The Aerovons parody of the Beatles’ Please Please Me album cover, taken by lead guitarist Tom Hartman
The Beatles influenced not only the direction of rock and roll music from the 1950s and 60s but also other bands in their time. The Aerovons, a band that had talent but failed to achieve fame, might be finally achieving recognition 56 years later with the recent 2024 release of their album, World of You: The Complete Recordings.
The formation of the band began with a Beatles-obsessed 14-year-old, Tom Hartman, who started playing covers and learning their songs. He eventually met three other bandmates at Bayless High School in St. Louis, Missouri, and coined the name Aerovons from a friend of a previous band that had parted ways in Florida. The Aerovons, as a whole, were successful to the point of opening for the Temptations (known for their certified platinum song “My Girl”) and playing at the Busch Stadium during the seventh inning of a baseball game in 1966. Following local success, when Hartman’s mother asked him to start songwriting, he produced what became the Aerovons’ most popular song, “World of You,” based on a love story.
However, after releasing it as a single in addition to “The Train,” another well-written tune, “World of You” didn’t achieve popularity despite being recorded at Abbey Road Studios at the same time The Beatles were recording their album Abbey Road. The record was ultimately lost until an issue in 2003, where it was published under the name “Resurrection.” Now, with the addition of a few takes from different songs, the recent Complete Recordings album showcases a prime of British-influenced psychedelic rock with not only Beatles allusions, but also hints of Pink Floyd, the Bee Gees, and even Badfinger (known for their “Baby Blue” hit). The Aerovons are catching the attention of people in search of similar artists to those of the 1960s and early 70s, as World of You: The Complete Recordings is not only original but also full of new and never-heard-before music.
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