Revolution
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The nineteen-sixties was a decade of adventure and new frontiers. Man travelled into space and to the moon and created a supersonic airliner that would fly faster than a speeding bullet. The white heat of technological change was upon us, but so too was a new age, and it was a popular music combo that heralded its arrival and influenced its form. The Beatles, the most iconic musical group of the 20th century, and still flourishing in the 21st, was more than a band of musically gifted young Liverpudlians: it was also a catalyst for change in society itself. The early nineteen-sixties provided the perfect moment for their talent, genial irreverence, innovative look and confident attitude to shake the British establishment to its core and shape a new future. This was a revolution - a social and musical revolution. The advent of the Beatles marked the beginning of a more liberal and tolerant age - a new era where young people were acknowledged and catered for as an identifiable and relevant part of society. Sons no longer had to become clones of their fathers. Young adults could have their own fashions, their own music and their own opinions. The radio days of Danny Street and the NDO performing cover versions of current hits on the BBC were numbered. The younger generation wanted colour and vitality and after the Beatles appeared on the scene, the country was never going to be the same again. Modern Britain had arrived. The post post-war era had been born. Old habits were challenged, changed and cast aside. Young people wanted the freedom to fully express themselves and the dramatic event that was the coming of the Beatles signalled the dawning of a more enlightened time and the passing of a more structured and less tolerant period in British life. The Beatles were certainly in the right place at the right time, but they had the talent, ability and personality to carry it off. They were articulate and good-humoured and their charm was hard to resist, even for older generations. While their long hair was frowned on and in some cases, detested, their self-belief and talent shone through. They could not be ignored. The BBC's sporting flagship, Grandstand, even met them early one Saturday morning so that they could be interviewed after returning from an all-conquering tour of America. The Beatles were on the march, but it was a peaceful march and their presence changed society more beneficially than the combined efforts of those who were charged with carrying out that very same task: our politicians. Somehow, the Beatles started a wave of change that swept around the globe and created a social and musical revolution. If only all revolutions could be like this.