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From three-minute pop classics to the psychedelic extravaganza of “Sgt. Pepper”, their songs sound tracked the Sixties. They were the greatest group in history. They probably always will be. The Beatles were, quite simply, phenomenal. They changed lives; they changed pop music; they changed the world. In writing their own hits, they set a pattern that would liberate popular music from its Tin Pan Alley roots and pave the way for even greater self-expression from the generations that followed. Although people think of the Beatles as John, Paul, George and Ringo, their musical history began in 1957 when Liverpool schoolboy John Lennon invited 15-year-old Paul McCartney to join his skiffle group, the Quarrymen. By August 1960, when they began playing in Hamburg clubs as the Beatles, they had been joined by guitarist George Harrison, bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Beast. Brian Epstein, the owner of a Liverpool record store, became their manager and did much to sharpen their image. Pete Best was replaced in August 1962 by Ringo Starr from Rory Storme & the Hurricanes and the Beatles, now signed to EMI/Parlophone, cut their first single, the bluesy “Love Me Do”, with producer George Martin. “Please Please Me”, their next single, topped three of the UK’s music charts and a nationwide tour, with Helen Shapiro providing support, expanded their following. A string of 12 UK Number 1 singles followed: the melodic “From Me To You”, “She Loves You” with its “woo woo” trademark in which the long-haired quartet shook their “moptops”), and “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, whose advance orders were so high that it entered the charts at Number 1. “Beatlomania”, as the newspapers termed it, was rife, with the band’s live performances and personal appearances accompanied by hitherto unseen hordes of screaming fans: the Beatles were the UK’s biggest-ever teen idols. Their first albums, “Please Please Me” and “With The Beatles” (both 1963), combined covers of US pop-soul songs with Lennon and McCartney’s own compositions, but as the duo’s partnership blossomed, so they were able to write not only entire albums but the scores for their own films. The witty and inventive “A Hard Day’s Night”, directed by Richard Lester, accurately reflected the Beatles’ own story and the hysteria they encountered from their fans. “Help!” was more lighthearted, but still way ahead of other pop films of the period. After appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, the Beatles became the first UK act to experience major US success. Because their early US singles had been released on different labels, several companies were promoting their work and, at one stage, the Beatles held the Top 5 positions in the US charts – a feat never to be repeated. “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “I Feel Fine” and “Ticket To Ride” were all transatlantic chart-toppers around this time, while the Beatles’ US success sowed the seeds the seeds for the Byrds and numerous other Sixties stars-to-be. The Beatles were awarded MBEs in the Queen’s birthday honours in 1965, the youngest-ever peacetime recipients. The ‘Rubber Soul’ album, released in the same year, saw Lennon’s lyrics take a giant leap away from ‘yeah yeah yeah’: the philosophical ‘In My Life’ contrasted with ‘Norwegian Wood’, which told of an affair he had kept from his wife, Cynthia. Meanwhile, George Harrison was developing as a writer, his sitar adding an innovative “raga” sound to some tracks. Though still credited as a pairing, Lennon and McCartney were now writing separately. The Beatles gave up touring after a concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco in August 1966, to concentrate on more creative work in the studio with producer George Martin. “Revolver”, regarded by many as the Beatles’ best album, preceded their landmark double-sided single, McCartney’s vibrant “Penny Lane” backed with Lennon’s psychedelically haunted “Strawberry Fields Forever”. Often regarded as rock’s first concept album, 1967’s “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was a rock benchmark. Its eclectic mix of styles (from the psychedelia of the music hall of “When I’m 64”) and sounds (a fairground calliope to the crazy orchestral climax to “A Day In The Life”), it had everything, right down to the fascinating pop art collage cover. Next came the anthem “All You Need Is Love”, broadcast live to 200 million TV viewers in an historic worldwide link-up. The Beatles, meanwhile, were exploring Eastern religion with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. When Brian Epstein died from drug overdose in 1967, the quartet continued without a manager, but their film Magical Mystery Tour, broadcast that Christmas, was derided by the critics as self-indulgent. The tide was beginning to turn. In 1968, the Beatles set up their own record company, Apple Corps, and released “Hey Jude”; it became their best-selling single with more than six million copies sold. It was replaced at Number 1 by the label’s second release, Paul McCartney’s production of “Those Were The Days” for Mary Hopkin. But the Beatles had neither the time nor the inclination to run the company properly and Apple proved to be an administrative and financial disaster. The Beatles’ third cinema release was a full-length cartoon, “Yellow Submarine”, inspired by the “Revolver” track of that name. There followed “The Beatles”, (known as “The White Album”) which included “Back In The USSR”, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, “Blackbird” and Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, featuring Eric Clapton. Though a successful album, it highlighted the divisions in the band, many of the tracks being recorded with one or more of the Beatles missing from the studio. With Apple falling apart, the Beatles rapidly followed suit: Lennon, Harrison and Starr chose an American, Allen Klein, to be their manager, while McCartney favoured his father-in-law, John Eastman. Lawsuits were soon to follow. In an effort to end the story on a high note, George Martin, persuaded them to make one final album. “Abbey Road”, named after the London recorded studio they favoured, had a more cooperative feel to it, with highlights including Harrison’s “Something”, Lennon’s “Come Together” and an extended song cycle from McCartney, but “Abbey Road” was not the final Beatles album. The Fab Four’s last word was “Let It Be”, an intended film soundtrack somewhat overproduced by Phil Spector but still containing two McCartney classics in the title track and “The Long And Winding Road”. Though the Beatles’ partnership ended in 1970 amid lawsuits and acrimony, their reputation has endured. The CD revolution saw their albums re-enter the charts worldwide, while the 20th anniversary of “Sgt Pepper” in 1987 saw it reach the UK Number 3 position almost on CD sales alone. Though John Lennon’s death in 1980 ruled out a full reunion, the Beatles’ effect on popular music remains indelible and undeniable. The Cavern Club at Mathew Street, Liverpool, is one of the world’s most famous rock venues. The Beatles made their debut there in March 1961 and are said to have played at the Cavern 292 times, graduating from lunchtime sessions to evening events after their time in Hamburg. A modern equivalent of the Cavern was opened in 1977 across the street, providing a home for whom the Beatles were just memory. Rod Glover runs several bilingual websites with different themes - including reviews and lists the best Home Cappuccino Makers deals in two languages, in English and Russian. There you can find his latest articles on De’Longhi Cappuccino Makers deals and many other brands.
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