Liking the Beatles More

As we have been listening to the Beatles in class, I have grown to like them more and more. One of the reasons I think that I am saying this is that I have heard some of their later music, and it has appealed to me. With the Beatles was kind've a boring album in my opinion, but their later albums like Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band seem pretty good. The other thing that I noticed was how much their style changed over time. Sgt. Peppers album is really weird and drug fueled songs like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and A Day in the Life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bl-pLG7_5E

Hard Day's Night

I though that the movie A Hard Days Night was decent. The humor wasn't really from our time, so I didn't understand many of the subtle jokes in the movie. However, the music and the focus on Beatlemania were very interesting. I hadn't really gotten the perspective of the band before, and this movie was a somewhat unrealistic but insightful view into their life. The Liverpudlian accents were difficult to decipher but gave the movie a more distinct, and original feel. The music fit in well with he script and I liked the spontaneous performances throughout the movie. If I had been a British person living in the 1960's, I think that I would have understood and liked this movie better, but it was still entertaining and funny.

With the Beatles

I really didn't like the album With the Beatles. With the exception of All My Loving I didn't feel that the  individual songs on the album were very good. The covers of other songs that the Beatles did were decent renditions but nothing special. Their original songs were alright but seemed to have the same tune, and convey basically the same message. Although it is an important album I like their other album much better. It is faster paced and has a more distinct sound than With the Beatles. I have started listening a little bit to their later music and it seems so much more upbeat and different than this album. I can understand why it is important, and I think its amazing that they could make an album in such a short time span, but it isn't nearly their best work.

Motown

Last class we learned about Motown Records and the many different artists they recorded and produced with. I had no idea that Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye were signed by Motown Records. I also didn't realize the scale of their success, but in class it was said that Motown had more bestselling singles or record sales than the Beatles and some other well known bands combined. I like some Motown songs, but I don't like others. However, there is such a variety in the artists that I can pick and choose the songs I like. I think that one of the reasons that Motown flourished was because they offered songs from so many different artists and musical groups. This allowed for greater selection by audiences, and boosted their success. Its very rare for a record label to start a new genre of music, but I can understand how Motown accomplished that feat.

Beatles Work Rate

The work rate of the Beatles was incredible. We talked about how they recorded an album in a single day whereas it takes many artists today weeks and sometimes even months to record an album. The fact that they were able to complete something like this in such a short time span is really cool. The effect on their voices was marked but they still cranked out the album. Their work rate was really amazing.

Beatlemania

In class the other day we talked about Beatlemania and we finished a documentary about the Beatles' 1964 U.S. tour. The hysteria surrounding their concerts and their visit was insane. Fans were waiting at their hotel for them to pop their heads out of their window. People beat on the car that was driving them, and loads of teenage girls passed out at their performances. All of this was just for one band, but it was a band so captivating that everyone in America was totally into it. I think that it is amazing that one band could garner so many supporters. Not even One Direction or Justin Bieber can captivate America like the Beatles did. But with their charisma they managed to pull it off, and I think that that is remarkable.

The Beatle's 1964 tour

The Beatle's 1964 was the craziest thing ever. We talked in class about how they drew huge crowds, teenage girls went insane, and everyone tuned in to listen to them play. I think that it is really cool that they could draw such huge crowds and be so popular that they could make anyone do anything. Those kinds of obsessions still happen today, as with One Direction and Justin Bieber, but the level of fanaticism surrounding them was incredible. I wish that there was still a good band/musician who could do something like they did and captivate so many people.

Elvis Presley

Last class we learned about Elvis Presley. He is definitely one of the most well-known American musicians of all time, but I don't think that he was an amazing good singer. On the other hand he was a really good performer. He was doing things that had never been done before in music. Things like moving his hips and swaying were considered really provocative back then, and he used that to get himself on the national screen. Another thing that we talked about was how we have to take all of his actions into historical context. Today swaying your hips or singing provocative songs isn't considered all that bad. Listening to music from the 1950's and 1960's in class, it seemed pretty conservative and not many people were willing to do things out of the ordinary, so when someone like Elvis came along everyone went crazy.