British Invasion
and the Beatles
1958-1967
Post-WWII European recovery, Marshall
Plan, 1948-1951
1948/49 1949/50 1950/51 Cumulative
Country
($ millions) ($ millions) ($ millions) ($ millions)
Iceland 6 22 15 43
Portugal 0 0 70 70
Ireland 88 45 0 133
Turkey 28 59 50 137
Switzerland 0 0 250 250
Sweden 39 48 260 347
Norway 82 90 200 372
Greece 175 156 45 376
Denmark 103 87 195 385
Austria 232 166 70 468
Belgium and Luxembourg 195 222 360 777
Netherlands 471 302 355 1128
Italy and Trieste 594 405 205 1204
West Germany 510 438 500 1448
France 1085 691 520 2296
United Kingdom 1316 921 1060 3297
Totals 4,924 3,652 4,155 12,731
Marshall Plan’s effects
• Sped up economic recovery in
western Europe.
• Kept communists out of
governments.
• Encouraged European integration.
• Americanized Europe.
• Provided markets for US goods.
Post-WWII Britain
• Baby boom
• Relatively weak economy
• Rationing continued until 1954.
• National Service (conscription) ended in 1960.
• Many more teenagers, proportionally
• Old empire dying, de-colonization, Suez crisis, 1956
Skiffle in United Kingdom, 1950s
• Originated in New Orleans Jazz and Chicago,
1930s
• Skiffle: to make a mess of something
• Lonnie Donegan, “Midnight Special” (Lead
Belly)
• Deformalized music in UK.
The Quarrymen
• Liverpool
• John Lennon, aged 16
• Quarry Bank School
• Formed in March 1957
• Paul McCartney joined in July 1957
(aged 15).
• George Harrison admitted, spring
1958 (aged 15).
• “That’ll be the day!” 14 July 1958
• Holly and the Crickets toured UK in
Jan-Feb 1958.
Hamburg, 1960-1962
• The Crickets
• The Beatals
• The Silver Beetles
• The Beatles (July 1960)
• Alan Williams (manager)
• Pete Best
• Stuart Sutcliffe (Liverpool
College of Art)
• Wild life
• Indra Club
• Tons of practice
Hamburg, 1960-
1962
Tons of practice, learning their style
Stuart Sutcliffe: bought their bass guitar [letter
from John].
Cavern Club, Liverpool, 1961-
1963
• Merseybeat
• First performed there as The Quarrymen, 1957
• 1961-1963: The Beatles performed there 292
times: https://
youtu.be/yCzed4x40aA?list=RDyCzed4x40aA
• November 1961: Brian Epstein heard them there.
• January 1962: Epstein became their manager:
• Mona Best supported the deal.
• McCartney’s father opposed “the Jew”. "I was immediately struck by their music, their
• Mimi (John’s aunt) opposed it. beat and their sense of humour on stage – and,
even afterwards, when I met them, I was struck
• Five year contract: Epstein got 15-25%.
again by their personal charm. And it was there
that, really, it all started".
EMI-Parlophone recording
contract
• Epstein tried many other companies first.
• Finally, contacted George Martin at EMI’s
Parlophone.
• May have threatened to withdraw his business,
but Martin claimed Epstein was very convincing.
• Contract gave The Beatles 1 penny per record sold.
• June 1962 recording began at Abby Road Studios
• Summer 1962: fired Pete Best, hired Ringo Starr
(Richard Starkey).
“Love Me Do” October 1962
• Written before “The Beatles”
• Recorded three times, each
with different drummer
• Ringo Starr version: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ
eBHMJENhs
• Reached number 17 in UK
• After USA tour, hit number 1!
“Please Please Me”, January 1963
• Reached number 1 on New Musical
Express and Melody Maker.
• George Martin found the original version
“very dreary”.
• Roy Orbison, “Only the lonely”: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTR2IlAJEyQ
• Wanted them to record “How do you do
it?” written by Mitch Murray.
• Band insisted on recording their own
material.
• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lebrST7mY_I
“She Loves You” (August 1963)
• Biggest hit of the 1960s in UK.
• November 1963: The Beatles performed on
“Sunday Night at the Palladium”.
• Lennon: “For our last number, I'd like to ask
your help. Would the people in the cheaper
seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if
you'll just rattle your jewelry.”
• Sold one million copies by late November 1963.
• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOuu88OwdK8
• Beatlemania tripped into full gear.
