The Beatles are the most popular band of all time. Possibly the most successful entertainers of the 20th century, they contributed to music, film, literature, art and fashion has had a continued impact on popular culture and lifestyle for several generations. Their songs and images carrying powerful ideas of love and peace, care and imagination evokes creativity and liberation that has exceeded the rusty Soviet propaganda and helped break down the walls in the minds of millions, making an impact on human history.
In July 1957, in Liverpool, Paul McCartney met John Lennon and joined his band, The Quarry Men. George Harrison joins them in February 1958. In 1959, they played shows regularly at a club called The Casbah. They were joined by vocalist Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Peter Best, whose mother is Casbah Club. In the early incarnations of the band The Quarrymen, Johnny and the Dogs of Moon and Silver Beetles. John Lennon imagined final name of the group, The Beatles, a mixture of Beat the beetle. In 1960 The Beatles on tour in Hamburg, Germany. Here they were hired by singer Tony Sheridan as a backing band for his recordings for the German label Universal Music. During the year 1961, they have played regular gigs at the Cavern Club and has been looking for a new manager. For members of the Beatles mutual decision, "the name of their first manager, Allan Williams, had been replaced.
Brian Epstein was invited to be the manager of the Beatles in November 1961. His diplomatic way of dealing with the Beatles and with their previous manager resulted in a December 10, 1961, meeting, where it was decided that Epstein would manage the band. A 5-year management contract was signed by four members at then-drummer Pete Best's home on January 24, 1962. Epstein did not put his signature on it, giving the musicians the freedom of choice. At that time McCartney and Harrison were under 21, so the paper wasn't technically legal. None of them realized this and it did not matter to them. What mattered was their genuine trust in Epstein. He changed their early image for the good. Brian Epstein made them wear suits and ties, classic shoes, and newer haircuts. They were advised to update their manners on stage and quit eating and drinking in public. Brian Epstein worked hard on both the Beatles' image and public relations. He improved their image enough to make them accepted by the conservative media of their time. Most if not all of their communication off-stage was managed by Brian Epstein.
In May 1962, Epstein Group canceled the contract with Tony Sheridan and the German label. During 1962, Brian Epstein has persisted in trying to sign a recording of the Beatles, even after being rejected by every major record companies in the United Kingdom and Colombia, Philips, Decca and Pye Oriole. Epstein uploaded a demo tape to disc with HMV engineer Jim Foy, who liked the song and referred Intercom George Martin. On June 6, 1962 at Abbey Road Studios, Martin goes best audience, except for Pete. George Martin liked, but recommended the amendment of a drummer. Asked by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, Best Pete Epstein fired. After a mutual decision of the band was completed with drummer called Ringo Starr, who became the fourth Beatle due. In September 1962, the Beatles recorded their first hit Love Me Do, which charted on the UK and topped the U.S. single in 1964.
In early performances the Beatles included popular songs from the 40s and 50s. They played rock-n-roll and R&B-based pop songs while they gradually worked on developing a style of their own. Their mixture of rock-n-roll, skiffle, blues, country, soul, and a simplified version of 1930s jazz resulted in several multi-genre and cross-style sounding songs. They admitted their interest in the music of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Little Richard and other entertainers of the 40s, 50s and early 60s. Beatles' distinctive vocals were sometimes reminiscent of the Everly Brothers' tight harmonies. By 1965 their style absorbed ethnic music influences from India and other Oriental cultures, and later expanded into psychedelic experiments and classical-sounding compositions. Their creative search covered a range of styles from jazz and rock to a cosmopolitan cross-cultural and cross-genre compositions.
They played a wide range of musical instruments. Original Beatles guitar and drums. During their careers each member is a multi-instrumentalist. George Harrison played the guitar and also introduced such exotic instruments as the ukulele, sitar, Indian flutes, tabla, darbuka drums and tambura. John Lennon played a number of guitars, keyboards, harmonica and horns. Paul McCartney plays bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitar, piano and keyboards, and more than 40 other musical instruments. The Beatles were the first group People who used a classic string and keyboard instruments, their producer, George Martin marked baroque orchestration of several songs, like yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, in my life, and a full orchestra in Sgt. Pepper. John Lennon and Paul McCartney played piano in several of their songs. Their blocking on a piano and led to the creation of their best-selling hit I Want to Hold Your Hand "in 1963.
Their 1963 performance at the London Palladium made them famous in Great Britain and initiated the Beatlemania in the UK. At first the Beatles were rejected by Dick Clark after testing a recording of their song on his show. Then Brian Epstein approached Ed Sullivan, who discussed them with Walter Cronkite after seeing them on his CBS Evening News in 1963. Brian Epstein also managed to get their music played by influential radio stations in Washington and New York. The US consumer reaction was peaking, a single 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was released in December 1963 by the Capitol Records. Their sensational tour in the USA began with three TV shows at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, in February of 1964. After that The Beatles endured several years of extremely intensive recording, filming, and touring. They stopped public performances after 1966, but continued their recording contracts. By 1985 The Beatles had sold over one billion records. Music became their ticket to ride around the world. Beatlemania never really ended since its initiation. It still lives as a movable feast in many hearts and minds, as a sweet memory of youth, when all you need is love and a little help from a friend to be happy.
