You can't help it, you are just so jazzed that it is The Beatles' 50th Anniversary of their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show that you've grown your moptop, dusted off your Hofner Bass and even broke out your copy of The Rutles.
You have assuredly already been to NYPL's excellent exhibit Ladies and Gentleman...The Beatles! at the Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center four times and have two more trips planned. You even caught a battle between The Beatles celebrity fans and Stones diehards but with the exhibit ending May 10th you are wondering what you will do next?
While madness for the Fab Four is completely justified this post is to help you branch out into other acts who have been directly inspired by the lads from Liverpool.
Safe to say every pop band that has come after The Beatles were influenced by them somehow, but these five acts have direct lineage. We stayed away from some obvious choices like Oasis or friendly rivals The Beach Boys because four of the five below are still playing today, having each released new music in 2013 and toured to support it. The fifth just had some high profile press and even played a surprise show.
Each exhibit Beatles style with their own distinct flair, exploring music the way The Beatles did a few generations ago:
The Flaming LipsWhen Nirvana changed the face of popular music with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in 1991 "I Want To Hold Your Hand" may not have been forefront on every ones mind. Moptops and suits were traded in for unwashed, even longer hair and flannels but The Beatles were a huge part of Nirvana's make up as a band and particularly on Kurt Cobain as a songwriter. Dave Grohl recently talked about it, it can be seen in their classic "In Bloom" video and one of the groups best early songs "About A Girl" came about after Cobain spent a full afternoon listening to Meet The Beatles! Take away the feedback noise and stage dives and you find a band whose tied together with the Fab Four via influence, songwriting and spirit. Recently added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nirvana now resides next to one of their main influences.
This is just a starter list as we mentioned almost every band that came after them owes some debt to The Beatles. Enjoy their tunes and also enjoy what they inspired. If you have other bands that deserve a mention, feel free to share them in the comments.