Was there ever a point in your life when you felt so influenced by a musician, or just so lost in their talent? Was there ever a song that you could completely understand the mood without even listening to the words? Maybe for you there wasn't. But for me, it was the Beatles.
The Beatles have done so much more than play music, a lot of Whyvillians know that. You know that the Beatles have done what no other artist in history has done or will do. They have created a whole different realm of thought for music lovers. The Beatles have showed there are no boundaries! What is it like you wonder, to change millions of peoples' lives so immensely. Can you even imagine? To make such an effect, the fab four, our Beatles, had to make a sacrafice. They had to devote their lives to music, and fame. Everytime you walked out on the street, their was paparazzi. Anytime you wanted to shop, or grab a burger, their was press following you. Every aspect of your life was in a tabloid or newspaper. That's what it was like for the Beatles. And we thank them, do we not, for they have changed music and more forever. Now, on with the biography!
So much has been said and written about the Beatles, it is hard to press all of it into one article. Some appreciate long articles, some do not. But if you don't want to read it for yourself, read it for the Beatles, because they much more than deserve it.
The Beatles started with a young teenage rebel guitarist, John Lennon. Lennon got hooked on rock & roll at an early age, and stuck with it for years to come. Good rock has such an influence on Lennon, he decided to form his own band, the Quarrymen. Little did people know, the Quarrymen would soon become the group that would take over the music world forever. Around 1957, the Quarrymen were joined by another guitarist, Paul Mcartney. (Ever heard of him?xD.) Paul had an amazing effect on the basement band, and the Quarrymen started to have a hint of talent when joined by Paul. A bit later, George Harrison came into the picture. George was a good friend of Paul's, and was accepted into the rebel group right away. Although the Quarrymen carried three future Beatles, the line-up changed constantly. Eventually reducing it to a trio of guitarists, Paul, John, and George, who rose to be better than all the rest. The Quarrymen changed their name to the Silver Beatles (Anything starting to take shape?) in 1960, but quickly dropped the "Silver" to become just the Beatles. John's friend, Stuart Sutcliffe joined the Beatles on bass, but finding a permanent drummer was a constant problem. ( If I was alive back in the 60's, I would have eagerly drummed for the Beatles!) Finally, Pete Best joined in the summer of 1960 to drum for the Beatles.
Soon, the Beatles, without much sucsess yet, left for Hamburg, Germany to play a series of shows.
Hamburg wore the Beatles down quickly. Playing grueling sessions for hours on end, in one of the most troubled districts in world could do that. The Beatles had to work extremely hard to keep the rowdy crowds satisfied. Soon, all that work paid off, and over the city of Hamburg, the Beatles were suddenly the most exciting act on the rock circuit, a great feat, but small compared to what was to come.
After playing more and more shows in other parts of Europe, the Beatles came back to Hamburg in 1961. Sutcliffe had dropped out of the Beatles to concentrate on other things, and Mcartney settled in on bass, George was moved up to lead guitar, Lennon had rhythm guitar, and everybody (Except the drummer) sang. In the middle of 1961, the Beatles made their first ever recordings in Germany. They were the back-up group for British singer/guitarist Tony Sheridan. The Beatles hadn't fully developed at this point, but were in the making of creating a sound all their own.
Hamburg gave the Beatles more and more fans over the months. The Beatles mostly gathered artistic, sophisticated fans. Near the end of 1961, the Beatles exploding fame caught the attention of a man that would change their lives forever. That man was the local record store manager Brian Epstein. The Beatles quickly took a liking to Epstein, and from then on, Epstein managed the band. Brian Epstein soon used his contacts to get auditions from record labels for the Beatles. One of those British labels was Decca, which soon regretted not taking the Beatles on their heavily boot-legged label. Finally, the Beatles managers' perseverance was rewarded, and EMI labels signed the Beatles. By this time, the Beatles were getting a little national sucsess, but not anything like what was to come.
In 1962, drummer Pete Best was kicked out of the Beatles. No one knows whether it was because of his favoritism with the fans, or his solitary, moody nature. Whatever you may think, the Beatles soon enlisted Ringo Starr (Born Richard Starkey) to play on drums. Starr had only been in the Beatles for a few weeks before they recorded their first single. "Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You." Their debut single was released in September 1962.
The single hovered at the bottom of the British Top 20 for a few weeks, but the Beatles phenomenon didn't kick in until the fabulous single "Please Please Me" was released which topped the British charts in 1963. "Please Please Me" had an infectious melody, and charging guitars that made it well worth all the effort. The same things were evident in their third single "From Me to You". That song was a British number one for an astonishing 30 weeks. Amazing! "Please Please Me" also stayed on the charts for about 25 weeks. This gave the Beatles the title of the best Rock & Roll act ever seen in the U.K.
