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The Beatles

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:02:27 +0000

BLACK AND WHITE
Are the Beatles still relevant these days? After decades of varying music, does the fab four still wield influence and power? True modern music has taken many forms that didn’t readily exist when the Beatles were in their prime, but it doesn’t take much to look at today’s indie rock scene to seen where their mark has remained strong. Take in obvious Beatle-influenced acts like Blur or Oasis or even listen to the garage revved sounds of bands like The Hives, The Strokes, Elastica, The White Stripes and the Darkness and then revisit the White Album and you may be surprised at how little things have really changed.
MAINSTAY
Of all time, the Beatles place third in top album sales with a total combination of 39 gold and platinum albums. By comparison, Barbara Streisand has 46 and Elvis was way out in front with 80.
MARKET SHARE
While Elvis may have had more albums go platinum or gold, it still doesn’t mean he sold more albums than the Beatles. For example, in recent history, The Beatles ‘1’ album has sold around 23 million copies, while ‘Elvis 30 #1 Hits’ has only garnered 9 million sales. Norah Jones did about that much with her ‘Come Away with Me’ album. It just goes to show you that the Beatles have a fanbase with staying power. Their music has withstood the test of time better than any other band in history.
CALL/RESPONSE
Asides for solid musical talent and song writing, the Beatles stellar success can be attributed to the band possessing three very strong voices. This fact allowed them to build strong harmonies, often with call/response and alternating viewpoints.
THE QUIET BEATLE
George Harrison has often been referred to as the “quiet Beatle”, but he was the first to leave his mark after the Beatles disbanded. He released a hit single in 1970 called, “My Sweet Lord” which went to Number One. However the success was overshadowed six years later when a court ruling found Harrison guilty of “subconscious plagiarism”. The song in question was the Chiffons’ song, “He’s So Fine”.
I’M HAPPY JUST TO DANCE WITH YOU
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ELEANOR RIGBY
A truly sad and lonely song, the song Eleanor Rigby relates the tale of a woman who cleans a church and Father Mackenzie who gives sermons there. Fittingly so, the story conveys Eleanor’s tale as she cleans up after a wedding, a ceremony she could only wish to be a participant in. Each night she gets dressed but has no place to go. She longs for the embrace of the man she spends her days with, Father Mackenzie. He meanwhile suffers the plight that no one is moved by his words, despite is status. Even though they share a special unifying bond, Eleanor and Father Mackenzie are locked away from each other due to convention and formality. The institution of their situation which binds them simultaneously and eternally keeps them apart. Somberly, Eleanor’s tale ends with her death and she is laid to rest ‘with her name’ in the church. She dies alone, leaving no lineage behind her.
SALVATION
“Strawberry Fields” was named for a real place, Strawberry Field, a children’s home run by the Salvation Army in Liverpool, in John Lennon’s childhood neighborhood. The original Victorian building was demolished in the late 60’s, but the site is still a Salvation Army Children’s Home and still carries the name Strawberry Field. John sent a large donation to them before his death and in return there is a building there called “Lennon Hall”. Yoko Ono continues to send them donations.
STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER
The famed Strawberry Fields in New York’s Central Park was given that name in 1981, following John Lennon’s untimely death. The 2.5 acre section of park is sited at 72nd street, directly across Central Park West from the Dakota Building where John and Yoko lived. John Lennon was gunned down by Mark Chapman, a man who had lingered for days around Lennon’s apartment. Chapman had just hours earlier asked Lennon for his autograph and confessed he heard voices in his head telling him to kill the beloved musician. John Lennon was 40 years old when he died on the night of December 8th, 1980.
BORN TO BE WILD
Their music was grew out of need. The world was looking for it and the Beatles responded. The youth of America made rock and roll what it is today.
“America had teenagers and everywhere else just had people” – John Lennon
About the Author
To read more articles by Chad, visit the American Pop Culture Encyclopedia at: http://www.americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com. If you would like to read this article, or others like it, on American Pop Culture Encyclopedia, visit: http://www.americanpopcultureencyclopedia.com/the%20beatles.htm
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Article Tags: beatles, days, john
Read more articles by: Chad Koch
Article published on November 18, 2005 at Isnare.com

