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'''Nick Tyler''' is
{{Infobox musical artist 2
|Name = The Beatles
|Background = lightskyblue
|Img = Beatles retouched.jpg
|Img_capt = John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr in 1964, during their first American tour.
|Alias = The Quarrymen, Johnny & The Moondogs, The Silver Beetles, The Fab Four
|Origin = [[Liverpool]], [[England]]
|Genre = [[rock music|Rock]], [[pop music|Pop]]
|Years_active = 1958 - 1970
|Label = [[Parlophone]]<br />[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]<br />[[Apple Records|Apple]]<br />[[Odeon Records|Odeon]]<br />[[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]]<br />[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]<br />[[Atco Records|Atco]]<br />[[Swan Records|Swan]]
|URL =
|Current_members = [[John Lennon]]<br />[[Paul McCartney]]<br />[[George Harrison]]<br />[[Ringo Starr]]
|Past_members = [[Pete Best]]<br /> [[Stuart Sutcliffe]]<br />
}}
'''The Beatles''' were a [[pop music|pop]] and [[rock music|rock]] [[music group]] from [[Liverpool, England]], who continue to be held in the very highest regard for their artistic achievements, their huge commercial success, and their ground-breaking role in the history of [[popular music]]. Consisting of [[John Lennon]] (1940-1980), [[Paul McCartney]] (1942- ), [[George Harrison]] (1943-2001) and [[Ringo Starr]] (1940- ), the group's innovative music and style helped define the 1960s.
The Beatles were, by most definitions, the biggest musical act of the twentieth century. In [[United Kingdom|their homeland]] alone, they have had more than 40 different singles, albums and [[extended play|EPs]] reach Number One. This kind of success has been repeated in many more countries and [[EMI]] estimated that by 1985, the band had sold over one billion records worldwide.<ref>{{cite web | title=Biggest All-Time Sales For a Band | work=Guinness World Records | url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=50910 | accessdate=January 25 | accessyear=2006}}</ref> Their ballad ''[[Yesterday (song)|Yesterday]]'', written by McCartney, may well be the most-[[Cover version|covered]] song in the history of recorded music.<ref>[[IMDB]] states it has been covered 3000 times: [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005200/bio]</ref>
The Beatles' achievements and contributions to popular music, and indeed international youth culture, were profound and wide-ranging. Their early original material fused elements of early American [[rock 'n roll]], [[Pop music|pop]], and [[R&B]] into a new form of popular rock 'n roll, almost single-handedly kick-starting the [[British Invasion]], laying the groundwork for the rock culture of the 1960s, and establishing the prototype for the self-contained rock group.
Throughout their career, The Beatles balanced their huge popularity with increasingly experimental and boundary-pushing music that took cues from eclectic sources like [[Folk music|folk]], [[R&B]], [[Soul music|soul]], [[music hall]], [[European classical music|classical]], [[Electronic music|electronic]], and [[Music of India|Indian]] music while exploiting increasingly sophisticated technology and innovative recording techniques.
In this way, they helped pioneer more advanced, multi-layered arrangements in both rock and pop and were instrumental in the development of some of 1960s rock's dominant styles, such as [[folk-rock]] and [[psychedelia]]. As songwriters, they were among the most influential and harmonically sophisticated of the era, helping to push rock beyond its early blues and R&B forms and into more expansive territory. Critical evaluation of The Beatles legacy demonstrates that they "introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century". <ref>{{cite web | year=May 2006 | title=The Beatles | work=Allmusic.com, Richie Unterberger | url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:2u9yxdabjola~T1 | accessdate=May 27 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>
To a significant extent, however, the impact of The Beatles extended well beyond music. Their clothes, hairstyles, actions, and even choice of instruments made them trend-setters throughout the decade, while their growing social awareness, reflected in the development of their music, saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s. Though the group disbanded in 1970 (amid much internal strife), they are still recognised as easily the most iconic performers of their era, and moreover one of the greatest popular music groups of the entire rock era.
==History==
[[image:jk beatles john.jpg|frame|left|Singer & rhythm guitarist [[John Lennon]] became known for his political activism, as well as his love for guitar-centered rock and roll.]]
{{main|History of The Beatles}}
<!-- Please contribute any major contributions to [[History of The Beatles]], as this is a condensed history. For more, see the Talk page. -->
===Formation and early years===
In March of 1957, John Lennon formed a [[skiffle]] group called [[The Quarrymen]] (fleetingly known as The Blackjacks). In July of that year, Lennon met Paul McCartney while playing at the St. Peter's Church Garden Fete. In February of 1958, the young guitarist George Harrison joined the group, which was then playing under a variety of names. A few primitive recordings of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison from that era have survived. During this period, members continually joined and left the line up. Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison were the only constant members.
The Quarrymen went through a progression of names: Johnny and The Moondogs, Long John and The Silver Beetles, The Silver Beetles, and eventually arriving at the name of The Beatles. The origin of the name "The Beatles" with its unusual spelling is usually credited to John Lennon, who said that the name was a combination word-play on the insect "beetles," a nod to [[Buddy Holly]]'s band ([[The Crickets]]) and the word "beat". He also later said that it was a joke, meaning a pun on "Beat-less".
In 1960, their unofficial manager, [[Allan Williams]], arranged for them to perform in clubs on the [[Reeperbahn]] in [[Hamburg]], [[Germany]]. In August of 1960, McCartney invited [[Pete Best]] to become the group's drummer. Mona Best - Pete´s mother - ran The Casbah Club; a cellar club in Hayman's Green, where the Beatles had played.
While in Hamburg, The Beatles were recruited by singer [[Tony Sheridan]] to act as his backing band on a series of recordings for the German [[Polydor Records]] label, produced by famed bandleader [[Bert Kaempfert]]. Kaempfert signed the group to its own Polydor contract at the first session in June 1961. On 23 October, Polydor released the recording ''[[My Bonnie]] (Mein Herz ist bei dir nur)'', which made it into the German charts under the name "Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers".
