Post #411228 by Cammo on Thu, Oct 2, 2008 5:56 AM

So many of the British Invasion groups were flat-out ripoffs of the Beatles.

Lookit these guys, I forget their band name, but here they are in 1964. Big Lennon-style acoustic guitar for rhythm, Harrison trademark hollow body, wearing Beatles moptops all around and Beatles-hip Carnaby Street fashions. Only thing missing is the Hofner Violin Bass, but you don't want to be TOO obvious about it, do ya lads?

These guys even copied Lennon's publicly stated love of Bo Diddley by tracking down his records (not readily available outside of Liverpool, it was a bit of a hunt) and copying whole sections for their 'own' music, mostly covers anyway.

If you want to be famous, you couldn't do much better than simply copy whatever was on John Lennon's mind in 1963, and adopt the Boy Group image newly invented by the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein.

Look, they're even smoking in this posed shot, - it's a style; the cigarettes were just lit, they're barely burned down - again just like the Beatles made famous with their endless bad-boy puffing in the early daze....