The Beatles

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:02:02 +0000

The music of The Beatles
The Beatles had a relatively short career by the standards of many of the bands of the era, many of which survive today. But in their decade of prominence their music followed an identifiable path that took in mainstream pop, psychedelia and some quite challenging arrangements. Analyzing sheet music of the Beatles reveals that even their early music, a blend of skiffle and rock ’n’ roll, was far removed from the three-chord compositions of many of their contemporaries. Once notable feature of Beatles music is the ease with which it translates to different styles. Much of it retains its distinct feel regardless of whether it is being strummed on a guitar, played on a piano, automated on a sequencer or being performed by a complete orchestra. This is one measure of its quality.
Collaboration and mutual inspiration
Although Lennon and McCartney did indeed write and sing the lion’s share of Beatles music, all four members contributed to the writing. Some of the most iconic songs were by George Harrison, including Something, Here Comes the Sun and While my Guitar Gently Weeps; and Starr’s contribution in the form of Yellow Submarine and Octopus’s Garden (among others) should not be overlooked. Glancing through the credits of the entire Beatles collection, however, will show just how much cross-fertilization and collaboration occurred in the creative heart of the band. In fact, it can come as a surprise how few were purely McCartney and Lennon creations as a percentage of the entire body.
Cover versions
Because of the undisputable quality that binds together every note of the Beatles’ output, it comes as no surprise to see how often their songs have been covered by other artists. Whether it’s Bowie doing Across the Universe, The Carpenters’ Ticket to Ride, Oasis belting out I am the Walrus or Elvis Presley performing Yesterday, the songs’ power survives many vocal and instrumental styles. In fact, anyone with a modicum of talent can cover The Beatles and end up with at least a passable rendition, be they sitting by a roaring campfire with a guitar, tinkling the ivories at a cocktail party, warming up a rock band or singing in the shower.
Beatles lyrics
The melodies and backing music of The Beatles guarantees it a listen, and is part of the universal success of the band. The lyrics are often not given the attention they deserve, however. Whilst probably not being as notable as would be the case in a Bob Dylan or Billy Bragg composition, most Beatles lyrics show a certain depth that is appropriate for the medium they were intended for – namely pop music – but reading them in sheet music can be quite surprising. There’s plenty of dry humour, a sprinkling of wackiness, lots of heartfelt emotion and some psychedelic traces, especially in their later period. First and foremost The Beatles were a pop group extraordinaire, and their songs were intended to be sung, listened to and enjoyed, no doubt a throwback to their early days in Liverpool, but a successful formula none the less.
About the Author
Charlie Buquette wrote this article for Chappell of Bond Street about Beatles Sheet Music.
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Article Tags: beatles, music, songs
Read more articles by: Charlie Buquette
Article published on November 08, 2007 at Isnare.com

