The influence of Black music on The Beatles: Mark Lewisohn, Peter Hooton & Paul Gallagher. Part 2

ON RECORD: UNTOLD & RETOLD is a specially curated festival that explores black music in Liverpool and the role it has played in the city and communities over the past 70 years.
The Influence of Black music on The Beatles is a unique two-part interview with Mark Lewisohn, the acknowledged world authority on The Beatles. He was joined by representatives of the Liverpool City Region Music Board, Paul Gallagher and Peter Hooton, to discuss the Black artists and Black music genres that inspired the Fab Four from Liverpool.
The first of the two-part interview was shown on Monday 30 December and focuses on the early influences of Black music on The Beatles from 1956-1962. The second, was shown on Monday 7 December and continues the story, focusing on their recording career, 1963 and beyond.
This has been brought to you in partnership with National Museums Liverpool.
More information can be found over on LIMFESTIVAL.COM/ONRECORD

[@user_unknown1488]

a thoroughly amazing discussion, bravo!

[@bimpson78]

Mark Lewisohn, great guest, good to see him getting involved in Liverpool. This worked brilliantly. Well done to all involved

[@TeleNikon]

Great pair of videos. Tremendous interview. Subject matter and thoroughness.

[@MarkAnderson-ip9iw]

Brilliant thanks guys for a most insightful look into a fascinating subject..

[@shaunmcgee4204]

Just when you think you know everything about the Beatles’ story, along comes Mark Lewisohn to prove there’s so much more to learn. Always fascinating. I can’t wait for the next instalment of the trilogy. Great podcast, thanks for posting! 💜

[@brianschroth7078]

Excellent overview of the Beatles' black musical influences, giving a great insight into not only their cover versions but in their original music that carried that influence (All I've Got To Do, I Call Your Name, Drive My Car, Got To Get You Into My Life, it goes on and on). Beautiful job of weaving the original recordings into the discussion too!

[@1idlehoffner]

Highly interesting. A great idea. Thanks

[@ianlaker9161]

Both parts were excellent and I can't believe I didn't see this a year ago when it first aired. One superb black Beatles cover that Mark, Peter and Paul didn't mention is Wilson Pickett's version of Hey Jude with a very young Duane Allman on guitar. Outstanding.

[@1000Planets]

Superb, thank you so much for both parts.

[@Nina5144]

Jerry Lee Lewis was a huge influence

[@jean-marieboucherit4716]

M’y oh my this is so good!!!!!

[@jeffreyslotnikoff4003]

"In 1959..., Berry Gordy, Jr. borrowed $800 from his family to create an R&B record company... Tamla Records. The company began operating on January 12, 1959. "Bad Girl" by The Miracles was the first release on Gordy's Motown record label (also in 1959)."

[@EuropaMan]

Great interview all around. Stevie Wonder "Try to see things my way". Quite an improvement! Very informative video. Loved the Mark Lewisohn "Tune In" audio book!!!

[@johnburns4017]

AFN (American Forces Network) radio station was clear in Liverpool, so not just the BBC and Radio Luxembourg. The huge USAF Burtonwood air base was nearby. They played US records, but only US mainstream.

[@joeleigh-corrigan7762]

The Beatles got just about everything right. As a combo they had perfect the balance of creativity, good taste and critical restraint. In Brian Epstein, they had right manager, honest, caring and visionary. In George Martin, they met the perfect producer, someone who not only matched their creativity but could lend experience. And in Mark Lewisohn they have the perfect biographer, honest, insightful and a true story teller. I’ve read many biographies but nothing even comes close to “Tune in”, it is unsurpassable. A bit like its subject. Loved the podcast fellahs, more of the same, please.

[@joeleigh-corrigan7762]

@@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879 Thank you, Optics Colossal. I appreciate your taking the time to reply and offer me your considered opinion.

[@v-town1980]

Black (and plenty of white) music may have influenced The Beatles, but The Beatles moved way beyond any of those acts with their creativity and ground-breaking methods.

[@mjg6233]

😂

[@elizabethgallagher7746]

Could listen to this all day. Thank you Peter, Paul and the wonderful Mark Lewisohn.

[@dave-nevins]

nice. thx. how did you play all these clips on KZbin without them getting blocked?

[@jackthebassman1]

Just an educated guess, the versions played were old, by the original artists/writers and probably not covered by intellectual property rights or copyright - or something like that.

[@dave-nevins]

@@jackthebassman1 -- interesting. thx. glad you were able to post those clips, esp. when the KZbin algorithm has been getting more robust.

[@jackthebassman1]

@@dave-nevins Well it’s a bit of a wild guess I suppose but I thought it worth considering.

[@brianwolle2509]

i think you are allowed 40 seconds before the law kicks in.

