Rock and Popular Music – Case Study of the Music of the Beatles and Cover Versions of Rock Songs
Part One
In the past days, music was a costly business, as many people could not afford money to enter the industry and do successful marketing. Numerous changes have been noted in the music industry, coupled with technology- that has made it easier for artists to popularize songs and reach a vast audience. Current development in this sector is quite an advantage to poor people or marginalized groups. For the fortune, it is even much more comfortable to compose, produce, and distribute content after creation. To better understand the significant change music has experienced, it would be better to look at the history, starting the year 1980 onward. The music trend in those days depicts how the industry has come to be in the present. The purpose of this essay part is to discuss the cover version phenomenon as it relates to record companies in the year 1950.
Cover Version- Controversy in Cover Records
The decade of fifties saw a change in pop music, in that in the forties, there were three distinct genres; race, hillbilly, and pop. The popularity determined the success of these music records. Music genres like rhythm and blues or country and western songs did not feature in the mainstream as popular songs until the mid-fifties. Pop music was released by prominent company labels such as MGM, RCA Victor, Decca, Capitol, and Columbia. The majority of vocalists were under contracts with some of these companies. The independent recording labels were scattered in the country. For instance, CHESS was located in Chicago, PEACOCK in Houston, and SAVOY in Newark. In that period, race music was referred to as rhythm and blues, while hillbilly was recognized as country and western.
Artists of rhythm and blues experienced difficulties to have their records played on radio dominated by the white people. As such, mainstream artists recorded a version of R&B hits, and small labels helped them release cover records. The latter was a version of a song that was similar to the original song from known artists. At this period, black people found themselves isolated from the dominance of recording organizations, and for this reason, they separated from the record-buying public. Worst of it all, when black artists came up with an original or became successful via small recoding companies, white artists supplied their purchasing audience with unacceptable covers versions of a similar tune. Examples of some of the white artists who did this include Pat Boone, Gale Storm, and the Fontane Sisters. Famous singers in the fifties such as Perry Como, Eddie Fisher, and McGuire Sisters recorded sanitized covers of materials from black artists. Major recording companies took advantage of such musicians and their influence to promote cover versions to exclude the work of original artists.
At a glance, popular record companies started recording business in the year 1950 as a way to manage or deal with the threat of cross-over music from rhythm and blues. The labels did not want specialized R&B, country, or black songs to challenge the dominance of major studios that enjoyed mainstreaming pop music. At times, a cover of the original songs retained the same lyrics but set the tune with provisions that burred off rough edges. Alternatively, they could drive beats and tempo fast into a non-threatening style of white pop songs. Cover of R&B song had the feeling of guitar or drums.
Financial Ramifications Endured by African American Artists
The majority of record companies deliberately decided to abandon black artists and, at some point, the black audience for various reasons. First, they felt that the disposable income of black people was less such that they could not afford to purchase many records. Second, some high overhead scouts had fewer skills or expertise for black taste, and thirdly, racial bias made it possible to ignore back artists.
Financial issues were the reason black talents and audience remained in the control of white producers, theatre owners as well as booking agencies. A typical irony was that active search and consumption of blue songs by white entertainers thrust them into the center of the industry. Being inferior and the ideology of separation, it can be seen likely that a society cannot value the work of a minority as compared that of white. The economic devaluation was not the only thing that black artists were exposed to. Still, they saw less talent and more white imitators who popularized their content and reaped financial gains at the expense of the black innovations. Black people were thus subject to a form of discrimination, seclusion as well as exploitation to a level that was rarely experienced by the white artists.
Even though the demand for entertainment by black singers increased as clubs, theaters, or halls for black people started to open, funding was quite a pressing issue. Probably this was a challenge because black artists practices within the segregation context such that it was hard to receive support and popularize music through record companies. Often, musicians played in church, clubs and used talents in both Godly and worldly ways. A commonplace where black music, blues was played was in jook joints- places where black people socially assembled and had club or bar environments. Typically, individuals could go to a person’s house or a demolished building where they could eat, drink, and listen to music. The Jim Crow laws also did not permit black to white-owned bars or clubs.
As pointed, many singers played for the church days, and jook joint over the week. At that time, many black church individuals believed that a person should not be singing secular music, then sing lord’s praises in church. In that way, the practice was condemned, citing blasphemy, and that caused some black artists to stop playing in places of worship and performed in clubs or halls to earn small coins or food.
The Case studies of “Sh-Boom” by the Chords and the Crew Cuts in 1954 illustrate well the cover version situation. “Sh-Boom,” written by five black artists, was a genre of rhythm and blues that penetrated less than 6% of the music business. The music was recorded by an independent label that produced black music. The song was made a cover version by the Crew Cuts, making the song reach the top position in the chart in the year 1954.
In conclusion, it can be inferred the emergence of back music had a rough journey coupled with factors such as stiff competition from the dominance of white music. Black artists received no royalty when white singers covered their music. Although it may not be well remembered today, white stars indeed enjoyed success on the back of black musicians.
