There have been many bands that could be called “historic.” Many that have made their mark on the world of music. Few, however, have done so to such an extent and in so short a time as The Beatles. Their time together was relatively short compared to many other greats, but they became one of the most influential bands in rock and roll history. The Four Lads from Liverpool took the world by storm in the 1960s—first England, then the United States, and finally the rest of the world.

1957–1962, Becoming The Beatles

The Beatles consisted of John Lennon on guitars, vocals, harmonica, piano, and occasional bass; Paul McCartney on bass, guitar, piano, and vocals; George Harrison on guitars and vocals; and Ringo Starr on drums and occasional vocals. Except for Starr, The Beatles met in Liverpool, England, when they were still in high school. Lennon had started a band called the Quarrymen. McCartney began playing with them in 1957, when he was 15 and Lennon was 16. A year later, Harrison, then 15, joined them. They played together with whatever drummer they could find. At the beginning of 1960, Stuart Sutcliffe, Lennon’s friend from Art School, joined them on bass, although he was more of a painter than a musician. They went variously by the names Johnny and the Moondogs, the Silver Beatles, the Silver Beats, and the Beetals. They finally settled on “The Beatles” in the middle of 1960.

In August 1960, they obtained a regular booking in the red-light district of Hamburg, Germany, but they still had no drummer. They auditioned and hired Pete Best for drums just before they left for Germany, where they played for several months. Over the next couple of years, The Beatles would split their time between Liverpool and Hamburg. At the end of their final stint in Hamburg, Sutcliffe left the band, staying behind with his fiancée, Ingrid Kirchherr, leaving McCartney to take over the bass duties. While in Hamburg the second time, they had backed up and recorded with Tony Sheridan. From these sessions, they released the single, “My Bonnie,” in October 1961 in Germany and in January 1962 in Britain. Released under the name, Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, it made it to Number 5 on the German Hit Parade charts.

Perhaps two of the most important pieces of The Beatles history were not band members, but were Brian Epstein and George Martin. The Beatles met Epstein in Liverpool in 1961. He recognized the group’s potential and tried to convince them to make him their manager, which they did in January 1962. What the world came to know as The Beatles—the band that swept England and America—was largely Epstein’s creation. He convinced them to lose their beatnik, leather-and-jeans image and wear suits and ties. He formed them into a cohesive quartet that would appeal to the masses. Epstein got better gigs for the band that paid more and gave them better visibility. Epstein also worked hard to get them a record contract. Enter George Martin–record producer.

Martin signed them to Parlophone, a very small EMI label. Martin produced The Beatles in a way that focused their creativity and did not put them in a box. It was common practice to force new bands to record covers of other artists and songs written by professional songwriters. Following this pattern, Martin was initially reluctant to release original McCartney-Lennon songs, thinking that their songs were of lower lyrical quality. Martin was more than just a record producer. He was also a musician and composer, and he helped the band to develop its original materials into recordings that would have mass appeal. He worked with the band members to improve their arrangements and instrumentation. He played piano on some of their recordings and arranged orchestral and horn additions. For their first single, “Please Please Me,” Martin convinced them to speed up the tempo to what had been a slower ballad.

When they began working with Martin, he insisted on replacing Best as the drummer during recording sessions (though not in the band on stage), wanting to use an experienced studio drummer. This was common practice for studio work at that time. Fearing that they may lose the recording contract, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison asked Epstein to fire Best. During the two years that he had been with them, Best had always been somewhat isolated from the other band members. He did not even show up for the band’s photo session with Sutcliff’s girlfriend, Kirchherr, in Hamburg during their first visit. Epstein was reluctant to fire Best and change the makeup of the band that he had worked hard to build. Nevertheless, he did fire Best in August 1962. The firing upset many fans, because Best was one of the most popular members of the group.

While in Hamburg, The Beatles had met Richard Starkey, who used the stage name Ringo Starr. Starr had been playing for another band out of Liverpool, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He had occasionally sat in with The Beatles while in Hamburg, even recording with them once. He joined The Beatles soon after they fired Best, sitting in on his first recording session in early September 1962. Starr was the last piece of The Beatles magic. Yet, Martin was still not satisfied, and for their second session, they used a studio drummer, with Starr playing tambourine on one cut. Starr feared that they would fire him as well, but by November, Starr was an accepted member of the band and enjoyed his own popularity with the fans.

