The Beatles.docx

The Beatles.docx

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TheBeatles

TheBeatles

Theimpactof theBeatles uponpopularmusiccannotbeoverstated;theyrevolutionizedthemusicindustryandtouchedthelivesofallwhoheardthemindeepandfundamentalways.LandingontheseshoresonFebruary7,1964,theyliterallystoodtheworldofpopcultureonitshead,settingthemusicalagendafortheremainderofthedecade.TheBeatles'buoyantmelodies,playfulpersonalitiesandmop-toppedcharismawerejustthetonicneededbyanationleftreelingbythesenselessassassinationofitsyoungpresident,JohnF.Kennedy,barelytwomonthsearlier.Evenadultstypicallygiventoscorningrockandrollasworthless"kid'sstuff"wereforcedtoconcedethattherewassubstanceintheirmusicandquick-wittedclevernessintheirrepartee.Withoutexaggeration,theytransfixedandtransformedtheworldasweknewit,usheringinademographicshiftinwhichyouthcultureassertivelytookoverfromitsstodgyEisenhower-eraforbears.

Thelongjourneyresultinginthemobscenethatgreeted theBeatles'arrivalatKennedyAirportbeganinLiverpoolbackin1958.Aseriesofgroups,includingtheQuarrymenandtheJohnnyandtheMoondogs,variouslyincludedLiverpoolnatives JohnLennon, PaulMcCartney and GeorgeHarrison.WitharhythmsectionconsistingofbassistStuSutcliffe（anartstudentwithgreatlooksandscantmusicalability）anddrummerPeteBest,thegroupassumedthename"theBeatles."Thegroupbecameafixtureontherough-and-tumblebarsceneinHamburg,Germany,wheretheirfive-set-a-nightmarathonshelpedmoldthemintoatightperformingunit.Theirearlyrepertoireconsistedofwell-chosenrockandrollandrhythm&bluescovers,runningthegamutfrom ChuckBerry to LittleRichard.InApril1961,SutcliffeleftandMcCartneyswitchedfromguitartobass.OnthelocalsceneintheirhometownofLiverpool,thegrouplandedalunchtimeresidencyataclubcalledtheCavern,wheretheywerediscoveredbyalocalrecordmerchantandentrepreneur,BrianEpstein,whobecametheirmanagerinDecember1961.

Epsteinhelpedpolishthegroup'sappearance,dressingthemindappercollarlessgraysuitsandmakingthemappearmorefriendlythanmenacing.AfterbeingrejectedbyDeccaRecordsfollowingaJanuary1962audition, theBeatles signedwithEMI-ParlophonethatApril,havingimpressedproducer GeorgeMartin.InAugust,RingoStarr（bornRichardStarkey）,who'dbeendrummingwithRoryStormandtheHurricanes,wasbroughtintoreplacePeteBest.Thegroup'sfirstsingle,"LoveMeDo/P.S.ILoveYou,"brieflydentedtheU.K.TopTwentyinOctober1962,buttheirnext45,"PleasePleaseMe,"formallyignitedBeatlemaniaintheirhomeland,reachingtheNumberTwospot.Itwasfollowedbyfourconsecutivechart-toppingBritishsingles,issuedthroughout1963:

"FromMetoYou,""SheLovesYou,""IWanttoHoldYourHand,""Can'tBuyMeLove."TheyconqueredtheU.K.,eveninducingaclassicalmusiccriticfromtheLondonSundayTimestodeclarethem"thegreatestcomposerssinceBeethoven."Thegroup'ssuccesswasbasedaroundtheLennon/McCartneysongwritingpartnership,Harrison'sguitar-playingprowess,andStarr'samiabledispositionandartfulsimplicityasadrummer.

TheBeatles'conquestofAmericaearlyin1964launchedtheBritishInvasion,asatorrentofrockandrollbandsfromBritainovertookthepopcharts.TheFabFour'sfirstNumberOnesingleintheU.S.was"IWanttoHoldYourHand,"releasedonCapitolRecords,EMI'sAmericancounterpart.Thisexuberanttrackwasfollowedby45moreTopFortyhitsoverthenexthalf-dozenyears.DuringtheweekofApril4,1964, theBeatles setarecordthatislikelynevertobebrokenwhentheyoccupiedallfiveofthetoppositionsonBillboard'sTopPopSingleschart,with"Can'tBuyMeLove"ensconcedatNumberOne.Theirpopularitysoaredstillfurtherwiththereleaseoftheirplayfullyanarchicdocumentaryfilm,AHardDay'sNight,inAugust1964.

Whenallwassaidanddone, theBeatles charted20NumberOnesinglesintheStates-anumberevengreaterthanrunner-up ElvisPresley's17chart-toppers.Forsuchfeatsofsalesandairplayalone, theBeatles canunassailablyberegardedasthetopgroupinrockandrollhistory.Yettheirsignificanceasabandextendsbeyondnumberstoencompasstheirinnovationsintherecordingstudio.TheBeatles'legacyasaconcertattraction,duringtheirharriedpassagefromnightclubstobaseballstadiums,isdistinguishedprimarilybythedeafeningscreamsoffemalefansovercomebythegroup'sveryappearance.Consequently, theBeatles begantoindulgetheircreativeenergiesinthestudio,layeringsoundsandcraftingsongsinawaynoonehadattemptedbefore.TheresultsincludedsuchmusicallyexpansiveandlyricallysophisticatedalbumsasRubberSoul（1965）andRevolver（1966）.Forvariousreasons,rangingfromsafetyconcernstofrustrationthatnoonecouldhearorwaslistening, theBeatles retiredfromtouringafteraSanFranciscoconcertonAugust29,1966.

