The Beatles are easily one of the most popular, well-known, and successful bands of all time. In fact, The Beatles have sold more albums than any other musical artist in the world. They’ve sold 257.7 million album copies as of 2016, before the rise of music streaming services like Spotify. Before then, the next best album seller was Elvis Presley at 206.8 million, so it’s likely that they’re going to retain their title for some time.
It should be no surprise. The Beatles are prolific for their long stretch of live performances and studio albums. Before they split up and retired for the final time, they had released 21 studio albums and 63 singles. While that’s not the most a musician has ever released by a wide margin, few musical artists have managed to release as many to the same success.
This is why, to this day, bands are still doing covers and tribute concerts to them. Their music remains popular generations later and inspired hundreds of musical artists to get into the business. One of the bands they inspired is the Taxmen, named after one of The Beatles’ songs. The Taxmen are going to perform a tribute concert for The Beatles on June 4th!
What is “Taxman?”
“Taxman” is a song from The Beatles’ 1966 album, Revolver. This song was written predominantly by George Harrison, the lead guitarist of The Beatles. While everyone is credited for contributing, he is considered the leading creative for this song.
This isn’t just any Beatles song, it carries true emotional purpose with its lyrics. Songs by The Beatles were known to be about something, whether it be vague ideas about their experiences or thoughts they’ve had while on “recreational substances.” This one was the first to specifically protest against a tax in the United Kingdom, and one of their first political statements overall.
No Taxation for The Beatles
Many know that The Beatles are a British band. This means that they wrote music in response to events happening in the UK and the U.S. One of these was a high-level progressive tax imposed on the citizens of the UK by the Labour government of Harold Wilson. Members of The Beatles were paying 90% of their earnings to the Treasury of the UK. No surprise they wrote a song tearing it down.
This song was a clear response to the tax, and its popularity in the band led to it being the opening track for the album, Revolver. This song not only proved to be popular but helped to establish George Harrison as a songwriter when John Lennon and Paul McCartney were known as the dominant songwriters in the band.
Inspiring the Taxmen
Fighting against unfair taxation is a topic that many can relate to. One senator in Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli, loved the message of the song so much that he tried to make it Virginia’s official state song. Sadly, that didn’t end up happening, but the song went on to sell well and inspire other musicians to carry on the message, including the Taxmen.
The Taxmen are a rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who have created five original songs that they perform alongside covers of The Beatles. This Saturday, June 4th, expect them to play songs that you know and love from The Beatles!
Get Your Tickets for the Taxmen Now!
With only a few days left, you should get your tickets so you can get them at the best price, and so you don’t have to purchase them at the door. The River Street Jazz Cafe will open its doors at 8:00 PM to prepare for the performance that starts at 9:00 PM. We serve food and drinks while you wait for the show to begin, giving you time to mingle and meet other fans before the performance. Get your tickets now, you must be 21 years or older.