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The Beatles, a.k.a. 'the single biggest band of all time', were an iconic rock group from Liverpool, England. They are frequently cited as the most
commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in modern history, with innovative music, a cultural impact that helped define the 1960s,
and an enormous influence on music that is still felt today.
After conquering Europe, with successful tours to Germany and Sweden, the Beatles led the mid-1960s musical ‘British Invasion’ into the United
States. Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll and homegrow ...read more
The Beatles, a.k.a. 'the single biggest band of all time', were an iconic rock group from Liverpool, England. They are frequently cited as the most
commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in modern history, with innovative music, a cultural impact that helped define the 1960s,
and an enormous influence on music that is still felt today.
After conquering Europe, with successful tours to Germany and Sweden, the Beatles led the mid-1960s musical ‘British Invasion’ into the United
States. Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll and homegrown skiffle, the group explored a great variety of musical
styles including Psychedelic Rock, Experimental, Ballads, Western and Indian Classical among others. Their clothes, hairstyles, and statements
made them trend-setters, while their growing social awareness saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.
Early on, the band consisted of George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best. The band got its first major break
playing in Hamburg, Germany, at some rather seedy nightclubs, beginning in 1960. While in Germany, they also met Klaus Voormann, who would
later design the cover of the group’s 1966 album Revolver. Stuart remained in Germany after the others decided to return to England, and
became engaged to fellow artist Astrid Kirchherr, only to die a few years later of a brain hemorrhage.
In 1961, Brian Epstein heard their sound and was thrilled enough to sign on as their manager, even though he had no previous experience in that
field. His efforts eventually led, in 1962, to an audition with EMI producer George Martin, who signed them to EMI’s Parlaphone label. Later, due in
part to Martin’s refusal to use him on recordings, Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, the drummer from another big Liverpool band known as
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Ringo was supposed to play on their first single, “Love Me Do”, but George Martin had Alan White, a session
drummer, play instead (Ringo can be heard on the album version of the song).
In 1963, The Beatles initiated a craze known as “Beatlemania” in the UK with the song “Please Please Me”. Their first album of the same title was
recorded in just one day. This fame spread internationally and, in February of 1964, they arrived in the United States. Their first appearance in
the States was on the Ed Sullivan Show, following “I Want to Hold Your Hand” going #1 in the States. With this success, the Beatles released two
feature length films within the space of two years: A Hard Day’s Night and Help!. The songs from both films were penned by Lennon and
McCartney, and albums followed their release. In Help!, the Beatles were given greater creative freedom, deciding for example to head to the
exotic location of the Bahamas simply to shoot one scene.
The Beatles were comprised of four members in the long run: John Lennon (vocals, rhythm guitar, piano), Paul McCartney (vocals, bass guitar,
piano, guitar), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals), and Ringo Starr (percussion, vocals). Lennon and McCartney were the main songwriters and
singers, although songs penned by George started showing up more frequently on later albums. Ringo traditionally sang one song on each record.
George Martin produced most of the Beatles’ records, and was a highly influential part of the band’s sound on most of them. He also played the
renowned solo on “In My Life” (Rubber Soul).
For years, The Beatles showed an amazing talent for writing hit after hit. In 1966, they ceased performing in concert (apparently they grew weary
of the constant screaming from the fans, which always got so loud they could never hear themselves play; another contributing factor was the
extraordinary lengths they had to go to for security reasons before and after each performance) and began exploring new sounds in the studio.
This is especially apparent in albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beatles, sometimes known as
“The White Album”. The White Album is considered the band’s most experimental. The novel sounds featured are due to the growing presence of
Yoko Ono (Lennon’s wife), as demonstrated by the song “Revolution 9”, and the band’s increasing use of drugs. The song “Lucy in the Sky With
Diamonds” (off of Sgt. Pepper’s) was rumored to be an ode to LSD, although the band vehemently denied any link; they instead insisted that it
described a drawing made by John Lennon’s son, Julian Lennon. After the death of Brian Epstein, the Beatles began to unravel at the seams. The
Beatles officially split at the dawn of 1970; Lennon had unofficially quit the previous year and the band had maintained the front of being together
to protect their business interests. McCartney, who was the first to announce that he had officially“quit” the band and that they no longer existed,
was often blamed for the band’s ending although by the end he was the only one willing to carry on and was, by stating the group no longer
existed, admitting to the facts.
The Beatles never reunited properly in the 1970s as they never fully recovered from the acrimony associated with their breakup. They did,
however, make two new records in 1994, despite Lennon’s 1980 death, for the Anthology project. “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” were based on
demo tapes made by Lennon and sent to McCartney by his widow Yoko Ono. The Beatles also created some of the first music videos, having
filmed promotional films in 1965 for broadcasters to show across the US and Europe rather than have to appear live. Their 1967 film promos for
“Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” have even more similarity to modern music videos, with each one created for just the individual
song, and without the appearance of being a recording of a live performance.
The band were also the source of a number of controversies and conspiracy theories. John Lennon was quoted in 1966 as saying the Beatles were
“more popular than Jesus Christ”, causing protests in many parts of the USA; although he publicly apologized for the statement, he also later
claimed it was a contributing factor in the Beatles ending touring. A widespread urban legend that started in 1969 claimed that Paul McCartney
was dead and had been replaced by a lookalike. The rumor was referred to by members of the Beatles a number of times,including John Lennon’s
song “How Do You Sleep?”.
