's

drums. The first thing I noticed was a particularly catchy beat. It was

generally quick and moderately heavy. This would seem to be easy to dance,

or toe tap, to. I also listened intently to the guitar throughout the songs,

especially the guitar solos. George Harrison plays solos in "I Saw Her

Standing There" and "Money", that sound quick and surge forth with an ear

catching sound. Other bits, in "Free as a Bird" and "Cry for a Shadow",

for example, slowly twanged along.

The background sound of the drum

is generally not as noticeable in the music. The drums were generally drowned

out by the guitar and vocals; only the clanging of the symbols is clearly

heard. It seems as though the drums are almost completely absent in some

songs like "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and "Can't Buy

Me Love". Simple logic leads me to believe that the drums, other than bass,

were not a significant contributor to their success because, if you can't

hear them, what's the use? I am a musician myself, and I have heard music

that sounds as though it would be difficult to play. However, I don't hear

that in most Beatles music. Perhaps, a simpler technical structure made

it easier to understand their music. Another possibility is that other

bands were able to cover (Play songs that aren't theirs) some music of

the Beatles easier, and therefore, help to spread the Beatles' music around.

For the most part, Rock songs consisted

of things teenagers are into and experiencing. Of course, the most prominent

of those things are raw passion and sexuality. When the Beatles, or any

group for that matter, sang about love, and the actions and emotions associated

with teenage love, the new generation was naturally attracted to their

singing. Of course, there is also the age-old issue of teenage rebellion.

Think for a second, here. What is the last thing a parent wants their child

listening to? Songs about fast cars? No, those are okay. Songs about raw

passion and sexuality? Bingo! Aren't ulterior motives wonderful? What teenager

is not going to enjoy watching their parents cringe with the sound of their

favorite song? The Beatles were different, though. They sang the same music,

but people were not threatened by them. "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and "Run

for Your Life" are two songs that could have