In 1967 The Beatles recorded Sgt. Pepper's Loony Heart Burn Band LP. In between the sessions the almost mythical track Carnival of Light was also recorded and since that time there has been an unfair assessment that the Beatles started everything and were the greatest and the only group that ever mattered. Well there was quite a lot going on out West that rivaled anything they did. After a return trip from the west coast Paul bled his fingers trying in vain to get the motown bass sound after the other Beatles had left the studio. Emerick and McCartney settled for a flubby taperwound sound. Little did they know the likes of Jamerson used a P-Bass with bad action direct in. Beatles get a lot of credit but they never got as far out as Califor'nye'aye
The Beatles should release Sgt. Pepper without the tracks they didn't play on like when they could afford to bring in an entire orchestra or high brow soloist. To me that's the great difference between the Pepper album and say a garage band who had to invent sounds by abusing their amps or finding new sounds with new pedals on the market such as the wah. A Captain Beefheart album would bring in a Thereminist. It was just as effective and creative compared with the Beatles bringing in a fancy trumpet player.
Dylan was probably the main influence that sent the Beatles in a new direction but I think cashing in and commercialism was the main reason for Pepper. Sure all those other groups wanted great success too but there wasn't a great force or great enough one to enable that. Freaks and faeries are not exactly heartland America.
In the end I think you'll find while both coasts were different both were part of the same preorchestrated sequence. It's like someone was flipping the switch the whole time. It's straight out of oz. I think every single major event had an army of sponsorship to shape society after an event. The shooting of Kennedy, followed by the upbeat optimism of the Beatles whose manager dragged them from the gutter and dressed them up in Chinese communist party suits, Then they meet Dylan and I wanna Hold Your Hand turns into How would you like to play with my monkey finger bitch. Dylan plays electric at the Newport Cigarette festival and there is wide spread shock and disbelief and hatred...their fuzzy headed pie eyed piper with the voice that seemed to utter ewwwwww every other line was tossed from pedestal.
It's cold and the Mama and the Papas come along with a pop glee club sound but they're Californian Dreaming and everyone is starting to fly because the Byrds are singing electric folk taken from commie extraordinaire Pete Seger who sings verses from the bible. Oh the sacrilege! There's a new fanlged civil war too. Then things really take off in 1966....introducing Satan...yes that's right kiddies you no longer have to be a catholic and receive holy communion...you can wear a robe and drink blood and put spellls on the hot chick next door who thinks you are a dork. Your spell doesn't work but you're getting used to being naked and seeing naked chicks in the movies getting killed. All the movies are in color now and many have a devil theme. Then fast forward to the Manson murders and the 60's ends...then inflation....and by the time the decade ends very contrived music...then back to cold reagan...his face looks like he just left a tomb...hostages released...music really begins to suck...the exorcism is complete.....the us military now starts to wear nazi helmets.
Everything was choreographed. Sgt. Pepper was choreographed. The difference between the people behind that and say some very creative Califor'nye'aye psychedelic rock band is they were caught up in the swirl...the Beatles were closer to the ones stirring the pot...well replacement Paul at least....
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