History 2134A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, We Love You Beatles, The Beatles Box Set
13 Dec 2016
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HISTORY 2134 Reading Notes
CHAPTER 5: THE TIMES THEY WERE A-CHANGIN’ (1964-1967)
WE LOVE YOU BEATLE“, OH YE“ WE DO
- I those fe eas, eethig haged
o Rock was radically transformed, developing new genres, creators, fans, and mediators
o Began to e alled ok ot ok oll
- Beatlemania – early 1964 – well planned invasion
o Cultural revolution
o For more than two months – all the radio played was the Beatles – hyped the bands
upcoming tour to the US – Fa Fou
o Country in emotional state when Beatles arrived in 1964 (as JFK had been assassinated
on Nov 22, 1963)
o Vocal radio DJs promoting the Beatles (Murray the K and Cousin Brucie – most vocal) –
for their efforts they were given access to the band
- Meet the Beatles – album (released 2 weeks before they entered US)
- Five million posters advertising their arrival
- 400 members of press there for their arrival
- Campaigns most potent weapon: the band itself
o Lively, amusing, attractive (HMMMM????) young men
o People loved their accents – a mark of provincial working class background
o Because of this working class accent – the adoration of the Beatles by young Brits was
offensive to their middle class parents (Beatlemania was the first widespread example
of pestige fo elo i the lass osious UK
- Ed Sullivan Show – drew the largest audience and TV show had amassed to date (nearly 40% of
country tuning in)
o The iluded oes of ok oll hits e.g. Little ‘ihads Log Tail “all
o Music with reminders of mid-1950s rock n roll (attraction for older youth)
- Band was visually exciting – bowl cut hairstyle – The loale op tops – wore matching outfits
- Played their first concert in Washington, DC
- The Beatles i Aeia – film of all-access footage of their tour
- A Had Das Night – fictional version of their tour – depicted Beatles as hostages to their own
fame as the fans constantly pursued them
- April 1964 – all top 5 songs on US charts were by the Beatles
- Manager – Brian Epstein
o Found the Beatles at the Cavern Club
o Was given 25% of the bands earnings
o Gave the band new look – booked better venues
- EIM –George Martin also helped the band
o Told them to fire Pete Best (drummer) – then they hired Ringo Starr to take his spot
o Please Please Me – first number one record
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
BOB DYLAN – CHANGING THE TIMES
- Most important musical initiator of the 1960s
- Best known as a song writer
- 1962 – : Dlas folk sogs ee ail potest sogs
o Anthemic tunes came out of a vibrant folk scene centered in Greenwich Village in NYC
(people like Joan Baez, Phil Ochs)
- Manager – Albert Grossman
o Fought fo his usiias to e teated as tue atists, athe tha o offie
oodities
- Dylan influenced the Beatles and vice versa
o John Lennon – said that it was hearing Dylan that allowed him to make the leap from
writing empty pop songs to expressing the actuality of his life and the depths of his own
soul
- Bigig it all ak hoe – album May 1965
o Half folk/half rock
- New Port Folk Festival July 1965 – plugged in electric guitar at folk festival
o Audience did not respond well
o Felt he was turning his back on the folk community
o Others say they were just upset that his set only lasted 15 minutes
o Last, soe sa its eause the soud ast lea
- Plugged in, Dylan acquired a new and younger group of fans
- Higha ‘eisited – all rock album
ROCK AS ART
- Dylan and the Beatles were the forefront of the transformation of rock into an art format
- Art taught in art schools (that many of these artists went to) as self-expression – not motivated
by financial interests
- Rock as art involves – poetic lyrical themes, being true to ones self, and creative use of new
technologies – creativity and authenticity
- Bands began to have art on their album covers rather than the mere marketing visuals that
would be found on any commercial product
- Rock as art was the expression of fine art in popular music
- Andy Warhol – best-known exponent of pop art in the US
o Designed album cover for the Velvet Underground
- The Beatles ‘eole – one of the earliest rock-as-art albums
- The Beatles played their last concert in 1966
o Probably the main reason for giving up live concerts was their turn to rock-as-art music
o Need fo e studio teholog that ouldt e used at oets
- Leo uote Chistiait ill go. It ill aish ad shik...ee oe popula tha Jesus o
o Major backlash – radio stations in bible belt refusing to play their songs
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find more resources at oneclass.com
- The Beach Boys 1966 – West Coast – rock-as-art masterpieces
o Instead of fun in the sun, the Beach Boys, (Wilsons) lyrics now were expressions of
anxious vulnerability and loneliness
o Sound creations were a work of baroque art
- Rock-as-art showcased band members as performance artists (e.g. Pete Tosheds guita
smashing, or improved solos by other artists)
DRUGS
- Their actual impact on brain chemistry and cultural aura
- Drug of choice catered to imagination – pot, acid, and shrooms were most popular
- Goal was to attain a higher level of consciousness
- Drugs mystique – heighteig of oes isual seses people didt dae to ok aoe – they
were high and though about things)
- The use of drugs created a bond between fans and musicians (and the fans themselves)
YOUTH
- The size of rocks audience increased for several reasons:
1. The number of potential rock fans increased because the birth rate in US had been rising since
WWII
2. Older youth (college students)
3. Growing gap between youth and their parents (rebelling through style, sexual behaviour etc.) –
THIS SERVERITY – key factor in embracing of a set of new political positions by youth in this era
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS:
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
- Civil Rights for American blacks
THE FREE SPEECH MOVEMENT
- Mario Savio – police car incident – got handcuffed for participating in getting people to be aware
of the Free Speech Movement – got handcuffed and put in police car – 3000 students
suouded a so it ouldt oe- eventually released him 32 hours later
- Widening the gulf between adults and youth
THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT
- Youth opposition to the Vietnam War
- SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)
- Anti-war march 1965 – 25,000 people – was organized by SDS and SNCC (Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee)
COUNTERCULTURE
- At odds ith ad atteptig to hage aisteas alues and culture
- Focused its efforts against the middleclass lifestyle
- Rock and counterculture encouraging one another
- Us vs. them
MEDIATORS:
RECORD LABELS
- Helped to create the sound itself by being the mediator between the musicians and studio
technology
- Not all record labels embraced the new rock-as-art music
- One that did was: Elektra
o Ran business as the marketing of something real to people who really wanted it
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Chapter 5: the times they were a-changin" (1964-1967) (cid:862)we love you beatle , oh ye we do(cid:863) I(cid:374) those fe(cid:449) (cid:455)ea(cid:396)s, (cid:858)e(cid:448)e(cid:396)(cid:455)thi(cid:374)g (cid:272)ha(cid:374)ged(cid:859: rock was radically transformed, developing new genres, creators, fans, and mediators, began to (cid:271)e (cid:272)alled (cid:858)(cid:396)o(cid:272)k(cid:859) (cid:374)ot (cid:858)(cid:396)o(cid:272)k (cid:374) (cid:396)oll(cid:859) Beatlemania early 1964 well planned invasion: cultural revolution. Meet the beatles album (released 2 weeks before they entered us) 400 members of press there for their arrival. Band was visually exciting bowl cut hairstyle (cid:862)the lo(cid:448)a(cid:271)le (cid:373)op tops(cid:863) wore matching outfits. April 1964 all top 5 songs on us charts were by the beatles. Found the beatles at the cavern club: was given 25% of the bands earnings, gave the band new look booked better venues. Eim george martin also helped the band: told them to fire pete best (drummer) then they hired ringo starr to take his spot (cid:862)please please me(cid:863) first number one record. Most important musical initiator of the 1960s.
