The Beatles and their impact: We know they’ve influenced multiple cultures, genres, and generations to follow – including former Beatles themselves. We know no one else that has produced as deep and rich a catalog as they did. And as you’ll hear below, their juice continues to affect Millennials and beyond. It’s like The Beatles aren’t a part of culture, they are a world culture unto themselves (as was described in the recent Yesterday film).
It’s a period hard not to love.
George Harrison, When We Was Fab (1987): Produced by Jeff Lynne who may’ve, more than anyone, a PhD. in Beatles sponging—he’d later get the opportunity to hone his mastery at the very feet of the surviving band members themselves. He’d produce work by George, Paul, and Ringo individually and was brought in by George to work on the two new songs that would end up on The Anthology records, Free as a Bird and Real Love. (Lynne was also a Traveling Wilbury.) Plus, as you’ll l note below, Lynne began his career in a tribute band – ELO was originally conceived to recreate the sound of Sgt. Pepper.
While Lynne’s fingerprints are all over When We Was Fab, it’s still one of the best Harrison songs in many, many years. The song is like both Beatles’ trompe l’oeil and a pitch perfect parody. Better even than The Rutles, and they were good in their own right. (See below.)
The Knickerbockers, Lies (1966): There were a number of bands fronted by record companies that tried to look and sound like the Fab Four, and all of them are utterly forgotten now. Except for this. This may be the closest attempt of anyone to apeing Fab Four’s sound. It made it to #20 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Graham Gouldman, Walking with Angels (2006): Gouldman has a history I briefly discuss here.
Like The Beatles, Gouldman was a celebrated songwriter coincidentally during the band’s classic period, 1966-1968, having written hits for many artists. (Gould would also have a hand as co-writer in his band 10cc, and have a finger in most of their hits from the 1970s.) As Angels demonstrates, Gouldman still knows well his way around that vintage sound, especially that lydian sounding signature that platforms the turnaround after he sings “walking with angels.” The song builds into a minor masterpiece. It should’ve made its way onto the radio and become a cultural earworm but, alas, that’s not the world we live in. When was the last time a 60-year-old dude (b. 1946) got a song on the radio? Well, there was Louis Armstrong (What a Wonderful World at age 69), but after that probably never.
Electric Light Orchestra: Mr. Blue Sky (1977) and 10538 Overture (1972): From the outset, ELO was formed emulate the sound of Sgt. Pepper. The sound accessed for 10538 Overture could’ve been squeezed from a budget George Martin orchestration outtake. Mr. Blue Sky, as confectionary as it is – seems modeled more after Maxwell’s Silver Hammer than the classic period. Despite its hyperglycemic index, it still stands as a piece of high craft; credit where it’s due.
The Monkees, The Porpoise Song (1968): Oldsters know that the television show intended to imitate the character of the band from the Richard Lester movies—A Hard Day’s Night and Help—but their sound was never that Beatle-esque. Though, the faux psychedelia from this Carole King and Gerry Goffin song was about as close as it got.
The Knack, Siamese Twins (The Monkey and Me) (1979): For those not alive at the time, the first Knack album was a phenomenon. My Sharona was bigger than Beatles huge – #1 all over the world. If you’re curious, the latter day band – who likely at the time of this video was probably no longer on speaking terms (leader Doug Feiger comes off as a real douche). Producer Mike Chapman – who was a big deal at the time – claimed that Sharona was destined to be massive and this fact was evident long before the song made it to tape. There was magic all over that first album, apart from the bathroom wall misogyny of the lyrics, and singer Doug Feiger’s sometimes creepy delivery (hear him in the above video gush like an incel about landing the actual Sharona as a girlfriend), the band was tight and the musicianship was stellar and in the pocket – especially notable are the drummer and lead guitarist.
On Siamese Twins, the opening guitar melody line, or signature as it’s called, is as Beatlesque as the band got. As much as their indulgent marketing was (note the album’s cover), other than some strong melodies, The Knack was no Beatles, in fact, they were no Badfinger (or even Dave Clark 5). But then, who could be?
Don’t bother with the rest of The Knack’s catalog; the first album was the only one where anything happened and it was a fluke.
The Jam, Start! (1980): Half of the song’s DNA is Taxman. The other half is makes it worthy of it’s thievery. The Jam did borrow a lot from the Mersey Beat sound of the mid- and late 60s, and cracked up the tempos a bit, but they were generally regarded as more than retro. Later, they’d abandon their Mersey roots for a more Northern soul sound. This may be the best argument for sharing musical DNA as you’ll ever find. Start! works.
The Rutles, Cheese and Onions (1978): If you don’t know, The Rutles was a televeision movie parody of The Beatles history by Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle. (George Harrison even makes an appearance as a journalist. George would also help fund Life of Brian.) Musician Neil Innes had worked with Monty Python in the early 70s – one of only two non-Python people to get a writing credit on their show –and was even in a band, GRIMMS, with Paul McCartney’s younger brother, Mike McGear. Idle would engage Innes to write Beatlesque songs for the show and unlike most of what else you’ll hear in this post, Innes tried to pattern his parodies on actual Beatle’s songs.
The songs were fun but wouldn’t have much use outside of the purposes of the show.
Emitt Rhodes; Live Till You Die, You Should Be Ashamed, Lullaby, Fresh as a Daisy (1970): He was called “The One-Man Beatles” and like Neil Innes above, was also a contemporary of the band. By the time of Rhodes’ first solo album in 1970, Billboard magazine would call him “one of the finest artists on the music scene today.” One of his songs ended up on The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack.
Despite all of the huzzahs, musical promise, and dashing good looks, Rhodes never really got to enjoy mainstream success. He was active again in the 2010s and recorded two albums.
The Merry-Go-Round was Rhodes’ band prior to the recording of his eponymous album and, I think, reveals a far more interesting sound; from 1967:
Klaatu, Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (1976): You’ll be forgiven for not making it to end if you listen to this one. This “Canadian Beatles” did have two distinguishing characteristics, however: They’re the only band on this list (that’s not a Beatle) to have been covered by The Carpenters; and a writer at the time tried to declare that they were the actual Beatles in some sort of disguise. Otherwise, they were little more than Lite FM hacks.
The Lemon Twigs, I Want to Prove to You (2016): And the tradition continues:
Tame Impala, Mind Mischief (2013): Singer Kevin Parker has been accused of sounding like John Lennon by no less than Sean (they toured together). Their “trippy hypnotic” sound seems to have been steeped in The Beatles’ Ravi Shankar period. Though Parker is from Perth Australia, the band is not The Australian Beatles. That title (see below) belongs to the Easybeats (1966).
Licorice Roots Orchestra (Raymond Listen), Cloud Symphonies (1993): It’s interesting to note that what may be generally considered George Harrison’s less than peak period as a songwriter would go on to become his most influential – particularly songs like It’s All Too Much, Only a Northern Song, and Blue Jay Way. George would’ve songs rejected by the band on occasion which probably would’ve made him even more agreeable to see the end of The Beatles. The All Things Must Pass album would be a showcase for some of them.
As far as Licorice Roots Orchestra, I know nothing about them and there’s not much to be found. Dangerous Minds gushed about this record and this may be the internet’s only available source of info on the subject.
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