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- one of the first groups to write most of its own material
- transformed the sound of rock & roll
- moved from simple love songs to perfectionistic studio extravaganzas
- simply put, the Beatles influenced every act that came after them
click here to see some
interesting photos
- John and Paul met at a church picnic (7/6/57) where John's "Quarry
Men" were playing
- John formed the band after hearing "Rock Island Line," a smash
skiffle hit by Lonnie Donegan
- "skiffle" style
- simple, 3-chord style featuring easily accessible instruments (guitar/banjo,
washboard, "bass" made from a broom handle & wooden chest)
Contrast John & Paul:
- John Lennon
- creative talent was balanced by rebellious, delinquent side
- his parents weren't around much
- --mother left to live with another man within a year of John's birth
- -- father worked at the shipyard
- his care fell to his aunt & uncle to whom he became quite a burden
- grades declined
- heard Elvis & other rock music on Radio Luxembourg (BBC wouldn't
play)
- basically, rebellious & iconoclastic
- Paul McCartney
- father (Jim) ran a rather successful society band (The Jim Mac Jazz
Band) in the 20s
- although right-handed, plays guitar/bass left-handed & strung in
reverse order
- at that same garden party, Paul amazed John & friends with his authentic
renditions of Little Richard tunes (hear him sing "")
- essentially, practical and business-like to the point of being stingy
Forming the Band:
- Paul's friend (George Harrison) began hanging
out with the Quarry Men (now called Johnny & the Moondogs)
- younger than the others and John considered his presence an intrusion
- eventually Paul convinced John to let George join
- Stu Sutcliffe (talented student at Art College
where John continued studying) bought a bass, determined to join John's band
- as the band planned for a low-budget, second-rate Scottish tour, the manager
recommended a name change
- Stu suggested the "Beetles" (reference to Holly's "Crickets")
- John came up with the idea of misspelling
- finally, the "Silver Beatles"
- May 1960 - the band was not very good
- Stu could hardly play, no stage act, no stage costumes
- currently drummerless ... Tommy Moore would play drums with them at
times
- Prior to their 1st (of 4) 2-month booking in Hamburg (summer
1960), Paul approached a local drummer, Pete Best
(handsome w/glittering new drum set), about joining the band
- found themselves in the Indra (a "dive" on the "wrong
end" of a "happenin'" city)
- eventually moved to the "Kaiserkeller," sharing the stage
with other acts.
- Sets were 4½ hours per night
- repertoire consisted of lots of covers (Holly, Berry, Perkins, Little
Richard, etc.)
- began developing stage show
- Pete Best was distinct from the others
- he was strikingly good looking ... girls looked past the others and
oogled Pete
- did not join in on the increasingly outrageous stage show, nor the after-hours
partying
- shortly after abandoning Herr Koschmider's Kaiserkeller for a new club (the
Top Ten club), George was deported by the German authorities
- it was discovered that he was underage and had no work permit
- after getting into further trouble with the law following Paul's "inadvertent"
setting curtains on fire, the other Beatles followed him home
- Cavern Club (Liverpool) - underground cellar that had been a jazz club,
began showcasing local talent
- popularity of the new "beat" sound
- began to build a loyal Liverpool following
- mid-1961 - returned to Hamburg's Top Ten club
- alternated sets with Tony Sheridan
- Stu's musical ineptitude became glaringly obvious and he had become
more interested in art & girlfriend
- Stu left the band and Paul moved to bass
- made their 1st commercial recording
on this trip
- as backup band for Tony Sheridan ("My
Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" and "When the Saints Go Marching
In")
My Bonnie (later, hit #26 on US charts, 3/64)
- as the Beat Brothers ("Ain't She Sweet"
and the instrumental "Cry For a Shadow"); Sheridan recording became
a minor hit in Germany
- it was this recording that Beatles fans in Liverpool began requesting
at the local record store
- store manager (Brian Epstein) became curious
and sought out the Beatles … eventually became their manager
- 1962 - Brian began searching for record contract
- refused by almost every record label in Britain
- they recorded 15 songs in the Decca studios, but under pressure these
recordings were not impressive
- having decided to sign only one "beat" group, Decca
decided to go with Brian Poole & the Tremeloes instead!!
- angered, Epstein warned the execs that one day his band would be bigger
than Elvis (execs smiled knowingly as he stomped out)
- Brian eventually died from a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills
(8/27/67) ... he no longer felt needed
- 4/62 - landing in Germany, Beatles learned that Stu had died that day!
