No Jesus Freaks, Beatles Changed World

“How the Beatles Changed the World” nails how they evolved into “inspirational agents of change” from 1963- 68. They would transform music, then, Western culture. But it also reminded how John, Paul, George & Ringo began as simple “class warriors” who were fab rockers.

The early rise of Beatlemania was no coincidence, we now know. Just watching videos of those 1963 and 1964 concerts plainly shows how they drove, especially females, into a hypnotic, almost orgasmic frenzy. It wasn’t with fancy sound & light gimmicks like today’s forgettables. Manager Brian Epstein presented them with an endearing cheeky rebel but lite talk-look. But, mostly what we all saw was just four talented dudes gleefully rocking together on guitars & a drum set, almost eating their microphones as if a phallic extension of their mouths, while knocking out one driving song after another ... that THEY wrote (and were skillfully captured on recordings by producer George Martin).

As it happened, it wasn’t all smooth sailing at the start. “Love Me Do” was good but no blockbuster. That came with “Please Please Me,” which ignited the British kids. But, it would take “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” a year later to win over America’s hearts. As one commentator noted, “It became a rolling impact that only got better and better ... [that triggered] unprecedented ... vast ... sales never seen before.” It was a pure, unending joy or Ticket to Ride. That is, until John’s off-handed quip years later that “The Beatles were [regrettably] more popular than Jesus” set off a global firestorm from the religious. But, by then the world’s youth movement had been irrevocably unleashed by these 4 Brits from Liverpool. And we are still marveling at how that genie was let out of the bottle ...

Davd Soul