Post #261697 by thejab on Thu, Oct 19, 2006 4:46 PM

The early 60s surf, Northwest garage rock, and girl group scenes (all before the Beatles) had a big influence on youth forming bands, so there was an explosion of garage bands in the U.S. even before the Beatles. By the time the Beatles hit the U.S. with their matching outfits and similar haircuts recycling American R & B and Rock 'n Roll, a lot of American bands around said "so what?". People criticize the Monkees for being a "manufactured" band, but the Beatles were a raw pot-smoking R & B band wearing black leather and sporting pompadours before George Martin "manufactured" their clean image. I do admit that they were huge with teeny bopper girls, and that Lennon and McCartney were great songwriters.

But other British bands like the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Troggs, and Kinks (and dozens of others) were a huge influence on mid-60s garage bands all over the world because they didn't wear uniforms, they had a tougher sound, they had longer hair, and they just seemed more rebellious, which always attracts teenagers. The Beatles were safe anough for your parents to like them, so that instantly made them less than cool to like. IMO, the mid-60s explosion of a band in every garage was the best thing to happen to popular music since the early days of rock 'n roll in the mid 50s.

Almost every interview I've read in the last 25 years with members of 60s garage bands bears this out.