BTEC Music Tech Award - British Invasion

Component 1

'Is all music the same?'

British Invasion

British Invasion | Origins, Groups, & FactsBritish Invasion, musical movement of the mid-1960s composed of British rock-and-roll (“beat”) groups whose popularity spread rapidly to the United States. The Beatles’ triumphant arrival in New York City on February 7, 1964, opened America’s doors to a wealth of British musical talent. What followed would be called—with historical condescension by the willingly reconquered colony—the second British Invasion. Like their transatlantic counterparts in the 1950s, British youth heard their future in the frantic beats and suggestive lyrics of American rock and roll. But initial attempts to replicate it failed. Lacking the indigenous basic ingredients—rhythm and blues and country music—of rock

Artists: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, The Who... (shown below left to right)

Basic Stylistic Features

1. American-inspired sounds

early rock and roll artists, blues, R&B, country-western, and even gospel and folk

2. Solid backbeat of R&B music and a 4/4 rhythm

3. Basic Line Up

lead and rhythm guitar, bass, and drums (with occasional piano

4. Vocal Harmonisation

adding notes to a melody to produce harmony

More Reading/Listening Links

The Beatles (YouTube)

The Rolling Stones (YouTube)

The Kinks (YouTube)

The Who (YouTube)

Inside the British Invasion: 5 Popular British Invasion Bands (Masterclass.com)

The British Invasion: From the Beatles to the Stones, The Sixties Belonged to Britain(Rolling Stone)

List of Videos and Songs

I Wanna Hold Your Hand - The Beatles

How The Beatles Changed Music

Hey Jude Live at Hyde Park - Paul McCartney (Bassist from The Beatles)

You Really Got Me - The Kinks

Lola - The Kinks

I Can't Get No Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

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