Beatles Quarrymen

From Quarrymen To Catalysts

The crowd frenzied from Beatlemania lets out a collective raucous shriek as the most successful musicians of their time stepped up on stage. The British invasion had arrived. How did the Beatles begin and what set them apart from all the other musical groups of the time? The Beatles were important because even though they started off just like every other band, they got a lot farther than most, through their revolutionary styles, and huge popularity.

The Beatles started off much like any other band, when John Lennon formed a band in high school with his friends and called it the Quarrymen. After a while they added new people and changed their name to the Beatles and quickly

They mixed the styles of Chuck Berry with Beethoven like chord harmonies. (Unterberger) They also incorporated heavy vocal harmonies reminiscent of the middle ages into their music (Unterberger). The Beatles were the first to do this, but not the last, as they were a catalyst for the 70’s rock revolution in which rock bands such as Queen, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple borrowed from classical music. Moreover, the Beatles weren’t afraid to take on a more androgynous tone and surprised the industry by using harmonies and falsettos in their music. (McMillan) Their appearance mirrored this new style, the Beatles had long hair, which replaced the clean and tough as nails look of men before that time (The Beatles And The Gender Revolution). Few bands had done this before in an era where men were expected to be strong emotionless pillars. The Beatles gave people what they wanted before they wanted by challenging the expectations of society with their new aesthetic and musical

Instead of having one member singled out as “the leader” the Fab Four were advertised as equals (McMillan). The cover art for all the albums and all the interviews advertised them as a band instead of one performer. This technique proved wise because it made the fans fall in love with the whole band instead one individual. They would address girls as individuals which made them fall even more in love with the band. Hits such as “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” all include personal pronouns(McMillan). The fans felt as if the band were singing just to them, which made them listen even more. The band’s melodic voices and charming manner combined with their lyrics meant to woo made them irresistible to their teenage market.

The Beatles had the biggest impact of any band in the 60s because even though they started off much like any other band they achieved huge popularity through their revolutionary styles. Their hard work quickly brought them to the top. From there they set themselves apart by mixing new styles of music to create the folk rock sound that defined the 60s. Their fans fell in love with the charismatic, british singers. The Beatles will forever go down as the biggest band in the