Upon their return from Hamburg, the group was enthusiastically promoted by [[Sam Leach]], who presented them over the next year and a half on various stages in Liverpool 49 times. [[Brian Epstein]], manager of the record department at NEMS, his family's furniture store, took over as the group's manager in 1962 and led The Beatles' quest for a British recording contract. Epstein met with producer [[George Martin]] of [[EMI]]'s [[Parlophone]] label. Martin, a well-known producer of comedy and novelty albums, expressed an interest in hearing them in the studio. On 6 June he invited the quartet to London's [[Abbey Road studios]], and, after some consideration, decided to grant The Beatles a recording contract.
Their record contract was probably one of the worst at the time, as they were paid one [[farthing]] for every single sold. Their [[royalties]] were considerably improved after [[Allen Klein]] took over the management of the band. Their publishing contract with [[Dick James]] Music (DJM) was also terrible; they only got 50% of the money received, while James took the other 50%. Epstein also took a percentage of Lennon and McCartney´s share, meaning that they were both left with very little.
However, The Beatles' line-up was still changing. In the spring of 1962, the fifth member of The Beatles, bassist [[Stuart Sutcliffe]], died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage. In August 1962, Pete Best was dismissed and replaced by [[Ringo Starr]], whose real name is [[Richard Starkey]]. Starr had been the drummer for rival Liverpool band [[Rory Storm and the Hurricanes]], and had played with The Beatles several times in Hamburg. Though Best had some popularity and was considered good-looking by many female fans, the three founding members had become increasingly unhappy with his drumming and his rather moody personality, and Epstein had become exasperated with his refusal to adopt the distinctive hairstyle as part of their unified look.
The Beatles' first recording sessions, in June of 1962, proved unsatisfactory to Martin, but a second, in September of 1962, produced a UK hit, ''[[Love Me Do]]'', which charted. (''Love Me Do'' subsequently reached the top of the US singles chart over 18 months later in May 1964.) This was swiftly followed by the recording of their second single ''Please Please Me''. Three months later they recorded their first album (also titled ''[[Please Please Me]]''), a mix of original songs by Lennon and McCartney, along with some covers of their favourite songs. The band's first televised performance was on a program called ''People and Places'' transmitted live from [[Manchester]] by [[Granada Television]] on [[17 October]], [[1962]].
Although the band experienced huge popularity in the record charts in Britain from early 1963, Parlophone's American counterpart, [[Capitol Records]] (owned by EMI), refused to issue the singles ''Love Me Do'', ''[[Please Please Me#"Please Please Me"|Please Please Me]]'' and ''[[From Me To You]]''<ref>http://www.jpgr.co.uk/r5015.html</ref> in the United States, partly because no British act had ever yet had a sustained commercial impact on American audiences.
[[Vee-Jay Records]], a small [[Chicago]] label, is said by some to have been pressured into issuing these singles as part of a deal for the rights to another performer's masters. Art Roberts, music director of Chicago powerhouse radio station [[WLS]], placed ''Please Please Me'' into rotation in late February 1963, making it possibly the first time a Beatles' record was heard on American radio. Vee-Jay's rights to The Beatles were cancelled for non-payment of royalties.
In August 1963 the Philadelphia-based [[Swan Records|Swan]] label tried again with The Beatles' ''[[She Loves You]]'', which also failed to receive airplay. A testing of the song on [[Dick Clark]]'s TV show ''[[American Bandstand]]'' resulted only in laughter and scorn from American teenagers when they saw the group's [[Beatle haircut]]s. The famous radio DJ, Murray the K featured ''She Loves You'' on his 1010 WINS record revue in October, to an underwhelming response.
===Beatlemania===
In early November 1963, Brian Epstein persuaded [[Ed Sullivan]] to commit to presenting The Beatles on three editions of his show in February, and parlayed this guaranteed exposure into a record deal with Capitol Records. Capitol committed to a mid-January release for ''[[I Want To Hold Your Hand]]'',<ref>http://www.jpgr.co.uk/r5084.html</ref>
A series of unplanned circumstances triggered premature airplay of an imported copy of the single on a Washington DC radio station in mid-December. Capitol brought forward release of the record to [[December 26]], [[1963]].
Several New York radio stations - first [[WMCA]], then [[WINS]] and [[WABC]] - began playing ''I Want to Hold Your Hand'' on its release day, and the [[Beatlemania]] that had started in Washington was duplicated in New York and quickly spread to other markets. The record sold one million copies in just 10 days, and by January 16, [[Cashbox]] Magazine had certified The Beatles record #1 (in the edition published with the cover-date [[January 23]]).
This contributed to the hysterical fan reaction at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK Airport]] on [[February 7]], [[1964]]. A record-breaking 73 million viewers — approximately 40% of the US population at the time — tuned in to the first Sullivan appearance on February 9. During the week of April 4, The Beatles held the [[The Beatles record sales, worldwide charts|top five places]] on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], a feat that has never been repeated.
In mid-1964 the band undertook their first appearances outside of Europe and North America, touring [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. When they arrived in [[Adelaide]], The Beatles were greeted by what is reputed to be the largest crowd of their touring career, when over 300,000 people — about one-third of the population of the city — turned out to see them. In September of that year, baseball owner [[Charles O. Finley]] paid the band the unheard of sum of $150,000 to play in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].
In 1965, [[Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II]] bestowed upon them the [[Member of the Order of the British Empire|MBE]], a civil honour nominated by Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]]. The award, at that time primarily given to military veterans and civic leaders, sparked some conservative MBE recipients to return their awards in protest.
On August 15 of that year, The Beatles performed the first stadium concert in modern rock, playing at [[Shea Stadium]] in New York to a crowd of 55,600.<ref>Badman, K., ''The Beatles Off The Record'' (Omnibus Press, London; ISBN 0711979855), p193.</ref>. The band later admitted that they had been totally unable to hear themselves play or sing, due to the intense level of audience screaming and cheering. Indeed, they found the experience so creatively soul-destroying that this concert is often marked as the point at which their disenchantment with performing live began.