Tenmonthslater,theyreleasedSgt.Pepper'sLonelyHeartsClubBand,analbumthathasalmostuniversallybeencitedasthecreativeapotheosisofrockandroll,awatershedeventinwhichrockbecame"seriousart"withoutlosingitssenseofhumor（orsenseoftheabsurd）.Realizingthebandmembers'collectiveambitionstookfourmonthsandallthetechnicalwilesofproducer GeorgeMartin.Acompletelyself-containedalbummeanttobeplayedandexperiencedfromstarttofinish,Sgt.Pepperbrokethemoldinthatnosingleswerereleasedfromit.Thealbum'sheadyartisticreachfurthercementedthenotionofaviablecountercultureinthemindsofyouthfuldropoutseverywhere.Anyonewhowasaliveinthesummerof1967canrememberthepleasantshockofhearingitandthereverberationsitsentoutwardintotheworldofrockandrollandbeyond.

InthewakeofSgt.Pepper, theBeatles begantosplinterinwaysthatwere,atfirst,subtlebutthatgraduallygrewmorepronounced.SubsequenteventsincludedthedeathofmanagerEpsteinduetoanoverdoseofsleepingpills;thereleaseoftheTVfilmMagicalMysteryTour,whichearned theBeatles someoftheirfirstnegativereviews;atriptoIndiatomeditatewithMaharishiMaheshYogi,aboutwhomLennonwrotethescabrousputdown"SexySadie";andthelaunchinginJanuary1968ofAppleCorps,Ltd.,adisastrouslymismanagedentertainmentempirethathelpedbringdown theBeatles amidatangledmazeofmoneymatters.

ThroughallthechaoticeventsofthelateSixties, theBeatles managedtoretaintheirintegrityandfocusasrecordingartists.ReleasedinAugust1968,thesingle"HeyJude"/"Revolution"becametheirmostpopularsingle.TheBeatles（1968）,adouble-LPpopularlyreferredtoas"theWhiteAlbum,"waslikeaprismthatfoundthegrouprefractingintofourindividualandhighlyestimabletalents.ThealbumandfilmLetItBe,recordedin1969butshelveduntil1970,essentiallydocumented theBeatles'dissolutionandbreakupamidinternalsquabblesandthepresenceof JohnLennon'snewmate,YokoOno.Yet theBeatles cametogetherandexitedonahighnote,unitinginthesummerof1969torecordtheirswansong,AbbeyRoad.

OnApril10,1970, PaulMcCartney announcedhisdeparturefrom theBeatles,andthegroupquietlycametoanend.ThroughouttheSeventies,fanshopedforaneventualreunion,whilethegroupmemberspursuedsolocareerswithvaryingdegreesofartisticandcommercialsuccess.Thosehopeswereforeverdashedbythemurderof JohnLennon inNewYorkCityonDecember8,1980.

July7,1940

RingoStarrwasborn.

October9,1940

JohnLennon isbornatOxfordStreetMaternityHospitalinLiverpool,England,toJuliaStanleyandAlfredLennon.

June18,1942

James PaulMcCartney isborninLiverpool,England.

February25,1943

GeorgeHarrison wasborn.

1956

Julia, JohnLennon'smother,boughthimhisfirstguitarthroughamailorderad.HisincessantplayingpromptsJohn'sAuntMimitosay,"Theguitar'sallverywellasahobby,John,butyou'llnevermakealivingoutofit."Johnformshisfirstgroup,theQuarrymen.

July6,1957

JohnLennon meets PaulMcCartney attheWooltonParishChurchinLiverpoolduringaperformancebyJohn'sgrouptheQuarrymen.ImpressedbyPaul'sabilitytotuneaguitarandbyhisknowledgeofsonglyrics,Johnaskshimtojointhegroup.

February1,1958

PaulMcCartney introduces GeorgeHarrison totheQuarrymenatabasementteenclubcalledtheMorgue.Georgejoinsthegroup.

August1,1960

TheBeatlesmaketheirdebutinHamburg,WestGermany,withStuSutcliffeonbassandPeteBestondrums.

January1,1961

TheBeatlesmaketheirdebutattheCavernClubinLiverpool.

November1,1961

LocalrecordstoremanagerBrianEpsteinisintroducedto theBeatles.Hesoonsignsacontracttomanagethem.

March7,1962

TheBeatlesmaketheirradiodebutperformingthreesongs,including RoyOrbison's"DreamBaby,"ontheBBC.

April10,1962

StuSutcliffediesofabrainhemorrhage.

June1,1962

TheBeatlesauditionfor GeorgeMartin atParlophone/EMIRecords.Heagreestosignthegroup,butinsiststhatPeteBestbereplaced.Withinmonths,Richard"Ringo"Starkeyjoinsthegroup.

SEPTEMBER4-11,1962

TheBeatlesrecordtheirfirstsessionsatEMIStudiosinLondon,with GeorgeMartin asproducer.

December1,1963

"IWanttoHoldYourHand," theBeatles'firstAmericansingle,isreleasedbyCapitolRecords.

January26,1964

IWantToHoldYourHand（TheBeatles）wasahit.

February7,1964

TheBeatlesarriveinAmerica

February9,1964

TheBeatlesmaketheirfirstappearanceon'TheEdSullivanShow'.

February11,1964

TheBeatlesbegintheirfirstU.S.tourattheColiseuminWashington,D.C.

March15,1964

SheLovesYou（