The Beatles: The Original Boy Band

by Chas J. Hartman
Assistant Entertainment Editor

The Beatles are arguably the most influential rock and roll group ever. Simply put - without the Beatles, a lot of today's music would not exist. And 30 years after the Beatles existed, they have the number one album in America.

"I think it's obvious that the Beatles changed the way people even perceive popular music," said Scott Winland, a manager at The Union, 18 W. Union St. "They took what once was ritual dance music and turned it into something you sat down and really listened to. There are countless popular and underground bands that still cite them as a major influence."

When the Beatles emerged from the clubs of Liverpool, England in 1964 to invade America, they played a brand of rock 'n' roll that featured loud guitars and great sing-a-long lyrics about love. As the years went by, they never failed to succeed in their attempts to create different forms of rock music. From drug-induced, psychedelic music to solemn, contemplative rock, the Beatles wrote seemingly perfect songs.

"I think you could even go so far as to say they knew how to write the perfect pop song, and not the worthless pop you hear the music industry cranking out today," Winland said. "They transformed from a fad into a band that could do anything genre-wise and get away with it. That kind of freedom for a band is really rare nowadays."

Brad Haughn, a booking member at Swindlefish, 63 N. Court St., agreed with Winland's sentiments.

"They weren't really scared of what people thought," Haughn said. "They just did what they wanted to do with their music. A lot of the music put out today is too geared toward sales."

"They were revolutionary musically," said Justin Goodwin, an Ohio University senior. "They were young, frantic, loud, didn't care what authority said, wanted to just have fun and loved what they did. Everybody loved what they did and watching them do it."

"Any and every album they released you can listen to straight through," said Matt Harvey, the bar manager at Casa Cantina, 4 W. State St. "With most of today's music, I tend to skip over songs. Every single one of their albums is like a book that you can listen to from song one all the way to song ten. Also, vocally, they're the best band ever."

The influence of the Beatles stretches from city to city and band to band. Even amidst the unoriginal, repetitive music on today's popular radio stations, the sound of the Beatles is distinctly evident at certain points. Of course, this small college town is not immune to the revolutionary sounds and textures created by the Fab Four.

"I can really only speak for myself and my own band (Geraldine)," Winland said. "We love them. We've actually picked up shows in Nowheresville, Texas playing three-hour Beatle cover sets. It doesn't happen often, but it's a lot of fun playing those songs."

"Of course, it's not really a matter of trying to sound like the Beatles," Winland said. "It's just fun taking those great songs and turning them into something of our own. Something a bit sleazier. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a true Beatles hater around here, unless it's a case of some diehard Rolling Stones fan playing the devil's advocate."

"If I try, I can find some Beatles influence in all sorts of music," Goodwin said. "You can hear it in an Athens band like Guest and a regional band like Homunculus."

Aside from the fact that the Beatles influence is alive and well in America's local music scenes today, their record-selling popularity is likewise phenomenal. The fact that their recently released greatest hits album ••1•• is the number one album in America right now says it all. Ultimately, something makes their music special enough to captivate millions of listeners at any given time.

"I guess it suggests that their music is really timeless," Winland said. "I'm personally kind of sick of those commercials though. 'In 1964, four young men from Liverpool...'"

Jan Palmer, a 53-year-old OU associate professor and chairperson of economics, teaches economics courses on a regular basis in Morton Hall room 201. Prior to class and after class, Palmer puts the Beatles music on the speakers overhead. Not only does this make students happy, but it's something special for Palmer too.

"I play them before class because their songs are short and pleasant," Palmer said. "When I'm watching students before class, I notice them singing or mouthing the lyrics. Occasionally, people will come down and ask me what song is playing."

"Also, I want to make sure people know I can make more noise than they can," Palmer continued.

While Palmer knows that college-age students enjoy hearing the Beatles, he credits the older generations with helping the record sales of ••1••.

"I remember them, and listening to them brings back pleasant memories," Palmer said. "A lot of the older fans only own their albums on vinyl, which means they're now crossing over to CD. Also, ••1•• is remastered and features better sound quality."

OU dorms and Athens apartments are the most obvious places where one might notice the appeal of the Beatles to college students. Either the walls of a bedroom or living room are decorated with posters of the Fab Four, or the various CD collections of the roommates include at least one Beatles album. The reasons why their music appeals to multiple generations are just as varied as the sounds found on their albums.

"For one, the Beatles have left us with a great deal of beautiful music," Goodwin said. "Since it was produced over 30 years ago it's continued to please millions. They sang about feelings and being human, and their songs tend to remind us what it is just to be human."

"They're more than a band, they're a symbol of that time (the '60s)," Haughn said.

"For me, my dad gave me his entire Beatles collection when I was five," Harvey said. "A lot of college students were listening to the Beatles growing up. They still get so much press that they've never really died down."

"One of my favorite things about the Beatles is that their music appeals to little kids," Winland said. "It's funny how something you enjoyed in elementary school can stick with you. Your understanding of the music and lyrical content evolves as you get older and the music is great on so many levels that you appreciate it even more. I guess it's comparable to ••The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show••, or ••The Simpsons•• in that respect."

Rock on Beatles, rock on.