'The Night That Changed America'

F

FAST FRED

500+ Posts
I just enjoyed watching the Grammy audience's 150 minute recognition of the 50 year anniversary of the Beatles' 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS.

I always read the posts on here about personal musical likes and dislikes with interest.

Everyone has and is welcome to their favorite musical artists and styles.

However, I thought this show had something special for all music fans.

smile.gif


It was very interesting and I was pleased to see all the young and old participants involved, artists, celebrities and common folk alike, remembering, performing and listening to the songs and appreciating The Beatles.

The versions of Beatle songs from other musicians were cool.

I thought it was a great show and I hope everybody saw it and enjoyed it.

It should be available on YouTube later, if you missed it.

smile.gif


Any comments?
 
I was 10 years old watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show for the first time... on a black & white TV with my family. I remember it like it was yesterday. Somehow I knew the Beatles were something special - I did not know how profoundly they would influence America, the World and me the next 7 -8 years. I remember the next weeks at school as that was all anyone was talking about, especially the older girls in my neighborhood - many of them were crazy about them. I got a transistor radio the summer after that and started listening to the Beatles and pop music... along with UT football games that fall.

As a long time Beatles fan, I had to see it. At first I was little disappointed with the program's approach, as I did not think they adequately focused on / showed the incredible impact the Beatles had on America during and immediately after the Ed Sullivan Shows. IMO the Beatles touched every part of society and our lives in various ways at that time. They truly did change America.

About half way through the show I realized the producers had a very limited amount of time to cover a vast and long storyline. Fans like me would have liked an hours long documentary, but that would have left other viewers out. Only 2 of the Fab 4 remain... it couldn't be Paul & Ringo getting up there and having a full concert with fill ins for George & John - after all this program was a tribute to the Beatles and them.

As you pointed out FF, toward the end I also realized the producers did a good job weaving in all generations, generally covering the Beatles timeline while doing a lasting tribute to the 4 incredible lads from Liverpool and how they changed the world.

THE BEATLES
bow.gif
 
I remember watching them on the Ed show that night. Boy am I getting old. I remember buying a Beatle wig shortly after
 
I watched the Ed Sullivan show that night, recorded the show last night...was watching the Olympics. Will watch it later. I did switch over several times during commercials, and heard some of the songs, seemed like some were good versions, some mangled versions of Beatles favorites.
 
I personally never understood the hysteria over this group. In the 70 ' s my brother had posters of them on his wall and I remember my friends playing their cassette tapes on the school bus. I just didn't and still don't like their music.
 
Looking at their discography, they had 37 songs that made it to the top 3 in airplay/sales in different countries. They only released 217 songs, many of which were bubblegum 2:00-minute throwaway fodder on their early albums. This basically means that 1 out of 5 Beatles songs was important enough to change the way people listened to or produced music. A 20 percent "success rate" for something like this goes way beyond popularity. Many artists like Mariah Carey or Katy Perry or U2 or the Eagles would be lucky to hit a 5 percent rate in a similar study.

Then, when you go beyond just the stuff that was popular in sales or Billboard rankings, the Beatles' deep cuts basically influenced every other act to create something to sound similar. The chord progressions in "A Day In The Life" sound eerily similar to every hard rock anthem from the 70s, leading to things like metal. Their rockabilly songs from their later albums influenced groups like Queen and the Stones to do the same. And those harmonies... man. You just didn't get stuff like that from Frankie Valli.
 
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me

I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how

My favorite.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Weekly Prediction Contest

* Predict HORNS-AGGIES *
Sat, Nov 30 • 6:30 PM on ABC

Recent Threads

Prediction Results Threads

2024 Schedules

Back
Top