1963, Beatlemania Takes Britain

Then the hits started coming. The single, “Love Me Do,” was released in Britain in October 1962 and in America in 1964. It peaked at Number 17 in Britain. It went to Number 1 in America when it was released there later. The single, “Please Please Me,” was released in Britain in January 1963 and went to Number 1. This was their first single released in America. It was offered first to Capitol Records, EMI’s U.S. label, but they refused it. Atlantic Records also rejected it. Finally, it was released by Vee-Jay Records in February 1963. It did little on the American charts until it was re-released a year later with “From Me to You” on the B-side. It then reached Number 3.

Because of the fast growing popularity of the single, “Please Please Me,” the label was in a hurry for the band to produce an LP. Martin arranged a recording session for the band at EMI’s Abbey Road Studio for February 11, 1963. He had wanted to capture the band’s live experience by recording them before their home crowd at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. However, the logistics would have taken too long, so he settled on two recording sessions of three hours each, although they ended up using three sessions that day. Martin wanted their live sound, so there were almost no overdubs or edits. Martin added piano to “Misery” and celesta to “Baby It’s You,” and studio drummer Andy White played drums only on “Love Me Do.” Some songs, such as “Twist and Shout,” were done in only one take. Eight of the 14 songs were credited to Lennon-McCartney. The album, Please Please Me, was released in Britain in March 1963. It went straight to the top of the UK charts, staying there for 30 weeks.

The song, “From Me to You,” was recorded at Abbey Road in March 1963, and it featured Lennon’s brilliant harmonica playing. It was released in Britain in April and reached the top of the British charts. Because EMI’s American label, Capitol Records, was not interested in The Beatles, the single was released in America by Vee-Jay Records in May 1963. It failed to catch on in America, just as “Please Please Me” had failed previously. Del Shannon released a cover of the song in June on BigTop Records, which did reach the charts. However, even with Vee-Jay advertising The Beatles’ version as “The Original Hit,” the best it did was 116 on the Billboard Top 100 (what they called their “Bubbling Under” chart). When Vee-Jay re-released both “Please Please Me” and “From Me to You” together as a single in January 1964, the latter finally charted at Number 41.

In July, the band entered the studio to record the song, “She Loves You,” less than a week after Lennon and McCartney had written it. Anticipation for Beatles songs was so great in Britain that thousands of people had pre-ordered the next single release, even before a song title had been announced. By the time it was released in August, half a million copies had been pre-ordered. It immediately entered the charts, reaching Number 1 and staying in the top three for 18 weeks. In America, Vee-Jay Records was undergoing serious financial problems. It had failed to pay royalties to EMI on time and lost its rights to further Beatles records in America. Capitol Records still did not want the band, so EMI signed a one-single contract with Swan Records to release “She Loves You.” It sold only about a thousand copies in the United States, although it did chart better later, after Beatlemania had fully arrived in America.

Only four months after their first album release, The Beatles went back into the studio to record their next album. This recording session was not as rushed as the previous session; it took place over three months, from July to October. Between these recording sessions, The Beatles were doing many live performances and TV shows. One of these sessions marked the first recording of the group on a four-track stereo system. With the Beatles was released in Britain in November 1963, their second album released that year. It featured 14 songs, which was standard for a British record—six covers and eight original Lennon-McCartney songs. It also featured the first of their songs composed by George Harrison—“Don’t Bother Me,” and five songs with Harrison on lead vocals. The cover was a black and white photograph of the band members’ faces on a black background, with half of each member’s face darkened by shadow, which was taken by Robert Freeman, a well-known fashion photographer. In the sleeve notes, The Beatle’s press officer, Tony Barrow, referred to the band as “the fabulous foursome.” It was from this reference that the media and fans began to refer to the group as “The Fab Four.” With the Beatles was only the second album in British history to sell more than a million copies. The album stayed at the top of the British album charts for 21 weeks, knocking off their own Please Please Me. With these two albums, The Beatles topped the British album chart for 51 consecutive weeks–one week short of a year.

In October 1963, The Beatles went on a five-day tour of Sweden, the first time they had played internationally since Hamburg. When they returned to England, hundreds of screaming fans greated them in the rain at the airport, as well as a large crowd of journalists and photographers. Beatlemania in Britain had begun. They immediately began their fourth tour of Britain in nine months. When The Beatles left England for America in February 1964, about 4,000 screaming fans sent them on their way.

