It Was Forty Years Ago Today

[Worm of Despite]

... Ed Sullivan told the band to play!

Today, forty years ago, The Beatles landed in America and changed music forever. When they arrived, the country gave them a reception few others in history have had.

[Damelon]

Had a discussion about that last night.

When I started paying attention to music they had rather recently broken up and I thought they were a little old fashioned then. I never really started listening to them until I was well along in college. They are not my top, top favorites, but they are up there.

[Fist and Faith]

hmmm, the title of this thread sounds familiar...

Always good to have you around giving honor where it's due, Foul. Thanks.

[Kinslaughterer]

You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world

They may have done just that.

[matrixman]

A toast to the Fab Four!

Meet The Beatles was my introduction to the band, when I was 8 or 9 years old. (It was the North American "stereo" version of With The Beatles.) I think at that point, I Saw Her Standing There was the most amazing song I'd ever heard: the way Paul shouts out, "One-Two-Three-FUH!"; the rapid yet precise guitar part; the pure drive of the song.

Also enjoyed the movie HELP! at that time. (All this happened for me in the late 70's; I wasn't around when Beatlemania was "live.")

Revolver is probably my favorite Beatles album. The creativity on display in the songs is...staggering. Revolver also has the distinction of being the very first CD I ever listened to, back in '87 (when they released all the proper UK Beatles albums for the first time on compact disc).

2nd favorite is likely the White Album. Just a crazy piece of work, all over the musical map, but dazzling songwriting nonetheless.

Favorite Beatles songs? Too many to list. The fun energy of the early years is as interesting to listen to as the complexity of the later years.

[Fist and Faith]

the way Paul shouts out, "One-Two-Three-FUH!"

Yeah, that's almost what he shouts.

2nd favorite is likely the White Album. Just a crazy piece of work, all over the musical map, but dazzling songwriting nonetheless.

Paul was talking about this album in the last few years. He said something like, "A lot of people say 'Oh it's too much this' or "Not enough that.' But you know? It's the bloody Beatles White Album!"

[danlo]

I'm ancient enuf to have seen them on the Ed Sullivan show and my older sister was one of those screaming girls who almost got crushed to death on the CHAINLINK (lol) fence-back when we all lived in Jersey. I was singing Bungalow Bill with a friend in a bar last night... When I was 12 I almost wanted to study German as the older brother of a friend had a bootleg album where they sang I Want to Hold Your Hand, in German, in Hamburg (Com Git Me Dimer Han--or something like that). He was so hard core he even framed the nude John and Yoko album and hung it next to the nude Blind Faith Ablum!

[ShadowLurker]

Truly one of the greatest moments in music history.

[theDespiser]

i, for one, cannot stand the Beatles

[Worm of Despite]

I can understand why a person wouldn't listen to The Beatles. We all have different tastes, I know. But can't stand them? Why?

Can't you at least appreciate what The Beatles did for music? Did you know the music you like might not even exist if not for them?

The face of music could have looked much different without them--and probably not for the better. Just think of the post-Elvis dry spell that they brought music out of and the world famous bands they inspired.

[duchess of malfi]

Tastes do differ.
I never really got into them until I was a grown up, about college age. Interestingly enough, I discovered jazz and classical music at about the same time.