===Backlash and breakup===
In July 1966, an out-of-context comment from a serious interview caused a backlash against The Beatles from religious and social conservatives in the [[Bible Belt]] of the US. Lennon had offered his opinion that [[Christianity]] was dying and that the group was "more popular than Jesus" - something that he referred to as a topic that caused concern and consideration. The Beatles records were banned and burned in many cities and towns across America (primarily in the South) and from countries such as South Africa. Lennon apologised several times for his remarks.
The Beatles performed their last concert before paying fans in [[Candlestick Park]] in [[San Francisco]] on [[29 August]], [[1966]]. From then on, they concentrated on recording music. The Beatles' situation took a turn for the worse when manager [[Brian Epstein]] died in August 1967, at the age of 32, and the band's affairs began to unravel. Just two months earlier, on [[June 25]] [[1967]], The Beatles became the first band globally transmitted on television, in front of an estimated 400 million people worldwide. The Beatles were a segment within the first-ever worldwide TV satellite hook-up - a show titled ''[[Our World]]''. The Beatles' contribution was transmitted live from the [[EMI studios]] at [[Abbey Road (street)|Abbey Road]] in [[London]], and their song ''[[All You Need Is Love]]'' was recorded live during the show. At the end of 1967, they received their first major negative press criticism in the UK with disparaging reviews of their surrealistic TV film ''[[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|Magical Mystery Tour]]''. Nor was public reaction positive. It should be noted, however, that the vast majority of viewers (and many reviewers) saw what was conceived as a color film on small-screen black-and-white TVs, with relatively poor picture quality and even poorer sound reproduction.
In 1968, the group spent the early part of the year in [[Rishikesh]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]] studying [[transcendental meditation]] with the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. Upon their return, Lennon and McCartney took a trip to New York to announce the formation of [[Apple Corps]]; an - initially - altruistic business venture which they described at the time as an attempt at "western [[communism]]." The latter part of 1968 saw the band busy recording the double album ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'', popularly known as ''The White Album'' due to its stark-white cover. These sessions saw deep divisions opening within the band.
Their final live performance was on the rooftop of the Apple building in [[Savile Row]], London in January 1969, during the difficult ''Get Back'' sessions (later used as a basis for the ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]'' album). Largely due to McCartney's efforts, they recorded their final album, ''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]'' in the summer of 1969. The band officially broke up in April 1970, and one month later ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]'' followed as their last commercial album release.
===After the breakup===
Following the breakup, the only album to feature all four Beatles (although not on the same song) was ''[[Ringo (album)|Ringo]]'', a 1973 Starr solo album. Any hopes of a reunion were dashed when Lennon was murdered by [[Mark David Chapman]], a mentally ill fan, on [[December 8]] [[1980]]. However, in [[1981]] the three remaining Beatles (with [[Linda McCartney]] and [[Denny Laine]] doing backing vocals) recorded the song "[[All Those Years Ago]]", a tribute to John Lennon written by [[George Harrison]] and released on his album ''[[Somewhere in England]]''. Another virtual reunion occurred in 1995 with the release of two original Lennon recordings which had the additional contributions of the remaining Beatles mixed in to create two hit singles, ''[[Free as a Bird]]'' and ''[[Real Love (song)|Real Love]]''.
Three volumes (six CDs in total) of unreleased material and studio outtakes were also released, as well as a documentary and television miniseries, in a project known as ''[[The Beatles Anthology]]''. On [[December 15]] [[2005]], McCartney and Starr, along with the families of Lennon and Harrison (who died [[29 November]] [[2001]]) sued EMI in a [[royalties]] dispute in which Apple Corps claimed EMI owes The Beatles £30 million.
They remain enormously popular. In 1995 and 1996, three ''Anthology'' collections of CDs were released, each containing 2 CDs of never-before-released Beatles material, based on the ''Anthology'' documentary series. 450,000 copies of ''Anthology 1'' were sold in its first day of release, the highest volume of single-day sales ever for an album. In 2000, a compilation album named ''1'' was released, containing almost every number 1 single released by the band from 1962 to 1970. The collection sold 3.6 million copies in its first week and more than 12 million in three weeks worldwide, becoming the fastest-selling album of all time and the biggest-selling album of the year 2000. The collection also premiered at #1 in the United States and other countries.
==Studio style evolution==
[[image:jk beatles paul.jpg|frame|right|Singer & [[Bass guitar|Bassist]] [[Paul McCartney]], wrote the most frequently covered/recorded song in history; the ballad ''[[Yesterday (song)|Yesterday]]''. ]]
Many observers have said that understanding the success of The Beatles and their music begins with an appreciation for the ways in which they (especially Lennon and McCartney) blended their voices as instruments.
The role of producer [[George Martin]] is often cited as a crucial element in their success. He used his experience to bring out the potential in the group, recognising and nurturing their creativity rather than imposing his views.
Their demands to create new sounds with every recording, personal experiments with [[psychedelic]] drugs and the studio expertise of EMI staff engineers including [[Norman Smith]], [[Ken Townshend]] and [[Geoff Emerick]] all played significant parts in the innovative qualities of the albums ''[[Rubber Soul]]'' (1965), ''[[Revolver (album)|Revolver]]'' (1966) and ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967).
While most recording artists of the time were satisfied with using two, three or four tracks in the studio, The Beatles began to use linked pairs of [[multitrack recording|four-track]] decks, and [[Ping pong recording technique|ping-ponging]] tracks two and three times became common. (EMI delayed the introduction of eight-track recording, already becoming common in American studios, until 1968 at Abbey Road.) Along with studio tricks such as [[sound effects]], unconventional microphone placements, [[automatic double tracking]] and [[vari-speed]] recording, The Beatles began augmenting their recordings using instruments considered unconventional for pop music at the time, including string and brass ensembles, Indian instruments such as the [[sitar]] and the [[swarmandel]], [[tape loop]]s and early electronic instruments, including John Lennon's [[Mellotron]], unforgettably used (with flute voices) on the intro to "Strawberry Fields Forever".
The group gradually took greater charge of their own productions and McCartney's growing dominance in this role, especially after the death of Epstein, played a part in the eventual split of the group. Internal divisions within the band had been a small but growing problem during their earlier career; most notably, this was reflected in the difficulty that [[George Harrison]] experienced in getting his own songs onto Beatles' albums, and in the growing artistic and personal estrangement between Lennon and McCartney.
