If you’re anything like I am then you don’t spend time playing video games. Personally, I’m not into them at all. In my opinon they are a complete waste of time. So why am I spending my time writing about this video game? Because to me The Beatles Rock Band (and to a lesser extent the other Rock Band games) is something well beyond just a game, it is a real interactive musical experience.

I’m not talking about the guitar part of the game. I actually think the guitar part of the game is really lame because it has next to nothing to do with playing a real guitar and very little to do with the music. It has zilch to do with playing guitar because playing real guitar is about 1000 times more complex than simply pressing a few buttons and it has little to do with the songs because I have found that the changes in the game rarely change in time with any musical changes in the songs.

The drumming and the singing parts of the game are what I find really interesting and important. Both of these parts of the game have a direct relationship to really doing these things “in real life” and they are also both obviously related to the music that you’re performing

If you sing the song in tune and with the right timing then you’ll do well. It’s true that you do not have to sing the lyrics (you can just hum) but I don’t think that’s a big deal. What is essential is the timing and hitting the right notes. I think Beatles Rock Band Video Game is actually an excellent to improve your singing ability. More so than the other rock band games because it also includes harmonies.

When you do the drumming on the expert level you are really hitting every single drum hit that’s in the real recording! No, it’s not exactly like playing a real drum set, but it is close enough to be pretty effective for practicing. There have even been cases of people moving directly from Rock Band drums into playing a real drum set with barely a hitch in the transition.

I definitely recommend The Beatles Rock Band Video Game an excellent gift for any big Beatles lover along with (obviously) The Beatles Remastered Stereo Box Set and The Beatles Mono Box Set.

Harold Kenneth Quesenberry’s Favorite Music Blog includes a lot of articles on The Beatles.

On January 24,’62 the Beatles started to be managed by Brian Epstein. His role in the group was cut short by his sudden death on August 27,’67 of a drug overdose. Along with the Beatles, Brian managed other groups and artists, such as: Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, and the Remo Four…but the Beatles were by far the most popular.

Paul McCartney once said, “If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian”. Brian has been credited with much of the success of the Beatles, especially in the early years. In this article we will be exploring the impact that Brian Epstein had on the Beatles.

September’,'34 in the port city of Liverpool, England…that’s when Brian Samuel Epstein entered into the world. He told his father that he wanted to be a dress designer when he hit 16, but his father was having nothing of it. Mortified at this suggestion of a career, he ordered the young Brian to report to the family’s furniture store for work. Brian really didn’t want a career in furniture sales, but he did show up at the store none-the-less.

It was through the issues of the Mersey Beat, and the various posters around Liverpool, that Brian first heard of the Beatles. November 9,’61 was to prove to be an eventful day, as it was on this day that Brian first heard the Beatles play. It was at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, and he was immediately taken by their unique sound, and their on-stage humor. Things really started to develop from here, and on January 24,’62 Brian was signed to a 5-year management contract.

This was the first time that Brian had managed an entertainment act. Nonetheless, he made his impact known early. He was responsible for their new dress code, and the attitude that they displayed while performing on stage. At Brian’s suggestion, the group started to wear suits. He stopped them from swearing, drinking, smoking, or eating onstage. It was also Brian who suggested the formality of the synchronized bow at the end of the performance.

In the early years Brian made many trips to London to try and secure a recording contract for the Beatles. Unfortunately for the labels, he was rejected by many of them (i.e.: Columbia, Philips, Pye, Oriole, and Decca). The Decca audition is a particularly historical one, and we will be discussing this in another article. Eventually Brian worked his way over to EMI, and the Beatles were signed by their Parlophone label (after the group had been rejected by almost every other company). George Martin, the manager of Parlophone never even saw the Beatles play. He said that it was Brian’s enthusiasm that won the deal.

As we mentioned previously, Brian died of a drug overdose on August 27,’67. The Beatles did not attend his funeral as they wanted to give his family privacy. They felt that they would only have drawn the media and fans. Here’s a bit of trivia… Years later, in 2008, the first contract that the Beatles signed with Brian was auctioned off for 240,000 pounds…

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