1964, Beatlemania Takes America

In December 1963, the single, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was released in Britain, reaching the top of the British charts. Before Capitol could release it in America, a radio DJ in Washington, D.C., at the request of a young fan, obtained a British copy to play and it became a hit on his station. Soon, several other DJs elsewhere in the country were playing it as well. Capitol had planned to release it as a single in January 1964. Capitol actually threatened the DJs with a court order to stop playing the song on the radio. The label finally came to its senses and released its single two weeks early. This song marked the beginning of Beatlemania in America. In New York City alone, 10,000 copies an hour were being sold during the first few days. Capitol was forced to farm out some of the record pressing to other companies in order to meet the demand. The single sold close to 5 million copies in the United States, staying on top of the charts for seven weeks.

In America, Vee-Jay Records had considered releasing Please Please Me, which it had the rights to, in its original U.K. version soon after its British released at the beginning of the year 1963. However, American albums usually contained only 12 songs. Because two of the songs had not done well as singles in America, they decided to remove both the title track and the song, “Ask Me Why,” from the recording and release the remaining 12 songs as Introducing…The Beatles. Vee-Jay’s ongoing financial problems, however, led to considerable confusion regarding the first Beatles album release in America. Vee-Jay cancelled its initial release of this album in the summer of 1963. However, EMI compelled Capitol Records to get on board with The Beatles. To this end, Capitol Records began a huge advertising campaign at the end of 1963 for the album, Meet The Beatles, the American version of With The Beatles, which they were to release in January 1964.

Vee-Jay Records decided that it could use that publicity to make some money from the music for which it owned the rights and it went ahead with the pressing of Introducing…The Beatles. Vee-Jay had covers already printed, but had to use whatever it could find for the album back, using three different backs. They released the album on January 11, 1964. However, they were quickly hit with a restraining order from Capitol Records, because Vee-Jay did not have the U.S. rights to “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.” Vee-Jay then removed those two songs and returned “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why” to the album. The second version of Introducing…The Beatles was in stores on February 10. The fans were confused; even record stores were confused. Essentially, Capitol’s Meet The Beatles and two versions of Vee-Jay’s Introducing…The Beatles were released at the same time and went to the charts at the same time. Vee-Jay’s second version reached Number 2 and stayed there for nine weeks, right behind the Capitol Records release.

Capitol Records released Meet The Beatles on January 20, 1964, officially becoming the second Beatles album released in America, although the album cover declared that it was the first. Meet The Beatles was not the same record as the British With The Beatles. In Britain, singles and albums were released separately, with singles often not appearing on albums. In America, Capitol recognized that singles were released to publicize the album on which they appeared. Therefore, Capitol put the single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" on Meet The Beatles, as well as its American B-side, "I Saw Her Standing There" (from Please Please Me), and its British B-side, "This Boy." The remaining nine songs were the eight original Lennon-McCartney songs from With The Beatles and the cover song, “Till There Was You.” The album reached Number 1 on the charts and stayed there for 11 weeks.

The Beatles landed at JFK Airport in New York City on February 7, 1964, kicking off what was to be called “The British Invasion,” which soon included many other British bands. Just as the fans in London had sent them off, about 3,000 fans in America welcomed them at the airport. The Beatles made their first appearance on American television on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9 in New York City. It was estimated that this performance was watched by approximately 34 percent of the American population, and 60 percent of America’s televisions were tuned in. The next day, in Washington, D.C., they performed their first American concert, followed the next day by two shows back in New York at Carnegie Hall. They returned to the Ed Sullivan Show for a second appearance on the 16th, this time at a hotel ballroom in Miami, Florida. Even more of the American television audience tuned in for this show. The Beatles’ final Ed Sullivan Show appearance was shown one week later, but it was actually filmed before their first live performance on the 9th. They returned to England on February 22 to an even larger crowd.

The Beatles recorded “Can’t Buy Me Love” in Paris in January 1964, with some overdubs added at Abbey Road. It was released at the end of March and became The Beatles’ fourth Number 1 single in Britain. In America, it quickly went to the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, becoming their third consecutive Number 1 single. It also set a Billboard record that no band has ever come close to since that time. The Beatles’ hits, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Twist and Shout,” "She Loves You,” "I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and "Please Please Me," held the top five spots on the chart at one time.

In May 1964, another single was released. This was from another of their recording sessions with Sheridan, although this particular song was performed only by The Beatles, with Pete Best on drums. This single was released on the British Polydor label and reached Number 29 on the British charts. Anyone who could, wanted to get on the bandwagon. Polydor also released an album under the title Ain’t She Sweet, which had the single and three other songs from the Hamburg recording sessions. It was filled out with another British band singing Beatles songs.

