The Beatles - gone and lost in the mists of time?

lindsmuse

I recently started teaching again. I take on a few pupils from time to time - and there's been about a five year gap since I last taught. My two younger pupils - 7 and 11 respectively - have never heard of the Beatles! Can this possibly be? It's interesting to see though what music from my generation is still trickling through - probably via games and being a song/s played in a series / movies.

NorioDS

That's sad. The games/series stuff is cool but not at the expense of the Beatles.

I suppose it tells us how people are listening to music these days. Less for the sake of it and more as a side effect of other entertainment.

studmissile

I've always tried to encourage my nephew who is 12 to play guitar with no success whatsoever, then beginning of this year he heard the Beatles, and wanted to start playing out of the blue. He is Beatles mad! He's now moving on to Buddy Holly and he's guitar chops are coming on. I'm showing him a few pointers but he seems determined to do it himself. He's the kind of kid that doesn't like too much attention, so I let him get on without too much fuss, but its fantastic to watch.

lindsmuse

Brilliant! I think it's a very good place to start. Rich in so many layers of music making.

studmissile

lindsmuse Absolutely, its amazing how its captured and initiated that guitar gene. My sister says he listens to them 24/7. And Buddy Holly, only because the Beatles used to play Holly in the beginning. I've never played him Beatles so I don't know where he heard them?

Bill-Rosenberg

Here's an interesting video on The Beatles guitar techniques - lots of interesting little snippets:

NorioDS

Bill-Rosenberg this video is great!

Methinks we need a Beatles challenge ?

lindsmuse

It's incredible. I am listening to this Beatles video and it is GOLD. Thanks Bill. Wish I had time to go back and absorb and really apply. Fantastic that people are studying Beatles techniques. Better still, hearing all those cool licks and chord combinations again. They were truly inspired and an amazing combo of musos - getting it right at just the right time it seems ... for Beatles fans at any rate.

V8

NorioDS Methinks we need a Beatles challenge ?

+1, I'm a rather beeg fan, and that wouldn't be a easy challenge at all ?

studmissile

I prefer these guys ?

lindsmuse

studmissile Isn't it amazing how different this sound is and they were around in the same time. It seems they didn't have the same influences at all as the Beatles, or they did but interpreted differently - maybe it's a difference between US and UK culture (and that's complex). But what they shared to some degree was this positive, happy kind of vibe that they were sending out. Then along came slightly heavier sounds ... not knocking those btw.

studmissile

Very, very different but Brian was/is a musical savant. I've always found his work aurally mesmerizing.

Dave

All this talk about the Beatles music, of course it was brilliant. Have a look on YouTube at "The MonaLisa Twins". They are two drop dead gorgeous really nice young girls who do their own versions of Beatles covers as well as other groups from that era. Both girls sing and compliment each other as well as play multiple instruments. They have an amazing webpage, will respond personally to you if you write to them and have a lot of videos on the net to look at for free. They also had a 2 year residency at the Cavern Club as well as playing with some major bands and a tour to Finland so can't be too bad. In one of their videos, you will see a busload of people travelling from Liverpoole to London just to see them perform again, quite a long journey. To me as a ballie from that generation, they breath life back into this music

NorioDS

Dave The MonaLisa Twins

Nice find. Love the cello in this.

Reminds me of my sisters from another mister, the Sousa twins:

lindsmuse

NorioDS This is beautiful - hope they are performing - their voices blend so well. Love it!

lindsmuse

For some reason these guys kind of have that Beatlesy thing going on. I especially like this version. Incidentally found this as the Outro track to a fantastic series 'Patrick Melrose' - Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock). Had never listened to Blur before. I think Lennon may have liked this back in the day ?

NorioDS

lindsmuse They have individual projects these days. Vania's writing music for other musos and her own projects. Christa is studying performance arts and doing jazzy numbers.

lindsmuse their voices blend so well.

Totally agree, it's a lovely sound. They complement each other very well.

V8

I'm just lovin' this cover - might seem like heresy to have a soprano doing the vocals, but I just dig the energy going on in this track. Drummer is particularly busy, yet with tasty dynamics.

studmissile

lindsmuse

Fantastic covers of Beatles songs - so respectful and tasteful (all of the above). Amazing to think that people with such talent were moved to go to the trouble of making this music.

I can just remember sitting around a radio with friends in a lounge somewhere listening for the first time to 'Ticket to Ride' and us all freaking out ? I don't think I could ever convey that magic. I guess it's the same as hearing Little Richie for the first time or Be Bop music, Big Band ... It was the fact that we could only hear them over the radio (and then later on vinyl). They were so distant from us and so rare. Factoring that into cover music is impossible. I wonder if radio is what created the magic - and all that scratchy tinniness. Whatever it was, the guitar went with it and always does. It travels so well.

V8

lindsmuse I can just remember sitting around a radio with friends in a lounge somewhere listening for the first time to 'Ticket to Ride' and us all freaking out ? I don't think I could ever convey that magic.

I think you have managed to convey the ar of anticipation/special feeling of listening to great music. I recall being super excited about getting a pre-order of Smashing Pumpkins "Siamese Dream" back in 1989 - had to save up, pre-order and wait (and wait and wait) for it to arrive. No other way back then to get a copy or to listen to it (aside from 1hr a week when it was maybe getting a play on hard n heavy).

The anticipation and difficulty of getting music made it special then? But the emotive memories attached to finally getting the album and listening to it are priceless and will never fade - E.g. the Beatles reminds me of my parents cranking up some beatles on a sunday and having a boogie.

Alllll pre-internet...which has completely changed the way we perceive music and value it. Though I wonder if the Beatles will become a musical standard as we progress - Could "All you need is love" become the next "Autumn Leaves" in 20years time?