8 Days A Week With The Cast of RAIN- Day Six

Broadwayworld has joined with the cast of Rain- A Beatles Tribute for our new "8 Days A Week" feature. Each day for eight days Joe Bithorn, Joey Curatolo, Steve Landes, and Ralph Castelli of Rain will answer one question about what The Beatles mean to them.

Day Six- During RAIN you all change outfits according to the changing lifestyles and music of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Do you feel any particular attachment to a certain point in their careers or what they produced during that time?

Joe Bithorn (George)

I really do enjoy all the different eras of those times and the great music they created. They changed so quickly throughout the 60s and were a cultural phenomenon that changed the world.

Joey Curatolo (Paul)

No.

Steve Landes (John)

I love the early period of their career -- 1963-64. The classic Beatle haircuts, black suits and Beatle boots we wear during that period in our show are my favorite as well. I love that look, it's classic, it quintessential 'Beatles'. And the feeling of the music of that era, there's such a youthful energy to it that speaks to me. There is no way not to be happy when listening to their early records!

Ralph Castelli (Ringo)

Yes. I am particularly attached to the later Beatles. They had established themselves as cultural icons and Ringo, as did the others, were experimenting with new techniques which are still being used today. Ringo is a unique drummer visually and audibly...no other drummer literally "danced" at the drums.

The Beatles LP releases mark their personal evolution as artists both individually and as a group.

Their debut album Please Please Me (1963) contained fourteen songs and took just over nine hours to record. With such hits as "Twist and Shout" and "Love Me Do," the album reflected The Beatles' youth and innocence, giving listeners short pop-dance tunes with catchy beats and relatively simple lyrics. It cemented the group's fame both in America and around the globe.

By the time Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) came out, it was clear that The Beatles had long since begun opening new doors in music as well as in their personal lives. It is an LP full of experimentation; the music was no longer simple guitar chords and vocals, but recorded with horns, sitars, and strings in larger orchestral movements. The album also explored psychedelic rock, reflecting some of the band's own personal explorations with drugs, allowing Sgt. Pepper, their "alter-ego band," to perform for them.

Let It Be (1970), the final studio album released by The Beatles, was available for sale after the band announced their break-up. Sources state that the recording sessions ran rough, and the album itself received several notoriously negative reviews. However, highlights such as "Across the Universe" and "Let It Be" show that although the band may have been at an end with one another, their sound and spirit would remain one of the greatest influences in the history of music.

RAIN is currently performing to packed houses at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52 Street now through January 9th! For tickets go to www.ticketmaster.com or call 877-250-2929.

For more information, visit www.raintribute.com.