1964, A Hard Day’s Night

Because Capitol Records had dragged its feet, rival United Artists Records had the brilliant idea to use its film division to capitalize on Beatlemania. Because EMI’s contract with the group did not cover movie soundtracks, United Artists offered the Fab Four a three-movie contract. In March and April 1964, The Beatles filmed the movie, A Hard Day’s Night, in which they played themselves in a satirical documentary of the band. It premiered in London in July 1964 and many have cited it as one of the most influential music movies in history. The soundtrack release coincided with the movie. The British version, on the EMI Parlophone label, was not strictly a soundtrack. Only one side of the album, A Hard Day’s Night, contained songs from the movie, although the songs on the second side were also written for it.

A Hard Day’s Night was the first Beatles album to be entirely The Beatles. All tracks were written by Lennon-McCartney; there were no covers. All songs were sung by Lennon and McCartney, as well, except “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You,” which had Harrison on lead vocals. It was the first of their albums recorded entirely on a four-track system, enabling better stereo mixes. Remember that, during this time, stereo was just evolving and most music was released in mono. This album also introduced the public to what has been called The Beatles’ secret weapon—Harrison’s new Rickenbacker 12-string guitar. Harrison received the guitar while in New York as a gift from the president of Rickenbacker guitars, based in California. It was the second one to be built after the prototype, and it had a beautiful, totally unique sound. The sound helped to define The Beatles even more and set them further apart from other bands. The sound marked the opening chord of the title track and the first song heard in the movie.

The film was to be released in America in August, but United Artists rushed the release of the American version of the soundtrack for June. A true soundtrack, the American version contained all of the songs from the movie, plus the song, “I’ll Cry Instead,” which did not make the final movie edit. It did not contain the other songs that appeared on the British version. Instead, it contained some of the orchestral arrangements of the songs that Martin made for the movie. The album was actually credited to “The Beatles and George Martin.” Releasing the soundtrack early paid off. The album sold over 1 million copies in the first four days. It spent 14 weeks at the top of the charts in America, the longest run of any album that year.

Singles from A Hard Day’s Night included "A Hard Day's Night," with "Things We Said Today" on the B-side in Britain and “I Should Have Known Better” in America. For a few weeks, the album and the title single held the Number 1 positions on their respective charts in both Britain and America, another first. Other singles from the soundtrack released in America included "And I Love Her," with "If I Fell," reaching Number 12 on Billboard, and "I'll Cry Instead," with "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You," reaching Number 25. At one point that year, The Beatles held 12 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Coinciding with the movie release, they launched an international tour that included 37 shows in 27 days in Denmark, Holland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia. In August, they returned to America to perform 30 concerts in 23 cities. They did TV and radio appearances wherever they went, and their popularity was unequaled. In some cities, they drew 10 to 20 thousand fans to concerts that lasted only 30 minutes.

The single, “I Feel Fine,” was released in November 1964. It featured what was probably the first use of amplified feedback in rock and roll. When recording the song, Lennon had placed his acoustic/electric guitar against the amplifier when he finished the take. The feedback that it created went onto the tape and, as soon as they heard it, they knew that they wanted to use it. It gives the song a very distinct opening. The single went to Number 1 in both Britain and America. Two music videos were filmed with the song.

1965, Help!

At the end of 1964, The Beatles released the album, Beatles for Sale, in the United Kingdom, their fourth album in less than two years. The band had spent many months touring and providing a huge number of concerts before screaming crowds. They were mobbed everywhere they went and they seemed to be showing the wear. They recorded the album during whatever breaks they could get from performances in England with songwriting done in the studio. They had little new material, so six of the songs on the album were covers of other artists. The album reached Number 1 in Britain, knocking off A Hard Day’s Night. The corresponding Capitol Records release in America was titled Beatles ’65, and it included eight of the 14 songs that were on Beatles for Sale. It added one song from A Hard Day’s Night and the single, “I Feel Fine,” with its B-side, “She’s a Woman,” for 11 songs in total. It was a hit in America, jumping from Number 98 to Number 1 in one week, the biggest jump in Billboard history.

In July 1965, the group’s second film, Help! was released. Produced and released by United Artists, the film was shot in England, Austria, and the Bahamas. The Beatles later said that they felt like extras in their own movie. The Beatles had met Bob Dylan when in New York and he introduced them to marijuana. They were smoking a lot of it, later saying that they shot this movie in a haze of dope. The song “Help!” was also released as a single, reaching the Number 1 spot in Britain and America. The soundtrack albums in each country were again different releases. The British version had the seven songs from the movie, as well as some songs written for the movie, but not used. It included two songs written and sung by Harrison—“I Need You” and “You Like Me Too Much.” There were two cover songs on the album, including the first song on an album sung by Starr, “Act Naturally.” This album, as expected, went to the top of the British charts.

