The Beatles’ first records included I Saw Her Standing There, Love Me Do, It Won’t Be Long, All My Loving, & I Wanna Be Your Man, all penned by the Lennon/McCartney pair. The bulk of the songs on those records were self-penned, actually.

The early 60’s were a very unique time in that the transition was being made from songwriters & singers being two separate entities to bands writing & performing their own songs. The Beatles were actually the first successful band to do this & almost singlehandedly forced the change.

Even in the Rolling Stones’ case, Out of Our Hands appeared in stores just a year after their debut & featured the Jagger/Richards penned (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. Just months later Otis Redding’s cover of the song made it into the Top 5 on the US R&B chart. To me that indicates that the Stones did covers not because they weren’t capable songwriters, but because the industry was transitioning out of a period where it was commonplace to record other people’s material. They were doing R&B up until that point, & that was the R&B way.

The reason we can’t develop career artists using today’s system is that so much time and money is invested into an album. The Beatles would’ve NEVER made it from Please Please Me to Revolver in 3 years if they hadn’t released 11 records in between. And they never would’ve released 11 records if they were expected to be pop stars, doing all of the bullshit promotion, playing the game. Today a band can go 3 years without adding a single song to their 12 song set (Maroon 5, anyone? Songs About Jane hit shelves in 2002 & they didn’t release any new material until 2007!!!!! Absolutely absurd!).

Maybe, but they long for something REAL, something AUTHENTIC. Otherwise they wouldnt listen to Led Zep or The Beatles. I’ll say it again and again, the artist or band that will be able to have TRULY great songs (maybe even Top40 material), while at the same time being absolutely real, will become the next big thing.

It wont even take that much talent, it’s fuckin easy to hit these days. Your competition is Nickelback and Avril Lavigne. HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO WRITE BETTER SONGS AND BE MORE AUTHENTIC THAN THEM?????

If you would’ve been up against The Beatles, Stones and Pink Floyd you would’ve been fucked, but this isnt even in the same league. Damnit, it shouldnt be that hard for somebody out there to write halfway decent tunes, and at the same really meaning what they’re singing about.

He was just a flavor of the moment artist.
and this is what this new generation will grow up on….

AJ, the labels dont care if there aint no future in this business. You’re Beautiful made Atlantic more money than any “developing” act, even if they go on to sell 200k with each for their releases for the next two decades. It always has been about the quick cash in. And Blunt cant complain either, he’s a rich man. Never would have to work a single day in his life again. He could be in a much worse situation..

So true…but that doesn’t make it a good thing. I don’t know how many times we will see one hit wonders come and go before labels realize there is no future in that business. Sure, the ‘hits’ are the only thing selling, but they have zero shelf life. We need real, legendary rock stars…not ringtones.