- 6/62 - due to the foresightedness of producer George
Martin of Parlophone (bottom of the totem pole of the EMI subsidiaries),
the Beatles were awarded a 1-year, 4-song contract
- Martin wanted to bring the "beat" sound and his record label
to higher status & respectability
- 8/16/62 - Pete was asked to leave the band
(he appeared on "I've Got a Secret" TV show two years later)
- wasn't fitting in musically or personally
- replaced by local drummer for Rory Storme & the Hurricanes (Richard
Starkey, a.k.a., Ringo Starr)
- 9/62 - recorded "Love Me Do," and "P.S. I Love You"
- released 10/4 and "Love Me Do" managed to reach #17 with very
little airplay
- Ringo replaced by session drummer (Andy White) on these tunes – he played
tambourine
Love
Me Do
(US #1, 5/64)
- late November - recorded "Please, Please Me"
- Martin assured the Beatles upon hearing the final version that they
had a #1 hit
- his prediction came true in Britain on 3/2/63
Please
Please Me
(UK #1, 3/63; US #3, 2/64)
- followed with an album of newly recorded tunes
- originals included "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Do
You Want To Know a Secret"
- covers included "" by the Isley Brothers
- 4/63 - 3rd Parlophone release ("From Me to You") hit
#1
- with Gerry & the Pacemakers (another of Brian's acts) also on the
charts, people began speaking of the "Liverpool
sound" or "Mersey beat"
(Mersey River in Liverpool)
From Me to You
(UK #1, 4/63)
- the Beatles were given top billing over Roy Orbison on a British tour
- British Beatlemania had begun
- 4th hit ("She Loves You") went
to #1 in the UK, based on advance sales!!!
- became the biggest selling single in British history
- so began the series of TV performances, Swedish tour, and Royal Command
Performance (11/63)
She
Loves You
(UK #1, 1963; US #1, 2/64)
late 1963 - British version of Beatlemania is in full swing
- newspaper articles & interviews
- Beatles are charming & witty
- radio & television appearances
- Beatles products: Beatle wigs, Beatle clothes, Beatle dolls, lunch pails,
cartoon series
- due to Epstein's ineptitude, the Beatles saw very little of this revenue
- opened the American musical market to other British
bands
- attempts to get Capitol records (EMI's American label) interested in the
Beatles had failed
- Martin licensed early singles to independents Vee-Jay & Swan
- persuaded them, however, to release the 4th single ("I
Want to Hold Your Hand") and a follow-up album (Meet the Beatles)
- with the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (#1), Parlophone
had held the #1 slot for 37 of the past 52 weeks
February 1964 - Beatlemania Arrives in America
- 2/2/64 - greeted by screaming mob (~5,000)
upon arrival at NY's Kennedy airport
- George Martin looks back on the Beatles' arrival in America
- extended excerpt of scenes from the 1st US tour The Beatles Unauthorized
- often couldn't hear the music at Beatles concerts because of the girls'
screaming
- "they used us as an excuse to just go mad.... We were the ones trapped
in the middle of everyone else going mad." (G. Harrison)
- 3/28/64 - Beatles have 10
song simultaneously in the Top 100 (!!!!), including "Twist and Shout" (reached #2 ... evidence of Beatlemania)
- surpassed Elvis' previous record of nine (12/56)
- by mid-April, there were fourteen
Beatles singles in the Top 100
- 4/64 - "Can't Buy Me Love" became
first record to top the American & British charts
simultaneously
4/4/64 - Beatles held the Top
5 spots on the Billboard Charts
- Can't Buy Me Love
- Twist & Shout
- She Loves You
- I Want to Hold Your Hand
- Please, Please Me
- August, 1964 - Beatles perform at the Hollywood Bowl
1964-65 - life as rock stars was in full swing
By 1965, Lennon & McCartney were rarely writing songs together
August 1965 - release their second movie: Help! ... here's the opening segment, with the absurd "set-up":
- "You're Gonna Lose That Girl"
- "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" / intermission / Paul gets shrunk:
- "Another Girl" (in the Bahamas):
- returned for 3rd tour in August 1965 at NY's Shea Stadium (8/15/65)
- record for largest concert audience - 55,600
- issued in a new era in rock concerts (outdoor stadium)
- 10/26/65 - awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire)
- caused some previous recipients to return theirs
- Lennon returned his in 1969
[click photo to see a video interview with the Beatles about this award]
- 1966 - tour of Japan
- performed in the Nippon Budokan Hall (martial arts theater) which was
considered a "violation" by traditionalists
- visit to Japan was scheduled "to the minute" ... hurriedly
rushed from place to place
[Click image above to see an interview of
The Beatles discussing their experience in the Phillipines.]
- tour of the Phillipines - bad experience
- invited to dinner by the Marcos family on their day off, but said "no
thanks"
- government (Emelda Marcos) felt shunned, let her feelings be known
- as a result, the Beatles had substantial difficulty in finding a ride
to the airport
Musical style of the Beatles' Early Period:
- pleasant, upbeat rock tunes
- easy to listen to, dance to, and enjoy
- not revolutionary or profound
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