1964 was the year when the balance of power really began to shift within popular music. Jazz, which had dominated for almost 40 years was losing its popularity and the manufactured pretty boy singers that had emerged from the dregs of the rock ‘n roll era were disappearing rapidly. The Beatles broke the mould by writing by their own songs and a whole new audience wanted more of this.
This wave of change was also happening on the other side of the Atlantic, led by a young folk singer. Music would never be the same again. 1: The Beatles, Hard Day’s Night I remember the impact this had on me when RTÉ showed it one Christmas when I was about eight-years-old.
It absolutely blew me away. The songs remained stuck in my head and I wanted to listen to them forever. The impact worldwide was similar, albeit a bit more dramatic, when The Beatles combined with director Richard Lester to make a movie based around their 3rd studio album which was their best collection of songs to date.
The world could now see The Beatles on the big screen singing their songs. From Liverpool to Southern California everyone wanted to see them or emulate them. This was a game changer.
It also was the first time a pop album was put in the spotlight. An album with a video for every song 17 years before MTV. 2: Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A Changing By the time Dylan got to his 3rd album he’d stopped recording other peoples songs, concentrating only on original material.
This is the album that probably .