Ozzy Osbourne gave the Beatles what may be the highest compliments in music history when he was speaking about them. When Sharon asked him to discuss the Fab Four during the recording of one of his family’s podcasts, he responded, “[It’s] like going to bed in a black and white world and waking up and it had turned to color.” That was precisely how it felt.
The frontman of Black Sabbath justified his remark by pointing out how unremarkable life was at the time. He uttered, “Remember that after World War II, we were left with severe guidelines to follow. And they kicked down doors for countless individuals, granting them freedom to the world.”
Key musicians are the blocks that build the tower in a Jenga game if you will. The nature of music as we know it will not change if you remove specific blocks from specific locations within the tower. A few more blocks cause the tower to collapse, altering the situation. Essentially, this indicates that if one band disappeared, so might several others. The bottom two rows of blocks are the next to go; if you take them out, the tower collapses. The Beatles are those blocks.
Although it is the most used phrase in music, it will never run out: The most influential band to ever play live is The Beatles. Music looks completely different without them. If it weren’t for The Beatles, many wouldn’t play music today. Our use of rhythm, melody, and other elements would seem foreign.
Who else could ever match a band whose influence on music has been that great? Though, to be honest, nobody has come close. Many bands have taken what they did and improved upon it, demonstrating the full potential of a particular sound, mindset, or recording method. Paul McCartney also discovered one of these groups early. From the moment he saw Pink Floyd play, he knew they were unique.
When Paul McCartney first saw Pink Floyd perform at Abbey Road Studios, he couldn’t help but notice something about the band. Telling his friend Barry Miles that they were a “synthesis of electronic music and studio techniques and rock ‘n’ roll,” he could hear what they were doing and was excited about it.
Recalling the conversation vividly, Miles expressed his impression. He felt that McCartney’s encounter with the band went beyond an established artist greeting some rising talent. Rather, it served as a recognition “of the existence of a new generation of music.” McCartney continued by calling Pink Floyd a “knockout.”
He was correct in his assessment. While Pink Floyd’s method of recording music and creating captivating landscapes was revolutionary, no band has had the same impact on music as The Beatles. Yes, there’s another Jenga tower block, but the entire structure would collapse if it were removed.