George Harrison passed away in 2001. His death was marked by a large concert event in the Albert Hall. The Concert for George took place a year
to the day of George’s death. Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney continue to make music. Paul’s latest release is 2007’s Memory Almost Full, while
Ringo's most recent album is 2010's Y Not. 2009 saw the release of a completely remastered set of The Beatles' records, which sparked a lot of
interest and continued to show their legacy still lives on today.
Harrison once said: “The Beatles will exist without us.” Deftly short and simple, this quote surmises their legacy, showing how The Beatles as an
entity transcends not only the music or entertainment industry, but even the members themselves.
R.I.P. John Lennon: 1940-1980 R.I.P. George Harrison: 1943 - 2001 « hide |
Similar Bands: The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Harry Nilsson, The Kinks, Wings |
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| LPs |  | Let It Be
1970
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 | Abbey Road
1969
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 | Yellow Submarine
1969
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 | The Beatles
1968
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 | Magical Mystery Tour
1967
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 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1967
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 | Revolver
1966
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 | Rubber Soul
1965
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 | Help!
1965
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 | Beatles for Sale
1964
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 | A Hard Day's Night
1964
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 | With the Beatles
1963
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 | Please Please Me
1963
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| EPs |  | Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever
1967
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 | Nowhere Man
1966
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 | Long Tall Sally
1964
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 | All My Loving
1964
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 | Twist and Shout
1963
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| Live Albums |  | Get Back: The Rooftop Performance
2022
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 | Live at the Hollywood Bowl (Remixed & Remastered)
2016
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 | On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2
11/11/2013
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 | Live At The BBC
1994
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 | First Live Recordings
1979
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 | The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl
1977
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 | Live! At The Star-Club
1977
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 | Live at Star Club 1962, Vol. 2
1977
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| Compilations |  | The Beatles: Stereo USB
2009
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 | The Beatles: Stereo Box Set
2009
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 | The Beatles In Mono
2009
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 | Love
2006
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 | The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2
2006
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 | The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1
2004
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 | Let It Be… Naked
2003
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 | The Legends Collection: The Fab Four Collection
2001
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 | Rock on ROM
2001
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 | Fab Four Collection, Vol. 1
2001
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 | Fab Four Collection, Vol. 2
2001
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 | As It Happened: The Classic Interviews
2000
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 | 1
2000
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 | 1962 Live at the Star Club in Hamburg
2000
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 | Interview: John Lennon 1964-1966
2000
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 | Interview: George Harrison 1964-1966
2000
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 | East Coast Invasion/West Coast Invasion
2000
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 | Yellow Submarine Soundtrack
1999
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 | Last Night in Hamburg
1999
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 | This Is... The Savage Young Beatles
1999
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 | Legend Begins
1999
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 | Turn Me on Dead Man: The John Barrett Tapes
1999
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 | Quote Unquote, Vol. 2
1998
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 | Beatles Tapes, Vol. 4: Hong Kong '64
1997
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 | Anthology 3
1996
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 | Anthology 2
1996
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 | Beatles Tapes, Vol. 3: The 1964 World Tour
1995
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 | Anthology 1
1995
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 | The Ultimate Box Set
1995
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 | Oldies
1994
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 | From Britain with Beat
1989
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 | Hold Me Tight
1989
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 | Unsurpassed Masters, Vol. 2 (1964-1965)
1989
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 | Not a Second Time
1989
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 | Past Masters, Vol. 2
1988
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 | Past Masters, Vol. 1
1988
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 | 1962 The Audition Tapes
1983
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 | 20 Greatest Hits
1982
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 | The Beatles Historic Sessions
1977
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 | 1967 – 1970
1973
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 | 1962 - 1966
1973
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 | Hey Jude
1970
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 | Yesterday and Today
1966
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 | Beatles '65
1964
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 | The Beatles' Second Album
1964
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 | The Beatles' First
1964
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 | Jolly What! The Beatles & Frank Ifield on Stage
1964
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 | Ain't She Sweet
1964
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 | Meet The Beatles!
1964
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 | Introducing...The Beatles
1964
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Contributors: Sinternet, SandwichBubble, sonictheplumber, brochenski, LokitheTrickster, Revolution666, Nagrarok, Matski, MatthewGoodFan101, Blarobbarg, Willie, Aids, voodoopriestess, aresx, SgtPepperInTheSky, badtaste, Exem, Mikesn, bAdMaRk, ninjuice, SylentEcho, minimesmyidol, RandyfromPennywise, Yardbirdy, MrKite, sixtyten, bianxp812, The Door Mouse, the_accents, thislifeissacrifice, Thor, masada, stinkypoptart, Skyler, Nandrucu, tom79, morrissey, Lunarfall, DesolationRow, Med57, SandwichBubble, xanderdake, Sowing, PowerBlitz, CriticalCriticals, Supercoolguy64, NordicMindset, TheShining1980, Frippertronics, BMDrummer, Insurrection, adr, TwigTW, SylentEcho, Matski, peaks40, KILL, JoseMex24, Deviant., Necrotica, Veldin, Nagrarok, Superbus, IvanStarr, Observer, Dave de Sylvia, Skyler, Fugue,
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