i have heard this a few times, is it true that they invented heavymetal?

No they didn't invent heavy metal, but they were apparently the first artist/band to use distorted guitars on a record.

At the time of his death, music critics pointed out that Ike Turner's "Rocket 88", released in 1951, was the first recording of a distorted electric guitar.

Identity said:

At the time of his death, music critics pointed out that Ike Turner's "Rocket 88", released in 1951, was the first recording of a distorted electric guitar.

That was ONLY 13 years before anyone ever heard of the Beatles.

Identity said:

At the time of his death, music critics pointed out that Ike Turner's "Rocket 88", released in 1951, was the first recording of a distorted electric guitar.

Ooh! Thanks for the info. I can't wait to pass this lovely info around.

I think when people say this they are refering to Helter Skelter. It's surely heavier than anything I've personally heard that came out before it.

WildStyle said:

I think when people say this they are refering to Helter Skelter. It's surely heavier than anything I've personally heard that came out before it.

The earlier takes of Helter Skelter were different than what was released on the White album. It was slower and sounded kind of like a mixture of blues & doo wop.

Some say that The Kinks 'You Really Got Me' was the first 'metal' riff. it's pretty damn heavy. The Yardbirds were pretty heavy aswell.

The Beatles aren't heavy metal. They're pop. Maybe rock, prog-rock maybe even r&b. Heavy metal? No ways. Gotta be very psychedelic blues rock.

I'd point to Hendrix, Cream and The Yardbirds as one of the first heavy metal bands/artists. That's what Jimi going to Britain was allabout. It was blues-based psychedelic jammming. The actual genre isn't identified until after Jimi dies and the other two had disbanded. Around 1971 Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple come along, but as far as I'm concerned, the first Funkadelic records on WESTBOUND and OSMIUM are bluesy and very psychedelic as anything else. They debuted in 1970.

The thing about heavy metal is ya gotta "walk the talk" and play live. Beatles didn't perform live much especially from that HELTER SKELTER period. All those bands listed above played live.

Identity said:

At the time of his death, music critics pointed out that Ike Turner's "Rocket 88", released in 1951, was the first recording of a distorted electric guitar.

That's tossed around as the first electric rock recording and i don't disagree. I like Ike and he is a great blues player but he is not "heavy metal".

802 said:

No they didn't invent heavy metal, but they were apparently the first artist/band to use distorted guitars on a record.

no, they were credited with using guitar feedback in a creative way for the first time on I Feel Fine

PFunkjazz said:

That's tossed around as the first electric rock recording and i don't disagree. I like Ike and he is a great blues player but he is not "heavy metal".

I never made that implication. I was simply talking about the fuzz guitar sounds Turner recorded in '51 caused by damage to an amplifier.

Speaking of inventing, does any single person/band really "invent" any music genre?

There's a big difference between inspiring heavy metal and inventing it. Ozzy Osborne says the Beatles are why he got into music, and that he wanted to be just like them, but ended up sounding nothing like them.

It's the same as the Beatles wanting to be like Ray Charles & Little Richard and failing miserably.

Phishanga said:

Speaking of inventing, does any single person/band really "invent" any music genre?

i dont think so, usually its a few musicians who "pioneer" a particular genre. But i was talking to a few die heard beatles fans who claimed that beatles "invented" heavy metal and even rock. Now of course i knew that beatles did not "invent" rock, the real pioneers of rock were the likes of chuck berry. But i am not an expert on heavy metal history so i asked this question out of curiosity.

hhhhdmt said:

Phishanga said:

Speaking of inventing, does any single person/band really "invent" any music genre?

i dont think so, usually its a few musicians who "pioneer" a particular genre. But i was talking to a few die heard beatles fans who claimed that beatles "invented" heavy metal and even rock. Now of course i knew that beatles did not "invent" rock, the real pioneers of rock were the likes of chuck berry. But i am not an expert on heavy metal history so i asked this question out of curiosity.

you could make the argument that they pioneered the transition from "rock & roll" (50's style) to "rock" (60's & beyond)

The difference is that rock & roll of the 50's is pretty much blues in its structure, where rock in the 60's became more free with its use of melody & harmony

But I don't think they invented "rock" either

NDRU said:

hhhhdmt said:

i dont think so, usually its a few musicians who "pioneer" a particular genre. But i was talking to a few die heard beatles fans who claimed that beatles "invented" heavy metal and even rock. Now of course i knew that beatles did not "invent" rock, the real pioneers of rock were the likes of chuck berry. But i am not an expert on heavy metal history so i asked this question out of curiosity.

you could make the argument that they pioneered the transition from "rock & roll" (50's style) to "rock" (60's & beyond)

The difference is that rock & roll of the 50's is pretty much blues in its structure, where rock in the 60's became more free with its use of melody & harmony

But I don't think they invented "rock" either

I thought the Beatles pretty musc discovered "music" in general.

