Posted on 04/19/2024 5:53:40 PM PDT by nickcarraway
When the Beatles arrived on the scene in the United States in 1964, many have said it was like a Wizard of Oz moment; before them, popular music was black and white but after, it was technicolor. Yes, the former Mop Tops changed everything when it came to pop and rock and roll—and the band continued to flip the script, evolving from simple tunes to very intricate, sweeping offerings on later albums.
But given their enormous musical impact, it was inevitable some bands along the way were going to imitate The Beatles’ sound. Imitation, after all, is the highest form of flattery. But which bands (and songs) at the time sounded so much like The Beatles that many often confused them with the original? That’s what we’ll investigate here below.
“Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra
Sounding a lot like the Beatles’ 1966 song, “Good Day Sunshine,” this song was released in 1977 by Electric Light Orchestra on their album Out of the Blue. ELO were known to honor The Beatles, as frontman Jeff Lynne was a big fan. In fact, both Paul McCartney and John Lennon have commented on how “Mr. Blue Sky” sounds like an extension of their own songs. The rhythms, bass, and vocals on “Mr. Blue Sky” are ripped from The Beatles’ aura.
“Happy Together” by The Turtles
This 1967 song by the Turtles sounds like it could have been penned by the melodic McCartney, complete with harmonies and Ringo Starr-like snare-drum staccato hits. Background horns meet soaring, bright vocals. After all, The Turtles were known for covering other artists, including Bob Dylan, having broken out in part thanks to their rendition of his “It Ain’t Me Babe.” The California band might as well have been called The Chameleons.
“Without You” by Badfinger
This 1970 song from Badfinger’s album No Dice opens with strummed acoustic, bouncy melodic bass, and a voice that sounds like a McCartney clone. The Welsh band Bandfinger was first named The Iveys but renamed itself after the working title for The Beatles’ 1967 song “With a Little Help from My Friends,” which was originally titled “Bad Finger Boogie.” And the connections don’t end there. The group also recorded on The Beatles’ Apple Records label from 1968 to 1973.
“Lies” by The Knickerbockers
This song is straight out of The Beatles’ sound. If you squint, the music video here below even looks like the Fab Four, except there is a saxophone involved. The song also sounds like the inspiration for the 1996 movie song, “That Thing You Do.” Still, the pop-blues-rock sound The Beatles brought to the U.S. in 1964 seems to be a big inspiration for this song, which was released by the New Jersey-born band a year later in 1965. In fact, the band’s guitarist Beau Charles copped to the likeness, saying, “We desperately tried to write something that sounded like the British Invasion. We wrote ‘Lies’ in less than one half hour. We demo-ed it in New York.”
“Please Don’t Feel Too Bad” by The Hollies
This song from the 1964 album In The Hollies Style, which was recorded just two months after The Beatles hit the U.S. and released nine months after, sounds more like The Beatles’ style than The Hollies’. But that may be a coincidence since the band is from Manchester, England, just an hour east of Liverpool, the blue-collar home of the Fab Four. Still, if you didn’t know better and you heard this song on classic radio, you could easily think it was The Beatles.
That explains the gated reverb.
CC
Another Beatle-esque XTC song, this was the song that in fact, made me the fan of theirs that I’ve been for the last 30+ years.
Ladybird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G2SgRPMXRA
The lead vocals in that song sounded more like Peter Cetera and Chicago than The Beatles.
I’ve been an XTC fan since 1979 . Saw them live at a relatively small club on Long Island , NY called My Father’s Place in Jan. 1980 . It was Dave Gregory’s first US gig after joining the band . Super crowd and fab performance . I remember them coming out for the encore and Andy” yelling “ You people DESERVE an encore ! “
Coincidentally , a friend of mine who played on a couple of Paul M’s records also played drums on XTC’s NONSUCH album . Dave Mattacks is his name .
I’ve seen the videos of them, they were GREAT live. Terry Chambers was a great drummer. I wish he and Colin could have continued their collaboration.
And Bad To Me was written by John and Paul for Billy J. Kramer, another band represented by their agent. It’s so Early Beatles.
Wow! Nonsuch, over the years has emerged as my favorite XTC record, so many brilliant songs on it. Screw Richard Branson for not promoting them more.
Chicago had great harmonies with Peter, Bobby and Terry. I always point to the song “All Is Well Again” from Chicago V, as an example.
While I had Chicago X, (Greatest Hits) on open reel tape, I was not a huge Chicago fan, and their “After All That We’ve Been Through” was REALLY overplayed IN Chicago during my freshman year at U of C. That said, “Leonid and Friends” forced me to take another look, and to appreciate the musicianship that created the songs even if I thought they started to sound like each other after a while.
I thought V was their peak, but by VIII, they started to get stale, especially since Bobby Lamm didn’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.
Well, I was okay with “Harry Truman” and “Old Days” (proof that I only listened to the hits, I am afraid). My favorite was “Feeling Stronger Every Day”.
They strike me as JFK Democrats.
Dave did a great job arranging the strings on this one.
1000 Umbrellas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIs2LzcYuk0
LOL, you obviously never heard “A Song For Richard And His Friends”.
Jet - Look What You’ve Done
I had a 45 of Red Rubber Ball when I was ~6. I remember playing it on the console Grundig stereo record player/radio my parents brought back from Germany. And thinking about it, it might not have been stereo.
Good stuff, kinda hilarious when you look back at it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.