The Beatles Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

This thesis tries to elucidate and exemplify possible intersections between experimental rock of the late 60s and early 70s and the field of electroacoustic music, focusing mostly on production/compositional techniques and aesthetic... more

This thesis tries to elucidate and exemplify possible intersections between experimental rock of the late 60s and early 70s and the field of electroacoustic music, focusing mostly on production/compositional techniques and aesthetic approaches. A historical overview of the context which experimental rock emerged from is attempted, exploring why and how certain production techniques were used at that period in rock music and investigating into whether the aesthetic outcome of these techniques relates to experiments in the field of electroacoustic music. Musical examples from the field of classical, jazz and rock styles (including artists like Glenn Gould, Lennie Tristano, Miles Davis, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Fred Frith (Henry Cow) and Frank Zappa) are addressed for the sake of exploring different experimental studio practices. Moreover, a part of this research deals with the creative exploration of the production techniques discussed in order to develop my personal compositional work and eventually to create a framework where a discussion about composing electroacoustic music from the perspective of rock production (and vice-versa!) could emerge.

Between 1995 and 1996, The Beatles released the three volume, six-disc Anthology, a sprawling audio set issued to coincide with a televised documentary of the same name. One of the first major releases of its kind, the Anthology albums... more

Between 1995 and 1996, The Beatles released the three volume, six-disc Anthology, a sprawling audio set issued to coincide with a televised documentary of the same name. One of the first major releases of its kind, the Anthology albums curated and compiled previously unreleased demos, studio recordings, and live performances, under the auspices of giving listeners insight into the band's creative process. Beyond the appeal of new Beatles product however, the Anthology albums are unique in exploiting particular manifestations of musical intimacy that ultimately serve to further cultivate the group's well-established pop cultural mythos.

The NFL protests are only one of many celebrity-fueled political controversies during the Trump presidency. Why is there such a proliferation of celebrity activism? More importantly, does it amount to anything? What does our knowledge of... more

The NFL protests are only one of many celebrity-fueled political controversies during the Trump presidency. Why is there such a proliferation of celebrity activism? More importantly, does it amount to anything? What does our knowledge of celebrity influence tell us about the recent NFL controversy?

As a result of massive digitization efforts and the world wide web, there is an exploding amount of available digital data describing and representing music at various semantic levels and in diverse formats. For example, in the case of... more

As a result of massive digitization efforts and the world wide web, there is an exploding amount of available digital data describing and representing music at various semantic levels and in diverse formats. For example, in the case of the Beatles songs, there are numerous recordings including an increasing number of cover songs and arrangements as well as MIDI data and other symbolic music representations. The general goal of music synchronization is to align the multiple information sources related to a given piece of music. This becomes a difficult problem when the various representations reveal significant differences in structure and polyphony, while exhibiting various types of artifacts. In this paper, we address the issue of how music synchronization techniques are useful for automatically revealing critical passages with significant difference between the two versions to be aligned. Using the corpus of the Beatles songs as test bed, we analyze the kind of differences occurring in audio and MIDI versions available for the songs.

This handout is for EFL/ESL students at pre-intermediate level and above. It provides an introduction to the fantasy film 'Yellow Submarine', a true masterpiece. The 90-minute animated movie is now readily available on DVD/video, and can... more

This handout is for EFL/ESL students at pre-intermediate level and above. It provides an introduction to the fantasy film 'Yellow Submarine', a true masterpiece. The 90-minute animated movie is now readily available on DVD/video, and can be made the focus for an extended multimedia unit. The handout is a text for reading and discussion, specific orientation before and after students see the film. It is not a lesson plan but can give rise to a range of activities teachers know how to devise.

The paper is part of the ‘Back Home’ research project carried out by a group of PhD students from the Polytechnic University of Milan within the framework of the Paquebot Laboratory. The goal of the present research is to reveal... more

The paper is part of the ‘Back Home’ research project carried out by a group of PhD students from the Polytechnic University of Milan within the framework of the Paquebot Laboratory. The goal of the present research is to reveal historical premises and sociocultural circumstances that provided the basis necessary for the development of the British post-war housing.
As one of the major sociocultural and architectural phenomena in the modern history of Great Britain, the new residential development has been taking shape under the impact of new realities of the post-war life. A descriptive research method has been applied in order to determine the most significant among these realities, such as the exigency of rebuilding and reforming the country immediately after the World War II, economic upheaval of the next two decades, introduction of new governmental policies, multiple cultural tendencies – form the Swinging Sixties to the Electric Eighties – and an intense critical debate of the period.
The study aims to answer the following research questions: what are the preconditions of the British post-war housing phenomenon, and what has determined the emergence of a new generation of architects ready to exploit new approaches to modernism and avant-garde in Great Britain in the 1950s-1980s. Special attention is paid to revealing innovative tendencies of art, fashion, music and cinema, which have transformed the country into the world’s cultural trendsetter for several decades and become a cardinal requirement for the residential development in post-war Great Britain.