George Harrison’s 10 Best Beatles Songs

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:01:41 +0000

George Harrison is often referred to as the "quiet Beatle" and sometimes sadly even as the "forgotten Beatle" and that’s due to the fact that he was in the same band as the greatest songwriting team in popular music history. Lennon/McCartney were good enough to overshadow almost anyone but that being the case Harrison wrote many great songs with The Beatles and that’s what this article is set to highlight.
He was the youngest Beatle which explains his "late blooming" as a songwriter in comparison to his band mates John Lennon and Paul McCartney. When the Beatles recording session happened in January of 1970 Harrison was only 26 years old.
Harrison’s best known Beatles compositions are probably his pair of tracks from the Beatles final album Abbey Road; "Here Comes the Sun" & "Something." And while these songs are certainly great and no doubt belong in the list of Harrison’s best 10 Beatles songs I want to get past these tracks and other well known Harrison compositions like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from the White Album and "Taxman" from Revolver to get some of his more overlooked Beatles gems.
My picks for George Harrison’s 10 Best Beatles Songs with notes on each:
"Something" - Frank Sinatra said "Something" was his favorite Lennon/McCartney composition and the greatest love song ever written. It’s the second most covered Beatles song of all time after "Yesterday." It’s been covered by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and James Brown. It made Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the top 500 songs of all time in 2004.
"Here Comes The Sun" - One of the first songs to feature the Moog synthesizer which Harrison played on the recording. The song was written in Eric Clapton’s garden. Clapton and Harrison were good friends.
"Taxman" - The opening track on the Revolver album features some short blistering guitar solos by Paul McCartney.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - Although George Harrison was the Beatles lead guitarist he again gives the lead guitar duties to someone else on one of his best songs. A great example of Harrison’s lack of ego. On this track Harrison’s good friend Eric Clapton came in to play the lead guitar part. This song also made Rolling Stone magazine’s 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The lyrics of the song have a very interesting origination. Harrison was reading the I Ching at the time and inspired by the ideas in the book he decided to write a song based on the first words he read when opening a random book at a random spot. The first words he read were "gently weeps."
"It’s All Too Much" - This song was originally featured on the Yellow Submarine album and is one of the more overlooked Harrison songs. It’s also one of my favorites. It has a very unique sound to the recording which makes it sound like the whole band is in a box except for these thunderous hand claps and the vocals. It was actually recorded in May of 1967 before Sgt Pepper was released and was set to be included on Magical Mystery Tour but was instead pushed back and ended up on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album which included mostly George Martin instrumentals and songs such as the title track which had already been released.
"Within You Without You" - This was George’s sole contribution to Sgt Pepper. Harrison recorded this song with Indian musicians without any input from the other Beatles. I’ve often seen this song slagged off by people but to me it’s an essential and wonderful part of the Sgt Pepper album. It’s a trip within the trip that is Sgt Pepper. Almost all of the instruments in the song were played by classically trained Indian musicians.
"Long Long Long" - The perfect song to follow up "Helter Skelter" on the White Album. A beautifully understated song which Harrison says is about God.
"Blue Jay Way" - Harrison’s sole contribution to the Beatles most over the top psychedelic album Magical Mystery Tour was also Harrison’s most purposely psychedelic song. While the song is not perfect it does have a lot of strange production effects which endear it to me.
"If I Needed Someone" - This was the only Harrison written song that the Beatles played regularly during their touring days. This is of course mostly because the band stopped touring before Harrison wrote most of his better songs. This was one of two Harrison songs to be included on the Rubber Soul album. The other being "Think For Yourself" which is also a good song but I prefer this one. The song was heavily influenced by the style of The Byrds.
"I Want To Tell You" - This was one of three Harrison songs included on the Revolver album. Interestingly he went from having 3 songs on Revolver to only 1 on each of the next two Beatles albums; Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour.
George Harrison was a valuable member of the Beatles not only for his excellent lead guitar playing and the Indian influenced sounds he brought to the band but with his excellent songwriting. These are just 10 of Harrison’s great Beatles songs there are others that also deserve mention such as "Old Brown Shoe," "Only A Northern Song," and "I Need You."
About the Author
Freddy R Bubble suggests unlimited iPod Downloads with Feed My iPods
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Article Tags: beatles, harrison, song
Read more articles by: Freddy R Bubble
Article published on June 19, 2007 at Isnare.com

Beatles: The Music Lives On

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:01:21 +0000

The Beatles were famous from the very beginning but they didn’t necessarily try to be. It just seemed to happen. They were not to know that their brand of music, their presence and their vision was to lead to fame to an extent the world had never before seen.
The Beatles conquered America, without really trying; the music spoke for them, attracting the attention of the world at large, most of whom had never heard anything like it.
Their legacy lives on; not a single song or songwriter today can deny the influence of the Beatles’ music. They may try to deny it, may not even remember the Beatles, or even heard of them, but the influence is there, still the same. People buy songs that have been written by Lennon-McCartney, but they simply don’t realise it. The magic lives on.
They split in the 70’s, but still cause so much controversy today that their names can be heard in every household. Several state-of-the-art albums were produced by George Martin, who seemed to have an affinity and empathy for getting the best from the Liverpudlians. Recently, a reworked Beatles album soared to the top of the charts, and George’s son had a large part in tweaking the magic out of ancient Beatles material.
So, they live on; the music, the names, the places – Penny Lane is a real place, as are the Strawberry Fields that were part of the music. Everywhere you look, the Beatles are still with us: John Lennon airport, for example. They might not exist, but they will exist for ever. Does that make sense? Let it Be…

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Author Eric Hartwell

The Beatles - Great Band Comes Alive Again

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:00:34 +0000

One of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands ever, the Beatles enjoyed tremendous popularity1960 onwards. This four member group from Liverpool (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star) was not only a huge hit in the UK, all across the globe it won many accolades. With more than 40 different singles, albums and Eps, the Beatles enjoyed the number one position for many occasions. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Beatles #1 on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. According to that same magazine, their innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still evident today.
Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll and homegrown skiffle, the group explored a great variety of genres ranging from Tin Pan Alley to psychedelic rock. Their clothes, hairstyles, and statements made them trend-setters, while their growing social awareness saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s. The Beatles have got a record six diamond-selling albums (10 million copies) to their credit - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles, Abbey Road, The Beatles: 1962-1966, The Beatles: 1967-1970, and The Beatles 1.
If you are a fan of the Beatles, then various portals on the World Wide Web brings to you a wide choice of Beatles albums at really thrown-away prices. All the famous albums including A Hard Days Night, Abbey Road, Help, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles 1 and many others are available on our site. Buy these albums and croon along numbers like "The Night Before", "I Need You", You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away", "Ticket to Ride", "You’re Going to Lose that Girl", "I’ve Just Seen a Face", "You Won’t See Me", "Think for Yourself", "Michelle", "Come Together", "Something" etc.