[@dave-nevins]

@@brianwolle2509 -- Thx. I found it to be 8-10 secs depending on the song. E.g, I believe Beatles at the BBC tracks are mostly unblocked excepted bigger hits, which you can only do ~8 secs

[@hankwedelmusic9965]

Great to watch this Thanks! I have a theory about the covers on “Beatles for Sale” By the time they did that in 1964, through the floodgates they burst open, UK bands like The Stones, The Animals, The Yardbirds and Them were charting with great rocked up blues covers, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly songs It’s like The Beatles were answering that trend...

[@Slydeil]

Brilliant angle on The Beatles and very interesting to hear. One of the greatest aspects of The Beatles is their honesty with their influences and promotion of them, and the same with The Rolling Stones. Whilst Led Zeppelin were exactly the opposite and took credit for songs which were written by other artists e.g. Whole Lotta Love, Dazed & Confused, Gallows Pole, etc., etc., etc.. And much as I admire Led Zeppelin as musicians, I feel this aspect of their career diminishes their overall legacy.

[@v-town1980]

At least they didn't sample (steal) the actual songs of others...like hip-hoppers. And Zeppelin took boring blues and took it to a higher level.

[@Slydeil]

@@v-town1980 Stealing is stealing and those "boring blues songs" gave Led Zeppelin a career

[@TheWalrusWasDanny]

Not Just the fabs though...all the Liverpool groups covered "Boys". Danny

[@billyschieve3897]

Brilliant show...thanks. BUT....speaking of Black artists covering Beatles....all time best has got to be Earth Wind and Fire doing Got to Get You Into My Life. Thanks again... Untold and Retold indeed.

[@jackthebassman1]

Yes, wonderful cover.

[@duff0120]

didnt ray charles cover like 7 beatles songs ?

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

Earth wind and fire is the greatest beatle cover ever

[@v-town1980]

Ugh. No.

[@mschiano1]

the guitar lick on Watch Your Step was really just a standard kind of blues lick, built on the pentatonic box shape. john really transformed it into something new, building the I Feel Fine lick on the E barre chord shape. it’s a whole ‘nother animal. the allman brothers version of One Way Out (lifted from Sonny Boy Williamson’s) is a much more direct “copy”.

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

Michael schiano always felt the Beatles thievery has never been told. Plenty of evidence the ultimate thievery and stealing of early African American artists licks and ideas? Not cool. McCartney ripped bass line from I saw her standing there from Chuck Berry Straight up thievery like Harrison stealing he’s so fine from the original young African American writer and dedicates it our lord and savior and calls it ‘my sweet lord’. Drummer Bernard Purdie mentions that Delaney and bonnie really wrote many sections of the track as well Guy steals a bloody song and dedicated it to the lord. Bernard Purdie said he played for years on early beatle records and later laid out a lot of these further examples. Purdie spoke about Michelle bridge being a direct rip off from a Nina Simone track Too many too mention

[@UnaWarlock]

Allmans aren’t even close to the riff

[@mschiano1]

@@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879 the beatles were always up front about what they nicked from black artists. and yeah, purdy is a reliable source!

[@mschiano1]

@@UnaWarlock you're kidding, right?

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

@@mschiano1 thieves. They stole from the black artist. Harrison stole my sweet lord from Delaney and bonnie and chiffons. Awful. They ripped Michelle from Nina Simone outrageous

[@evertvdb000]

A great cover is Lady Madonna by Fats Domino. Fats also did Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey! Also real good!

[@intuicjaofficial]

Mr Moonlight is by far the worst song done by Lennon...don't get it why he chose that song

[@andrewrobinson2565]

All of these questions... Why is nobody asking McCartney while he's still alive? ML is too young to have been there, even as a knowledgeable author on the subject. "I don't know" is honest enough. 👍 Fab and, also, gear. Love the Scouse terraced houses...and all those original tracks. +1 is not enough.

[@johnmorgan5495]

Idiot

[@andrewrobinson2565]

@@johnmorgan5495 If you like... 🙄

[@andrewrobinson2565]

@@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879 I knew nothing about any of this. It was an innocent question. I've played in a Beatles tribute band professionally so am more interested in the music than biographer wars.

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

Most of the Beatles covers of black artists are so second rate compared to originals. The Beatles had no soul or groove. It’s wonderful that they covered and paid homage to these great artists who were ripped off and forgotten. But honestly the Beatles when it came to soul or groove. They bloody had zero soul or groove. Twist n shout and devil in her heart or you really got a hold on me are bloody awful compared to the originals fact fact fact

[@fernandoaldekoa2436]

👎

[@v-town1980]

Whatever. You're just bitter because The Beatles were more creative than their influences and created music greater than your "originals." No groove? Spoken like a true ignoramus. Try the end of Abbey Road. They're the best since Mozart. Deal with it, boy! And if you want to talk of stealing, look at how many hip-hoppers sample great white acts. Sampling IS stealing!

[@telegramsam3251]

Next time you make a video like this, beforehand have a word with the person who mixes the sound. There's nothing more annoying and distracting with an interview video than including musical sections which leap HUGELY in volume above the voice level of those speaking.