1960`s beetles history coursework

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What Can you learn from Source A about the impact of the Beatles in the 1960’s?

Source A shows the extreme hysteria and passion that some people in the sixties showed towards the Beatles. The Beatles' very existence ruled people's lives to the extent that they wanted to grasp every opportunity to watch their every movement and appearance. The indications were that the Beatles were regarded as personalities full of colour, "cool, hip, smart, lippy, charming and funny", and held most of the nation in complete awe. However it has to be remembered that this is only one girls' opinion on the subject. Joanna Lumley who wrote this source in the 1990s not the 1960s could have been looking at the past through 'rose-petal glasses'. The Beatles were not the only groups around at that time, other groups like the Rolling Stones, also had a large fan base. Despite their huge popularity there were still some people who disliked the Beatles. It is also impossible to prove that the Beatles were the soul reason for the streets of London being unoccupied. The source shows the Beatles' popularity that gripped the country with excitement and happiness and had a huge influence on people's lives. And source A also shows us that in 1964, The Beatles were “infamous”; they were everything of the time. People admired anything to do with The Beatles. The source states that “instead of the evening rush hour an extraordinary silence and emptiness had descended upon London, on England, on Britain.” This statement is very useful, basically saying that the Beatles were every British person’s favourite band. Joanna Lumley’s source A is an animated, descriptive piece that reminds us almost everything of 1964. She describes in detail, the feelings and emotions of Beatles fans: “John, Paul, George and Ringo being cool, hip, smart, lippy, charming and funny.” “It was very heaven to be alive.” I think that this explains well that the impact of the Beatles in the 1960’s was huge but the problem is that only one person thought that, so there should be other thoughts on the Beatles. I think that the source also describes how the 1960’s was “moving with the times” very quickly, maybe even in some cases ahead of it’s time.

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Does the evidence of Source C support the evidence of Sources A and B about the effects of pop music in the 1960’s? Explain your answer.

Sources A and B in describe the Beatles era and the 1960’s as being obsessive. Concerts such as the “Mad Mod Ball” at Wembley were “incredibly scary” according to source B, describing that the crowd were so mad and maniacal that the bands performing were “Terrified.” Source B also states that “I doubt if the stones ever played so close to their audience again. I can remember their terrified faces, when they were trying to get off the stage, surrounded by the heaving, maniacal, screaming mob.” In comparison to Source C, A and B state that the obsession of the fans was over the top and that sometimes scarily crazy where as Source C states that “it was never as crazy as they used to say it was.”   The hysteria that was created by pop music during the 1960s is mentioned and described in sources A, B and C. All three see the effect of music of the sixties from a different angle. Sources B and C indicate that the pop music fans of the sixties were very obsessive

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about their idols. Sources A and B are both written by fans who reinforce the dramatic effect pop music was having on people in the sixties. It is obvious that the fans had a suffocating commitment that turned them into screaming mobs. This obviously had a terrifying impact on some performing groups and artists. Joanna Lumley, the writer of Source A liked the Beatles whereas Source B preferred the tones. Paul McCartney, one quarter of the Beatles, wrote Source C that this manic behaviour was not that crazy. He says that the fans could easily by restrained by understanding and ...

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