Topic: Screaming (Read 5177 times)

Out Of Me Head · « **on:** May 18, 2008, 01:09:23 AM »

The one thing I just can't stand about The Beatles story. Why the screaming? For a band that produced perhaps the greatest popular music ever, their fans seemed hell bent on deafening out any sound of it.

So a few questions

Can anyone point to a specific date when the screaming started?
Did non-stop screaming start with The Beatles? If so, why?
Did The Beatles kill this fad by merely growing moustaches?
It's just annoying. Did anyone at the time ever suggest to these girls just to shut the hell up?

Sondra · « **Reply #1 on:** May 18, 2008, 05:16:01 AM »

Quote from: 1313

The one thing I just can't stand about The Beatles story. Why the screaming? For a band that produced perhaps the greatest popular music ever, their fans seemed hell bent on deafening out any sound of it.

So a few questions

Can anyone point to a specific date when the screaming started?
Did non-stop screaming start with The Beatles? If so, why?
Did The Beatles kill this fad by merely growing moustaches?
It's just annoying. Did anyone at the time ever suggest to these girls just to shut the hell up?

Great questions.

1. I don't think any screaming was going on in Hamburg, but it seems like there might have been some as early as the Cavern days? They probably perpetuated it with their on stage antics at the time.

2. I think it started with Frank Sinatra and then Elvis. And there were probably a few in between. But I think the Beatles fans were the most insane. Although my mom tells me a story about my aunt wanting to climb up the fire escape to Frank Sinatra's hotel because she was so crazy about him. So who knows!

3. I love the mustache theory. That's hysterical. I think they had already stopped touring by then, but yeah, the mustaches were probably icky to all the screaming pre-teens. Either that, or their fans finally grew up!

4. I've always wondered why one of them didn't just hell: SHUT THE HELL UP!! But I think they were just too polite to do that! That, and they were pretty awed by it. At first.

Still, it's great that their fans went so crazy. It's a phenomenon really. I don't think we'll see anything like it ever again. Makes them more legendary.

douglasleee · « **Reply #2 on:** May 18, 2008, 05:33:26 AM »

I think you are looking for something like this (on YouTube - only about 30 seconds)


www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPlWBKKm21Q

Geoff · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2008, 05:36:44 AM »

Quote from: 1313

Did anyone at the time ever suggest to these girls just to shut the hell up?

John, I think, did just that on stage a few times when he was sufficiently fed up. No one heard him, of course.

Sondra · « **Reply #4 on:** May 18, 2008, 05:42:31 AM »

Quote from: 1161

John, I think, did just that on stage a few times when he was sufficiently fed up. No one heard him, of course.

I think it was their Miami performance or something when Paul was talking and they started screaming John says: shut up while he's talkin'! Or something like that. But it was always sort of tongue in cheek. Pretty good restraint on John's part overall. The mentally challenged (newspeak?) imitations were pretty harsh though. But I think those went over most of his fans heads at the time.

Sondra · « **Reply #5 on:** May 18, 2008, 05:43:51 AM »

Ah, there it is on YouTube. Didn't realize that's what you posted douglaslee! I love it!

DaveRam · « **Reply #6 on:** May 18, 2008, 11:05:05 AM »

The hysteria i think looks a little silly today . It did however cover up a lot of the limitations of their sound system .

alexis · « **Reply #7 on:** May 18, 2008, 03:40:03 PM »

I think Paul actually encouraged the screaming with his stage comments. He pretends to be trying to quiet them down, but very reliably it only serves to egg them on, and I'm pretty sure he knew how to play that instrument too!

HeatherBoo · « **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2008, 09:48:27 PM »

A co-worker of mine says he remembers his sister doing the same thing over Elvis. I guess some artists just kind of have that effect over their fans. The only other artist I can remember people really flipping out over is Michael Jackson (let's not go there)!

As a performer, I would be flattered to an extent, but of course it would be very frustrating while you are trying to play and no one is listening. Then again...without those screaming fans...you wouldn't be where you are!

PaulieBear · « **Reply #9 on:** May 18, 2008, 09:53:14 PM »

I would have shot them all dead

HeatherBoo · « **Reply #10 on:** May 18, 2008, 10:04:03 PM »

Make sure to wear a bullet proof vest around PaulieBear

fan numero uno · « **Reply #11 on:** May 19, 2008, 12:58:31 AM »

i dont know if this is true, as my dad told me this, but he says that sometimes, on stage, they would just stop singing and mouth the words because they knew no one could hear it anyway. does anyone have any fact to back this up, or is my dad delusional? (which is probably true either way.....)

PaulieBear · « **Reply #12 on:** May 19, 2008, 01:10:30 AM »

I read somewhere that they would play the wrong chords because they knew no one was really listening. OR not even play the note at all.

PaulieBear · « **Reply #13 on:** May 19, 2008, 01:11:09 AM »

Quote from: 1204

Make sure to wear a bullet proof vest around PaulieBear

why bother, no one would hear me creep up on them! they would be screaming TO LOUD

fan numero uno · « **Reply #14 on:** May 19, 2008, 01:12:12 AM »

well, can you really blame them? i would have done a lot worse..............

freakchic9 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 19, 2008, 01:14:57 AM »

i own the anthology cds and they were playing the song help! at Blackpool Night Out. John sang the wrong line, and people didn't care. and i think they did some major work on trying to get the screaming out.

Kevin · « **Reply #16 on:** May 19, 2008, 08:19:03 AM »

The screaming was the most obvious manifestation of the hysteria the Beatles created. If you didn't have the screaming you wouldn't have had the hysteria, and no hysteria would have meant only a fraction of the attention the band attracted. They would be remembered as just another good band with good tunes, nothing more. The whole course of their history would change.
The screaming wasn't just an unfortunate consequence of Mania-era Beatles. It was The Beatles.

BlueMeanie · « **Reply #17 on:** May 19, 2008, 08:36:48 AM »

Quote from: 185

The screaming was the most obvious manifestation of the hysteria the Beatles created. If you didn't have the screaming you wouldn't have had the hysteria, and no hysteria would have meant only a fraction of the attention the band attracted. They would be remembered as just another good band with good tunes, nothing more. The whole course of their history would change.
The screaming wasn't just an unfortunate consequence of Mania-era Beatles. It was The Beatles.

Very true. It's the major thing that distinguishes them from other groups of the time. Gerry And The Pacemakers, unlike The Beatles, first three songs went to No.1, but they never had a top 30 hit after '65. The Tremelos (signed by Decca instead of The Beatles) had hits all throughout the 60's but are hardly even considered as a footnote in that decade. These groups, for one reason or another, did not attract the attention from the fans that The Beatles did. Whether that's down to personality, musical ability, or sheer luck is anyone's guess.

Hello Goodbye · « **Reply #18 on:** May 19, 2008, 02:25:12 PM »

Screaming, huh? Well, here are the Beatles at a Rolling Stones concert:

alexis · « **Reply #19 on:** May 19, 2008, 03:14:15 PM »

Quote from: 59

Screaming, huh? Well, here are the Beatles at a Rolling Stones concert:

Great pic!!

These guys, jeesh...

News:

Author Topic: Screaming (Read 5177 times)

BlueMeanie