Technological Advances In The 50's

The 1950’s – 60’s saw a huge surge in technological advances, from the first halogen lamp being invented in 1960 to the invention of the ATM in 1969. The music industry also saw the benefit of these advancements. During the 50’s, studios started recording on magnetic tape. 1963 saw the invention of compact cassette tapes, created and produced by Phillips. They were perfect for music distribution as they were small and easy to transport. They were also reversible which meant more could be recorded onto them. They were protected by a plastic casing which made them last longer. They were also far easier to use than the vinyl records that came before them ("Vintage Cassettes", n.d.). There were developments within the studio itself also. Tape
The English band consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They formed in 1959 but did not end up in public eye till they released their first single “Love Me Do” in 1962. They soon acquired world fame as “Beatle mania” swept over the U.S from 1963 onwards after performing on the Ed Sullivan show to a TV audience of 73 million people. The Beatles timeline coincides with the general movement from LP’s to Albums, due to advances in storage space on recordings, and with this they have been credited with kick starting the album Era. They released their first album in 1964 titled “Hard Day’s Night”. (Unterberger, n.d.) The band went on to have a very successful career, releasing thirteen studio albums over the
For example, in their song “I feel fine” from the album Beatles ‘65, Lennon begins the song by producing feedback with his guitar. Supposedly this was all due to a happy accident in the studio, when John propped his Gibson acoustic/electric against a switched-on amplifier. The guitar erupted with feedback and the uniqueness of the sound impressed Lennon so much, he instantly asked George Martin if they could somehow use feedback in the recording. On the final master, John plucks the A string on his guitar. The note at first stings, then buzzes and finally dissolves into an ear-piercing wail. A million bands may have incorporated feedback into their sound, but The Beatles were the first to put it on record intentionally (Miles, 1997, p.172). They only use this feedback again in their song “Its All Too Much” from Yellow