At soundlounge, we work with brands to create their sonic identities. In this three part series, we’ll explore one of the most famous sonic identities of all, The Beatles. Part one highlights the groundbreaking sounds from the early Beatles albums. Subscribe to this blog for parts two and three, in which we’ll study the later albums and discover a few tips about creating a sonic identity that you can apply to your brand’s sound.
“The great thing about The Beatles was that they never gave me the same thing twice…They gave me a new song, a new concept, and each one seemed to be better than the one before.”
But four decades later, we can no longer hear a Beatles record fresh off the press. Their musical innovations have become so intertwined in our musical repertoire we may easily forget what The Beatles sounded like to a new listener. So let’s shed some of our musical baggage, take a trip back in time, and listen to this new band with the funny moptop hair…
Twist And Shout – Please Please Me (1963)
What’s all the raspy yelling about? Sounds like his throat is on fire! In all likelihood John Lennon’s throat was in excruciating pain. Suffering from a cold and nine hours of recording the album Please Please Me, John’s voice had reached its breaking point. But the band went ahead and recorded the album’s closing track “Twist and Shout.” John gave it everything he had left, and his infamously raw vocal performance became one of the signature Beatle sounds.
’Till There Was You – With The Beatles (1963)
Worlds away from their upbeat dance tunes, “Till There Was You,” showed off the band’s softer, romantic side. Originally a Broadway hit, this acoustic cover was a standout track on With The Beatles. With Paul singing lead, George and John on acoustic guitars, and Ringo on bongos, “Till There Was You” gave listeners a small taste of the unique orchestrations to follow.
A Hard Day’s Night – A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Having named The Beatles’ first film after a Ringoism, the band needed to come up with a decent title track of the same name, and fast. With the film’s deadline looming, it could have become a rushed disaster of a song. Instead, John and Paul wrote the instant hit “A Hard Day’s Night” in one day, a testament to their brilliant songwriting under pressure. According to George Martin, he and John agreed that the song needed an extra something in the beginning. A few exploratory guitar strums later, and John had found the magical chord to lead into the film, and the exciting new album.
Baby’s In Black – Beatles For Sale (1964)
By this point, Beatlemania was unstoppable. But the band itself was beginning to grow beyond the simple love songs that transformed girls into hysterical mobs. Beatles For Sale had a distinctly darker tone than the previous albums. The morbid lyrics, crude guitar licks, and lilting 6/8 rhythm of “Baby’s In Black” made it a rarity in pop music of the day. According to Paul, they would introduce the song:
“‘And now for something different.’…We used to put that in there, and think, ‘Well, they won’t know quite what to make of this, but it’s cool.’”
You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away – Help! (1965)
Another album down the line, and the band was moving further away from
the classic Beatles sound – the sound that made them transatlantically famous. American folk, and Bob Dylan in particular, had captured John’s imagination. Dylan’s influence is clear in the acoustic ballad “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” complete with a flute solo (the first performance by a non-Beatle since “Love Me Do”). Although the song’s style wasn’t new to folk lovers, it was a unique new sound coming from The Beatles, and it marked their shift towards more socially conscious lyrics accompanied by acoustic guitar.
Check back soon (or subscribe) for part two of our “Sound of the Beatles” series, which will highlight the most influential songs from the Beatles’ later albums.
Charlie McCarron, Sound Consultant
soundlounge
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