Capitol Records finally came to its senses and signed on as the exclusive label for The Beatles in the United States, including soundtracks. United Artists produced the movie, but Capitol released the soundtrack. It contained the songs from the movie and orchestral arrangements by Martin and Ken Thorne. The soundtrack album was credited to “The Beatles and Ken Thorne.” It held the Number 1 spot in America for nine weeks. The single, “Ticket to Ride,” had been released in April 1965, before the movie, making it to Number 1 in both countries. The label on the American single said that it was a song from the new United Artists film, Eight Arms to Hold You, which was the original title of the film. The film title had been changed after the single’s release. “Ticket to Ride” was included on both soundtrack albums. It reached Number 1. The single “Help!” was released at the same time as the movie, naturally, going to Number 1 in both countries.

Also in July 1965, a month before Capitol Records released Help! the soundtrack, they released Beatles VI, the sixth musical Beatles album released by Capitol, but the ninth released in America. It contained the first two tracks by The Beatles that were specifically recorded for North America—the two covers, “Bad Boy” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.” The latter of these two was also included on the British Help! soundtrack. Beatles VI also included two other songs from the British soundtrack and the remaining songs from Beatles for Sale that had not been included on Beatles ’65. It topped the American charts for six weeks.

The Beatles toured North America again in late summer, 1965, playing concert halls and stadiums. They played 16 shows in 10 cities, cutting back from the extreme schedule of their first tour. The first show of this tour took place on August 15 at Shea Stadium in New York City. Outdoor concerts were not common, but they needed the stadium to hold the crowd. More than 55,000 fans attended, producing the greatest gross income for any show business event up to that time. The band played in the middle of the field with no one permitted to leave the stands. The band arrived at the stage in an armored truck. The noise was so loud, it is doubtful that any fans actually heard the music. Ed Sullivan Productions documented the concert.

Rubber Soul was The Beatles’ sixth studio album and was released in December 1965. They recorded it quickly to try to get it out for the Christmas market. The Beatles were able to dedicate ample time to this recording, rather than trying to fit it in between appearances. This was a different album for The Beatles. It included only original material. In addition to the Lennon-McCartney team, it included two songs written and sung by Harrison and the first song partially credited to Starr. The band would never record a cover song again. The album was more folk rock, less pop rock. It had more soul and was more introspective. Love songs were darker. The Beatles were beginning to show more of themselves in their writing, maybe saying a little more of what they wanted to say and a little less of what the label wanted to sell. It marked the first use of an Indian sitar in Western popular music, when Harrison played it on “Norwegian Wood.” Many have referred to Rubber Soul as one of the greatest albums ever. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it Number 5 in its “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” The album went to Number 1 and stayed on the charts for 42 weeks. Twenty years later, in 1987, it actually returned to the charts for three weeks, and it returned again in 2007.

“Yesterday” was never released as a single in Britain. The song was a bit controversial with the band because it was not truly The Beatles, but was a McCartney solo piece. At that time, the Beatles did not want a band member to release solo music when he was part of the band. Capitol Records in America, however, was a little less controlled by what the band wanted. They released “Yesterday” with Starr’s “Act Naturally” on the B-side in September 1965. It held the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 for four weeks. The band also released a double A-sided single before Christmas of 1965—“Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out”—in both America and Britain. The Beatles recorded these songs during the Rubber Soul sessions, but did not include them on the album. “Day Tripper” reached Number 1 in Britain and Number 5 in America. “We Can Work It Out” reached Number 1 in both countries.

1966, Touring and Opposition

The year 1966 was a year of slowing down for the band. Beatlemania, although past its peak, was still strong; however, the Fab Four seemed weary of it. In April, the single, “Paperback Writer,” was released in Britain and America. This song featured the incredible thick sound of McCartney on his Rickenbacker bass played through his amplifier and into a loudspeaker as a microphone. The cover of the British version was the controversial butcher photograph of the lads that would later make its appearance on a Capitol Records release. The American cover showed a collage of the four musicians with the photos of Harrison and Lennon reversed, making it appear that they all played left handed. This single went to Number 1 everywhere.

