The Beatles
The Beatles The Beatles started out in the British city, Liverpool where
music was a way of life for many people. The Beatles were preceded by a John
Lennon fronted band called the Quarry men. The group invited a 15 year old boy
named Paul McCartney to see them perform a show. The then 16 year old John
Lennon took to McCartney, that’s when a unique and amazing song writing
partnership began. The Quarry Men ended up falling apart at the seams. John
Lennon and Paul McCartney kept in touch and eventually asked George Harrison to
join they’re group, tentatively named the Silver Beatles. The band talked a
friend of theirs, Stuart Sutcliff, into buying a bass guitar, and added Pete
Best on drums. They began getting recognition around Liverpool. That was around
that time that Brian Epstein heard them playing and proposed that he assume
position of their manager. The Beatles agreed and Epstein quickly arranged for
them to go to Hamburg, Germany to play the local music clubs. While in Germany
the band met Ringo Star, who later officially joined the band, taking over for
Pete Best. When the band was to return to England, Stuart decide that he wanted
to stay in Germany with the girl he had met and fallen in love with there. So
Paul picked up the bass guitar, they dropped the Silver from their name, and the
Fab Four, as we came to know them, was ready for success. The Beatles were now
ready to record their first album. Epstein introduced the band to the man
sometimes referred to as the 5th Beatle, George Martin. Martin went on to
produce all but one of the Beatles albums. Love me Do was their first record,
released in October 1962. It did jump into the British Top 20 briefly but never
really succeeded. It was the second song “Please Please me” released in early
1963 which made them #1.
The single topped the British charts for 30 weeks, an
unheard of feat in the UK music market. They’re second album is what really put
them over the top in terms of popularity. In 1963 with the release of “With the
Beatles“, the band found success in both the UK and US, with the single “I wanna
hold your hand“. In February the Band visited the US to play on the Ed Sullivan
show. Many people consider the Ed Sullivan show appearance to be the coming out
party for the Beatles especially in America. For many it was their first glimpse
of the fab four. There was much hype even before the broadcast. It was a time in
America when Elvis had lost his edge, Ricky Valines, and the Big Bopper were
killed, also the beloved president, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The
Beatles promised something new and fresh and had an attitude people liked.
Anthony Corbett, a noted English psychologist praised the Beatles as having
provided “a desperately needed release for the inhibitions that exist in all of
us”. Whatever it was, the Beatles had something the people needed because like
so many bands of today their success didn't end there. Next, the Beatles made
their first movie, “A Hard Days Night”. Followed by extensive touring, and
dominance of the billboard charts. Then their second movie “Help” was released
to sell out box offices across the world. Fredric Lewis of a London newspaper
examined the sociological implications of Beatle-Mania and said “they are
working class and their roots and their attitude are firmly in the north of
England. They are part of a strong-flowing reaction against the soft,
middleclass south of England, which has controlled popular culture for so long”
He added “Because of their success, they can act as spokesman for the new,
noisy, anti-establishment generation which is become a force in British life”.
One can assume then, that people were ready for a change. The Beatles were one
band that could offer change. With forthcoming albums ,such as “Revolver”,
“Rubber Soul”, and “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”, the Beatles proved
that change was a very good thing.
