Anyway, the Beatles. Maybe you've heard of them. Their achievements are multiple. They kickstarted the British Invasion, of course. They promoted the idea of rock music as a subject worthy of academic study, for better or worse.
And in a real sense they invented the rock group. As talented as they may have been, the Crickets in the public mind were Buddy Holly and some other guys. Not so the Beatles. There were John and Paul, George and Ringo, and any one of them might have been your favorite. Young Marge Bouvier idolized Ringo before she became a Simpson. Bands since then have followed suit. Not all try to make everyone the front man. And lineups aren't stable. But since the mid-sixties, listeners have been more aware that there is a lineup, each member playing their part.
As I've mentioned, I have an interest in alternate history and timelines. You can apply this to popular music history. Phil Ochs or, say, Tom Paxton might have gone electric at a folk festival, although I don't think either would have been as fun as Dylan. And while he later became more of a country star, Conway Twitty had a lot of qualities that could have made him Elvis if Elvis hadn't been Elvis.
On this level the Beatles both interest and frustrate me, because I can't think of a sensible alt for them. Remember, all the things they did, and no other candidate immediately present themselves. The Rolling Stones and the Kinks did great things in their own way, but neither existed in any recognizable form before the Fab Four broke through. Britain mainly had a lot of working beat groups, some good, but not visionary in the way they were. Which makes them necessary and sui generis.
2 comments:
I never thought of the Beatles that way before but on consideration you're right that they were the first real rock group. Although there were any number of groups before them there was invariably a lead and everyone else was backup, ie, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Bill Haley and the Comets. Of course there were only two Everly Brothers, Don and Phil, so they don't really count as a group - besides, unknowns played backup instruments for them. I never knew the names of The Coasters either but since they were singers only it makes no difference to your point. Same goes for the Inkspots, great as they were. Come to think of it probably only their nearest and dearest knew the first names of the Mills Brothers. Maybe my Dad knew but not me.
I also agree that while Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton could have brought electric guitars to Newport the fact that Dylan did it was much more fun seeing the reaction of the purists. Then there are all those years ago that Elvis first became a sensation and he really was. He had charm and charisma that I can't imagine Conway Twitty could have equalled. While Presley could wink while making his lip curl Twitty's sneer wasn't especially appealing. So, yes, Elvis was Elvis as the Beatles could only be John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Unique is the only explanation for those who beget cultural revolutions.
ps: Good choices of videos. :)
On an artistic level it certainly mattered who was in the Coasters. The Drifers as well. Both groups had talent leaving and coming in to refresh things. But as far as I know--maybe I'm wrong--listeners at the time weren't really thinking of them as a group in that way. The Mills Brothers and the Inkspots I think of as pre-rock. They did have an influence on R&B & vocal groups of later years, though. I can't deny that.
Twitty I was evaluating mostly on the level of his voice, which was well-suited to rockers and adjacent ballads. I see what you mean as far as his image goes. Sometimes he looks like he's in on the joke, other times less so. Seems to have had trouble knowing what to do with his hair a lot of the time. It's true that Elvis's warmth helped a lot. While he was lost in life it's made him worth remembering.
I wanted to have representative songs, ones that each of them sang and if possible wrote. I also wanted to represent a few different periods in the group's history. Glad you like what you hear. :)
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