Part Two
One group of artists revolutionized the rock and roll music into what is commonly known today. The musicians were not only great artists but also wrote and composed each of their songs. The Beatles band was made up of four men, commonly referred to as the “Fab Four” or the “Beatlemania” in Britain, before they erupted in the U.S. to cause a British invasion. The four band members were: John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney. The purpose of this essay section is to discuss the music of the Beatles, give a historical survey of the context of the British Invasion and detail transformation in the music style.
The Historical concept of the Beatles
The band started in Liverpool, England, and emerged as British rock youngsters, which slowly worked the way up to be influencers in the rock history. The band’s first gig was Hamburg- Germany and lasted for about two years. After that, a record store manager discovered the group. After many attempts, the group landed on a record spot with EMI labels. When Beatles’ music was released in the United States (US)., at first, it did not hit. The band did not earn popularity until their second American release by the title, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” came out. With that song, the group appeared in a popular show- Ed Sullivan, creating an onset of American rock and roll music culture in the year 1964. Beatle’s T.V. appearance made the group rise enormously everywhere. Once the band became famous, the four artists wanted to help other talents and performers. Therefore, they established their own record company named Apple Records. On the other hand, like many other bands, the group faced problems.
The British Invasion
The Beatles marked a British invasion in the U.S. in the year 1964. For teenagers in America, in this millennial generation, it can be hard to imagine how a band like the Beatles was once seen as an exotic. Yet, when the group landed, they were seen as curious foreigners with entirely new sound and style. In late 1963, the American press had started to notice the band’s rising popularity in Britain. The coverage expanded dramatically when the group reached an agreement to appear in the U.S.’s most-watched show, the Ed Sullivan. In their appearance on capital records, the band released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and supported the single with a significant promotional campaign. In Washington, D.C., popularity in the radio grew until the Beatles attained the top chart position in the U.S. Upon arriving in the John F. Kennedy Airport, the group was amazed to see thousands of fans as well as reporters. They gave a press conference that was heavily covered on television before driving to the Manhattans Plaza Hotel. The appealing music, humor, and fashion of the band captivated many American teenagers. The performance of the band has been iconic in the history of rock music and still is remembered as a game-changer of the pop music landscape. The group inspired countless artists from various recognizable bands to join rock and roll music.
Rock and Roll genre was not much popular at the beginning before the band came with a new spirit. The available media in the early days covered little affairs about youths. However, the popularity of the Beatles resulted in a mass awakening to young people who felt something new to relate to. For instance, a musical purist captivated black American music in that there was a replication of jazz style that imitated British rock and roll sound.
Transformation of the Beatles Musical Style
In their initial manifestation as a cheerful band, the artists changed the sound, styles, and music attitude. As such, they unlocked the door to roll and roll music. The original musical style of this band synthesized American rock & roll and R&B. The group spends the rest of the time after 1960, expanding the style of music. The bands experimented on various genres like folk-rock, psychedelia, and baroque pop. When the Beatle originate as a new group, it evolved to embracing rock and roll in 1950. When this music styles faded, the artists expanded to using pop. At the beginning of the year 1965, the Beatles started to use an element of classical music in their songs. The song “Yesterday” was among pop music to have prominent strings as compared to the use of din and drums.
The band’s musical style featured the Psychedelic rock in the year 1966 in the song, “Rain.” The latter was first music the Beatles ever recorded in this style, later it was followed by, “Tomorrow Never Knows,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “I Am the Walrus.” Indian classical style was also felt evident in the raga rock, for instance, “Love You To.” the song, “A Day in the Life, “portrayed a technique that the band had achieved by close coordination between music and words. As such, it marked the new music style category that was more complex than pop, but uniquely innovative. The band had numerous styles of music compared to any other group at their time, and this is because they worked with various genres. When starting, the Beatles were rooted in Skiffle; then, in the year 1950, it adopted rock & roll for an extended period before expanding to Pop ballads, psychedelic rock in that order.
The popularity of the band developed as the music grew and became more and more complex. With the help of influencers such as Brain Epstein and George Martin, the group embarked onto the mainstream in the U.K. in 1962 With a first single “Love Me Do.” The song gave the Beatles a start that they wanted, and after that record, the grouped started to tour widely until in the years 1966. While traveling, the band played many influential gigs, making themselves popular with the shifting society of 1960. Although the group did break up in the year 1970, it was the most influential of all time in the rock and roll genre. For instance, the Beatles influenced artists like Jimmy Hendrix, Oasis, and David Bowe. The group also impacted many British musicians.
In conclusion, the Beatle is a popular music band known for the rock and roll genre. From its origin in the U.K., this band was influential to other states as well, like in the U.S., where the majority of youngsters were thrilled by their performance. The Beatles may have influenced many artists, but the most memorable impact is how they changed the younger generation in acting, dressing, and lifestyles. The band styles of music changed with time, and so did the followers as well as supporters.