Jacob Marshal, a dedicated writer of Rupizcompare.co.uk which provide The Beatles with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Online Abbey Road Music
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Author Jacob Marshal

American Idol 7: Top 11 Live Results

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:59:56 +0000

The remaining 11 contestants on American Idol season 7 took the stage and performed songs from The Beatles during the live episode broadcast of the show. Below is a recap of each performance and what the judges had to say.Amanda Overmyer did a rendition of "Back in the USSR " and Randy said it was the perfect song choice. However, he warned Amanda to watch the pitches. Paula said she was a little ahead of the pitch while Simon said it was a bit of mess in some parts.Randy believed Kristy Lee Cook’s ""Hey You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away" was a little boring and really safe. Paula agreed with Randy but complimented Kristy’s gorgeousness. Randy said it was a better performance than last week.

David Archuleta sang "The Long and Winding Road ." Randy described it very nice, Paula said it was the most exciting and wonderful performance because the purity of whom David is and what his sound is was very identifiable. Even Simon said he was amazing and called the performance a master class.Paula reminded Michael Johns on the principle of balance after he sang "A Day in the Life." Randy confirmed it wasn’t one of the good ones while Simon said he didn’t hit the right notes and the song went all over the place."Here Comes the Sun" was Brooke White’s number. Randy said it was really awkward, Paula said it could have been a little more challenging and Simon went as far as calling it terrible.

David Cook sang "Day Tripper" and pleased Randy and Paula. Randy said he loved it and Paula believed he was ready to go sell record. Simon agreed that it was good but also thought it was predictable.Carly Smithson’s "Blackbird" was described by Randy as very nice, very controlled and very emotive. Paula said the arrangement was beautiful but Simon thought the song was indulgent.Jason Castro performed "Michelle." Randy said it was interesting because it was very subdued, Paula said it was a little awkward and Simon commented there’s a kind of goofiness that made it work.Randy said Syesha Mercado’s "Yesterday" was a very, very, very good performance. Paula praised her beautiful voice and Simon believed it was Syesha’s best performance so far.Chikezie Eze’s version of "I’ve Just Seen a Face" was strange for Randy but Paula disagreed, saying that it showed whom Eze is and demonstrated the depth and scope of his vocals. Simon said it started off okay but saw it gimmicky.Ramielle Malubay rendered "I Should Have Known Better" and Randy said it was alright. Paula said it was better than last week but Simon described it as very amateurish.
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Author Groshan Fabiola

7 Easy Guitar Songs You Can Learn By The Beatles

admin — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:59:12 +0000

When looking for easy guitar songs to play, why not learn some from possibly the most influential band ever in the history of popular music.
The band that I speak of is of course The Beatles. The Beatles were made up of 4 musicians from Liverpool, England… John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Over the years, The Beatles have sold millions of records and recorded more than 200 songs. In the UK alone, the Beatles reached #1 with more that 40 different singles, albums and EP’s.
Not only did the Beatles become one of the most commercially successful bands ever, they made a huge impact on the lifestyles of many at the time. Everything from their hairstyles, their clothes and to even the way they lived their lives was often copied by their fans.
They also had a big influence on many bands throughout the years because of their harmonies, song structures and recording techniques that they used in the studio.
Combine the Lennon/McCartney song writing with the great song structures and you have music that never gets old.
As for us guitarists, there’s nothing better to get your audience in a great mood than playing Beatles songs. Everybody knows them and everybody loves them! If you find that your audience is not getting into your music, try playing a Beatles song and I bet they will be singing along in no time.
Also, great songs don’t need to be difficult to play and the Beatles proved that. I decided to pick out 7 of my favorites, which wasn’t an easy task because I love so many, that are fairly easy to play. If you are just learning to play guitar, these songs should be easy enough to learn if you practice them enough.
1. Twist And Shout
2. Nowhere Man
3. I Saw Her Standing There
4. Day Tripper
5. A Hard Days Night
6. A Little Help From My Friends
7. Ob La Di Ob La Da
You can find these easy guitar songs at any guitar shop in books, cds and dvds. You can also find them for free online at the numerous guitar tab sites like ultimate-guitar.com, but sometimes the tabs that are submitted aren’t as accurate as the published books. Now go find them, learn them and most important of all… enjoy them!
About the Author
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Author Johnny Stall