FREE ESSAY ON THE BEATLES

THE BEATLES

The Beatles
The Beatles started out in the British city, Liverpool where music was a way of life for
many people. The Beatles were preceded by a John Lennon fronted band called the Quarry
men. The group invited a 15 year old boy named Paul McCartney to see them perform a show.
The then 16 year old John Lennon took to McCartney, that's when a unique and amazing song
writing partnership began. The Quarry Men ended up falling apart at the seams. John
Lennon and Paul McCartney kept in touch and eventually asked George Harrison to join
they're group, tentatively named the Silver Beatles. The band talked a friend of theirs,
Stuart Sutcliff, into buying a bass guitar, and added Pete Best on drums. They began
getting recognition around Liverpool. That was around that time that Brian Epstein heard
them playing and proposed that he assume position of their manager. The Beatles agreed
and Epstein quickly arranged for them to go to Hamburg, Germany to play the local music
clubs. While in Germany the band met Ringo Star, who later officially joined the band,
taking over for Pete Best. When the band was to return to England, Stuart decide that he
wanted to stay in Germany with the girl he had met and fallen in love with there. So Paul
picked up the bass guitar, they dropped the Silver from their name, and the Fab Four, as
we came to know them, was ready for success. 
The Beatles were now ready to record their first album. Epstein introduced the band to
the man sometimes referred to as the 5th Beatle, George Martin. Martin went on to produce
all but one of the Beatles albums. Love me Do was their first record, released in October
1962. It did jump into the British Top 20 briefly but never really succeeded. It was the
second song "Please Please me" released in early 1963 which made them #1. The single
topped the British charts for 30 weeks, an unheard of feat in the UK music market. 
They're second album is what really put them over the top in terms of popularity. In 1963
with the release of "With the Beatles", the band found success in both the UK and US,
with the single "I wanna hold your hand". In February the Band visited the US to play on
the Ed Sullivan show. Many people consider the Ed Sullivan show appearance to be the
coming out party for the Beatles especially in America. For many it was their first
glimpse of the fab four. There was much hype even before the broadcast. It was a time in
America when Elvis had lost his edge, Ricky Valines, and the Big Bopper were killed, also
the beloved president, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The Beatles promised something
new and fresh and had an attitude people liked. Anthony Corbett, a noted English
psychologist praised the Beatles as having provided "a desperately needed release for the
inhibitions that exist in all of us". Whatever it was, the Beatles had something the
people needed because like so many bands of today their success didn't end there. Next,
the Beatles made their first movie, "A Hard Days Night". Followed by extensive touring,
and dominance of the billboard charts. Then their second movie "Help" was released to
sell out box offices across the world. Fredric Lewis of a London newspaper examined the
sociological implications of Beatle-Mania and said "they are working class and their
roots and their attitude are firmly in the north of England. They are part of a
strong-flowing reaction against the soft, middleclass south of England, which has
controlled popular culture for so long" He added "Because of their success, they can act
as spokesman for the new, noisy, anti-establishment generation which is become a force in
British life".
One can assume then, that people were ready for a change. The Beatles were one band that
could offer change. With forthcoming albums ,such as "Revolver", "Rubber Soul",
and "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band", the Beatles proved that change was a very
good thing. "Sgt. Peppers" was considered the first concept album(songs unified by a
common theme). No longer singing just dopey love songs, the Beatles branched out into a
new uncharted territory. This period of the band included drug experimentation and
religious exploration. The Band stopped touring in 1966, which was due to the strain and
stress of the touring that they had endured. In 1967 they're long time manager, Brian
Epstein, died of a drug overdose. Still the Beatles forged on releasing, the White Album,
a double LP. Perhaps their most popular work. By that time John had married Yoko Ono, a
photographer, and the band was falling apart. The band would release 2 more albums. "Let
It Be", and "Abbey Road". "Let It Be" involved making a film in which they were filmed
rehearsing, recording, and finally performing new songs. Problems during the recording
led it to be left aside. Then they released "Abbey Road" in 1969 and In April 1970 Paul
announced that he was leaving the group. The others followed. 
With the Beatles no longer together Producer Phil Spector sorted through hundreds of
hours of tapes, and put together what would be the last Beatles album Let It Be in 1970.
Ironically it was a song from this album that gave the Beatles their first Grammy. The
long and winding road won the Grammy for the best song for a motion picture. Rumors of a
reunion were popular until 1980 when John Lennon was murdered.
The Beatles obviously affected many lives from the shrieking girls and cheering boys, to
the parents of those kids, to the police officers that tried their best to contain the
uncontrollable mobs of fans. Their influence if felt everywhere from the way we think to
new generations of rock bands. The Beatles are a band that has stayed accepted over the
years. for proof just listen to modern radio and television commercials. I think the
Beatles were able to attain that lasting power due to their ability to constantly evolve
and keep a constant ear to the ground.