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We explore the history and music of The Beatles in a 5-part series which incorporates lecture, audio, and video. The course begins with an examination of the time before the British Invasion, and the onset of Beatlemania. We follow the group through the 1960s, album by album, as they progress stylistically, add new sounds, technologies, and mature lyrical ideas. Ultimately, they become more independent of each other and finally break apart. Participation is encouraged with discussions, polls, etc. There are suggested readings for enrichment and playlists accompanying each session.
In Part 1 (this session), we see how 4 boys born during WWII in the Northern British City of Liverpool progress from skiffle music to a rock and roll cover band then conquer the UK with Beatlemania! They achieve worldwide fame as recording and performing artists, gifted composers, and finally movie stars. Part I concludes with the release of the film and album Help!
Optional Reading: Long and Winding Roads: The Evolving Artistry of the Beatles, Revised Edition, Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic (Kindle or Paperback)
Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE)Assumption University, 500 Salisbury Street, Worcester MA 01609 wise@assumption.edu 508-767-7513
