My British Musical Influences

While I was growing up, my parents listened to The Beatles, Herman's Hermits, The Animals, The Troggs, The Hollies, and The Moody Blues. My parents owned all of the records and most of the CDs. Their favorites were the Beatles and the Moody Blues. They would play their albums in the car over and over while we were on road trips to California or going camping in the mountains, so this was my first exposure to these bands. I thought they were okay, but had my own favorites.

I really didn't become a fan of The Beatles until I saw a couple of television biopics on them when I was in junior high. They became my favorite band from the British Invasion at the time. I watched most of their films such as A Hard Day's Night and Help!, which were my two favorites. I read Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney by Geoffrey Giuliano, Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation by Philip Norman, and Dark Horse: The Life and Art of George Harrison by Geoffrey Giuliano. I also read a book on their songwriting, but can't remember what the name of it was.

After I became a fan, my parents took me to see and listen to Beatles cover bands such as Imagine when they performed one summer regularly at Lagoon Amusement Park and The Fab Five perform during a Spring Break at Disneyland a couple of years ago. The first Beatles album I bought for myself was Revolver, after I saw and really enjoyed the movie Across the Universe, and couldn't buy the songs on Itunes. I've also been on a couple of Carnival cruises where they have had shows dedicated to the Beatles in the main lounge. Over the summer, I watched a couple of Paul McCartney's concerts on TV, because he is my favorite Beatle.

I didn't really start listening to The Rolling Stones until I saw the reality competition show Rock Star, where the contestants sang several of their songs and I bought them on Itunes. Before that, I was only familiar with their song, "Satisfaction," because of Britney Spears cover version that came out when I was in high school. I recently watched Gimme Shelter and the Shine a Light documentary by Martin Scorsese on TV and the documentaries made me appreciate the band more. Usually if I learn how they came to be and what methods they use to write their songs, I become a super fan. It's really fun to discover bands like The Rolling Stones, by random situations. My musical tastes go through phases, I guess.