By Frank “Smokin” Truatt
I have been enjoying the many documentaries available through streaming. There’s always something new to learn about the artists and songs that have shaped pop music over the years, and it seems that the artists are more than willing to contribute information about the creation of many of our favorite tunes. The other day I had a chance to watch a PBS documentary about the Beatles. The Beatles came out at the right time to give rock and roll that well needed boost in 1964. Beatlemania was everywhere, and even those who weren’t into music couldn’t help getting caught up in the excitement. As a ten-year-old, I was fascinated with the band, and all the others who came over during that British invasion. I’m sure that the sale of electric guitars and drums must have risen sharply during that time. I convinced my parents to buy me a guitar with lessons. I soon upgraded that folk guitar to an electric one complete with a Fender amp and formed a band with two of my friends. Although we never achieved fame and glory, we had a blast playing together on weekends for a couple of years. Playing the guitar hits of the day was not overly complicated, unless they were Beatles songs. The chord progressions were extremely complicated and nothing like those being performed by groups like The Dave Clark Five, the Kinks or the Ventures. The PBS documentary called “Deconstructing the Beatles” delved into the writing of some of the Beatles’ songs, their chord progressions and music theory that showcased the amazing talent of the band. Each member of the band was looking for a unique sound for their songs, and they utilized many instruments not normally used on a pop song. If you get a chance to see “Deconstructing the Beatles” you will, no doubt, gain more respect for those boys from Liverpool too. Scott Freiman is the guy who narrates and demonstrates how the songs were created and eventually released. In my short time playing with my elementary school friends, we had a lot of fun, although we never could get those Beatle songs just right. That always bothered me, but after seeing the documentary, my mind is finally at ease. I would have to have been a music savant to keep up with those guys!