Identity said:

PFunkjazz said:

That's tossed around as the first electric rock recording and i don't disagree. I like Ike and he is a great blues player but he is not "heavy metal".

I never made that implication. I was simply talking about the fuzz guitar sounds Turner recorded in '51 caused by damage to an amplifier.

I didn't say YOU did.

Graycap23 said:

NDRU said:

you could make the argument that they pioneered the transition from "rock & roll" (50's style) to "rock" (60's & beyond)

The difference is that rock & roll of the 50's is pretty much blues in its structure, where rock in the 60's became more free with its use of melody & harmony

But I don't think they invented "rock" either

I thought the Beatles pretty musc discovered "music" in general.

Just between you & me, all that stuff from "before" the Beatles is just propaganda created by the Nixon administration from around the time of the "moon landing"

NDRU said:

Graycap23 said:

I thought the Beatles pretty musc discovered "music" in general.

Just between you & me, all that stuff from "before" the Beatles is just propaganda created by the Nixon administration from around the time of the "moon landing"

well some beatles fans surely act like there was no rock or great music before they came along

hhhhdmt said:

NDRU said:

Just between you & me, all that stuff from "before" the Beatles is just propaganda created by the Nixon administration from around the time of the "moon landing"

well some beatles fans surely act like there was no rock or great music before they came along

true, and I am as big a fan as they come, but to quote Lennon they "were just a band that made it very very big"

NDRU said:

hhhhdmt said:

well some beatles fans surely act like there was no rock or great music before they came along

true, and I am as big a fan as they come, but to quote Lennon they "were just a band that made it very very big"

4 sho.

Yes AND No

Yes: they heavily influenced Black Sabbath (specially the White Album/Abbey Road stuff)

No: they're not Black Sabbath lol

NDRU said:

hhhhdmt said:

i dont think so, usually its a few musicians who "pioneer" a particular genre. But i was talking to a few die heard beatles fans who claimed that beatles "invented" heavy metal and even rock. Now of course i knew that beatles did not "invent" rock, the real pioneers of rock were the likes of chuck berry. But i am not an expert on heavy metal history so i asked this question out of curiosity.

you could make the argument that they pioneered the transition from "rock & roll" (50's style) to "rock" (60's & beyond)

The difference is that rock & roll of the 50's is pretty much blues in its structure, where rock in the 60's became more free with its use of melody & harmony

But I don't think they invented "rock" either

not sure about that. They do deserve credit for trying new things like using a sitar in music which was unheard for a pop group. And while they had some great rock songs, i consider them more pop than rock.

Usual suspects:

Black Sabbath

Led Zeppelin

Blue Cheer

Hendrix

Steppenwolf

Santana (first album)

The Who (Tommy, Who's Next)

Deep Purple

MC5

The heaviest songs of the Beatles

The murkiest/heaviest songs of the old blues masters...

well how about "i can see for miles" by the who. Mccartney claimed he wrote "helter skelter" after listening to ics4miles.

hhhhdmt said:

well how about "i can see for miles" by the who. Mccartney claimed he wrote "helter skelter" after listening to ics4miles.

PFunkjazz said:

The Beatles aren't heavy metal. They're pop. Maybe rock, prog-rock maybe even r&b. Heavy metal? No ways. Gotta be very psychedelic blues rock.

I'd point to Hendrix, Cream and The Yardbirds as one of the first heavy metal bands/artists. That's what Jimi going to Britain was allabout. It was blues-based psychedelic jammming. The actual genre isn't identified until after Jimi dies and the other two had disbanded. Around 1971 Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple come along, but as far as I'm concerned, the first Funkadelic records on WESTBOUND and OSMIUM are bluesy and very psychedelic as anything else. They debuted in 1970.

The thing about heavy metal is ya gotta "walk the talk" and play live. Beatles didn't perform live much especially from that HELTER SKELTER period. All those bands listed above played live.

You people are clueless. The Beatles, specifically Paul, recorded Helper Skelter to intentionally make it the heaviest song ever. He thought I could see for miles by the Who was the heaviest song ever and wanted to make something Heavier. Helter Skelter predates Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Doesn't predate Hendrix so it may be an argument there. With all of that in mind you can argue that the Beatles created Heavy Metal and there's no argument at all against them being pioneers in the genre.