Drug use, personal factors and, above all, the unrelenting pressures and demands of their worldwide fame inevitably intensified these stresses. By the time of the sessions for ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' (''The White Album''), released in November 1968, the once close-knit members were clearly drifting apart both musically and personally. Several tracks were cut as ''de facto'' solo recordings by the principal composer, with the other band members more or less relegated to the role of [[session musician]]. This isolation is probably most notable on ''[[Revolution 9]]'', a wildly experimental John Lennon/Yoko Ono concoction of tape loops, "found sounds," and other studio trickery that the other Beatles reportedly despised and tried to keep off the album. However, it was McCartney who had the strongest interest in the music of [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]], whose ''Hymnen'' was heavily influential on ''Revolution 9''. The earlier use by the Beatles of "tape loops", on ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' was driven (and the loops assembled) primarily by McCartney.
Harrison's ''[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]'' even featured an outside musician (his friend [[Eric Clapton]]) performing the guitar solo; Clapton was reportedly brought in as the result of a bitter dispute between Harrison and Lennon that drove Starr to take a two-week hiatus.
During this time McCartney played drums on some of the tracks on the album, including ''[[Back in the USSR]]'', on which he also overdubbed most of the lead guitar parts. McCartney had played lead guitar solos on selected songs as far as 1966's ''[[Taxman]]'' (ironically, a Harrison composition).
The rapidly deteriorating relationships marred the troubled ''Get Back'' sessions in January 1969 — Lennon later denounced them as being the worst recordings of their career — and the project was made even more stressful by the presence of a film crew hired to capture the proceedings for a planned movie (which eventually became the ''[[Let It Be (film)|Let It Be]]'' documentary).
By this time another very significant factor had emerged — Lennon's passionate affair with Japanese artist [[Yoko Ono]]. The couple quickly became inseparable and Lennon further alienated the other Beatles by bringing Ono to almost every recording session, breaking the band's long-standing rule against outsiders at sessions. Ono came to be singled out as "the woman who broke up The Beatles" - although after Lennon's death, the surviving three Beatles denied Ono's presence had been a major influence in the breakup.
However, the band's differences were more or less put aside later in the year for the recording of what became their valedictory album, ''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]'', which the group later recalled as being among the most enjoyable of their career.
While "The White Album" and the original "Get Back" sessions emphasised a return to basic pop-rock song structures, ''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]'' took a step back in the direction of glossy production, although this time primarily consisting of instrumental backing produced by the classically-trained George Martin to help mold together disparate song fragments into a unified, orchestral suite in the tradition of classical compositions.
''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]'' featured considerable use of synthesisers, but usually in more conventional musical contexts rather than as a source for bizarre and unusual sound effects.
By the end of 1969 both Lennon and McCartney had effectively left the band and the only piece of unfinished business was the as-yet unreleased "Get Back" project. The Beatles had been very unhappy with the original tapes from the "Get Back" sessions (produced as usual by George Martin), and for some time it looked as if the material would be scrapped altogether. After a delay of several months, American producer Phil Spector was brought in to edit, remix and overdub the tapes, and his heavily-orchestrated "Wall of Sound" production characterised the eventual release of the ''[[Let It Be]]'' album, released in early 1970 nearly a year after the group had ceased to function on an active basis.
By this time, Lennon and Harrison had effectively decided to leave the band. McCartney made the move official at the start of 1970 when he began legal proceedings to dissolve the band's business partnership.
On the business side Paul wanted wife Linda Eastman's brother to manage the Beatles, but the remaining Beatles wanted New York manager Allen Klein to represent them. All Beatles decisions in the past were unanimous but the 4 could not, and would not unanimously agree on a manager. This was the final straw in the relationship between Paul and the rest of the band. John, George and Ringo felt the Eastman's would look after Paul's well being before the group, and they were right. So they decided to go separate ways with business affairs. But in 1971 it was discovered that Klein stole 5m pounds from the Beatles holdings. Paul could not just dissolve his business with the Beatles that easy, and this led to him suing to disband all business with the group.
For the most part not speaking with the other band member til 1973, John admitted to Paul that they should have gone with the Eastman's management and this helped mend the personal relationship between Paul and John.
==On film==
[[image:jk beatles george.jpg|frame|left|Lead guitarist [[George Harrison]] is known for introducing some exotic elements into the group's sound, including Indian instruments such as the [[sitar]]. (Photo by [[John Kelly]], 1968)]]
The Beatles had a largely successful film career, beginning with ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' (1964), a loosely scripted comic farce, sometimes compared to the [[Marx Brothers]] in style. It focused on Beatlemania and their hectic touring lifestyle, and was directed in a quasi-documentary style in black-and-white by the up-and-coming [[Richard Lester]], who was known for having directed a television version of the successful [[BBC]] radio series ''[[The Goon Show]]'' as well as the off-beat short film ''[[The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film]]''.
In 1965 came ''[[Help! (film)|Help!]]'', an Eastmancolour extravaganza, also directed by Lester, shot in exotic locations (such as [[Salisbury Plain]], with [[Stonehenge]] visible in the background; the [[Bahamas]]; and [[Salzburg]] and the [[Tyrol]] region of the Austrian [[Alps]]) in the style of a [[James Bond]] spoof along with even more Marx Brothers-style zaniness: For example, the film is dedicated "to [[Elias Howe]], who, in 1846, invented the [[sewing machine]]."
In 1966, Lennon took time off to play a supporting character in the film called ''[[How I Won the War]]'', again directed by Lester. It was a satire of [[World War II]] movies. The dry, ironic [[British humour]] in this film may have been a bit over the heads of the American audience in pre-[[Monty Python]] times, as it was not well received.