The article examines the reflections and influences of the Rolling Stones phenomenon within the framework of communist Czechoslovakia. Based on the exploration of characteristic historical and cultural events this article confirms the... more

The article examines the reflections and influences of the Rolling Stones phenomenon within the framework of communist Czechoslovakia. Based on the exploration of characteristic historical and cultural events this article confirms the exceptional status of the Rolling Stones in Czechoslovakia as a political band par excellence.

Figuración de la transformación musical en las portadas de los discos
de The Beatles (1966-1970)

Despite the large time gap between the two, Beatlemania and modern male pop star fandom reflect each other in their overwhelmingly female fanbases. Through these two multigenerational case studies, I will examine how young women are... more

Despite the large time gap between the two, Beatlemania and modern male pop star fandom reflect each other in their overwhelmingly female fanbases. Through these two multigenerational case studies, I will examine how young women are positioned in the greater sphere of popular music audiences, discussing their participation in fandom through concert behavior and consumption of music and merchandise. My research will compare their representation in mainstream media with their personal expressions of fandom, asking, in the line of feminist theory, whether female music fans have received more than their fair share of criticism, from the 1960s to current era.

Wprowadzenie do pop psychedelii - hybrydy sztuki, mody i marketingu, która stała się popularna pod koniec lat 60. na skutek absorpcji kultury psychedelicznej przez mainstream. Omówienie reprezentacji w filmie autorskim, filmie gatunkowym,... more

Wprowadzenie do pop psychedelii - hybrydy sztuki, mody i marketingu, która stała się popularna pod koniec lat 60. na skutek absorpcji kultury psychedelicznej przez mainstream. Omówienie reprezentacji w filmie autorskim, filmie gatunkowym, kinie eksploatacji, muzyce i reklamie.

"Reggae and dub has brought about many changes in production practices internationally. The studio Innovations pioneered by Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock and Lee “Scratch” Perry, have revolutionized production techniques in reggae,... more

"Reggae and dub has brought about many changes in production practices internationally. The studio Innovations pioneered by Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock and Lee “Scratch” Perry, have revolutionized production techniques in reggae, dancehall and many popular international genres. The Ruddock and Perry Production Techniques have had a significant influence on the development of genres such as hip-hop, house drum and bass, trip hop, trance and techno. Despite this major contribution to pop music production techniques, there has been insufficient recognition for these “Dub Master’s” role in pioneering studio production styles.
This paper will examine the role of Ruddock and Perry, in the development of these distinctive techniques and juxtapose them along techniques of Anglo-America, namely Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and the Beatles Sgt Pepper Lonely Heart Club band which have been valorized as landmark signposts in the history of pop music production. By exploring the production techniques involved in creating the 1980s pop hit Genius of Love By Tom Tom Club. I will show how the techniques of Ruddock and Perry have been appropriated by mainstream culture and how these techniques have influenced pop music production globally. In the process making a claim for the equal recognition of the work of Perry and Osbourne placing them in the same hallowed space occupied by their Anglo-American counterparts. "

O presente artigo aborda o papel do A&R (artista e repertório), função estratégica de planejamento e posicionamento de marcas dentro da indústria fonográfica, a partir da atuação de Brian Epstein – A&R responsável pela carreira dos... more

O presente artigo aborda o papel do A&R (artista e repertório), função estratégica de planejamento e posicionamento de marcas dentro da indústria fonográfica, a partir da atuação de Brian Epstein – A&R responsável pela carreira dos Beatles – como vetor de construção do branding musical.

Andy Warhol’s peeling banana sticker and large signature on the cover of The Velvet Underground and Nico’s eponymous album is one of the most famous of fine artist/musician record cover collaborations. It wasn’t however Warhol’s first... more

Andy Warhol’s peeling banana sticker and large signature on the cover of The Velvet Underground and Nico’s eponymous album is one of the most famous of fine artist/musician record cover collaborations. It wasn’t however Warhol’s first cover, that was Program of Mexican Music by Carlos Chávez back in 1949, created when he first moved to New York as a jobbing designer, according to Francesco Spampinato. His book tracing how and why fine art infiltrated the world of the long player has just been published by Taschen. Here we reprint an extract of his introduction and some key covers

Early academic article on McCartney's songs during/after the Beatles. This focuses on themes of time and nostalgia alongside musical innovation in a selection of McCartney songs, 1963-2001. Some of my later publications on McCartney (and... more

Early academic article on McCartney's songs during/after the Beatles. This focuses on themes of time and nostalgia alongside musical innovation in a selection of McCartney songs, 1963-2001. Some of my later publications on McCartney (and Lennon) are also available on my academia.edu page.

