Difference between revisions of "The Beatles"
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Revision as of 03:19, 1 December 2010
The Beatles were a world famous and popular British rock band. They were active from 1962 to 1970 and hugely influential in the development of popular music. Their innovative music featured new experimental sounds which still managed to interest their international audience. No other group ever managed to appeal both fans of mainstream and alternative music.
References
Zappa mentions the Beatles manager Brian Epstein in the Freak Out! list. Paul McCartney later cited "Freak Out!" as the main inspiration for their album Sergeant Peppers' Lonely Hears Club Band. In his turn Zappa parodied the cover of this Beatles album on "We're Only In It For The Money" (1968). Zappa phoned McCartney to ask for permission.
In 1966 Fifty-Four Fab, Boss Questions ... Zappa named "Revolver" by The Beatles his favorite record of 1966.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed with Zappa in 1971. The same year Ringo Starr acted in Zappa's 200 Motels (The Film) as Larry the Dwarf. The song Dental Hygiene Dilemma references the group again: "It's the same mysterious and exotic oriental flagrance as what the Beatles get off on."
Zappa played I Am The Walrus during "Star Special", when Zappa was guest DJ on BBC Radio 1 in 1980. He named this song, along with Paperback Writer and Strawberry Fields Forever his three favourite Beatles songs, even though he didn't like the Beatles that much.
Zappa said in Frank Zappa Talks Of Faves, Raves And Composers In Their Graves that he admired the production on Abbey Road, not the material itself. When Allan MacDougall told Zappa during the Zappa – Outrageous Star interview that his favourite lyrics of all time were "And in the end the love that you take is equal to the love you make" on Abbey Road, Zappa told him: "That's absolute garbage. There's no such thing as love!"
Zappa covered "I Am The Walrus" during his 1988 tour and parodied Norwegian Wood, Strawberry Fields Forever and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, changing the lyrics so that they would mock Jimmy Swaggart. Due to copyright issues these songs can only be heard on bootleg copies. (See Texas Medley)
The "Beatle Boots" are mentioned a few times as conceptual continuity, including during the song Joe's Garage.