Yesterday and Today was released in June 1966. It was a compilation album on Capitol for the U.S. market. It contained tracks from Help! and Rubber Soul that had not been previously released in America, as well as two songs from their next British album that had not yet been released. The track list was completed with the singles “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out.” It was initially released with the aforementioned, tasteless cover photo of the lads wearing butcher’s smocks with raw meat and parts of baby dolls. Apparently, the band—at least Lennon and McCartney—thought it was a bold statement, although one wonders how they could have thought it would appeal to audiences. Upon great public outcry, copies already released were pasted over with a different cover photograph and later copies had the new cover. The album went to Number 1 and stayed there for five weeks.

After this release, The Beatles toured Southeast Asia. In Japan they were protested because their concerts were held in Budokans, places normally reserved only for martial arts. In the Philippines, they experienced the opposite of Beatlemania, when they innocently declined an invitation from Imelda Marcos, the wife of the president. Marcos was outraged at the snub, and when it was announced on television, the band’s police security disappeared. They literally had to fight their way to the airport and onto a plane, vowing never to visit there again. Soon after returning home, something Lennon had said several months before in an interview was causing an uproar in America, where it had just been made public. Lennon had declared that Christianity would vanish and that The Beatles “were more popular than Jesus now.” Anti-Beatles sentiment arose not only in America, but also in Spain, Mexico, and South Africa. In many places, their records were banned, and in some places, they were burned. This occurred just before The Beatles were to start their next U.S. tour and Epstein considered cancelling it. After Epstein flew to New York to try to smooth things out, he decided to move ahead with the planned concert schedule.

They started their U.S. tour in Chicago in August 1966. While in Chicago, Epstein held a press conference to make another attempt to alleviate the tensions. Lennon did his best to explain himself and apologize. In Memphis, the only southern city on the tour, the KKK had nailed a Beatles album to a cross and burned it. The city council had cancelled both the afternoon and evening concerts, but Epstein eventually decided to go ahead with them anyway. The afternoon concert was without incident; however, during the evening concert, someone threw a lit firecracker on the stage and the band thought it was a gunshot. The final concert on the U.S. tour was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29, 1966. This concert not only marked the end of The Beatles’ U.S. tour, it ended up being the last scheduled concert that they would ever play. After escaping the Philippines, Lennon commented that the days of risking their lives for a stadium filled with screaming teenagers were over. Harrison told Epstein that he was leaving the band, but he decided to stay if there would be no more touring.

Revolver was released in Britain and America during the first week of August 1966, just as they were beginning their U.S. tour. Like Rubber Soul, it was another step down a different path than the band had taken during their earlier years. It was more radical musically, and it experimented with different styles and recording techniques that could not have be duplicated in a live concert. These techniques included Lennon’s backward-masked guitar work and processed vocals on “I’m Only Sleeping” and “Tomorrow Never Knows,” the latter being a true venture into psychedelic rock. Harrison had three original compositions on the album, including “Love You Too,” which featured Harrison on most instruments, backed by classical Indian musicians. This was one of the most significant Beatles albums. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it Number 3 on its 500 Greatest Albums list. Capitol Records had already used three of the album’s songs for their Yesterday and Today release, so they just removed them from the U.S. version, leaving 11 songs. Both albums easily reached the top of their respective charts.

Released at the same time as Revolver was the single, “Eleanor Rigby,” with “Yellow Submarine” on the B-side. Both songs were from Revolver and reached Number 1 in Britain. “Eleanor Rigby” reached only Number 11 in America and “Yellow Submarine” reached Number 2. Even though The Beatles had only been releasing music for a little more than three years, Parlophone released A Collection of Beatles Oldies for the 1966 Christmas season. Except for one new cover, this album contained previously released songs, although some had been released only as singles in Britain. It reached Number 7 in Britain. It was not released in America. In February 1967, “Strawberry Fields Forever” was released as a single, reaching Number 2 in Britain and Number 8 in America. Its B-side, “Penny Lane,” reached Number 2 in Britain and Number 1 in America.

1967, The End of the Road

Having abandoned the rigors and restrictions of touring, The Beatles applied their creative abilities to the art of recording. Revolver had been recorded before their final tour. The Japanese protests, the Philippine incident, and the intense atmosphere that marked their U.S. tour had affected the band. They realized that their music was no longer about the music. During most of their concerts in America, no one could even hear the music. According to one Abbey Road engineer, Lennon made the comment: "We're fed up with making soft music for soft people, and we're fed up with playing for them, too." Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was not just a new album by The Beatles; it was a new concept. It was not a collection of songs; it was one album, one recording, a single piece of art. They even removed the gaps between songs on the album. Having applied many new techniques to Revolver, they went even further with Sgt. Pepper’s. The Beatles did not perform any songs from Revolver on their final tour, even though it had just been released. Its recording was just too complex to recreate on stage with only four band members. The Beatles were heavily influenced by the Beach Boys’ recent album Pet Sounds, and they wanted to equal it somehow. Sgt. Pepper’s also marked the final end of the unified mop-top image. It was released in June 1967 and went to Number 1. It was also named the Number 1 album of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine.

