British beat groups rose to popularity in the mid-1960s in the U.K., the European mainland, and the U.S. during the period referred to by the American press as the “British Invasion,” because of the perceived dominance of British groups in the U.S. charts. British Beat groups demonstrated that young men could make music together without having had any formal training and without being part of a musical establishment that wanted to groom solo stars. Their music was the background from which the great British rock groups of the 1960s emerged.
Britain’s beat groups were strongly influenced by, music from the U.S.: rock’n’roll from the 1950s—Elvis PRESLEY, Chuck BERRY, BO DIDDLEY, and Buddy Holly; rhythm and blues (R&B)—the Coasters and Ray CHARLES; the Chicago-based electric blues—Muddy WATERS and Howlin’ Wolf; and female groups such as the Teddy Bears and the Crystals. Initially, the beat groups worked in English clubs to create their unique styles and stage acts. Many then went on to play in Hamburg, Germany, at clubs like the Top Ten Club, the Indra Club, and the Star Club. After a few months, the groups returned to their home towns with aggressive, sharpened acts and sounds, which attracted the attention of thousands of young listeners in England and subsequently in the U.S.
While not responsible for the origin of Beat music, Liverpool was an important area for its development, and Liverpool groups were the first British acts to achieve popularity in the U.S. The music of Liverpool groups, often referred to as “Merseybeat” after the Mersey River, tends to have a light, pop-oriented sound with catchy melodies and sweet, sentimental lyrics.
The BEATLES were the most popular and influential of the Liverpool groups, quickly outgrowing their roots, and local rivals, to become a phenomenon in the history of popular music. They drew from many sources: rock’n’roll, R&B, British music hall, and American Broadway tunes. As the 1960s progressed, other Merseybeat bands could only hope to wring out one or two more years riding on the coat-tails of the Beatles. Another popular Liverpool group was Gerry and the Pacemakers. Their music is similar to that of the Beatles’ early period: catchy melodies, close-harmonised singing, and themes of teenage love. Three successive releases in 1963, “How Do You Do It?,” “I Like It,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” hit No. 1 in Britain; and two ballads reached the U.S. Top 10 in 1964, “Ferry ’Cross the Mersey” and “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.” However, their popularity waned due to an outdated sound, and they disbanded in 1967.
Manchester groups were also influenced primarily by American rock’n’roll and R&B. The Hollies were one of the most successful bands from Manchester. Their earliest recordings were covers of R&B songs, none of which succeeded in America. They finally made it to the Top 10 in both Britain and the U.S. in 1966, with the song “Bus Stop.” Popular for many of their singles, the Hollies failed when they attempted to become an album-oriented group.
Herman’s Hermits were another commercial, singles-oriented band from Manchester. They were repackaged for a pre-teenage audience by record producer Mickie Most in 1964. He hired the best London session players for the Hermits’ studio recordings, including Big Jim Sullivan and Jimmy Page on guitars, and bassist/arranger John Paul Jones. Page and Jones later formed the backbone of LED ZEPPELIN. Other popular Manchester bands in the 1960s included Freddie and the Dreamers, and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.
Birmingham bands were the most soul-oriented of all the Beat groups. Many augmented their sound with electric pianos and organs, and singers imitated soul singers Ray Charles, James BROWN, and Wilson Pickett. While the beat was still strict, Birmingham groups added more swing to imitate their soul models.
Several important Birmingham groups developed in the mid-1960s, such as the Move, the Diplomats, and the Uglys, but only two had a major impact—the Spencer Davis Group and the Moody Blues. Unlike most other Beat groups, the primary musical influence on the Spencer Davis Group was jazz. Formed by Davis in 1963, the band recorded several R&B covers, finally reaching No. 1 in England in 1965 with the single “Keep on Running.” Steve Winwood’s vocals, strongly influenced by soul singers, were a distinctive feature of the group.
