The Beat Goes On

Hi, folks! Today's post is a re-issue of an entry from my old blog focused on music. Hope you guys like it. Long live the Beatles!

Video streaming sites are one of the best things man ever brought to existence. Thanks to these gold mines, I've been getting glimpses of an era that I missed more or less by two decades. I spent the past couple of days watching live performances of old school bands who laid the foundation of rock and paved the way for the hundreds of artists who followed suit and eventually thrived on the scene. Among them are the Beatles.

The original Fab Four from Liverpool greatly influenced my passion for music. Though I learned about them when I was five, I still have the same amount of interest in their craft when I first saw them featured on a TV documentary which was aired everyday on a local channel. Back, them I only knew that they were a band that were very popular during a time when both my Dad and Mom were just teenagers. It never occurred to me that those four lads with mop-tops managed to changed the world and had gotten away with it.

As I grew up, the curiosity I had for them eventually turned into admiration which fueled the desire to learn more about John Lennon, the cynical genius, Paul McCartney, the sentimental charmer, George Harrison, the spiritual introvert and Ringo Starr, the easy-going comic. Each of them contributed a great deal of their soul to what is probably the most influential rock band of the previous century.

What started as a skiffle group matured into the most iconic figure in rock history that crafted songs that revolutionized the scene. Their sound, which rooted from the rock n' roll influence of their predecessors such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, developed its own entity that is timeless at the same time, unique. Listen to a Beatles track and you will immediately recognize the distinct formula which bears the template of modern rock music. Initially a guitar-driven act, the sound of the Beatles is composed of John's impetuous rhythm guitar coupled with George's blues inspired lead guitar riffs, which are both layered on the combined groove of Paul's melodic bass lines and Ringo's trademark drum shuffle.

Perhaps, what really brought the Beatles to their legendary status is the potency of their skill in song composition. Their success is often credited to the most successful songwriting team in rock, the Lennon-McCartney partnership. This collaboration filled up the band's repertoire from cradle to grave. Though John and Paul's personality and perspective often clashed, their joint effort brought out the best in each other's craft. It is also worthy to note that the Beatles also had in their arsenal the raw and budding songwriting talent of George, who also penned a number of superb songs which reflected the spiritual tone of his character.

These elements drove the Beatles from anonymity to fame, which eventually led to the transcendence of their influence beyond the music scene. The Beatles presented a simple idea: freedom. This probably was the reason why they instantly became a hit back then. They started a revolution which took the globe by surprise and forever changed how common people lived their lives. In a way, they offered an alternative to the uptight way of life folks back then were accustomed to.

Some say the Beatles' rise to fame wrought adverse effects to our culture and even started the emergence of sex, drugs, alcohol and other negative stuff currently present in our society. That may be true. However, you can't help but think about the fact that the Beatles have come and gone yet, most of us cling to the temporary fixes these things offer. Personally, I think the Beatles gave the world an excellent perspective on how to live life with freedom, peace and love but as always, the rest of us only noticed the superficial perks that came along with it. I think at the end of the day, whatever trend or fad may be shoved into us, it is always our personal responsibility to choose whether we accept all that is has to offer and let it dictate how we live or just incorporate the good things from it into our lives and let it guide us into making this world a more livable place to be. I choose the latter and for me, the Beat will go on and on.