The Beatles: Eight Days A Week—The Touring Years

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week—The Touring Years

Still Exciting After All these Years

by Dendy Jarrett

You'd have to be an extraterrestrial not to be aware of the Beatles (and even that may be an incorrect assumption). When they landed on these shores, they created an earthquake in the world of music whose aftershocks are still being felt today.

There's hardly a musician from that era who doesn't acknowledge some level of influence from the Beatles, whether it was the decision to pick up an instrument,  join a band, move from acoustic guitar to electric, or experiment with new musical styles. And to think that Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are still touring and performing today (some 50 years later) is mind-boggling.

Here's a short list of some influences the Beatles' music put into motion...

• Overnight, music instrument purchases went through the roof. Manufactuers like Ludwig  had to buy up the city block next door so they could expand, and were running 24/7 shifts just to keep up with the demand.
• Record sales exploded not just for the Beatles, but for the myriad similar bands that started popping up all over the world.
• At no other time in history did more garage bands form than after the Beatles made their musical mark.
• The Beatles caused an immediate shift from soft acoustic folk music and disposable pop to loud, amplified, high-energy rock music.
• The political undercurrent in much folk music became as amplified as rock music itself. 
• Fans haven't been quite as frenzied  since.
• The Beatles bridged many cultural gaps by becoming a shared experience, and incorporating influences from different races and cultures.
• Musical innovation made huge headway in terms of instruments, technology, marketing, listening, and entertainment value.
• Their wildly successful appearance on the Ed Sullivan show catapulted TV into an even more relevant entertainment medium.

Those who were around to witness this won't forget it and still see the influences today.

This past week, we were contacted by White Horse Pictures about an upcoming film release produced by Imagine Entertainment, White Horse Pictures and Apple Corps Ltd. The Beatles: Eight Days A Week — The Touring Years, directed by Ron Howard, will hit the theatres on September 16th and follow on Hulu shortly thereafter. The theatrical presentation of the film will also include the exclusive opportunity to see The Beatles landmark Shea Stadium concert, remastered in its entirety (and restored so you can hear the music above the screaming).  The Shea Stadium concert will only be available to screen in theatres and will immediately play after  Ron Howard’s film.

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years is produced by Nigel Sinclair, Scott Pascucci, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Apple Corps’ Jeff Jones and JonathanClyde are serving as executive producers, along with Imagine’s Michael Rosenberg and White Horse’s Guy East and Nicholas Ferrall.   Award-winning editor Paul Crowder edits the film. Crowder’s long-time collaborator, the award winning writer Mark Monroe, wrote the film. Marc Ambrose is the supervising producer.

If you've already experienced the Beatles, here's your chance to relive those days. And if you haven't, you'll get a unique window into a unique musical era...one whose popularity some say could never happen again. But we know it will - we just don't know when, or the form it will take. Meanwhile, you can see the seismic significance four boys from Liverpool had on the world - a world that they changed forever.

To learn more about the movie, please visit the official website, The Beatles Eight Days A Week. And for a little bit of a taste, watch the movie's trailer:

Resources:

Check out Craig Anderton's Interview with Chris Jenkin's: Sound For The Beatles Movie

Additional Harmony Central Beatles related publishings -

Ringos Drums

The Beatles Gear (Book): The Ultimate Edition by Andy Babiuk

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Dendy Jarrett is the Publisher and Director of Harmony Central. He has been heavily involved at the executive level in many aspects of the drum and percussion industry for over 25 years and has been a professional player since he was 16. His articles and product reviews have been featured in InTune Monthly, Gig Magazine, DRUM! and Modern Drummer Magazines.