Alexander Ness, in his paper, “Transcription and Multimedia: New Interpretations,” argues that music video transcription explores “unusual musical relationships” and allows for experimentation with “unusual formats,” which essentially... more

Albert Maysles, who with his brother David pioneered techniques in observational documentary in America in the 1960s, offers thoughtful reflections on a lifetime of filmmaking. Ethical concerns in documentary are strongly addressed. He... more

Albert Maysles, who with his brother David pioneered techniques in observational documentary in America in the 1960s, offers thoughtful reflections on a lifetime of filmmaking. Ethical concerns in documentary are strongly addressed. He focuses on the philosophy that has guided him as a filmmaker as well as the relationship those principles have to the lightweight camera and sync sound technology that allows him to carry out his practice. He discusses space and distance not in geographical, but interpersonal, terms and emphasizes the ways in which his empathy and humanity allows him to get truly close to his subjects. He dispels the notion that a direct cinema filmmaker is like a fly on the wall, stressing that “you have to get in there to get what’s really going on.” The discussion draws upon specific moments within a range of films – from Jackie Kennedy’s hands in Primary (1960) to his painterly camerawork in Gimme Shelter (1970) to a messy bed in Grey Gardens (1975) – to explore how his camera’s tracing of surfaces can, in fact, reveal subjective interiorities. He also responds to the critical reception of Grey Gardens and expands on Norman Mailer’s high praise for Salesman (1969).

George Harrison was probably the most "spiritual" of the Beatles. He was influential in exposing people to the Hare Krishna movement in the 70's, initially with his hit, "My Sweet Lord." This paper examines Harrison's world view,... more

George Harrison was probably the most "spiritual" of the Beatles. He was influential in exposing people to the Hare Krishna movement in the 70's, initially with his hit, "My Sweet Lord." This paper examines Harrison's world view, comparing it to the Christian world view.

The book deals with the formation of progressive rock at the turn of the sixties and seventies of the 20th century. Attention is paid to the "underground" roots of the genre on the Anglo-American scene, the influence of The Beatles on its... more

The book deals with the formation of progressive rock at the turn of the sixties and seventies of the 20th century. Attention is paid to the "underground" roots of the genre on the Anglo-American scene, the influence of The Beatles on its artistic appearance and the global trend towards complicating the expressive means of rock, which in the 1970s resulted in large-scale multimedia projects by Genesis, Pink Floyd and Yes. An important part of the book deals with progressive rock in the context of communist Czechoslovakia - this extends from the artistic contexts to the socio-cultural or cultural-political ones. In selected chapters, issues such as key recordings, their technical background, or their relationship to one or another musical tradition are presented. Other chapters show progressive rock in the light of artistic and political ideologies and doctrines.

Il lavoro che segue riparte dalle fondamentali pagine della breve ma densissima opera di Algirdas J. Greimas Dell'imperfezione per portarne avanti il lascito in una direzione inedita o in buona parte impensata. Si tratta di sviluppare il... more

Il lavoro che segue riparte dalle fondamentali pagine della breve ma densissima opera di Algirdas J. Greimas Dell'imperfezione per portarne avanti il lascito in una direzione inedita o in buona parte impensata. Si tratta di sviluppare il ragionamento che il maestro, approssimandosi alla fine della sua vita, aveva avviato sul tema dell'imprevedibilità. Risultato di questa esplorazione delle potenzialità che Dell'imperfezione cova al suo interno o che spinge a cercare al di là di sé è la formulazione di una matrice ritmica che consenta di guadagnare una presa più fine tanto sulle radici dell'estetico, quanto sulle forme della creazione e della creatività, quanto infine sull'articolarsi delle forme di vita. Mostreremo come, superando la centralità della frattura, dell'incidente estetico, altre forme dell'imprevedibile appaiano : la sincope, il sostenuto, il nonnulla. Il lavoro di individuazione di tali forme e dei rispettivi ritmi apre inevitabilmente su sviluppi molteplici che vanno nella direzione della valorizzazione della complessità formale e del prospettivismo percettivo-culturale implicato da questo genere di ragionamenti. La formulazione del modello spinge inoltre alla sua approfondita applicazione e messa alla prova su specifici casi. Non potendo dar seguito a tutti questi sviluppi abbiamo deciso di focalizzare la seconda e ultima parte del lavoro sulle posizioni e le dinamiche complesse che si aprono con e fra le forme di base individuate. Individuando il campo del salto, dell'approfondimento, della turbolenza e della vertigine ulteriori tipi di ritmo si profilano e con essi la comprensione delle strutturazioni e degli effetti di senso correlati a specifiche opere e forme di vita.

