The British Invasion: The Beatles versus the Stones We idolized the Beatles, except for those of us who idolized the Rolling Stones Humorist Dave Barry McGraw-Hill/IrwinCopyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Beatles Mersey beat from Liverpool and Manchester Skiffle and Buddy Holly influenced early sound Clean image, matching suits, heeled boots John Lennon ( ), singer, songwriter, rhythm guitarist Paul McCartney (born in 1942), singer, songwriter, electric bass guitar and keyboards George Harrison ( ), singer, songwriter, lead guitarist, sitarist Ringo Starr (born in 1940), singer, drummer Temporary members include Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best Brian Epstein, manager George Martin, principal producer 7-2

Beatles music in three periods: 1)Skiffle and Pop-influenced love songs ( ) 2)Dylan-influenced introspective songs ( ) 3)Studio concentration without touring ( ) 7-3

Listening Guide I Want to Hold Your Hand by the Beatles (1964) Tempo: 132 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: 8-bar sections, with 4-bar refrains, some extensions Features: Downbeat not clear until vocals begin Even beat subdivisions Backbeat in drums Instrumentation, electric lead and rhythm guitars, electric bass guitar, and drums No instrumental solos Hand-clapped pattern creates polyrhythmic effect Lyrics: Hand holding demonstrates a deeper connection with beloved Charts: Pop, #1 for seven weeks, British hits, #1 for five weeks 7-4

Listening Guide Norwegian Wood by the Beatles (1965) Tempo: 3-beat bars in waltz rhythm, with downbeats at 60 per minute Form: 8-bar phrases Features: Vocals are gentle and dreamy Primary accompaniment instruments are acoustic rhythm guitar and sitar with bass and tambourine The sitar stands out because of bent notes Lyrics: A cryptic story about an affair of John Lennons 7-5

Listening Guide A Day in the Life by the Beatles (1967) Tempo: 76 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar, but B section twice as fast Form: Sections in unequal lengths, ordered AAABA Features: Even beat subdivisions Drums support rhythms, no backbeat Instruments include strummed acoustic guitar, electric bass, piano, drums, and, before the B section, a forty-piece orchestra recorded and overdubbed four times to create a sound mass End with a long extension of a echo of the final piano chord Lyrics: A sections include various different images described by John Lennon, B section about ordinary life that includes drug use by Paul McCartney 7-6

The Rolling Stones Rhythm & Blues band from London Casual dress and style Early songs included covers, original songs by 1965 Mick Jagger (born in 1943), singer, songwriter Keith Richard (born in 1943), guitarist, songwriter Brian Jones ( ), guitarist, multi- instrumentalist Bill Wyman (born in 1936), electric bass guitar Charlie Watts (born in 1941), drums Also, Ian Stewart, pianist on some recordings Andrew Oldham, manager 7-7

Listening Guide Not Fade Away by Buddy Holly (1957) Tempo: 184 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: 8-bar stanzas Features: Drums keep a soft Bo Diddley beat Backbeat not prominent, some stop time used Backup vocal group imitates the beat Lyrics: Holly sings as if he were politely informing a girl that she will eventually be his 7-8

Listening Guide Not Fade Away by the Rolling Stones (1964) Tempo: 208 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: Similar to Buddy Hollys original recording Features: The Bo Diddley beat is stressed Maracas keep even beat subdivisions, as Bo Diddley often did in his own recordings Tambourine adds a black gospel feel The backbeat is not prominent No stop time is used Blues harp (harmonica) adds some blues color Lyrics: Jaggers vocal tone, singing Hollys same lyrics, sounds more demanding, and even arrogant, in his pronouncement that the girl will soon be his 7-9

Listening Guide (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones (1965) Tempo: 138 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: 8 or 16 bar sections with some extensions Features: 2-bar opening riff played four times before vocals enter Riff played on guitar though a Gibson Maestro fuzzbox to sound somewhat like a saxophone Instruments include electric bass guitar, drums, tambourine, and acoustic guitar Drums play steady beat with little backbeat Lyrics: The song is about a desire for sex and frustration with commercial advertising Charts: Pop, #1 for four weeks, R&B, # 19, British hits, #1 7-10

Rolling Stones Membership Changes Brian Jones quit in 1969 and died soon after Mick Taylor (born in 1948), Jones replacement on guitar Mick Taylor quit in 1975 Ron Wood (born in 1947), Taylors replacement on guitar Bill Wyman quit in 1989 Darryl Jones, Wymans replacement on electric bass guitar 7-11

Listening Guide Miss You by the Rolling Stones (1978) Tempo: 112 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: 4-bar phrases Four instrumental sections vary in length Features: Uneven beat subdivisions Steady pulse in drums, some emphasis on backbeat Jaggers vocals change from soft and subtle to an effective imitation of African American jive talk as he mimics a friends voice on the phone Lyrics: The singer is obsessed by how much he misses the person to whom the song is directed Charts: Pop, #1, R&B, #33, British hits, #3 7-12

Discussion questions What was it about the American social, political, and musical situations in the early sixties that made the country so ready for invasion by the British bands? Were the Beatles and the Rolling Stones so great that they could have taken over the U.S. charts any time, or was it mostly a case of good timing that they became so popular so quickly? 7-13