The ''[[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|Magical Mystery Tour]]'' film was essentially Paul McCartney's idea, outlined as he returned from a trip to the US in the late spring of 1967, and loosely inspired by press coverage McCartney had read about [[Ken Kesey]]'s [[Merry Pranksters]]' [[LSD]]-fuelled American bus odyssey. McCartney envisaged taking this idea and blending it with the peculiarly English [[working class]] tradition of [[charabanc]] mystery tours. The film was critically panned when it was aired on the [[BBC]]'s premier television network, BBC-1, on [[Boxing Day]] — a day primarily for traditional cosy family entertainment. The film appeared radical [[avant-garde]] by those standards, and instead of showcasing the lovable "moptops"/Beatles as they had been up until then, it showed them as part of the [[hippie]] counter-culture of 1967, that was at odds with the British establishment of that era. Compounding this culture clash was the fact that BBC-1, at that time, still only transmitted programmes in black & white, while ''Tour'' was in colour. The film was repeated a few days later on the BBC's second channel (BBC-2) in colour - receiving more appreciation, but the initial negative media reaction is what is most remembered.
The animated ''[[Yellow Submarine (film)|Yellow Submarine]]'' followed in 1968, but had little direct input from The Beatles, save for a live-action epilogue and the contribution of four new songs (including one unreleased track from the ''Sgt. Pepper'' sessions; ''[[Only A Northern Song]]''). It was acclaimed for its boldly innovative graphic style and clever humour, along with the soundtrack. The Beatles are said to have been pleased with the result and attended its highly publicised London premiere.
In 1969, Ringo Starr took second billing to [[Peter Sellers]] in the satirical comedy ''[[The Magic Christian]]'', in a part which had been written especially for him. Starr proved to be a reasonable comic actor and later embarked on an irregular career in comedy films through the early 1980s. His interest in the subject led him to be the most active of the group in the film division of Apple Corp.
''[[Let It Be (film)|Let It Be]]'' was an ill-fated documentary of the band that was shot over a four-week period in January of 1969. The documentary — which was originally intended to be simply a chronicle of the evolution of an album and the band's possible return to live performance — instead it captured the prevailing tensions between the band members. In this respect it unwittingly became a document of the beginning of their break-up. The band initially shelved both the film and the album, instead recording and issuing ''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]''. But with so much money having been spent on the project, it was decided to finish and release the film and album (the latter with considerable post-production by [[Phil Spector]]) in the spring of 1970. When the film finally appeared, it was after the break-up had been announced, and it was viewed by disappointed fans through the prism of that recent news.
==Influences==
[[image:jk beatles ringo.jpg|frame|right|Drummer [[Ringo Starr]] did not compose many songs for The Beatles but customarily sang one song on each album, most famously ''[[Yellow Submarine (song)|Yellow Submarine]]'' and ''[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]''.]]
Unlike many of their British contemporaries, The Beatles had relatively little influence from American [[blues]] music. Major influences included:
* [[Elvis Presley]]. They recorded a number of Presley covers at "Abbey Road" studios, and [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] copies have existed since the late 1960s.
*[[Chuck Berry]]. They recorded covers of Berry songs ''[[Roll Over Beethoven]]'' and ''[[Rock and Roll Music]]'' on their early albums, and also performed many other of his classics in their live repertoire.
*British rock-and-rollers, notably [[Cliff Richard]] and [[The Shadows]], especially the trend of adopting a band "look." In their early days as performers, the band took some cues from local Liverpool favourites [[Rory Storm and the Hurricanes]], who Starr had played with prior to joining The Beatles.
*American [[rockabilly]] music, particularly that of [[Eddie Cochran]] and [[Carl Perkins]]. The band's early stage shows featured several Perkins tunes; some of these (notably ''[[Honey Don't]]'', featuring an early Starr vocal) they eventually recorded for their albums. Harrison's guitar work remained highly influenced by rockabilly styles.
*Early [[Motown]] artists. Early Beatles staples included faithful versions of [[Barrett Strong]]'s Motown recording of ''[[Money (That's What I Want)]]'' and [[The Marvelettes]]' hit ''[[Please Mr. Postman]]''.
*[[Little Richard]] and some of their songs (especially in their early repertoire) featured [[falsetto]] calls similar to his, most notably on McCartney's rendition of his song ''[[Long Tall Sally]]''. In 1962 Richard socialised with The Beatles around Hamburg and they performed together at the [[Star-Club]]. ''Long Tall Sally'' became a permanent fixture in The Beatles' concert performances.
*[[Ragtime]] and [[music hall]], owing much to the musical interests of McCartney's father. Their impact is apparent in songs like ''[[When I'm Sixty-Four]]'' (composed during The Quarrymen period), ''[[Honey Pie]]'', and ''[[Maxwell's Silver Hammer]]''. Of their early single, ''[[From Me to You]]'', McCartney said, "It could be done as an old ragtime tune... especially the [[Bridge (music)|middle-eight]]. And so we're not writing the tunes in any particular idiom."
*[[The Everly Brothers]]. Lennon and McCartney consciously copied Don and [[Phil Everly]]'s distinctive two-part [[harmony|harmonies]]. Their vocals on ''Love Me Do'' and ''Please Please Me'' were inspired by the Everlys' powerful vocal innovation on ''Cathy's Clown'' (1960), the first recording to ever reach number one simultaneously in the USA and England. ''[[Two of Us]]'', the opening track on ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]'' is overtly composed in the Everly style and McCartney acknowledges this in the recording with a spoken ''Take it Phil''. McCartney later namechecked 'Phil and Don' in his solo track, ''Let Em In''.
*[[Bob Dylan]], particularly from 1965 with ''[[You've Got to Hide Your Love Away]]'' (''Help!'') and ''[[Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)]]'' (''Rubber Soul'')
== Changes in their music ==
Lennon is conventionally portrayed as having played the major role in steering The Beatles towards [[psychedelic music|psychedelia]] (''[[Rain (The Beatles song)|Rain]]'' and ''[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]'' from 1966, and ''[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]'', ''[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]'' and ''[[I Am the Walrus]]'' from 1967). Again following the lead set by [[Bob Dylan]], Lennon renewed his interest in rootsy forms towards the close of The Beatles' career (e.g. ''Yer Blues'' from 1968 and ''[[Don't Let Me Down (The Beatles)|Don't Let Me Down]]'' from 1969).
