John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers

More than a mere geographical distinction, the early British Blues of the late '50s and early '60s paid strict adherence to replicating American blues genres, with an admiration for its originators bordering on reverence. But by the time of the blues revival of the mid-'60s, British guitarists -- in the main led by Eric Clapton -- were starting to bend the form to create their own amalgam. Wedding the string-bending fervor of the B.B., Albert, and Freddie King styles to the extreme volume... [+] Read More

More than a mere geographical distinction, the early British Blues of the late '50s and early '60s paid strict adherence to replicating American blues genres, with an admiration for its originators bordering on reverence. But by the time of the blues revival of the mid-'60s, British guitarists -- in the main led by Eric Clapton -- were starting to bend the form to create their own amalgam. Wedding the string-bending fervor of the B.B., Albert, and Freddie King styles to the extreme volume produced by large amplifiers, British blues largely coalesced into blues rock, with formerly traditional blues artists like the Rolling Stones and Clapton becoming rock stars. The British style has perhaps the closest ties to rock music as opposed to rock & roll, a distinct stylistic descendant of the 1950s. It is this constant shift between preserving older styles and mainstreaming it into the pop marketplace that is the hallmark of British blues. ~ Cub Koda [-] Hide

Chad & Jeremy

The British Invasion occurred in the mid-'60s, when a wave of English rock & roll bands crossed over into the American market after the breakthrough success of the Beatles. Though not all of the bands sounded similar -- they ranged from the hard rock of the Rolling Stones and the Kinks to the sweet pop of Gerry & the Pacemakers and Herman's Hermits -- each group was heavily influenced by American rock & roll, blues, and R&B. British Invasion bands were either blues-based rockers or... [+] Read More

The British Invasion occurred in the mid-'60s, when a wave of English rock & roll bands crossed over into the American market after the breakthrough success of the Beatles. Though not all of the bands sounded similar -- they ranged from the hard rock of the Rolling Stones and the Kinks to the sweet pop of Gerry & the Pacemakers and Herman's Hermits -- each group was heavily influenced by American rock & roll, blues, and R&B. British Invasion bands were either blues-based rockers or pop/rockers with ringing guitars and catchy hooks & melodies. Between 1964 and 1966, the British bands dominated the American charts, as well as the charts in the U.K. In that time, there was a second wave of British Invasion bands -- such as the Who and the Zombies -- which was indebted to both American rock and British Invasion pop. By the late '60s, many of the bands had become rock icons but a greater number didn't survive the transition into the post-Sgt. Pepper era. [-] Hide

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Joe Meek & the Blue Men

Early British pop/rock is essentially any British popular music that was influenced by rock & roll and that appeared prior to the Beatles (i.e. the late '50s to about 1963). Most early British rock was far more mannered than its inspirations, and its best performers not quite up to the level of American rockers -- simply because rock & roll was full of indigenous American musical ingredients that British performers weren't familiar with. Aside from the skiffle fad (which inspired many future... [+] Read More

Early British pop/rock is essentially any British popular music that was influenced by rock & roll and that appeared prior to the Beatles (i.e. the late '50s to about 1963). Most early British rock was far more mannered than its inspirations, and its best performers not quite up to the level of American rockers -- simply because rock & roll was full of indigenous American musical ingredients that British performers weren't familiar with. Aside from the skiffle fad (which inspired many future rockers to pick up their first instruments), most early British pop/rock consisted of rockabilly imitations (some of the best of which came from Cliff Richard & the Shadows, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, and Billy Fury) or string-dominated ballads sung by teen idols. Some of the most intriguing exceptions came from producer Joe Meek, whose space-age aesthetic and adventurous experiments with sound effects produced some of the most distinctive instrumental rock of the pre-Beatles era (it also produced the first British single to hit number one in the States, the Tornados' "Telstar"). But by and large, early British pop/rock's greatest importance was as an inspiration to the next generation of British rockers who would spearhead the British Invasion. [-] Hide

The Creation

Freakbeat is the name for rare, collectable, and obscure British Invasion records. Usually, these are rare British blues and garage rock, bands that sounded a bit like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, or the Bluesbreakers, but occasionally some of the tougher Merseybeat bands fit this category, too. The criteria for freakbeat is a little vague, and known basically to collectors who specialize in the style, but it generally is fairly obscure British Invasion of all types.

Freakbeat is the name for rare, collectable, and obscure British Invasion records. Usually, these are rare British blues and garage rock, bands that sounded a bit like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, or the Bluesbreakers, but occasionally some of the tougher Merseybeat bands fit this category, too. The criteria for freakbeat is a little vague, and known basically to collectors who specialize in the style, but it generally is fairly obscure British Invasion of all types. [-] Hide

The Undertakers

Merseybeat was the original sound of the British Invasion -- a driving, melodic sound that was hybrid of American rock & roll and R&B, and British skiffle. The Beatles' early records, like "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do," were the prototypes of the genre, and soon other Liverpudlian bands like Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer, and the Searchers were following the same style. Called Merseybeat because of the Mersey River in Liverpool, the sound flourished throughout 1963 and the... [+] Read More

Merseybeat was the original sound of the British Invasion -- a driving, melodic sound that was hybrid of American rock & roll and R&B, and British skiffle. The Beatles' early records, like "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do," were the prototypes of the genre, and soon other Liverpudlian bands like Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer, and the Searchers were following the same style. Called Merseybeat because of the Mersey River in Liverpool, the sound flourished throughout 1963 and the first half of 1964. Shortly afterward, R&B-oriented bands like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Yardbirds appeared, as did pop groups like the Hollies and Freddie & the Dreamers. While these pop groups were influenced by Merseybeat, the style itself was losing ground, especially since the Beatles had begun to expand their stylistic reach. [-] Hide

The Who

Technically, Mod refers to a lifestyle and fashion more than music itself. During the early '60s, legions of teenagers in Great Britain began dressing in stylish, neo-Italian fashions and listening to American R&B, particularly Motown. Soon, these teens were dubbed mods. The original mod bands were all R&B cover bands, but soon they began writing their own material that was generally in the vein of their influences. Mod bands played R&B harder and faster than the original recordings -- it was... [+] Read More

Technically, Mod refers to a lifestyle and fashion more than music itself. During the early '60s, legions of teenagers in Great Britain began dressing in stylish, neo-Italian fashions and listening to American R&B, particularly Motown. Soon, these teens were dubbed mods. The original mod bands were all R&B cover bands, but soon they began writing their own material that was generally in the vein of their influences. Mod bands played R&B harder and faster than the original recordings -- it was relentless, amphetamine-driven rock & roll. Many of the mod bands were barely heard outside of the United Kingdom, since the lifestyle was primarily a British phenomenon. Two bands -- the Small Faces and the Who -- were able to crossover to the United States market, but that was after both bands began developing and expanding their R&B-based sound. By the time psychedelia came around in the late '60s, mod had died out in Britain. However, mod -- both the music and the lifestyle -- came back in full force in the late '70s, thanks to the Jam. [-] Hide

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