Re: Can I get some input from older Beatle Fans?
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2012 4:36 pm
Excellent Thread, Daniel! Like so many Threads around here, it doesn't matter that it is somewhat old. The concepts and especially, the band, are beyond the reach of time. There are some superb responses and I learned alot! Thanks to all!
Perhaps I can add something that I think was missing from the Thread: the in-between viewpoint. I was only 5 in 1964. I was in Southeast Asia in 1966 and 1967. So I am a bit younger than your targeted group and I missed some of the direct influence by being out-of-country. BUT, I am much older than you Daniel so I aim to chronicle the "almost there at the time" viewpoint. We can all probably remember that unique, "hazy" awareness of our early life (let's say anything under 15 or 16 years old). That haziness is fascinating in retrospect because at the time we could have a certain amount of awareness yet still be somewhat to mostly clueless. An example is drug awareness...growing up we were constantly told about drugs but they were never really explained; I really didn't know what they were. Same with sex or war or almost any "adult" issue. We didn't quite have a handle on such things but some awareness was there. I maintain that this haziness is less hazy today because a 8 year old can Google anything and get a good feel for the forbidden fruit. Al the facts are there. Kids grow up faster. Music and videos are everywhere. In the 60's we had a dictionary and a encyclopedia...that's it.
I stress this haziness because THAT was MY Beatles experience. I knew they were around. I knew they were BIG. I knew what they looked like. I knew about Beatlemania. I heard some of the songs. I know some of the songs made an impact. Even in Asia we got some US and British culture. I watched Gilligan's Island in a foreign language! I did hear the Army Base radio. But mostly I didn't quite have enough exposure and brain power to process them or appreciate them. They mostly blended into the rest of the pop music I heard. But as I grew up a bit I started to dig in. My two older brothers had a huge impact in helping me catch up. As I did I was stunned at the quality of the music and my fascination for the personalities. As I did, I was keenly aware that I only missed them by about 4 years. Especially, the last LPs they released were especially heavy with that "I just missed this!" feeling. But, by 1971 or so I was finally fully hungry for music. I was AWARE. All of the solo records were "here and now" for me. I.e., I remember them showing up new in the record sores. (Record stores were actually shops that had LPs for sale! Imagine THAT! LOL!) I remember the excitement of discovering this fresh music as it played on the turntable for the first time. I remember feeling "cutting edge." And like most of the older folks that chimed in, I had very similar experiences...no need to repeat all of that.
So I had a combination of experience--both extremes resonate for me. I find it fascinating to go back and attempt to "mine" the depths of my hazy memories from the actual days. Just how much DID I absorb? Just how much did I see, process, and forget? What near misses do I have. Like an adult "remembering" things from their older siblings and photos I sometimes am not sure what "memories" are reality and what "memories" are not-quite real. In some cases I am angry that I vivdly remember "Downtown" on the radio in 1966 but not "A Hard Day's Night." I am ****** that I recall "Yummy Yummy Yummy" more than "Revolution." But I still know that I was one lucky fellow to see/retain/process what I did. It is never too late to tune into great old music.
In any case, the fact remains, The Beatles changed our music and our culture. They were not the only influence but perhaps no one group will ever equal their over-reaching influence.
Long Live The Beatles!
Perhaps I can add something that I think was missing from the Thread: the in-between viewpoint. I was only 5 in 1964. I was in Southeast Asia in 1966 and 1967. So I am a bit younger than your targeted group and I missed some of the direct influence by being out-of-country. BUT, I am much older than you Daniel so I aim to chronicle the "almost there at the time" viewpoint. We can all probably remember that unique, "hazy" awareness of our early life (let's say anything under 15 or 16 years old). That haziness is fascinating in retrospect because at the time we could have a certain amount of awareness yet still be somewhat to mostly clueless. An example is drug awareness...growing up we were constantly told about drugs but they were never really explained; I really didn't know what they were. Same with sex or war or almost any "adult" issue. We didn't quite have a handle on such things but some awareness was there. I maintain that this haziness is less hazy today because a 8 year old can Google anything and get a good feel for the forbidden fruit. Al the facts are there. Kids grow up faster. Music and videos are everywhere. In the 60's we had a dictionary and a encyclopedia...that's it.
I stress this haziness because THAT was MY Beatles experience. I knew they were around. I knew they were BIG. I knew what they looked like. I knew about Beatlemania. I heard some of the songs. I know some of the songs made an impact. Even in Asia we got some US and British culture. I watched Gilligan's Island in a foreign language! I did hear the Army Base radio. But mostly I didn't quite have enough exposure and brain power to process them or appreciate them. They mostly blended into the rest of the pop music I heard. But as I grew up a bit I started to dig in. My two older brothers had a huge impact in helping me catch up. As I did I was stunned at the quality of the music and my fascination for the personalities. As I did, I was keenly aware that I only missed them by about 4 years. Especially, the last LPs they released were especially heavy with that "I just missed this!" feeling. But, by 1971 or so I was finally fully hungry for music. I was AWARE. All of the solo records were "here and now" for me. I.e., I remember them showing up new in the record sores. (Record stores were actually shops that had LPs for sale! Imagine THAT! LOL!) I remember the excitement of discovering this fresh music as it played on the turntable for the first time. I remember feeling "cutting edge." And like most of the older folks that chimed in, I had very similar experiences...no need to repeat all of that.
So I had a combination of experience--both extremes resonate for me. I find it fascinating to go back and attempt to "mine" the depths of my hazy memories from the actual days. Just how much DID I absorb? Just how much did I see, process, and forget? What near misses do I have. Like an adult "remembering" things from their older siblings and photos I sometimes am not sure what "memories" are reality and what "memories" are not-quite real. In some cases I am angry that I vivdly remember "Downtown" on the radio in 1966 but not "A Hard Day's Night." I am ****** that I recall "Yummy Yummy Yummy" more than "Revolution." But I still know that I was one lucky fellow to see/retain/process what I did. It is never too late to tune into great old music.
In any case, the fact remains, The Beatles changed our music and our culture. They were not the only influence but perhaps no one group will ever equal their over-reaching influence.
Long Live The Beatles!
