Write an essay on the music of the Beatles. Your discussion will provide a brief historical survey of the context of the British Invasion, and will detail the transformation which occurred in their musical style during the early‐ to mid‐1960s: suggest “Love Me Do” (1962) and “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) as a case study.

Write a 6‐8 page (maximum) essay on ONE of the following topics
(1) Cover Versions
The contemporary image of a barbershop quartet is a group of white men dressed in turn‐of‐the‐century
clothes. The roots of the style, however, lay in African American barbershops of the late nineteenth
century. Barbering was a low‐status occupation performed by European immigrants and African
Americans. In the black community, barbershops often served as hubs of social and musical activities, and
the close harmonies and performance styles of the barbershop quartet style developed in this milieu. The
early recording industry contributed to the racial shift from black to white barbershop quartets by
recording primarily white barbershop groups. Once barbershop became popular in the 1930s, it was
promoted by an organization called the SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation of Barbershop Quartet
Singing in America). The group, like many other male fraternal organizations before the Civil Rights era,
admitted only white members; over time, the shift of barbershop from a black to a white art form became
complete., This regrettable pattern of appropriation was and continues to be found in almost every arena
of music‐making in the United States.
Discuss the cover version phenomenon as it relates to the major record companies in the 1950s. Be sure
to address the financial ramifications endured by African American artists by placing the practice within
the segregationist context of the time. Suggest “Sh’ Boom” The Chords (1954) and The Crew Cuts (1954)
as a case study.
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(2) The Music of the Beatles
“From the word go we decided we shouldn’t make formula things, we should try to be as different as
possible…plan was to have a single every three months and an album twice a year…as soon as the Beatles
realized their creative abilities in the studio, they got hooked on this thing of really building something
new each time….For my part, I felt it [Sgt. Pepper’s] was the album which turned the Beatles from just an
ordinary rock band into being significant contributors to the history of artistic performance. It was the
turning‐point. It was the watershed which changed the recording art from something that made amusing
sounds into something which will stand the test of time as a valid art form: sculpture in music if you like”
(Martin 1979).
Write an essay on the music of the Beatles. Your discussion will provide a brief historical survey of the
context of the British Invasion, and will detail the transformation which occurred in their musical style
during the early‐ to mid‐1960s: suggest “Love Me Do” (1962) and “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966) as a
case study.