Holistically speaking, The Beatles revolutionized the music industry. Musically, they innovated the game by introducing new sounds to the mainstream through advanced recording technology and techniques. However, that is not the only way they revolutionized the business. Outside of their music, The Beatles opened the door for fellow British bands, particularly boy bands.
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The Beatles were the spark that ignited the fire that was the first British invasion. After The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, they opened the floodgates, and it flowed. After their performance, it seems every major record label wanted a British boy band. Furthermore, if not for the first British invasion, there wouldn’t have been a second one. All that being said, here are three British bands that would not exist in their current form if not for The Beatles!
The Rolling Stones
Don’t get us wrong, The Rolling Stones acquired their success through their own unique sound and persona. However, if The Beatles’ trip across the pond wasn’t as successful as it was, there is a good chance that the Rolling Stones’ career wouldn’t look like what it has looked like. In other words, The Beatles walked so the Stones could roll.
As a matter of fact, The Beatles gave the Stones their first big hit, “I Wanna Be Your Man”. Regarding their transition to the United States, Jagger stated at the 1988 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction that their “success in America broke down a lot of doors that helped everyone else from England” and “I thank them very much for those things.”
Oasis
Oasis was not part of the first British invasion, and arguably, not part of the second either. Regardless, if it weren’t for The Beatles, Oasis likely would have never made such a successful commercial transition across the pond. Oasis has and still often compares themselves to The Beatles, as their music does encompass a Beatles-esque sound. More importantly, the band has thanked The Beatles for setting a precedent that allowed them to flourish.
Concerning his affection for the group, Noel Gallagher once stated that The Beatles “mean everything to me.”
“They influenced everybody who influenced everybody else, who influenced everybody that came and went,” he added, per NME. “Their influence is absolute.”
Black Sabbath
Musically speaking, Black Sabbath and the Fab Four don’t have a ton of similarities. However, in regard to their professional journey, they have a lot. Black Sabbath started in the working-class city of Birmingham, England, and The Beatles started in the similar city of Liverpool. That being said, The Beatles showed Black Sabbath that working-class lads with a dream could, in fact, make it.
“I owe my career to [The Beatles] because they gave me the desire to want to be in the music game,” Ozzy Osbourne once stated, per the End The Silence campaign.
Geezer Butler uttered a similar sentiment as he told NME that “[The Beatles] just gave us some hope that British musicians could actually become successful.”
Photo by Stan Meagher/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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