Paul McCartney is usually cast as the group's romantic balladeer, and he displays a singular ear for melody and an arguably unrivalled facility for writing classic pop songs in a wide range of genres, ranking alongside [[Irving Berlin]], [[Cole Porter]] and the [[Gershwin]] brothers as one of the greatest popular song writers of the 20th century. However, in recent years since the deaths of Lennon and Harrison, he has insisted in a number of media interviews that he was far more involved in the London ''[[avant garde]]'' scene than was Lennon, and that he was in some respects the more "experimental" of the two.
Beginning with his evocative but understated use of a string quartet on ''[[Yesterday (song)|Yesterday]]'' (1965), McCartney pioneered a modern form of [[art rock|art song]], exemplified by the double-quartet string arrangement on ''[[Eleanor Rigby]]'' (1966), ''[[Here, There and Everywhere]]'' (1966) and ''[[She's Leaving Home]]'' (1967). He also created many of the tape loops used on ''Tomorrow Never Knows'' and experimented with ''[[musique concrete]]'' techniques and electronic instruments, as well as creating many experimental audiovisual works. His interest in the music of [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]] led him to use a [[piccolo trumpet]] in his arrangement of ''Penny Lane'' and, although the [[Mellotron]] at the start of ''[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]'' belonged to Lennon, it was McCartney who played it.
McCartney retained his affection for the driving [[R&B]] of [[Little Richard]] in a series of songs Lennon dubbed "potboilers", from ''[[I Saw Her Standing There]]'' (1963) to ''[[Lady Madonna]]'' (1968). ''[[Helter Skelter]]'' (1968), arguably an early [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] song, is also a McCartney composition. McCartney's lyrical style evolved a more detached, literary stance than in the increasingly personal and confessional work of Lennon, and Lennon was reported to have become more critical of McCartney's writing in the mid-Sixties.
[[Image:Beatles29ra.jpeg|thumb|300px|The eye-popping psychedelic portraits of The Beatles created by [[Richard Avedon]] in 1967.]]
George Harrison derived his early guitar style from 1950s rockabilly figures such as Carl Perkins, [[Scotty Moore]] (who worked with Elvis Presley) and [[Duane Eddy]], but his single biggest influence as a guitarist came from [[Country music|country]] guitar legend [[Chet Atkins]]. ''[[All My Loving]]'' (1963) and ''[[She's a Woman]]'' (1964) are prime examples of Harrison's early rockabilly-influenced guitar work.
In 1965 Harrison broke new ground in pop by playing an [[Music of India|Indian]] [[sitar]] on ''[[Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)]]''. His long collaboration with [[Sri]] [[Ravi Shankar (musician)|Ravi Shankar]], a famous [[Hindustani music|Hindustani Musician]], influenced several of his compositions, some of which were based on Hindustani forms — most notably ''[[Love You To]]'' (1966), ''[[Within You Without You]]'' (1967) and ''[[The Inner Light]]'' (1968). Indian music and culture also influenced Lennon and McCartney, with the use of swirling tape loops, droning bass lines and [[mantra]]-like vocals on ''[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]'' (1966) and ''[[Dear Prudence]]'' (1968). Harrison's interest in Indian music was an important influence on the popularisation of the so-called [[world music]] genre in the years that followed.
Harrison retained Western musical forms in his later compositions, emerging as a significant pop composer in his own right, although occasionally reprising major themes indicating his relationship with Hindustani music and the [[Hindu]] god [[Krishna]]. His later guitar style, while not displaying the virtuosity of [[Jimi Hendrix]] or [[Eric Clapton]], was distinctive with its use of clear melodic lines and subtle fills as in ''[[Something (song)|Something]]'' (1969) and ''[[Let It Be (song)|Let It Be]]'' (1970), contrasting with the increasingly distorted [[riff]]s and rapid-fire [[guitar solo]] work of his contemporaries.
Ringo rarely wrote songs, but he possessed a gentle, somewhat comic baritone; his best-known vocal performances are ''[[Yellow Submarine (song)|Yellow Submarine]]'' (1966), ''[[With A Little Help From My Friends]]'' (1967) and ''[[Octopus's Garden]]'' (1969). In addition to his skilled (and arguably underrated) drumming and his comical [[Everyman#Modern literature|everyman]] image, he was also a considerable influence on Lennon's songwriting due to his quirky and often amusing turns of phrase. Three of these were immortalised in the songs ''A Hard Day's Night'', ''[[Eight Days A Week]]'' and ''Tomorrow Never Knows''. As evidenced by his Beatles vocal performance on Help! (their cover of [[Buck Owens]]' ''[[Act Naturally]]''), Starr was a dedicated country music fan and was largely responsible for the group's occasional forays into the genre in songs such as ''[[What Goes On]]'' (1965) and ''[[Don't Pass Me By]]'' (1968).
Later Beatles material shifted away from dance music and the pace of the songs is often more moderate, with interest tending to come from melody and harmonic texture rather than the rhythm (''[[Penny Lane]]'' from 1967 is an example). Throughout their career The Beatles' songs were rarely riff (or [[ostinato]])-driven; ''[[Day Tripper]]'' (1965) and ''[[Hey Bulldog]]'' (1969, recorded 1968) are among the notable exceptions.
The decision to stop touring in 1966 caused an abrupt change in musical direction. Reportedly stung by criticism of ''[[Paperback Writer]]'', The Beatles poured their creative energies into the recording studio. They had already shown a clear trend towards progressively greater complexity in technique and style but this accelerated noticeably in their ''[[Revolver (album)|Revolver]]'' album. The subject matter of the post-touring songs branched out as well, as all manner of subjects were introduced, from home repair and circuses to nonsense songs and others defying description.
The extreme complexity of ''Sgt. Pepper's'' reached its height on the ''[[Yellow Submarine (animated movie/soundtrack)|Yellow Submarine]]'' soundtrack album, parts of which (for example ''[[It's All Too Much]]'' and ''[[Only a Northern Song]]'') were left over from 1967 and were apparently used because The Beatles themselves weren't much interested in the animated film as a project and weren't inclined to exert themselves by producing much new material for it.
