The History of Modern Music

The History of Modern Music — page 3 — THE BIRTH OF MODERN MUSIC THE BRITISH ARE COMING S AO American rock and roll ruled in the late 1950s but by the mid 1960s the world was dancing to different sounds They came from the United Kingdom specifically the cities of Liverpool and Manchester The bittest rock and pop stars of the 1960s were followed by fanatical A New Sound groups of screaming teenage fans Rock and roll had a big effect on many British teenagers But it was a British version of rock and roll called skiffle From The Cavern that made the biggest impact Skiffle was to the Charts played with acoustic instruments rather than electric ones and it was made popular by the The beat music scene in Liverpool was based singer Lonnie Donegan Inspired by both around a music venue called The Cavern skiffle and Elvis many teenagers formed Club It was here that many local bands first their own bands played and where they perfected their sound A New Beat The Scoop By the early 1960s many skiffle bands had gone electric and replaced their homemade music making equipment with instruments These young bands began to make a form of pop music that was influenced by rock and roll but kept a very British sound It was called beat music Nowhere was beat music more popular than in Liverpool One of the most successful Merseybeat bands of the early 1960s was Gerry and the Pacemakers They set a record when their first three singles reached number one on the British charts No one had ever done that before not even The

The History of Modern Music — page 4 — Rule Britannia One of these bands The Beatles rose up the British charts in 1964 Record labels quickly rushed to sign more groups from Liverpool and soon these groups nicknamed Merseybeat bands ruled the charts Following The Beatles many other British bands were successful in the United States The American media called this The British Invasion other than The Beatles the US also fell in love with The Dave Clark Five Freddie and the Dreamers and Herman's Hermits The Invasion Begins MEMBE It wasn't long before American teenagers began to get a taste for British beat music In 1964 The Beatles made their first trip to the United States After appearing on a popular television talk show they were headline news Their concerts sold out and their music sold in record breaking time In one week in April 1964 The Beatles held the top five positions on the Billboard Top 100 chart ENTRANCE British Blues British pop music at the time was also greatly influenced by the heavier Sound of American rhythm and blues In London a homegrown blues scene developed Bands such as The Rolling Stones The Kinks and The Who gave audiences a sound that was far rougher than the clean cut pop created by the Merseybeat bands It wasn't long before these bands made their mark in the United States and led the way to a decade of dominance by British rock that lasted into the early 1970s Even recent bands such as Oasis Coldplay and The Killers owe a debt to British pop of the 1960s The Rolling Stones are still making records today over 50 years after recording their first song

The History of Modern Music — page 5 — THE BIRTH OF MODERN MUSIC INDUSTRY C A SES TUDY The Beatles The Beatles are the most successful band ever During the 1960s John Lennon Paul McCartney Ringo Starr and George Harrison recorded some of the best known music of the time They were the first pop band to achieve worldwide fame Wiiiiiiiiii Between 1964 and 1970 The Beatles had an amazing 21 number one hit singles On the Rise in the United States and many more worldwide San John Lennon and Paul McCartney formed The Beatles in the late 1950s By 1962 they were big news in their home city of Liverpool UK W Local businessman Brian Epstein discovered ILLIV them and persuaded EMI Records to sign them 10 LUIDIARIO

The History of Modern Music — page 6 — Beatlemania Making It Big Thanks to a clean cut image and catchy pop songs in their own unique Merseybeat style The Beatles became international stars in 1964 Beatlemania spread and the band couldn't go anywhere without being followed by crowds of screaming fans Bright Stars During 1964 and 1965 The Beatles were probably the most famous people on the planet They starred in two successful films A Hard Day's Night and Help and spent most of their time touring the world They put on concerts in huge sports stadiums playing their hit singles to crowds of teenage girls After The Beatles recorded their second single in London's Abbey Road studios George Martin famously said Congratulations gentlemen you've just made your first number one record He was proved right as Please please Me rocketed to the top of the British charts Studio Time Their 1966 album Revolver featured songs recorded with violins cellos traditional Indian instruments and a soul style horn section Most revolutionary was a song called Tomorrow Never Knows which used cutting edge tape editing and looping techniques that had rarely been heard before The Beatles soon tired of their fame and decided to stop touring in 1966 Instead they focused on making music in the recording studio They had already started making experimental music with the 1965 album Rubber Soul but the albums that followed in 1966 and 1967 revolutionized the music industry New Sounds Everything Changes Revolver and its follow up Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had a huge impact They showed not only the limitless potential of rock and pop music but also what could be achieved in the recording studio In the following years albums became works of art not just collections of songs With the aid of producer George Martin and almost unlimited studio time The Beatles were able to venture into new sounds and recording techniques TIMELINE The Beatles 1957 Paul McCartney joins John 1964 Beatlemania sweeps the US Lennon's skifle group The Quarrymen 1966 Revolver album is released 1960 The Quarrymen change their name 1967 Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club to The Beatles Band album is released 1962 Love Me Do single hits UK Top 20 1970 The Beatles final album Let It Be 1963 Please Please Me tops British charts is released 11

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