The Moody Blues originally formed in 1964 as an R&B band. Their first single, a cover of R&B song “Lose Your Money,” did moderately well on the charts. After a breakup, the Moody Blues reformed with multi-instrumentalists Justin Hayward and John Lodge, and in 1967 teamed with conductor/arranger Peter Knight and the London Festival Orchestra to record Days of Future Passed, a landmark album of 1970s art-rock.
The only Beat group from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to achieve any popularity was the Animals. Strongly influenced by American R&B and Chicago blues, Eric Burdon’s harsh vocal style was enhanced by the soulful, jazz-oriented organ playing of Alan Price. Their first release was “Baby Let Me Take You Home” (1964), derived from Bob DYLAN’S “Baby Let Me Follow You Down;” their second, a remake of the classic folk song “House of the Rising Sun” (1964), reached No. 1 in both England and the U.S. In 1965, they continued their singles success with a cover of Nina SIMONE’S “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” From late 1966, the band became Eric Burdon and the Animals.
London Beat groups were mostly influenced by the Chicago-style electric blues and American R&B. Home to several excellent Beat bands in the 1960s, London boasted the ROLLING STONES, the Yardbirds, the KINKS, and the WHO. Based in the London suburbs and the Southeast were the Zombies, the Dave Clark Five, and the Troggs. The sound of London Beat groups was generally much harder, guitar-driven, and more blues-oriented than the bands from the other cities.
The most influential of the beat bands from London was the Rolling Stones. Similarly to the Beatles, the musical style of the Stones developed in three stages: songs formerly performed by other groups and original material imitating their R&B heroes; an experimental, drug influenced period characterised by an increased use of orchestral and ethnic instruments; and a mature period, characterised by a return to their R&B roots, with extremely polished production.
The musical style of the Yardbirds coincides with the tenures of their lead guitarists: with Eric Clapton (1963–65), their music was mostly blues covers, with performances that included long improvisational jam sessions. With Jeff Beck (1965–66), the band had a hard-edged, blues-based pop sound that also featured experimental sounds such as fuzztone and electronic feedback. With Jimmy Page (1966–68), the Yardbirds were psychedelia and Eastern-influenced, and returned to pop-orientated singles (“Ha Ha Said the Clown”).
The Who’s music also developed in distinct stages: an early R&B style with a hard-edged sound; and a mature style—long songs, extensive use of synthesizers, thick polyphonic textures, and good, rich production. Despite quitting in 1984, the band reunited for various concerts in 1985, 1988, and 1989. The overall rough-edged sound, aggressive stage act, and politics expressed in Pete Townshend’s lyrics can all be seen as forerunners to the mid-1970’s punk rock movement.
The music of another successful London-based band, the KINKS, has a raw sound with heavy, percussive rhythms, and aggressive playing, that foreshadows HEAVY METAL bands of the 1970s and 1980s, punk bands of the 1970s, and INDIE (or alternative) bands of the 1980s and 1990s. The Kinks had hits in the U.S. and England throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and are still in demand for concert appearances in the 1990s. Other influential London-area groups were Manfred Mann, the Dave Clark Five, the Tremeloes, Them— featuring VAN MORRISON—the Zombies, and the Small Faces, a group that influenced the later punk rock era.
Steve Valdez
SEE ALSO:
PUNK ROCK; ROCK MUSIC; ROCK’N’ROLL; SOUL; SURF MUSIC
Clayson, Alan. Beat Merchants
(London: Blandford, 1995);
McAleer, D. The Fab British Rock’n’roll Invasion of 1964
(New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994);
Schaffner, N. The British Invasion
(New York: McGraw-Hill, 1983).
The Beatles: Beatles 1963–1966; Please Please Me; The Best of the Animals;
The Best of Gerry and the
Pacemakers: The Definitive Collection; The Best of
Manfred Mann: The Definitive Collection; The Best of
the Spencer Davis Group; The British Invasion: The History of British Rock; The
History of the Dave Clark Five;
The Hollies’ Greatest Hits.