Steven Tyler on the fastest evolution in rock ‘n’ roll: “How great is that?”
From fish, to monkeys, to walking, talking human beings; evolution is the ultimate example of development. The history of the world has been built and grown step by step like bricks, stacking one on top of the other, getting bigger, better and more advanced. The history of music has grown the same way, too, with each new band and album inspiring the next, lifting the community of music makers to higher levels. But to Steven Tyler, there was one band that needed no help in developing as they evolved as a speed to be marvelled at.
Evolution is an essential part of music-making. Generations of bands have been forgotten by history because they simply couldn’t keep up. It seems like plateauing is a guaranteed way to fall out of favour as fans demand something new and fresh to keep them excited and interested. As more bands pop up at each turn, there are constantly new albums and acts vying for listeners’ attention. So, unless an act keeps things interesting, they’ll be left behind.
The Beatles never let that happen. Instead, they set a whole new pace that acts ever since have marvelled at. From the very beginning of their journey, each year and each album saw the band change things up. By the end of their ten-year life span, as the 1960s changed to the ‘70s, the Fab Four were utterly unrecognisable from the boys they started out as.
When attempting to explain the band’s appeal and tight grip on music history, that fast evolution is a key piece to the puzzle. “They were English and they had long hair when nobody else did and they said funny things, but it wasn’t that, either,” Tyler said, considering the band’s success. At first, they were merely part of an influx of acts bringing rock and roll to the masses, boiling down a bunch of other influences into their early music. But it was that unique recipe that made them special, as Tyler said, “It was the alchemy they cooked up — Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Chuck Berry — and music hall numbers.”
However, while that caught attention initially, the key to their endurance was the fact that The Beatles never stopped developing. They never abandoned the kitchen and coasted along, delivering the same dish over and over. Instead, new sounds, flavours and influences were added to their ongoing and ever-changing fusion.
“The Beatles went from ‘She Loves You’ to ‘Help!’ within a year,” Tyler said in a state of amazed disbelief, “In one year. Not 10.” That development from a twee troupe into a true rock and roll unit is impressive enough. But it didn’t stop there. “In two years, they were at the trippy Rubber Soul,” Tyler continued, “‘Norwegian Wood,’ how great is that?”
After breaking out in 1963, by 1965, they were endlessly more experiential, mixing countercultural folk influences into the mix. By 1967, the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour era was them change into something else once again. Within the blink of an eye, the trippy psychedelic colours of their earlier era turned into The White Album, then into the matured yet adventurous final years that gave the world Abbey Road and Let It Be.
With each album, there was something new. That’s not just a thrill for fans who remained hooked in and excited for the band from start to finish, and still decades on. But it’s an incredible feat for a band who weren’t just prolific but gathered fresh inspiration and passion at each turn. For Tyler, that’s an example to aspire to.