The Beatles' first two feature films, A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help (1965), were made in collaboration with an American director, Richard Lester. Their humorous, ironic, and farcical film performances are reminiscent of the Marx Brothers' comedies. Later The Beatles moved into the area of psychedelic innovations with the animated film Yellow Submarine (1966). Their surrealistic TV movie The Magical Mystery Tour (1967) became the cause for the first major criticism of their work in the British press. Their film music was also released as studio albums. Original music by The Beatles as well as re-makes of their songs has been also used, often uncredited, in music scores of feature films and documentaries. Some of The Beatles concert and studio performances were filmed on several occasions and were later edited and released after the band's dissolution. In 1999 the remastered and remixed film The Beatles Yellow Submarine Adventure (2000) delighted a younger audience with incredible animation and songs.
All four members were charismatic and individually talented artists, they sparked each other from the beginning. Eventually they made a much better group effort under the thorough management by Brian Epstein. His coaching helped consolidate their talents and mutual stimulation into beautiful teamwork. Paul McCartney had the privilege of a better musical education, having studied classical piano and guitar in his childhood. He progressed as a lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, as well as a singer-songwriter. McCartney wrote more songs for the Beatles than other members of the band. His songs Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, Blackbird, When I'm 64, Let It Be are among the Beatles' best hits. Yesterday is considered the most-covered song in history with over three thousand versions of it recorded by various artists. McCartney accepted the agreement that was offered by John Lennon in 1957, about the 50/50 authorship of every song written by either one of them. Most of The Beatles' songs are formally credited to both names, regardless of the fact that many of the songs were written individually.
June 25, 1967, made the history of the Beatles will be the premier global broadcast on television to 400 million people worldwide. The Beatles were a segment of the first satellite link in the world and their new song "All You Need Is Love" was broadcast live during the show. Two months later, the Beatles have lost their creative manager Brian Epstein, whose talent for solving problems was unparalleled. "That was the beginning of the end", said John Lennon. The development of individual creativity and musicianship of the members also led to individual career goals.
John Lennon was experimenting with psychedelic poetry and art. His creativity was very unique and innovative. Lennon wrote Come Together, Girl, Revolution, Strawberry Fields and many other Beatles' hits. An out-of-context reprinting of Lennon's remarks on the Beatlemania phenomenon caused problems in the media. His comparison of Beatles' popularity to that of Jesus Christ was used to attack them publicly, causing cancellations of their performances and even burning of their records. Lennon had to apologize several times in press and on TV, including at a Chicago press conference. In 1967 John Lennon met Japanese artist Yoko Ono, whom he later married. George Harrison was the lead guitar player and also took sitar lessons from Ravi Shankar. Harrison had his own inner light of creativity and spirituality, he wrote Something, Taxman, I me mine, and other hits. Ringo Starr sang 'Yellow Submarine' and a few other songs. He has made a film career and also toured with his All Stars Band and released several solo albums. His 1973 release "Ringo" was the last album to feature all four living Beatles, although not on the same song.
Beatles created over 240 songs, they recorded many singles and albums, made films and TV shows. Thousands of memorable pictures popularized their image. In their evolution from beginners to the leaders of entertainment, they learned from many world cultures, absorbed from various styles, and created their own. Their cross-style compositions covered a range of influences from English folk ballads to Indian raga; absorbing from Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Elvis Presley, Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and others. The songwriting and performing talents of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, fused in the Beatles' music. Lennon and McCartney initiated changes in music publishing industry by breaking the Tin Pan Alley monopoly of songwriting. Their legacy became possible due to highly professional work by Brian Epstein and George Martin. In 1994 three surviving members reunited and produced Lennon's previously unknown song 'Free as a Bird'. It was preserved by Yoko Ono on a tape recording made by Lennon in 1977. The song was re-arranged and re-mixed with the voices of three surviving members. The Beatles Anthology TV documentary was watched by 420 million people in 1995.
Beatles represents the collective consciousness for generations. Millions of viewers and listeners around the world was conditioned to sounds and images of the Beatles. Their influence in the modern world has never stopped. The numbers may show only the tip of the iceberg (record sales, awards shows, hit, etc..) Since the image makers and role models have gone in the cross-lifestyles and businesses that affect the behavior customers' consumption and how the entertainment industry, going all the pleasures of life. A wonderful combination of music and lyrics of their songs influence the minds of many messages as doing: giving peace a chance and if you work out. The most powerful message of political control, he broke the allegation and the Third World and regulations and make many millions for free.
The Beatles made impact on the history of mankind, as its influence has been liberating for generations of nowhere men living in poverty beyond the Iron Curtain. Something in their songs and images appealed to all those who wanted to be free as a bird. His songs carry powerful ideas of true love, peace, health and imagination evoked creativity surpassed the rusty Soviet propaganda and contributed to breaking chains and walls in the minds of millions. The Beatles are in beautiful and liberating words of love, happiness, freedom and revolution, and carried messages from people around the world. His songs, pictures and helped many people loving freedom come together for revolutions in Prague and Warsaw, Bucharest and Beijing, Berlin and Moscow. The Beatles has been a source of inspiration for those who take the long and winding road to freedom.
Even after the Beatles had gone, the individual members continued to spread their message; from the concert for Bangladesh by George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1971, to 2003 "Back in USSR" concert by Paul McCartney on the Red Square in Moscow, and his 2004 show near the Tsar's Winter Palace in St. Petersburg where the Communist Revolution took place, just imagine.
In 2005 the Entertainment magazine poll named the Beatles the most iconic entertainers of the 20th Century. In July of 2006, the guitar on which Paul McCartney played his first chords and impressed John Lennon, was sold at an auction for over $600,000.
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