The Beatles – Doyle’s Space: Music Hall of Fame

As promised, my Music Hall of Fame with the inductees chosen entirely by me and me alone. My first Inductee is no real surprise if you know me at all …
It is The Beatles.

The Beatles were an English Rock group formed in Liverpool in 1960. They were John Lennon (Guitar, Vocals), Paul McCartney (Bass, Vocals), George Harrison (Lead Guitar, Vocals), and Pete Best (drums).

By 1962 Best had been replaced with Richard (Ringo Starr) Starkey (Drums, Vocals). On March 22, 1963, they released the album “Please, Please Me”. During the week of April 4, 1964, they would hold the top 5 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart!

The Beatles would cover a few songs that influenced them but they would write most. John Lennon and Paul McCartney are regarded as the most prolific writing duos in history. George Harrison had his own style and would write some great Beatles tunes.

The Beatles would write and record the songs they wanted to, not giving into what was being played by others. They would release singles, not even included on the LP, but they felt the albums were a work that needed to be listened to as a whole.

Their Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album didn’t even have a single released. They were always having groundbreaking recording sessions under the watchful eye of George Martin. 1964’s “I Feel Fine” featured the first use of guitar feedback in a song.

They used tape loops and backward vocals. “A Hard Day’s Night,” features an opening chord so revolutionary that it took almost 45 years for someone to figure out how they played it. George Harrison would incorporate a sitar in some songs.

My first Beatles album was “The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles” which came out in 1964 when I was 6 years old. The first real Beatles LP I got was “Something New” which also came out in 1964, but I got it later. When the Beatle’s original British albums were released on CD in 1987. I got them all and was blown away with the stereo channel separation.

Here in America, The Beatles albums were released by Capitol Records. They felt that the singles should be on the albums so they rearranged and renamed some of the releases. Capitol’s engineers in the 1960s took great care to produce what they believed to be the best possible sound for the playback equipment in use at that time.

Due to the limitations of the record players of the day, engineers often compressed the sound by raising the volume of the softer passages and lowering the volume for the louder parts of the songs. They also reduced the bass frequencies since too much bass could cause the record to skip.

In some cases, reverb was added to the tracks to make them sound more “American.” These are the versions that I heard on the radio so even though I love the UK versions, the Capitol recordings “sound right” to me.

The Beatles would make movies, cartoons, and videos, form their own record label (Apple), and perform live in front of screaming fans. Their music has been and still is, being covered by a multitude of artists. Other musicians like The Beach Boys, Billy Joel, Bee Gees, Black Sabbath, The Bangles, Bruce Springsteen,

The Byrds, The Eagles, Foo Fighters, Heart, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Kiss, Lady Gaga, The Mamas and the Papas, Oasis, Nirvana, and Matthew Sweet, to name a few, have publicly acknowledged that they were influenced by the Beatles.

Their albums and singles are all over every “Top” list that has been published since they started recording. They were an incredible band, truly the “Fab Four” and their music still holds up today.

There are many cover bands that keep The Beatle’s act alive for millions every year. I believe that The Beatles absolutely deserve to be the debut inductee in Doyle’s Space: Music Hall of Fame.