In July 1967, “Our World”—the world’s first live, international television special broadcast via satellite around the world—was organized by the BBC. The Beatles were asked to write and perform a song for the event. They performed “All We Need Is Love,” their message for the world, on a sound stage with a small crowd. The single went to Number 1. The single “Hello, Goodbye” was released in November 1967, going to Number 1. Its B-side, “I Am the Walrus,” reached Number 1 in Britain and Number 56 in America.

In August 1967, The Beatles’ manager, the man behind the band, Brian Epstein, was found dead in his home. He had been a heavy drinker, gambler, and drug addict and had been in rehab for the duration of the Sgt. Pepper’s recording sessions. He died alone in his locked room from an overdose of barbiturates at the age of 32. The Beatles were in India at the time, visiting with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and they were expecting Epstein to join them there. They did not attend his funeral to avoid making it a public spectacle. In many ways, he held the band members together, and his loss certainly affected the band’s cohesion in the years to come.

The Magical Mystery Tour was a film, an LP, and a double EP, all released at the end of 1967. The film, which was made for television and aired on BBC on December 26, was filmed mostly by The Beatles with no real script. They started with a bus full of people and a general idea for a story. They made the rest up as they went along. It was filmed in color, but shown on BBC1, which did not yet broadcast in color, giving it a very poor look. McCartney actually apologized publicly for what even he considered to be a very bad production. The soundtrack came out in different formats in Britain and America. Parlophone, which had too many songs for a simple EP, but not enough songs for a full LP, released them in the very unusual format of a double EP. Capitol Records decided to add the previous American singles, "I Am the Walrus," "All You Need Is Love," "Penny Lane," and "Baby, You're a Rich Man." The EP made it to Number 1 in Britain, and the LP made it to Number 1 in America.

1968-1970, The End of Everything Else

In March 1968, “Lady Madonna” was released as a single, reaching Number 1 in Britain and Number 4 in America. In June, the animated film, Yellow Submarine was released, starring animated versions of The Beatles, although the characters’ speaking voices were voiced by actors. It featured 11 previously released and four new songs. The soundtrack did not come out until January 1969, and it was not received as well as the film. The Beatles really had little to do with its actual production and they were not satisfied with it themselves. They did not consider it a proper studio album. It reached Number 3 in Britain and America. In August, “Hey Jude” was released, as the first single released on the new Beatles label, Apple Records, a division of EMI. This song topped the charts in Britain and America, staying on top in America for nine weeks, which was a record at the time for a single.

With the band’s new expansion musically came a new honesty in their music. However, this also meant that each member began exploring his own musical interests, leading to each member going his own direction. The recording sessions of their next album, The Beatles (better known as The White Album due to its totally white cover), were marked by conflict and dissention among the band members. Recording often occurred with one artist in his own studio with his own engineers, especially with McCartney and Lennon. Only half of the songs recorded actually had all four members playing. At one point, Starr quit and walked out. After two weeks, the band talked him into returning, but while he was gone, two songs were recorded, one with McCartney on drums, and one, “Back in the USSR,” with a compilation of the other three playing drums. Eric Clapton played the guitar solo on Harrison’s song, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” although the album did not credit him for it. The resulting double album contained 30 tracks. It was released in November 1968 as the first album on Apple Records and it topped the charts in Britain and America.

Early in 1969, McCartney had the idea of writing new material, rehearsing it thoroughly, performing it before a live audience, and recording it live for a TV special and an album (tentatively titled Get Back). He thought that the process of rehearsing for a live performance might bring back some of the cohesiveness that the band had lost after they stopped touring. Some of the band members also thought that it would be better to get away from their dependence on studio recording technology and get back to their roots. However, relationships between band members were at their worst, and the rehearsal session did not go well. Lennon had started to bring his new girlfriend, Yoko Ono, with him into recording sessions, an open violation of an agreement that the band had against girlfriends in the studio. To add to the tensions, they were rehearsing in a film studio to enable rehearsals to be filmed for the TV special. At one point, after very heated arguments, first with Lennon and then with McCartney, Harrison quit and walked out. After several days, he agreed to come back with the stipulations that they stop filming rehearsals and immediately move back to their new Apple Studios. The band agreed.

