Repeat the Beatles
It's been four decades since the lads from Liverpool broke up. Why do they still matter?
by Joseph Lord
The Courier-Journal

Pop-culture icons are like strip malls — they're built big but are inevitably abandoned once a bigger strip mall is built down the road .

Musicians come and go with the fads. Rock to disco. Heavy metal to grunge. Grunge to emo.

Consider, then, the Beatles, a band that last released new music in 1970. Two of its members — John Lennon and George Harrison — have died . The other two — Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — haven't broken new musical ground in decades (if at all).

Icons like Guns N' Roses, R.E.M., Pearl Jam and Madonna had their glory days but have mostly retreated into rock history, favored mainly by hard-core fans . By the same logic , the Beatles ought not be much more than a popular exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, with songs popular only on oldies radio.

Even this weekend's Abbey Road on the River festival, a five-day celebration of all things John, Paul, George and Ringo on the Louisville riverfront, is more of a look back than a look forward.

But more than 38 years after their infamous break-up, the Beatles are still a major influence on today's young bands.

"I don't think you can really play that type of music without being influenced by them," said Mark Zdobylak , the bassist for Louisville's Broadfield Marchers. "It comes down to songwriting. I hate to use a cliche, but it is kind of timeless."

Glenn Gass , a professor of music at Indiana University in Bloomington, agreed. With contemporaries like Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys and the Byrds, the Beatles were rock 'n' roll's most popular band during its greatest period, Gass argued. They set a standard for songwriting and pop music recording.

Since rock is partly about young folks rebelling against their parents' generation, the Beatles' enduring popularity is unprecedented, he said.

"You can't really pick up a guitar or sing a song without immediately drawing on the Beatles or Bob Dylan," said Gass, whose popular class on the Beatles has 360 students and a waiting list . "I think they sort of defined what rock 'n' roll is."

Jordan Forst , a member of the band Adventure and a music director for Cox Radio, said he became a Beatles fan when he was a kid. Today's young musicians, he said, are influenced directly by the Beatles and by existing bands influenced by them .

"They're kind of like Cliffs Notes to rock 'n' roll," Forst said. "It's a great place to learn about Buddy Holly or even the Everly Brothers. Certainly, you should study (the Beatles) because they were great studies of '50s music, rhythm and blues."

And while other seminal groups, from the Velvet Underground to the MC5, hold sway over local bands in their own way, the influence of the Beatles is undeniable.

"Pop music has changed so much since the 1960s. However, I think the Beatles are still remembered," said Justin Eslinger, who plays in the bands the Touched and Bad Blood, "and their music has remained popular and relevant simply because catchy tunes with great melodies will never go out of style. "

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