Only Once?

    Why hasn't any band or artist made as big of an impact on music and culture since The Beatles? This question came up recently in a discussion about the music business and I think bears some examination.

    While there have been many highly successful and accomplished performers in the decades since the Twistin' '60s, none have reached that mythic status. Moreover, the reason the Beatles became the sensation they did is still somewhat of a mystery. The simplest answer is timing. Much can be said for being in the right place at the right moment, and certainly the band rode the wave of the British Invasion into America, when the post war generation was just hitting their teens and rejecting their parents' values and finding their own. This has been analyzed and written about extensively, so there's no need for me to add anything, I want to take a different view, one that reflects my experience playing in bands.

    I was in several bands and looking back there were two that might have gotten further than playing in bars. The reasons they didn't are interesting and while I have no regrets I do wonder sometimes what could have been had we stuck with it. This perspective taught me that sheer persistence is vital to success and gives me enormous respect for groups that make it through, especially the Fab Four.

    The Beatles were unique as a band for two main reasons. First, I would argue, there was no leader, no "front man". This could have been done on purpose, but I suspect it happened naturally, and then they and their management went on to capitalize on it. Their promotion highlighted each member equally right from the very beginning; "John, Paul, George, and Ringo" was synonymous with "Beatle", and each became a star in their own right. The second reason is related to this.

    Unlike any band before or since, each of them were uniquely creative. This is the truly rare circumstance that placed this group so far above all their contemporaries, and it's something that could only happen by chance. It's not that they were especially good musicians. In fact, individually they were pretty average players at the outset. But what each had was a signature style that when merged with the others, created a unique tonal blend. This has never been duplicated.

    I believe that these two qualities guaranteed success, but they received a musical shot in the arm when, also by chance, they were put into the hands of George Martin. His contributions to arrangement and production kept the band ahead of all the others by including classical and jazz influences into their recordings, as well as taking advantage of the technical advances of that era. Pop groups were not taken very seriously, and it's to Martin's credit that he saw the potential and made the most of the raw material he was given. 

    The proof of this is in the fact that each of the writers in the band went on to have very successful solo careers after they disbanded, which by the way was the quintessential example of quitting at the top. In their solo records I hear echoes of the band, and how their unique sound contributed to making the sum greater than the parts.

    I can't think of any other group whose members all went on to success on their own. Talent and timing took the Beatles to the pinnacle of our culture, a position that has yet to be challenged.

 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY