LONG AND WINDING ROAD

By Chen Nan | China Daily | Updated: 2018-03-31 07:59

A new documentary about the Beatles influence in China is coinciding with a Beijing exhibition to mark the 55th anniversary of the band's first album

On March 22, 1963, the Beatles released their debut album, Please Please Me. Recorded in EMI's Abbey Road studio, it reached the top of the British album charts in May of that year and remained there for 30 weeks before being replaced by their second album, With the Beatles. It also started the journey of arguably the most legendary and revolutionary rock bands of all time, brought into being by its four members - Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - in Liverpool in 1960.

Fifty-five years later, from March 22, 2018, 28 famous Beatles albums including Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beatles 1962-1966, have been made available on major Chinese streaming services, such as QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo.

To mark the 55th anniversary of the release of the band's debut album, a Chinese documentary titled Here Comes the Beatles, has been launched on three online streaming music services under Tencent Music Entertainment Group-QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo. With one episode being streamed online each week, the documentary, which has five episodes, has veteran Chinese singer-songwriters and music critics sharing their memories of the Beatles and discussing the bands enduring influence.

An exhibition, titled The Beatles, Tomorrow, is currently under way at the Today Art Museum in Beijing. Kicking off on March 24 and running until May 27, the exhibition displays posters, newspaper articles, album cover art, famous quotes, videos, audio clips and more than a hundred photos of the Beatles, from behind-the-scene shots to live shows, spanning from 1963 to 1972 and shot by photographers from Britain's The Mirror newspaper.

"The first time I read about the Beatles was in a youth magazine in the 1980s when I was a student at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing," recalls renowned music critic Zhang Youdai in Beijing at the exhibition's opening ceremony. "Their name was literally translated into Chinese as jia ke chong. The article said that the band influenced a whole generation of young people in the 1960s and I was curious about them and their music."

Then Zhang asked one of his classmates, a Japanese student, to buy him a cassette during a trip to Hong Kong at that time. Unfortunately, his classmate bought a cassette by a band from the Philippines covering Beatles' songs.

"When my Japanese classmate finally bought me the legal recording of the Beatles, I listened to their songs and realized why they influenced so many people," says Zhang. "They invented a new sound for a rock band. I particular enjoyed their impeccable vocal harmonies."

As he grew up, Zhang became a big fan of the Beatles and bought the band's albums on his travels around the world. One of his favorite songs from the band is called Carry That Weight, which was written by Lennon and McCartney and was released as a single from their album Abbey Road in 1969.

"I particularly like the lyrics: 'Boy, you're gonna carry that weight, Carry that weight a long time'. When I listened to that song in my 20s, I was overwhelmed then and I am overwhelmed even today," says Zhang. "Undoubtedly, they are one of the greatest bands in the world and their legacy can still be felt today around the world."

Besides Chinese fans, the Beatles have also been a great inspiration for Chinese singer-songwriters.

Beijing-based indie band, The Life Journey, traveled to London to record their new album, titled Always Be There, at Abbey Road Studios last year, as a tribute to the Beatles.

They have collaborated with Scottish musician and producer Howard Bernstein, professionally known as Howie B, who has worked with artists like U2.

The four members of the band also took a picture outside the studio, imitating the cover photo of the Beatles Abbey Road album, which is regarded as one of the most iconic images of pop history.

"There were lots of tourists taking photos on the road. Because of the Beatles, people make the pilgrimage to London to follow in their footsteps. We were deeply impressed," says Kong Yang, the band's lead vocalist.

"When we were working in the Abbey Road Studio, we felt close to not only the Beatles but also to George Martin, who produced many of the Beatles' classic albums," adds guitarist Huang Zijun. "Producing an album is like doing experiment in a lab. It's the achievement of all four members of the Beatles and George Martin."

The band was founded by lead vocalist Kong and guitarist Huang when they were about 16 years old. In 2005, they moved from their hometown, Liuzhou, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to the capital to pursue their music dream. So far, they have released eight studio albums.

"We admire the Beatles' creative songwriting, which evolved along with their personal growth. It's amazing to think that 50 years later we are looking back on their music, which is still vibrant and pioneering," says Kong.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn