Learn From: The Beatles

This edition of "Learn From" is from the most popular band of all time, the Beatles. It is hard to imagine the world without the Beatles let alone the music business. The Beatles changed the way music sounded, was recorded, marketed, was wrote and had an impact on the world that went beyond music. They formed in Liverpool England in 1960. They started their professional career as a boy band.....yes a boy band. They had pop songs, dressed the same and were marketed just like a New Kids On the Block or 'N Sync was in our time. The big difference between the Beatles and those crap boy bands? The Beatles wrote, played on the recordings of their songs and played them live. Some of the early Beatles songs like "Please Please Please" and "I wanna hold your hand" were very poppy and catchy but they have stood the test of time. Every young boy and girl everywhere was a Beatle-mainiac. Those early pop songs grabbed ahold of people like Ozzy Osboarne and Tom Petty. The Beatles also grew as a band as time went on. The more mature they got they produced more mature and complex music. You can hear as each album was made how much bigger each one sounded. They had songs like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that featured blues master Eric Clapton just ripping it up. Songs like "Come Together", while not a blues song, has a blues influence in the main riff. Songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever" are about as psychedelic as any 60's band could be. There is incredible musicianship throughout all of their albums as well. Paul McCartney was an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who could play just about every instrument well. Every member of the band had the gift of songwriting too. Every member of the band also sang as well. They have some of the greatest vocal harmonies on record. Now while the members of the Beatles may have been born with the gift of music you can tell how they worked and honed their craft. With every album being different from the other they were always looking for something new to learn and make them better. The Beatles also changed the way music was recorded. So many new technologies had to be developed to make their albums sound the way they did. While these things might be considered primitive now, they changed the game back then and led the way for the way studios are now a days. The Beatles also led the charge in marketing. They had everything from lunch boxes, t shirts, key chains, pillows, you name it and they had it with their name or faces on it. Those things seem common place today but bands did not do that on a big scale until the Beatles did it. The Beatles broke up in in 1970. All four Beatles released amazing solo records and went on to great things. Their influence is just as big and strong as at anytime in their history. They still continue to sell millions upon millions of records and songs. They still continue to inspire and influence tons of great new artists.(they have probably influence more world class musicians than anyone) Paul McCartney sounds as good as ever in concert and his last studio cd was outstanding. John and George are of course no longer with us and Ringo is ........well......he is Ringo! Go out and get any of their albums or songs and get to learning them. Their songs are part of any musicians learning. If you are plan on playing out you should have a Beatles song or two ready! Go out and "Learn From" the Beatles.

early beatles "twiaat and shout" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA9maAERDAs

mid era "help" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU7JjJJZi1Q

some psychdelic "strawberry fields forever" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3jrWVp2L7U

end era "let it be" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0714IbwC3HA