[[Image:Beatles - Abbey Road.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The iconic ''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]'' album cover.]]
After the ''Revolver''/''Sgt. Pepper's'' phase, came the double LP ''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'', known to most as ''The White Album'' because of its plain white sleeve. Partly written in [[India]], it involved some simpler subjects (for example "[[Birthday (song)|Birthday]]"), and some of the songs (for example "[[Why Don't We Do It in the Road?]]" and "[[Wild Honey Pie]]") were far less complex than their material of just a year or two before. In 1969, the band became less united during sessions for the aborted ''Get Back'' project (which eventually emerged in 1970, much altered, as ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]''). This had been intended as a return to more basic songs and an avoidance of thorough editing or otherwise "artificial" influences on the final output. Ironically ''Let It Be'' was heavily overdubbed and edited by producer [[Phil Spector]] in his [[wall of sound]] technique. With ''Get Back'' behind them, George Martin was asked to produce the last album The Beatles recorded, ''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]'', representing a mature attempt to integrate what they knew and use recording studio techniques to improve the songs rather than experiment to see what happened.
For many, the group's musical appeal lay in the interaction of Lennon and McCartney's voices and musical styles. It is sometimes said they not only supplied missing bits and pieces for each other's songs, but shared a competitive edge that brought out the best in both. Harrison's lead guitar and vocals along with Starr's understated and faithful drumming contributed their own chemistry. Finally, The Beatles' stage presence and charm as a group kindled their live shows, as well as relationships with key people in their careers. After the group dissolved some critics cited their solo releases as a demonstration of how important this group collaboration had been.
==Trivia==
*In 1993, a pair of [[paleontology|paleontologists]], Edgecombe & Chatterton, named a series of fossil [[trilobite]] species ''Avalanchurus lennoni'', ''Avalanchurus starri'', and ''Struszia mccartneyi''.
<!--
There are many organisms named after The Beatles and related people.
Included: ''Struszia petebesti'', ''Struszia epsteini'', ''Struszia martini'', ''Struszia onoae'', ''Struszia mccartneyi'', ''Struszia harrisoni'', ''Bushiella (Jugaria) beatlesi'', ''Greeffiella beatlei''
See [http://www.gac.ca/PUBLICAT/paleo14co.html] and [http://home.earthlink.net/~misaak/taxonomy/taxEtym.html], among others.
-->
*An asteroid is named after each member of The Beatles.
==Instrumentation==
*[[Rickenbacker]], [[Gretsch]], [[Epiphone]], [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], and [[Fender]] guitars
*[[Ludwig-Musser|Ludwig]] drums
*[[Steinway]], and [[Blüthner]] pianos
*[[Höfner]], [[Fender]] and [[Rickenbacker]] basses
*[[Hammond organ|Hammond]] electric organ
==Discography==
{{main|The Beatles discography}}
{{see|List of Beatles songs by singer|The Beatles record sales, worldwide charts|The Beatles bootlegs}}
The original studio albums by the Beatles are as follows:
{|
|
*''[[Please Please Me]]'' (1963)
*''[[With The Beatles]]'' (1963)
*''[[A Hard Day's Night (album)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' (1964)
*''[[Beatles for Sale]]'' (1964)
*''[[Help! (album)|Help!]]'' (1965)
*''[[Rubber Soul]]'' (1965)
|
*''[[Revolver (album)|Revolver]]'' (1966)
*''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967)
*''[[The Beatles (album)|The Beatles]]'' (aka The White Album) (1968)
*''[[Yellow Submarine]]'' (1969)
*''[[Abbey Road (album)|Abbey Road]]'' (1969)
*''[[Let It Be]]'' (1970)
|}
The first four albums were not released in the [[United States]] market, which saw different albums released. Many of the Beatles singles were not released on any album. In addition to these, several compilations and anthologies have been subsequently released. Of these, the most significant are
{|
|
*[[The Beatles_1962-1966|1962-1966]] (aka The Red Album)
*[[The Beatles_1967-1970|1967-1970]] (aka the Blue Album)
*[[Magical Mystery Tour (album)|Magical Mystery Tour]] (double E.P. re-issued as album)
*[[Past Masters, Volume One]]
*[[Past Masters, Volume Two]]
|
*[[Live at the BBC]]
*[[Beatles Anthology]] 1, 2 & 3
*[[The Beatles 1]]
*[[Let It Be... Naked]]
|}
==Song catalogue==
In 1963 The Beatles gave their song publishing rights to [[Northern Songs]], a company created by Brian Epstein and music publisher [[Dick James]]. Northern Songs went public in 1965 with Lennon and McCartney each holding 15% of the company's shares while Dick James and the company's chairman, Charles Silver, held a controlling 37.5%. In 1969, following a failed attempt by Lennon and McCartney to buy back the company, James and Silver sold Northern Songs to British TV company [[Associated TeleVision]] (ATV), in which Lennon and McCartney received stock.
In 1985 ATV's music catalogue was sold to [[Michael Jackson]] for a reported $47 million (beating McCartney's bid), including the publishing rights to over 200 Beatles songs. A decade later Jackson and [[Sony]] merged their music publishing businesses. Since 1995 Jackson and [[Sony/ATV Music Publishing]] have jointly owned most of The Beatles' songs. Sony later reported that Jackson had used his share of their co-owned Beatles' catalogue as collateral for a loan from the music company. Meanwhile Lennon's estate and McCartney still receive their standard songwriter shares of the royalties.
Although the Jackson-Sony catalogue includes most of The Beatles' greatest hits, a few of the early songs weren't included in the original ATV deal and McCartney later succeeded in personally acquiring the publishing rights to ''[[Love Me Do]]'', ''[[Please Please Me]]'', ''[[P.S. I Love You (1962 song)|P.S. I Love You]]'' and ''[[Ask Me Why]]''.
Harrison and Starr didn't renew their songwriting contracts with Northern Songs in 1968, signing with Apple Publishing instead. Harrison later created Harrisongs, his own company which still owns the rights to his classics such as ''[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]'' and ''[[Something]]''. Ringo Starr also created his own company, called Startling Music. It holds the rights to his two Beatle-composed songs, "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden."
