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Are the Beatles the reason why modern music exists

I believe that the Beatles are the reason why modern music exists. The album that ushered in modern music was "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Although I consider it maybe their 4th best album, this is the one(One person said it was the Rolling Stones, but do you remember what their equivalent album was? It was called "Satanic Majik Mysteries", or some such{you had to be there}.) It definitely wasn't Elvis. Although good, Elvis was not the innovation that allowed modern music. One interesting thing is to ask youngsters what the Beatles' "White Album" is.
mmakshak
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Mmakshak I tend to agree with the general point but I don't think that point is a musical one.

In a cultural and experimental sense Sgt. Pepper is a landmark,touchstone album but imho (any many others)musically it's not their best work.

It also only broke down walls in a sense-what a generation thought it meant however but what did it change in real terms longer term?
What did it achieve?
nrchy's avatar
nrchy
2,124 posts
 
by way of fanning the flames, when Paul played Sgt Pepper for Bob Dylan, he got up and walked out of the room.
cmo
471 posts
 
MUSIC IS CULTURE..... Chuck Berry- Muddy Waters- Son House-Louis Armstrong-King Oliver-Jelly Roll Morton-whoever........... It goes on forever, and all of these guy's influenced the people and culture that came after them. The big difference is because of modern media and communications you can legitimately argue the Beatles had a much greater impact than those that came before them.

What strikes me as unique in regard to The Beatles is the fact that they continue to be the topic for so much discussion. I can't think of another rock band that has had their "staying" power (maybe Elvis??) or continue to sell at such a rate. A lot of the mega popular albums that have came since are already starting to fade........ And yet we are still discussing Sgt. Peppers...... And no, I am too young to be of "the Beatles generation".

Chris
ben_campbell
1,169 posts
 
Music of course isn't culture.

It can be a massive part of Culture as The Beatles were or it can be absorbed into the culture in a way that is no longer obvious as Beethoven and Mozart are.

Musically something can be actually be very important and viewed as world class and yet have minimal cultural impact.

Much of the music that makes up modern culture is viewed as worthless by many here on Audiogon.

Sgt. Pepper had a massive cultural impact but I'm not so sure it has led to what modern music has became at all.
Indeed one major impact of SP was the time and effort spent making the recording and the studio effects part of the music.
That legacy to a large extent burned out in the 70's and has only seen glimpses of it returning in the current scene...not to say it won't return though.

I see Sgt Pepper more as a marker for a certain time-music since then has been more of an explosion and it has veered off in many many different directions.
It's only part of the story but I would agree The Beatles cultural impact will largely remain unsurpassed.
mmakshak OP
589 posts
 
Ben_campbell, you have made very good points. It just keeps sticking in my mind that SP changed everything. I agree that it wasn't their best work(their double white album comes to mind). Maybe it had to do with the change from their roots(some of which John Lennon acknowledged had to do with blues). Fleetwood Mac came from the same blues roots, yet their change from that didn't have the impact(and not just do to sales) that the Beatles did. The impact had to do with breaking down walls. Those walls are now broken, for better or worse.
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