Quote:
Originally Posted by The Monkey
The Beatles weren't really groundbreaking in any genre. They weren't the first in bubblegum pop, they weren't the first in folk rock, they weren't the first in psychedelic rock. What exactly did they do to earn them the reputation of a huge influence?
|
Well who knows who invented genres not that it matters because it's very arguable the Beatles were at the start of folk rock and psychedelic rock. The Byrds got the idea of both folk with rock and the 12 string jangle pop sound from the Beatles. It was already noticed by other folkies also.
BARRY McGUIRE
What were the key motivations behind your switch from the commercial folk you were doing with the New Christy Minstrels to folk-rock?
"But times changed, and I changed, and I didn't feel that way anymore. The Beatles were happening. I think that was probably the main thing. The Beatles just changed the whole world of music".
As for psychedelic rock if you listen to take 2 of "Norwegian Wood" you could hear clearly they were heading into psychedelic rock. As it is you can argue that songs like "Eight Miles High", "Shapes of Things" are rock songs with eastern influences. "Tomorrow Never Knows" was intentionally meant to sound psychedelic and it was also extremely progressive for it's time.
Maybe the most influential thing they did for rock music was broadened the scope of songwriting and the increase use of studio resources.
In the book Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles and it has an interesting quote from Pete Townshend of the Who. Pete says the Beatles brought songwriting into rock and roll. What he meant was the Beatles brought a complete arsenal of recourses into their songwriting and this broadened what a pop song can do.
Also having over 10,000 cover versions of their songs sort of blows away most self-contained rock bands. Oh by the way also they clearly influenced progressive rock, basically invented power pop and "Tomorrow Never Knows" is one of the most influential electronic songs. Basically every self-contained rock band owes something to the Beatles as it was really them that made the solo/frontman/artist/magager not as important as it was in the 50's.