It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what made The Beatles as big as they were. Was it their excellent songwriting ability? Was it the instrumentation, or simply their well-crafted image? It’s hard to say, but it is pretty obvious that The Beatles were inspired by other bands that ultimately influenced their signature sound. The following are just three bands that inspired The Beatles and had a hand in their sound and legacy.
1. The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys and The Beatles had a “rivalry” in the media during their heyday. There is a bit of truth to that: Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson did have a bit of a rivalry going on. However, that rivalry was rooted in incredible respect between the two artists and in turn, the two bands.
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In a way, they pushed each other to new creative heights. McCartney is even on record saying that The Beatles were inspired by Pet Sounds and the overall vocal trends of the surf rock genre that The Beach Boys pioneered.
2. The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were known for their beautiful lyricism and vocals, and you can hear their influence in Beatles songs like “Love Me Do”. They’ve even covered The Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love” and paid tribute to them while touring for Let It Be.
3. The Byrds
The Byrds did some studio work with Ravi Shankar, who is well-known as a major influence on The Beatles. He even taught George Harrison how to play the sitar. Just as well, Harrison once said that he used the riff from The Byrds’ “The Bells Of Rhymney” for “If I Needed Someone” from the 1965 album Rubber Soul. It was a bit of a controversial admission. But, it just goes to show how much The Byrds influenced Harrison and The Beatles in general.
Photo by Jim Gray
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