Beatlemania! (1963-1970)
• Fandom meant record sales:
• 1963-1970: there was a Beatles’ single at the number one spot in USA for 59
of those weeks; every sixth week, or about 9 number one singles per year.
• Beatles’ LPs topped LP charts for 116 weeks, 1963-1970, one of every three
weeks.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mw1D3HTGng
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrtMEK6KI-g
• Hard Day’s Night (1964, dir. Richard Lester): https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK15mkRWf4c&list=PLi67X2TyUMJudNR
mP4YJCaaIDD5trh_FV
The Beatles’ 1966 USA tour and
Jesus Christ
• "Christianity will go," he said. "It will vanish and shrink… We're more
popular than Jesus now - I don't know which will go first, rock and roll or
Christianity.“ Maureen Cleave, The London Evening Standard, 4 March
1966
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONYVxatB1U4
• John in 1978: "My life with the Beatles had become a trap… I always
remember to thank Jesus for the end of my touring days; if I hadn't said
that the Beatles were 'bigger than Jesus' and upset the very Christian Ku
Klux Klan, well, Lord, I might still be up there with all the other
performing fleas! God bless America. Thank you, Jesus.“
• 1968: founded Apple Records
Beatles’ end?
• 1966: quit touring
• Rubber Soul (1965)
• Revolver (1966)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
• Brian Epstein’s death, August 1967
• The Beatles ("The White Album", 1968)
• Yellow Submarine (1969)
• Abbey Road (1969)
• Let It Be (1970)
The Rolling Stones, 1962 to present
• Initial line-up:
• Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica)
• Keith Richards (guitar)
• Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica)
• Ian Stewart (piano)
• Bill Wyman (bass)
• Charlie Watts (drums)
• Very focused on electric blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly music (Muddy
Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly)
• Early songs were covers.
• First single, Chuck Berry’s “Come on”, 1963: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCWxU2pln2k
• Toured with Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and The Everly Brothers
The Rolling Stones
• Second record: “I want to be your man!” written by Lennon and
McCartney for the Stones.
• Reached number 12 on the charts.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJCkbbMnEPg
• Third single, Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” (February 1964)
• Reached number 3 on the charts.
• Appeared on the Michael Douglas Show, 1964:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6RWnGQ3XqQ
The Rolling Stones
• Richards and Jagger had to be
convinced to write their own music.
• First hit song: “Heart of Stone,”
December 1964
• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpAVbYhI
9I0
The Animals, 1963-1969
• Newcastle upon Tyne
• Eric Burdon
• Alan Price (organ and keyboards)
• Hilton Valentine (guitar)
• John Steel (drums)
• Bryan "Chas" Chandler (bass)
• Line-up changed many times, except Burdon
• June 1964: “House of the Rising Sun”
The Kinks, 1963-1996
• Ray Davies (rhythm guitar, lead vocals,
main writer)
• Dave Davies (lead guitar, vocals)
• Pete Quaife (bass guitar)
• Mick Avory (drums)
• First hit, August 1964: “You really got
me!”
• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTTsY-oz6Go
The Kinks, 1963-1996
• October 1964: “All day and all of the night”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOGMRnKl5co
• Hectic touring: Australia, New Zealand, USA, India
• Cardiff, 19 May 1965: Dave Davies and Mick Avory fought on stage
after “Your really got me!” (Davies got 16 stitches)
• After summer USA tour, American Federation of Musicians refused
permits for the group to appear in concerts for the next four years.
• Cut off a major market.
The Who, 1964-1982
• Pete Townshend (lead guitar, vocals,
writer)
• Roger Daltrey (vocals, guitar)
• John Entwhistle (bass guitar)
• Keith Moon (drums, crazy)
• Mod Scene
• December 1964: “I can’t explain”
• Jimmy Page (rhythm guitar)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=h3h--
K5928M
“My Generation” October 1965
• The Queen Mother had Townshend’s old car • “People try to put us d-down
(1935 Packard Hearse) towed from a street in • (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Belgravia.
• Just because we g-g-get around
• The Kinks “All Day and all of the night”
• (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
• John Lee Hooker's "Stuttering Blues” • Things they do look awful c-c-cold
• “Why don’t you all just f…… ade away?” • (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
• Became the anthem of 1960s generation. • I hope I die before I get old
• (Talkin' 'bout my generation)”
• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=594WLzzb3JI
• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdkROH7Exyg
