Beatlesque: The Invasion

***THIS POST IS PART OF MY BEATLESQUE SERIES, IN WHICH I DISCUSS MUSIC THAT WEARS IT'S BEATLES INFLUENCE SO WELL YOU COULD ALMOST MISTAKE IT FOR THE LADS THEMSELVES***


In 1962, Decca Records declined to sign a young group of rock n'roll playing, long-haired Liverpudlians. The executive A&R man, Dick Rowe, told their manager that "guitar groups are on the way out." He is now famous as "the man who turned down The Beatles" and his prediction concerning music trends of the 1960's couldn't have been more boneheaded.

When The Beatles burst into national (and quickly international) popularity, it didn't take long for Dick Rowe's colleagues to realize that there were gobs of money to be made. And luckily for producers and promoters, young men with guitars were roaming the countryside in groups of four or five just waiting to be crowned the new hitmakers! The result was a tidal wave of Beatlesque music, to use the term more generously. Most of these groups are long forgotten. And after listening to many, many of their songs, I'm sorry to report that the vast majority do not fit my definition of Beatlesque. Some are still great tracks; they just don't capture that distinctive sound. For instance...



That's the Knickerbockers with "Lies." While many considered this at the time to be a dead-on Beatles knock-off, I don't think I'd ever be fooled by it. That weird guitar bend is rather unsophisticated. Overall, it's just too choppy. The songs various parts (verse, chorus, bridge) don't really fit with one another. One thing the Beatles were masters of was song structure. Their songs sometimes went in unexpected directions, but it always came off sounding like the next logical step. Even when they changed time signatures during a song, it flowed naturally. I'll admit the voice is a great Lennon impersonation. But for me, the craft just isn't there.

Now, on to two tracks from this era that DO make the cut.

Track title: Promise You'll Tell Her
Could Have Been On: Please Please Me


This song, from The Swinging Blue Jeans, sounds a lot like an early Lennon/McCartney composition. Stylistically, it reminds me of "There's a Place." Indeed, the plodding bass line and tight harmonies make it a perfect fit for Please Please Me (The Beatles' first album). The lead vocal sounds like George, as does the clean guiatar solo. It wouldn't have been their next single, but then most of these band's best songs were comparable to a solid Beatles album cut.

Track Title: Because
Could Have Been On: Please Please Me


"Because," by The Dave Clark Five, is another great example of tight Beatlesque harmonies. It's got a great melody. If I had to compare it to a specific song, it would probably be "P.S. I Love You." The chord progression is simple but engaging, lots of augmented fifths. Ending on a major 6th is very Beatley as well. I definitely see it as the B-Side of some uptempo single like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand."