Someone asked the question: What gruop from Europe influenced music the most?

I had 2 really sit down and think about it before I responded. I was surprised by my own answer.

In my opinion it was and still is Kraftwerk. Most folks choose the Beatles and I still don't understand that answer. Outside of a handful of 1960's groups who copied the Beatles, their influence was more hype than reality. Kraftwerk on the other hand has influenced Electronic music, Hiphop, Trance, House, Techno, Ambient, Dub, and a host of other styles of music.

I still hear their influence in 2015. Who do you think had the biggest influence?

[Edited 2/11/15 13:49pm]

Elvis Presley is not from Europe

MickyDolenz said:

Elvis Presley is not from Europe

Yep.........true.

MotownSubdivision said:

If not The Beatles then it has to be a group from the 80s British Invasion.

Names?

MotownSubdivision said:

If not The Beatles then it has to be a group from the 80s British Invasion.

I'd go with Black Sabbath. They're generally considered creating heavy metal, although they were really hard rock. The term metal didn't come around until years later.

Steve Hackett from Genesis is credited with originating tapping, which influenced later speed players.

the Beatles influenced Electronic music, Hiphop, Trance, House, Techno, Ambient, Dub, and a host of other styles of music.

I still hear their influence in 2015.

My thoughts above

unique said:

the Beatles influenced Electronic music, Hiphop, Trance, House, Techno, Ambient, Dub, and a host of other styles of music.

I still hear their influence in 2015.

I agree with some of that. I think there was a time when the Beatles influence was more pronounced, though. I heard comparisons to the Beatles/Beatles influences in a lot of 80s albums, including Around The World In A Day, Three Feet High and Rising, Let Love Rule. Scores of artists have tried to emulate the Sgt. Pepper concept.

But the Beatles influences sound fainter in the recent decades.

I honestly couldn't pick one. The Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, and some others could lay claim to that title as well.

Graycap23 said:

It's hard to measure Beatles influence living in a world where it has always been there. If you read any cultural histories of the middle 60s, they are pretty obviously influencing all of rock music. They're pushing everybody further out. Everyone is covering those songs, while they're still brand new.

Nevertheless, Kraftwerk is a very good choice. 80s synth pop is hard to imagine without them.

alphastreet said:

I definitely believe it's the Beatles, however I would also say Queen for their vocals and showmanship

In what are are the Beatles influencing these groups?

unique said:

the Beatles influenced Electronic music, Hiphop, Trance, House, Techno, Ambient, Dub, and a host of other styles of music.

I still hear their influence in 2015.

My thoughts above

In what way?

Graycap23 said:

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

Graycap23 said:

In what way?

Their use of new and innovative techniques was groundbreaking and certainly affected all pop after it, even if the music itself is completely different. Compare them to Prince, you don't hear the Minneapolis sound on the charts today, but many of the things he pioneered influenced subsequent generations heavily. This wikipedia page is fairly illuminating, and you can find more information by googling "beatles studio innovations" or something like that. http://en.wikipedia.org/w...technology

I'm not talking about recording techniques. I'm talking about the sound of music.

The Beatles sounds isn't impacting anyone that I can hear. If it is, please let me know.

[Edited 2/11/15 17:08pm]

Yes, I would have to say from the United Kingdom it would be The Beatles and Gary Numan. From Europe, it would be Kraftwerk and ABBA.

KingSausage said:

The Beatles' influence is so widespread and deep that it permeates nearly all rock and pop music. Nobody else comes close. Pink Floyd had a huge influence too. Zeppelin. Sabbath.

I didnt understand it at first too.

But you have really *listen* to them, when you do you'll realise they've pretty influenced pop music, from recording techniques, the form and definition of the pop song, genre mixing. song writing, harmonisation, everything.

Graycap23 said:

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

Graycap23 said: Their use of new and innovative techniques was groundbreaking and certainly affected all pop after it, even if the music itself is completely different. Compare them to Prince, you don't hear the Minneapolis sound on the charts today, but many of the things he pioneered influenced subsequent generations heavily. This wikipedia page is fairly illuminating, and you can find more information by googling "beatles studio innovations" or something like that. http://en.wikipedia.org/w...he_Beatles%27_recording_technology

I'm not talking about recording techniques. I'm talking about the sound of music.

The Beatles sounds isn't impacting anyone that I can hear. If it is, please let me know.

[Edited 2/11/15 17:08pm]

I dunno who you're listening too.

But since its trending now. The leslie guitar solo at the end of "Waking Light" from Beck's Morning Phase is definetly channeling George Harrisons soloing from "Let it Be"

namepeace said:

unique said:

I agree with some of that. I think there was a time when the Beatles influence was more pronounced, though. I heard comparisons to the Beatles/Beatles influences in a lot of 80s albums, including Around The World In A Day, Three Feet High and Rising, Let Love Rule. Scores of artists have tried to emulate the Sgt. Pepper concept.

But the Beatles influences sound fainter in the recent decades.

