The Beatles: a musical appreciation and analysis by composer, Howard Goodall CBE

Who are The Beatles there were four guys that's all John met Paul said do you want to join me band George joined then Ringo joined they were just a band who made it very big

These overrated Rutles wannabes can’t hold a candle to Oasis.

As I always say, the Beatles are the first PROGRESSIVE band and Eleanor Rigby was the first Prog song.

I was enjoying this up until the childish an ridiculous lampooning of For Auld Lang Syne, I just stopped at that.

The Beatles will be spoken

Whenever I'm in the company of naysayers who belittle The Beatles and their musical achievements, I shall offer them this film.

In 1000 years if we still exist, and someone asks the hologram/robot of the time what was the art/culture of the 20th century, it will play a Beatles song.

I am glad he made one tiny reference to their producer George Martin, a classically trained musician.

You had my undevided attention until you sang the phrase 'the sake of' in Auld Lang Syne'. Burns never wrote that! 🙄

You have an excellent singing voice. Your analysis of the music is also so thorough and enlightening.

Excelente!❤

rambling

Here I am in 2023, fifty three years after the Beatles broke up and tonight we start a week long concert series in which we perform every Beatles song. I’m playing tenor sax, baritone sax, clarinet, and flute in the songs requiring them. There are more than 30 musicians involved including reed players like myself, guitar, bass, drums, piano, multiple singers, a string section, a sitar player, French horns, trombones, trumpets, harp, etc. Most of us were born AFTER they broke up. Their impact has not yet begun to fade. In fact, it may be getting stronger.

I think George Martin had more to with Beatles compositions than we really realize

When the indoctrinate young Briton is told by the cancerous cultural marxists that Britain has no culture start here.

Thank you Howard for this totally professionally done education on The Beatles music. I was enraptured for the entire piece and although there were many tid bits that I was al;ready aware of, you explained them in a better, more easily understood than any other piece that I've read, heard or watched on The Beatles ever. I wish someone with money would fly you to the USA where could give lectures. Whatever you do with your life I wish you the Best Of Luck. You are smart and well spoken. I think that you have all of the qualities of being an excellent teacher. Good Luck to you in anything that you choose to do with your life and Thank You again for the GREAT education on The Beatles music.

Shows the genius of Paul McCartney more than anything

I love this video, but Goodhall kind of picks on "I Saw Her Standing There" as being a example of an early, simplistic tune of the Beatles. I agree that it is not as complex as some of their later music, but it does have an interesting variation on the typical I - IV - V chords structures common in many pop songs of the day. At the part of the song where it goes "I'll never dance with another, Ohhh!" the IV chord is changed to a IV minor chord, giving it a distinct flavor on the "Ohhhh." Just a minor (no pun intended) variation of the common I - IV - V chord structure, but even this early composition shows the Beatles' willingness to tinker with unconventional chords and notes to create a sonically interesting spin on their songs.

Hoooooward Good-all the lonely people

Why does this documentary show so much disdain for the music that preceded the Beatles? Like sure, rock and roll had a formula, but up until the Beatles taking the scene there were innovative and sophisticated artists making great music. It's especially worth respecting the fact that it was black musicians like Little Richard and Chuck Berry who really inspired them - calling their music 'primitive' and something that needed to be 'rescued' is a little...... Suspect if you ask me

Not being cheeky. When I was a kid, a very long time ago, Mad Magazine did a panel on the Beatles music being dissected and analyzed by intellectuals in the future. I enjoyed your piece very much.

Now this is a documentary

Dear Howard,
Love to have an update 10 years on! And to see if it is even more apt. Thanks

A must watch for all those to cool for school “I don’t like Beatles” muppets….

Thoroughly enjoyable and educational. Thank you!

This should be compulsorily taught in all schools.

No other phenomenom has shaped our world as much - what a miracle it all happened as it did...

fascinating insight into the most amazing band that ever existed. Howard really did such a brilliant job in illuminating the nuances of their craft and what made them so unique - there will never be a set of musicians to compete with them.

Limitation is the mother of creation.
No band since (including Queen) have broken as much ground as The Beatles. Paving the way for all musical artists since.
Christ, I love Penny Lane even more 😍

They were four wonderful musicians that somehow came together, but as time goes by it is clear who the real maestro was.

This is amazing. I learned a lot from it. But one thing is glaringly absent from Goodall’s account of 20th century music: Jazz. Where is Armstrong, Ellington, Parker, Coltrane? Maybe their influence on the Beatles was highly indirect, but it was real. More important, Armstrong in particular bridged popular and technically sophisticated music long before Lennon and McCartney. Louis Armstrong changed popular music, culture and consciousness on a global scale just as much as the Beatles. He — or jazz more generally — deserved at least a mention here.

This is excellent

It was the Nagra reels. 500 hours of rehearsal material. What a wealth of a day in the life in their studio.

That was a wonderful presentation. Thank you. I grew up with a jazz guitarist and learned to listen to music outside my teenage girl taste. However, I loved the Beatles and saw them in 1964. No mention of the later work. I loved the White album. I have a new appreciation for Paul McCartney. John was my hero. The tapes that are out, can't recall the name na... Tapes with some wonderful off the cuff snippets of things they did in the studio, like Paul doing a classical piece that turned up on Abby Road album. There was a close up of John looking amazed by it while Paul was playing it. They were just always creating. They will go over for a long, long long time...thank you George.

Actually, I kind of like "Danny Boy" with weird modulations, it reminds one of Pierrot Lunaire (Schoenberg).

John and Paul..and later George through the osmotic exposure were expert listeners and absorbers. They didn't consciously manipulate "theory" - they consciously manipulated the sounds or hooks that made those songs special. We all hear but we don't all listen. They were keenly aware listeners. They learned basic theory of course, such as Paul describing that he wanted a "blue" note placed in the string section of Yesterday, something that was a no-no for orchestral backing apparently. And basic major/minor and key change modulation they probably understood as tools for hooks but even there they probably used past listening experiences to gain that palate of tricks.

What is still amazing is that three guys who couldn’t read music could write and compose original songs with melodies that are memorable to millions of people. They are the greatest Pop song writers of all time.

In the case of Penny Lane, the modulation on the chorus must be due to vocal extension. In fact, in most pop songs, I believe that modulation occurs mainly for this reason. Duets with female/male vocals denounce that a lot! It's good to modulate and stay comfortable. Even better if you achieve some drama with it.

none of this explains beatlemania

This is a great, entertaining and important analysis of The Beatles music.

Let's not forget Brian Wilson as a genius of rock music who the Beatles influenced and were influenced by massively.

My brother and I have had the Beatles playing to us since we were toddlers, we used to have a tiny kids tape player that we would put some of my dad's tapes on to help us sleep. These tapes were usually sgt. Pepper, Revolver, Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour...the Beatles have been such a huge part of my life and I listen to them almost every day. They're the greatest band ever and always will be.

Some say Theodor Adorno is the reason the Beatles music is more sophisticated than you would expect.

Who s he trying to kid. The Beatles had 5/6 ghost writers. Very very good musicians. It was all written and recorded ready for their vocals

...he does know that most of the orchestral arrangements featured by the beatles were composed and arranged by george martin right?