==Song samples==
The following samples are organised as per the year the song was originally released.
===1965===
*''[[Media:Beatles help.ogg|Help!]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles yesterday.ogg|Yesterday]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles drive my car.ogg|Drive My Car]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles norwegian wood.ogg|Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles nowhere man.ogg|Nowhere Man]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles in my life.ogg|In My Life]]''
===1966===
*''[[Media:Beatles taxman.ogg|Taxman]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles eleanor rigby.ogg|Eleanor Rigby]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles im only sleeping.ogg|I'm Only Sleeping]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles into my life.ogg|Got to Get You Into My Life]]''
===1967===
*''[[Media:Strawberryfields.ogg|Strawberry Fields Forever]]''
*''[[Media:Pennylane.ogg|Penny Lane]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles sgt pepper.ogg|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles lucy sky.ogg|Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles sixty-four.ogg|When I'm Sixty-Four]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles day life.ogg|A Day in the Life]]''
*''[[Media:Mysterytour.ogg|Magical Mystery Tour]]''
*''[[Media:Iamthewalrus.ogg|I Am the Walrus]]''
===1968===
*''[[Media:Beatles blackbird.ogg|Blackbird]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles mother nature.ogg|Mother Nature's Son]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles helter skelter.ogg|Helter Skelter]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles revolution 1.ogg|Revolution 1]]''
===1969===
*''[[Media:Beatles cometogether.ogg|Come Together]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles something.ogg|Something]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles herecomesthesun.ogg|Here Comes the Sun]]''
*''[[Media:Beatles bathroomwindow.ogg|She Came in Through the Bathroom Window]]''
==See also==
{{Portal}}
*[[Best-selling artist of all-time]]
*[[The Beatles' London]]
*[[The Beatles' influence]]
*[[Fifth Beatle]]
*[[John Lennon's jukebox]]
*[[The Beatles discography]]
*[[Paul is Dead]]
*[[The Fool (design collective)]] - decorated John Lennons' [[Rolls-Royce]] and the [[Apple Boutique]]
*[[Best selling music artists]]
*[[Wings (band)|Wings]]
*[[Music of London]]
*[[Best selling music artists - World's top selling music artists chart.]]
*[[List of number-one hits (United States)]]
*[[List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.]]
*[[List of Number 1 singles (UK)]]
*[[UK Best selling singles artists of all time]]
*[[Artists who have topped simultaenous number-ones in the US and UK]]
==References==
<div class="references-small">
*{{cite web | title=Beatles-discography.com | work=(various pages) | url=http://www.beatles-discography.com/ | accessdate=January 26 | accessyear=2006}}
*{{cite book | author=Bramwell, Tony | title=Magical Mystery Tours | publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]| year=2005 | id=ISBN 0312330439}}
*{{cite book | author=Braun, Michael | title=Love Me Do: The Beatles' Progress | ___location=London | publisher=[[Penguin Books]] | year=1964 [1995 Reprint] | id=ISBN 0140022783}}
*{{cite book | author=Carr, Roy & Tyler, Tony | title=The Beatles: An Illustrated Record | publisher=Harmony Books | year=1975 | id=ISBN 0517520451}}
*{{cite book | author=Davies, Hunter | authorlink=Hunter Davies | title=The Beatles [Second Revised Edition] | publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]] | year=1985 | id=ISBN 00070155267}}
*{{cite book | author=Goldsmith, Martin | title=The Beatles Come To America | publisher=Turning Points | year=2004 | id=ISBN 0471469645}}
*{{cite web | author=Kubernik, Ken | year=[[October 16]], [[2005]] | title=Here, There & Everywhere | work=Variety Magazine's 100 Icons of the Century | publisher=''[[Variety Magazine]]'' | url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety100&content=jump&jump=icon&articleID=VR1117930700 | accessdate=January 28 | accessyear=2006}}
*{{cite web | author=Lewis, Martin | year=[[October 16]], [[2005]] | title=The Apollonian Spirit of the Beatles | work=Variety Magazine's 100 Icons of the Century | publisher=''[[Variety Magazine]]'' | url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety100&content=jump&jump=general&articleID=VR1117930902 | accessdate=January 28 | accessyear=2006}}
*{{cite book | author=Lewisohn, Mark | authorlink=Mark Lewisohn | title=EMI's The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years | publisher=Hamlyn | year=1990 | id=ISBN 0681031891}}
*{{cite book | author=MacDonald, Ian | authorlink=Ian MacDonald | title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties | publisher=Vintage | year=1995 | id=ISBN 0712666974}}
*{{cite book | author=Norman, Philip | title=Shout: The Beatles in Their Generation | publisher=MJF Books | year=1997 | id=ISBN 1567310877}}
*{{cite book | author=Schaffner, Nicholas | title=The Beatles Forever | publisher=Cameron House | year=1977 | id=ISBN 0811702251}}
*{{cite book | author=Spitz, Bob | title=The Beatles | publisher=Little Brown | year=2005 | id=ISBN 0316803529}}
</div>
==Notes==
<!--See [[Wikipedia:Footnotes]] for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>
==Further reading==
<div class="references-small">
*The Beatles, ''The Beatles Anthology''. Chronicle Books, LLC, 2000. ISBN 0811826848
*Turner, Steve, ''A Hard Day's Write''. Harper Paperbacks, 3rd ed. 2005. ISBN 0060844094 (The inspiration or meaning for every Beatles song.)
</div>
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons|The Beatles}}
*[http://www.beatles.com/ The Beatles (Apple Corps)] Official site
*[http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/61025 The Beatles] at ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]''
*{{musicbrainz artist|id=b10bbbfc-cf9e-42e0-be17-e2c3e1d2600d|name=The Beatles}}
*[http://home.att.net/~chuckayoub/the_beatles_timeline.html The Beatle Timeline]
*[http://www.nemsworld.com/beatles/ Beatles Photo Sessions]
*[http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/awp-notes_on.html Notes on... Series by Alan Pollack] An analysis of The Beatles canon by musicologist Alan W. Pollack
{{The Beatles}}
{{featured article}}
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