Beatles Archives - Rum 'n' Coconutwater

Jovem Guarda (Brazilian 60s RnR/Beat/Pop/Psych) | Evolution of Genré

Jovem Guarda was the Brazil Beat and Pop movement of the early to the late sixties. Like I explored it already in southern Europe (Yé-Yé), the Netherlands (Nederbeat) and Japan (Group Sounds), also Brazils' youth coveted the UK & US sound that conquered the world rapidly. While Brazilian music and lifestyle imitations and interpretations started at the end of the 50s with petticoats, jukeboxes, oldtimers, wild Twist dances, Teen Pop and Rock'n'Roll, 1963 (the birth year of J.G.) held a surprise that lead to an initial kickstart of what was to become "ie, ie, ie", the first official umbrella term to describe the new movement of teen excitement in this new sound. Like Yé-Yé the name leans on the Beatles' "Yeah Yeah Yeah" in their song "She Loves You". The Beatles indeed were a central idol and role model in the Brazil movement. The artistic and subcultural hype resulted in a quite popular TV show set up and first aired in 1965 in São Paulo. Due to the national success, it became a leading source for a whole teen movement of hipness and style. The show even trendsetted popular slang phrases used among young people. Extravagant and colourful cloth and a laid back cool attitude established, just as it did in swinging London. Representing and commercialising the movement at the same time, "Jovem Guarda" as a term even replaced the previous "ie, ie, ie". The J.G. show host Roberto Carlo among Erasmo Carlos and Wanderléa, all famous musicians, played interpretations of the Anglo-Saxon hits of the day. Among those three in-house artists of the TV show, national bands got invited to play in front of millions of viewers... Read more

Beat Music (60s) | Evolution Of Genré

Although the 50's had a light growth in musical diversity, I think it were the 60's that lead to a stylistic explosion in the western hemisphere. Until the 50's it was quite easy to determine origin, location & nature of a genre, whereas the 60's started to become confusing with overlapping and mutually influencing genres and style-variations. In terms of this background, it seems a bit complex to get a clearer overview of what evolved and actually happened in music... Read more

Freakbeat (wild, psychy Mod w/o Soul) | Evolution Of Genré

English music journalist Phil Smee (who later started the Bam-Caruso Label) coined the genre term to describe the harder, fuzz loaded and sometimes psychedelic mutations that happened to the British Invasion Mod music. In the sixties, when colourful clothes, marihuana and LSD became the conceptional glasses of a whole generation, musicians that could afford it started to play around with the newest gimmicks inventions brought into recording studios. Among we find fuzztones, flanging and chorus which is often manipulated with trippy echoes and other effects. All in all, Freakbeat can be described as a relative to the US Garage-Psych movement. As much apparent parallels as many differences flag both genres. As there is a gap between Garage-Psych and pure Psychedelic Rock, there... Read more

Merseybeat (UK Beatles Sound) | Evolution Of Genré

The Beatles' career is a brilliant exemplar for what went on widely. While England had an Instro-music overload, "The Beatles" and compareable groups built a counterpart, the so-called Merseybeat. You will automatically associate it with "The Beatles" once you hear it. If you love them like me, it's probably a pleasure to know that there are a lot of bands with a similar sound. However, Merseybeat started as a magazine for the Liverpool (since the late 50's the second largest pool for music besides London) music scene and later became a synonym of this specific sound... Read more