Their second LP, With the Beatles was released in 1963. It was evident that the Beatles were expanding musically, and vocally, also. Some hits of With the Beatles include "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Each of those singles sold over a million copies in the first month. And this is when Beatlemania broke out. You better watch out, you might be infected! But hey, that's not all a bad thing!
Finally, the Beatles were introduced to the United States/Canada. The American label, Capitol, signed the Beatles single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and the Beatles stormed up to number one on the U.S. Billboard Charts. With many television appearances, and heaps upon heap of live shows, Beatlemania brokeout stronger in the United States than in Britain. In the first week, The Beatles had 5 best-selling singles, and two slots on for best album on the Billboard Charts, as well as other entries in the Top 100. No artist had ever made dominated this much musical territory as simply as the Beatles had.
For awhile, the Beatles were dismissed as a fad, and those who said that were afterward sorrowly mistaken. The group ensured that they would not be a fad by making A Hard Days Night a fabulous motion picture. It showed the beatles as they really were: happy-go-lucky, cheeky, individualistic, funny lads. The soundtrack that went with the motion picture was also amazing.
Between 1964 and 9165, the Beatles continued to squeeze out chart-topping albums with ease. Some of those albums include, Beatles For Sale, and Help! A few critics think that those are the Beatles most impressive albums ever.
Soon, the Beatles released another film, called Help! (after the album). That movie was not as professional as the first, but still sold extremely well.
Almost to make up for the film, the Beatles rose to the occasion with one of their most famous albums yet "Rubber Soul". Lyrically, the record showed the Beatles evolving into something all their own. The new, better Beatles, I suppose! On "Rubber Soul" The Beatles also created new bass and guitar textures, and multi-tracking.
Drugs were already fueling the Beatles creative minds, but back then, everybody was into things like that. Next, my favorite Beatles album, "Revolver" was released. Hard guitars and thicker vocals with imaginative and ambitious lyrics made this Beatles masterpiece sell like mad. Sgt. Pepper was the next record for the Beatles to release. Many agree that, besides the White Album, Sgt. Pepper is the most creative, and psychedelic. In short, Sgt. Pepper is art with a capitol A!
Sadly, Beatles manager Brian Epstein died of a drug overdose in 1967. The Beatles quickly sled downhill for awhile, until Paul picked them up, and the Beatles were running again. The experience made the Beatles sound change drastically, but for the better. They pressed on with their next film project, The Magical Mystery Tour. The movie was lacking focus, and even a professional feel, and sadly, was bombed. It seemed to be the first time the Beatles actually failed at something they did. Fans were devastated, but like life, the Beatles moved on. The Beatles soon went to India for a vacation,a nd regain their calm. They came back to the U.S. with a load of new material, which eventually became the White Album. The White Album was a double LP released in late 1968, and it was a triumph. The White Album was considered some of the Beatles finest work, such as pieces like "Hey Jude" and "Revolution."
After the White Album, the Beatles went through a hard, hard time. The whole band was getting onto each others nerves, and there was much talk of breaking up. The thing sin the break-up of the Beatles are so, so, so, very complicated, I wish not to explain them in this article. If you would like to expand on that, you can look it up on the internet, or at Launch.com/Beatles Biography. Actually, I'm sure a certain someone will explain it in the BBS.
Out of the quarrel came the fantastic record, Abbey Road. It was evidently the most unified effort the Beatles ever put together. Seeing the horrible time they were going through, that surprised many fans and critics. Abbey Road boasted some of the Beatles best rhythm, harmony, and instrumental freedom ever.
The quarrels became lawsuits, and the Beatles began to fall apart drastically. As if one last prayer before they left, the Beatles put out "Let it Be", which some say was recorded before Abbey Road was released. After "Let it Be" there was no more fantastic albums, there was no more amazing films. There was no more Beatles magic. The time after "Let It Be" was extremely painful for most Beatles fans. The Beatles went their separate ways. Yeah, sure, there was a much more complicated reason, but all we know is the Beatles are no longer together. All hopes of a Beatles reunion were crushed when John Lennon was assassinated in 1980, when walking out of his apartment.
Yes, sure. The Beatles are broken up, and are never getting back together. But we Whyvillians know, don't we? We know the special thing that will keep the Beatles alive forever: to keep them in our hearts. Plus, much rare CD material and recordings are being released present day. Some stuff that never got published back when the Beatles were a band. Also, all of the Beatles have solo albums, even Sir Ringo and George.
There doesn't seem to be words to describe the Beatles. By doing what they loved most, they changed millions of lives for ever. They are still changing millions and millions of people. They had the right amount of everything in them to make the Beatles one of the most creative, ambitious, and fun bands in history. I don't believe there is anything else that can tell how magical the Beatles were. There will never be enough words.
Tears I My Eyes I Leave You,
Glitsygrl