McCartney had taken the role of bandleader, while Lennon had moved into the role of passive spectator. Harrison had brought in keyboardist Billy Preston near the end of the rehearsal session to add a keyboard for live performances. Some thought that Preston might ease tensions, perhaps by keeping members from fighting with each other. When they returned to Apple Studios, they began recording their sessions on their new eight-track recording system, although they still tried to record live, with little overdubbing and recording effects. The idea of playing in public resulted in the band, including Preston, setting up on the roof of their studio, playing for a few friends and anyone who could hear them. People were out in the streets, at their windows, even climbing up on neighboring rooftops to try to witness the seemingly impromptu event, until the police showed up to shut them down. Someone had actually complained about the noise and the crowds were blocking traffic. It was a classic concert, and seemed to be fitting for what would be their last performance together. The concert took place on January 30, 1969. The whole event was expertly captured on film and recorded on their equipment in the basement. The TV special never happened, but the footage was later used in the documentary Let it Be.

In April 1969, the band released the single, “Get Back.” It was the only non-soundtrack Beatles album that listed a guest performer, being credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston.” The U.S. version was the first Beatles single to be released in true stereo. It was also the only fully documented Beatles song, from first riff to final cut, because it was filmed during those recording sessions. “Get Back” reached Number 1 in Britain and America. In May 1969, The Beatles also released “The Ballad of John and Yoko” as a single. This song featured only Lennon and McCartney because Harrison and Starr were not available when Lennon wanted to record it. It was The Beatles’ 17th Number 1 single and it reached Number 8 in America.

The Beatles began recording for their next album in February 1969 and did not wrap it up until August. Preston joined them on the Hammond organ for two songs. The album’s layout was another point of contention. Lennon at one time asked that all of his songs be placed on one side with all of McCartney’s songs on the other. Martin and McCartney wanted a thematic album, but Lennon was against it. In the end, the first side is what Lennon wanted and the second side is one long medley. Ono, Lennon’s wife by then, was in the studio the whole time. In fact, when she was injured in a car accident, a bed for her was placed in the studio. Abbey Road was released in September 1969, reaching Number 1 in both countries. A double A-sided single from the album was released in October, with “Something” and “Come Together.” Both reached Number 4 in Britain and Number 1 in America.

Six days before the release of Abbey Road, Lennon told the group that he was done. The last mixing session for Abbey Road in August 1969 was the last time the four Beatles would ever be in the same studio together. The public became aware of the group’s demise when McCartney mentioned it in a November interview. Yet, there was still work to be done. The recordings and film footage from the early 1969 rehearsals, initially called Get Back, but now retitled as Let It Be, was still in the works for release in early 1970. Harrison, Starr, and McCartney held one more recording session in January 1970 to finish the tracks. Martin had finally given up on producing The Beatles. He left during the Get Back/Let It Be recording sessions in the spring of 1969, but had returned to do Abbey Road on the promise that they band would let him take charge and produce. In March 1970, the recordings were delivered to American producer, Phil Spector. McCartney did not like what Spector was doing to the songs. He was especially concerned about the extensive orchestration and vocals added to “The Long and Winding Road.” At this point, however, even McCartney had little say in the album’s content. The album and the documentary Let it Be were released in May 1970. The album went to Number 1. It was the final release of a band that was no more.

Harrison and Lennon had already released some solo work. McCartney and Starr both released their first solo albums just before Let It Be and Harrison and Lennon both released new solo albums later in the year. All four would become very successful solo artists.

Although The Beatles were only together for 10 years and they toured for less than half of those years, they have sold more records than any other band in history. They have had more Number 1 singles than anyone, as well as the most Number 1 singles in a calendar year (six in 1964 and five in 1965). At one time, The Beatles held the top five positions on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in America. They also had the most Number 1 albums (19), the most consecutive Number 1 albums (8), and the most cumulative weeks at Number 1 on the American album chart (132) (twice as many as Elvis Presley, who comes in second).

Their chemistry was perfect, though volatile, and they created high-quality music with a heart and soul. The fact that Epstein and Martin could keep this chemistry from blowing up for 10 years shows their importance in the story. The 1969 Beatles were a very different band than the 1963 group. Their sound was unique. It was ideal. It was perfect. It influenced every other band during that time and has probably influenced every band since then. There will never be another band like them.