Tom Petty Said This Beatles Album Changed How People Listened to Music

The Beatles were revolutionary music artists during the 1960s. Not only did they dominate the charts worldwide, but they brought British rock to the United States and many other countries. Many artists fell in love with rock after listening to The Beatles, such as Tom Petty, who said one album by the band changed how people listened to music. 

Tom Petty said ‘Meet The Beatles’ made people listen to albums rather than singles

In the early days of music, it was all about singles. Artists like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry would release songs as singles that would dominate the charts and build up hype for the upcoming album. The singles would take over, and many artists would be known for their hit songs rather than their albums. 

However, The Beatles changed this industry trend as people loved almost every song they released. Their album, Meet The Beatles, hit the U.S. in 1964, and Tom Petty said the record altered how people listened to music. After this album, people were likelier to listen to an entire record than just the hit singles. 

“[At school] you either had a copy of Meet The Beatles or you didn’t and if you didn’t, it was like something was wrong with you,” Petty told MusicRadar. “Come to think of it, that was the first time an LP was a significant thing. Up till then people only bought singles. But with Meet the Beatles, that was a record you really wanted to listen to – both sides of it.”

Petty still remembers watching The Beatles on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’

The Beatles’ first No. 1 hit in the U.S. was “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. However, their popularity skyrocketed after appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, putting them on television nationwide. Everyone knew about The Beatles and wanted to buy whatever record they could find. Tom Petty still remembers the night he saw The Beatles performing on the show and how it was a pivotal moment in music history. 

“Most magic is a trick, an illusion. But this was real. Man, oh man, was it real,” Petty said. “I think the whole world was watching that night. It certainly felt that way – you just knew it, sitting in your living room, that everything around you was changing. It was like going from black-and-white to color. Really. I remember earlier that day, in fact, a kid on a bike passed me and said, ‘Hey, The Beatles are on TV tonight.’ I didn’t know him, he didn’t know me – and I thought to myself, ‘This means something’.”

The band wanted to make sure every song was perfect

Beatles albums were so successful because the fab four worked tirelessly, alongside producer George Martin, to ensure every song was as good as it could be. Many artists would release an excellent A-side on their single but a forgettable or throwaway song as their B-side. The Beatles tried not to do that and sometimes released B-sides that were superior to their A-sides. 

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Paul McCartney said The Beatles valued their audiences’ time and money. If they were willing to spend money on their singles or their albums, then every song needed to be good. 

“I remember talking to Phil Spector in the early days,” McCartney explained. “Phil used to say to us, ‘You guys, you put too much value on. You put an A-side, and you put a good song on the B-side!’ There had been a song called ‘Sally Go Round the Roses,’ an early thing, and on the other side they’d put ‘Sing Along With Sally Go Round the Roses’ – just the backing track. And we’d say, ‘Aw, Phil, you can’t do that, man. They paid good money for this. We would feel cheated by that.’ And he said, ‘Nah, you can do that. It’s cool.’”