My first published article ... in the Village Voice, October 21, 1971 ... I was 24 years old and living on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. I sent this in as a Letter to the Editor - in response to a negative review of Paul McCartney by... more

My first published article ... in the Village Voice, October 21, 1971 ... I was 24 years old and living on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. I sent this in as a Letter to the Editor - in response to a negative review of Paul McCartney by Voice critic Robert Christgau - and was surprised about two weeks later by a check in the mail and a note from the Voice that they wanted to publish my letter as an article.

Beatles tribute bands offer a make-believe substitute for the "emotional vacuum" left by the band's breakup in 1970. Among the best-known acts are the Bootleg Beatles, who since 1980 have toured the world with elaborate shows consisting... more

Beatles tribute bands offer a make-believe substitute for the "emotional vacuum" left by the band's breakup in 1970. Among the best-known acts are the Bootleg Beatles, who since 1980 have toured the world with elaborate shows consisting of appropriate costumes, hairdos, and Scouse-accented banter. By contrast, the Analogues approach such reenactment quite differently. Downplaying visual mimesis, they strive for complete aural accuracy. This essay compares both tribute bands' approaches to reconstructing The White Album, discussing how they aim to reanimate a fictionalized past in an authentic manner: the Bootleg Beatles to witness an imaginary Beatles performance, the Analogues to hear music that was never meant to be heard live.

The reasons why this album has been declared “the greatest album of all time” are explored through their historical rationales, and these are compared with more straightforward aesthetic analyses of the album’s contents. A contrast is... more

The reasons why this album has been declared “the greatest album of all time” are explored through their historical rationales, and these are compared with more straightforward aesthetic analyses of the album’s contents. A contrast is drawn between the canonical centrality of Sgt Pepper to rock music in general, and its importance to The Beatles canon in particular. I demonstrate that the centrality of the Sgt Pepper to rock music is an American phenomenon, where it is seen as establishing the album form as the primary unit of rock-music art. In contrast, the British critical tradition has not generally awarded special importance to Sgt Pepper. However, the US perception of the album has infiltrated the British discourse and this has resulted in the perception that The Beatles canon is an album-based form.

This article addresses the various appropriations of the Beatles' songs in Brazil. It proposes a thorough account, within the limits of an article, aiming to comprehend the aesthetic and political battles concerning the incorporation of... more

This article addresses the various appropriations of the Beatles' songs in Brazil. It proposes a thorough account, within the limits of an article, aiming to comprehend the aesthetic and political battles concerning the incorporation of the Beatles' sound into Brazilian national culture. The article analyses both the incorporation and rejection of the Beatles' sound from various national musical segments, and the importance of the anthropophagization of the electric guitar by the tropicalists (Os Tropicalistas). From this perspective, I illustrate how distinction within Brazilian musical fields has been reconstructed via two different types of incorporation of the group's sound: one pre-Sgt. Pepper and another post-Sgt. Pepper and how they influenced the uneven battle for the institutional memory of Brazilian culture.

PAUL IS DEAD is a subject ripe for mediological excavation requiring occult tools that have always factored into interpretations of Beatles' messaging. The time and place to introduce a new " Science of Magic " with its forbidden... more

PAUL IS DEAD is a subject ripe for mediological excavation requiring occult tools that have always factored into interpretations of Beatles' messaging. The time and place to introduce a new " Science of Magic " with its forbidden apparatus into the academy has never been better. Conspiracy theories surrounding Paul McCartney have been ramped up after the release of his new album Egypt Station and triumphant Freshen Up World Tour ending in July, while a virtual stream of mediology phenomenology (here is one from Revolver where the band's transformation began) about The Beatles' creative process keeps the online investigations fresh. There is always something new to discover, which keeps the discussion open-ended. This article will examine the evolution of PID over the past half century to its current digital status in relation to other conspiracy theories: Sept 11 as an "inside job;" the JFK assassination; the ritual murder of Princess Diana; and QAnon examined by Ethan Zuckerman in the first installment of JoDS #6: Unreal. In order to make effective comparisons, hermeneutics apparatus (astrology, numerology, alchemy) pioneered in the European Graduate School laboratory will be utilized to explore eight topics: tech, bibles, origins, hermeneutics, semiotics, phenomenology, Gesamtkunstwerk and metaphysics.