I honestly couldn't pick one. The Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, and some others could lay claim to that title as well.

what part don't you agree with? my statement was pretty vague so as to avoid anyone being able to disagree. the beatles have influenced all sorts of music from classical to jazz, hip hop to house. there are plenty of cover versions of beatles tracks in pretty much any style of music you can imagine. whilst i like kraftwerk and they were very influential too, they weren't anywhere near as influential as the beatles. how many classical or jazz albums have covers of kraftwerk tracks? how many of the great vocalists have covered kraftwerk tracks? you can people like elvis and frank sinatra cover beatles tracks. who are the biggest names in music that anyone can think of who covered kraftwerk? of those other bands mentioned in the quoted post above, all of them have been influenced by the beatles

Graycap23 said:

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

Graycap23 said: Their use of new and innovative techniques was groundbreaking and certainly affected all pop after it, even if the music itself is completely different. Compare them to Prince, you don't hear the Minneapolis sound on the charts today, but many of the things he pioneered influenced subsequent generations heavily. This wikipedia page is fairly illuminating, and you can find more information by googling "beatles studio innovations" or something like that. http://en.wikipedia.org/w...technology

I'm not talking about recording techniques. I'm talking about the sound of music.

The Beatles sounds isn't impacting anyone that I can hear. If it is, please let me know.

without knowing who you hear, it's not an easy question to answer. rihanna and kayne west are two well known current acts, and they have paul macartney from the beatles on their new record, so there is no doubt beatles influence there

dave grohl from foo fighters and nirvana recently recorded an album with paul macartney from the beatles, and there's no doubt of the influence the beatles had there

the beatles influence in song writing can be heard in most guitar/bass/drum rock and pop acts, but many people may not realise it. the beatles songbook is one of the most common ways for musicians to learn, as they can play along to songs they know when learning the chords, and the songs are mostly pretty easy to play, to the degree that many other artists will go on to write songs using the most common used chords by the beatles, and that's why artists like oasis and paul weller end up with beatles sounding tracks at times

if anything, the influence of the beatles is under rated as many people don't recognise it. there are even bands today who are influenced by bands who were influenced by the beatles, and bands influenced by those bands. most indie guitar bands are going to be influenced by the beatles on way or another. it's hard to be into music and avoid hearing and therefore influenced by the beatles. remember influence also swings two ways, you can hear or see something and be influenced in such a way to avoid doing that thing. that's still influence. you might hear or see something and make a conscious decision to neve do that thing, just like educational videos that scare kids from playing with dangerous stuff. however most people are influence by the beatles in more positive ways, such as song writing composing

MickyDolenz said:

Steve Hackett from Genesis is credited with originating tapping, which influenced later speed players.

There were people tapping as far back as the 1950s and I'm sure much sooner than that.

Here's a random Italian guy doing in 1965:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7M8L1rAUsI

[Edited 2/12/15 12:15pm]

[Edited 2/12/15 12:16pm]

SuperSoulFighter said:

"The Rolling Stones are truly the greatest rock'n roll band in the world and always will be. The last too. Everything that came after them, metal, rap, punk, new wave, pop-rock, you name it...you can trace it all back to The Rolling Stones. They were the first and the last and no one's ever done it better." Those aren't my words. It's a quote from a Bob Dylan interview from 2009. And I'd like to add: they gave rock'n roll its rebellious spirit.

As opposed to Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis?

unique said:

namepeace said:

I agree with some of that. I think there was a time when the Beatles influence was more pronounced, though. I heard comparisons to the Beatles/Beatles influences in a lot of 80s albums, including Around The World In A Day, Three Feet High and Rising, Let Love Rule. Scores of artists have tried to emulate the Sgt. Pepper concept.

But the Beatles influences sound fainter in the recent decades.

I honestly couldn't pick one. The Stones, The Who, Zeppelin, and some others could lay claim to that title as well.

what part don't you agree with? my statement was pretty vague so as to avoid anyone being able to disagree. the beatles have influenced all sorts of music from classical to jazz, hip hop to house. there are plenty of cover versions of beatles tracks in pretty much any style of music you can imagine. whilst i like kraftwerk and they were very influential too, they weren't anywhere near as influential as the beatles. how many classical or jazz albums have covers of kraftwerk tracks? how many of the great vocalists have covered kraftwerk tracks? you can people like elvis and frank sinatra cover beatles tracks. who are the biggest names in music that anyone can think of who covered kraftwerk? of those other bands mentioned in the quoted post above, all of them have been influenced by the beatles

There isn't a proposition on this earth that's disagreement-proof. And that's okay. There was merit to what you said, and I echoed what you said, but don't think their influence is as *pronounced* as it was in earlier decades, closer in time to the end of the Beatles era.

I never mentioned Kraftwerk.

namepeace said:

unique said:

what part don't you agree with? my statement was pretty vague so as to avoid anyone being able to disagree. the beatles have influenced all sorts of music from classical to jazz, hip hop to house. there are plenty of cover versions of beatles tracks in pretty much any style of music you can imagine. whilst i like kraftwerk and they were very influential too, they weren't anywhere near as influential as the beatles. how many classical or jazz albums have covers of kraftwerk tracks? how many of the great vocalists have covered kraftwerk tracks? you can people like elvis and frank sinatra cover beatles tracks. who are the biggest names in music that anyone can think of who covered kraftwerk? of those other bands mentioned in the quoted post above, all of them have been influenced by the beatles

There isn't a proposition on this earth that's disagreement-proof. And that's okay. There was merit to what you said, and I echoed what you said, but don't think their influence is as *pronounced* as it was in earlier decades, closer in time to the end of the Beatles era.

I never mentioned Kraftwerk.

I've just never bought into the Beatles hype. I still don't.

Graycap23 said:

KingSausage said:

Graycap23 said:

I've just never bought into the Beatles hype. I still don't.

It's one of those things that doesn't depend on belief or buy-in, like the earth being round. That being said, let's give some love to Chuck Berry. All roads Beatles and Stones initially came through Chuck Berryland. Chuck is the fucking bomb.

Apparently not my ears either.