the infinite realms of music

 

When The Guardian runs a story about The Beatles' music, a thousand Reader Comments is not unusual. ...

*  You fought either for democracy or fascism in this context.  Modern Democracy is a project that aims towards greater and greater representation and inclusion, even if it doesn't always achieve this.  Fascism is a counter-enlightenment project, that aims for the opposite.

*  And the Beatles as exporters of British culture:  I first saw this film in Germany, when it came out.  When the police officers appeared on the roof the young audience clapped, which baffled me.  I asked my German friend why they clapped and he responded that it was because the police officers were not wearing gun holsters or carrying guns

*  Whatever one's opinion of Oasis, they openly discussed (and sometimes copied) their influences.  To my then 12-year-old mind back in late '96, they were a gateway into the infinite realms of music.  My first stop was The Beatles.  We might be 60 years down the road but their progression remains mindblowing and, most importantly, the songwriting is still staggering.

*  The Beatles were the real deal, a cultural phenomenon that might never be repeated.  

One of the most amazing things about them was that they accomplished their historical achievements in a mere decade which saw them progress from their early rockabilly and pop phase to creating some of the most artistically compelling and innovative music of the rock era in albums like Revolver and Abbey Road.  

        An underrated influence on the Let It Be period Beatles was The Band whose Music from Big Pink released in 1968 helped shift Rock away from psychedelia back to its roots in Blues, Country and Folk.  

        George especially had already come under the spell of The Band after his visit to their home in Woodstock NY and some of the tensions you see during the Get Back and Let It Be sessions are reflective of George trying to shift the Beatles towards a more organic The Band-like sound.

*  Now in my late 60s, I want to get to the stage in life where people say how did you manage to get to this age and instead of the usual didn't drink, ate salad etc I want to say I listened to a Beatles song every day.

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