British Invasion

• Oh boy, oh boy...Don't worry I wont focus only on The Beatles, to me they have become a bit overrated. Don't get me wrong, I love those guys. I did also undergo a "Beatles obsessed" phase in the past, but you can only advertise and profit from a band so much that eventually it becomes uninteresting and common. The Beatles are everywhere today. I think it's safe to say almost everyone is somewhat of Beatle fan. I know I am. Though, I'm not going to put them in the spotlight. the British Invasion was about many European bands who were able to come to America to start up their careers. Bands like  The Kinks, The Who, The Zombies, The Animals, The Rolling Stones(I'm noticing a trend here).

     Well anyway,  THE BRITISH INVASION...I will give the Beatles the credit for starting it up with their rise to fame in America during the early 1960's, for they made other bands in the UK want to try their chances in the States.
      From there the bands just kept coming...Some of my personal favorites are The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, and The Zombies.
       These bands helped create Rock n' Roll...(what we know it to be today). One band in particular, different from the rest in sound, atitude, and appearance helped create the image of Rock n' Roll. Any ideas on who?????

   




Give you a hint:
  

Yup. None other than THE ROLLING STONES...these guys came to the states and changed the look of the British Invasion completely. Bands like The Zombies, The Beatles, The Kinks...in there performances, you can notice how straight edge they look. How poppy rock their music was. The Rolling Stones were more "radical" in their attire and bluesey rock sound.See the differences below.

Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show...

The Rolling Stones on Ed Sullivan Show...



My British Invasion Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAEA82F1591863D9A

On the Road --- Upcoming Movie!?

A lot is riding on this movie…many expectations…I mean it’s “On the Road”, not just a classic…but a beacon of inspiration…a definition of a whole generation…its either a GO or GO HOME for the director >.<…But if done well  I know it has the opporunity to be great.                                                                                        

  -This is what I expect  :                                        

• KILLER Soundtrack…I want to hear JAZZ, BLUES , the movie has to capture what music was like to the people of the 1950’s.
• AMAZING Scenery….Sal’s journey across America was so inspirational to him not only for the people he met along the way but for all the things / places he saw. (Star filled skies…vast empty desert land…the coast…the countryside…the streets of Chicago, New York, Frisco, LA)
• HEAD ON Character interpretation…For example, the Dean character must be slick, inspirational, charming, everything Kerouac put into his precious Dean Moriarty. 
• INSPIRATIONAL…just like the book, I hope the movie can be seen and give people a want to journey, explore and get ON THE ROAD in search of themselves, new place/faces, or just for the thrill of it.

I really can’t wait for the movie. Director, Walter Salles has a lot of responsibility on his hands but judging from his past movies, I think he can do it.

He’s also known for directing Motorcycle Diaries, a movie based on Che Guevara’s travels prior to becoming the inspirational revolutionary we all know him for. Looks interesting and well done…I’ll definitely be watching it soon.

 

CLever TV sneak peak

 

 

On the Road movie stills

The Doors & The Beat Generation

• Such confusion lies in the phrase “Beat Generation”. First coined by author Jack Kerouac to define his perception of life throughout the 50’s, to this day what he really meant by “Beat” isn’t all that clear. At first I though he meant Beat – like that of a drum, for the reason that great music and poetry came from this time(The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg), then I realized Beat- as in beaten down for the time’s post-war sense( WWII:1939-1945), and now as I research the term, I guess Kerouac could also have meant Beat for his inspiration in the Beatitudes( a set of teachings within Christianity ) . The more I think about it the more I see how all three of them fit so perfectly. The beat generation had so much going on that the word “Beat” ,in all it’s defenitions, seems to capture it’s sense perfectly.                                                                                                  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Now to the music… I’ve been reading “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac and since I have also read “No one here gets out alive” (Jim Morrison Biography), I know how inspirational Kerouac(Specifically his character Dean Moriarty) was to Jim Morrison and The Doors. And being a Doors fan I must admit…The Doors for me are the best band to come out of The Beat Generation.( Not to say I don’t like The Beatles >.< but the Beatles found their fame in America…didn’t live through it like The Doors ) From their sound to Morrison’s own life/lifestyle, The Doors had within them the inspiration of all the Beat Generation had to offer. They were connected to WWII, drugs were a major part of their lives,lived by anti-conformity, and sought philosophy and intellect. If it wasn’t for their other major inspiration in Aldous Huxley (Author of “The Doors of Perception”), The Doors would have been The Beatniks.( Imagine that! lol )

- Click Here – For more on The Beat Generation and Jack Kerouac

-Click Here – For more on The Doors

 

Here are some Videos of The Doors and their “Beat Generation” inspired music  

Waiting for the Sun

 

Break on Through ( To the Other Side )