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The
four young boys from Liverpool, England, started out as a
local band performing at various clubs until they were
expelled from the country in November because George
Harrison was underage. The band became a popular local
act, especially in the Liverpool Cavern Club, before they
went on to become international teenage cult idols.
The Beatles comprised of: John Lennon (1940-80, rhythm
guitar, keyboards, vocals), Paul McCartney (1942-, bass
guitar, vocals), George Harrison (1943-, lead guitar,
sitar, vocals) and Pete Best (1941-, drums). In1962, Best
was replaced by Ringo Starr (1940-; his real name is
Richard Starkey).
It was with their first hit Love Me Do, in 1960,
that the Beatles gained international fame. The band
became regular guests on the BBC, performing over fifty
times between 1962 and 1964.
In
February 1963, the Beatles returned to the studio to
record 10 songs (in one day!) for their first album, Please
Please Please Me, which was released the following
month. It became an instant hit, staying at No. 1 in
Britain for 30 weeks and by October, female fans were
screaming at their performances -- the start of "Beatlesmania."
Following an early November performance before the royal
family, Parlophone released a second Beatles album, With
The Beatles. By the end of the year, the group had
sold over 2.5 million albums in Britain, and had a string
of million-selling singles.
Lennon and McCartney’s songs touched the masses and
created smash hits like I Want to Hold Your Hand, She
Loves You, Can't Buy Me Love and Please Please Me.
Their popularity soared with their comedy films like A
Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), the
soundtracks of which became chartbusters.
Their innocent boyish charm and the simplicity of their
lyrics caught the imagination of teenagers like never
before. But by the mid-'60s, the Beatles changed their
music, as they incorporated the psychedelic revolution.
Their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,
re-established the Beatles as the real muscle in rock 'n'
roll, as it was replete with poetic vision. The album won
four Grammys, including Best Album.
The group was also becoming increasingly influenced by
Eastern religion and psychedelic drugs. They became
disciples of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian guru.
Their leaning towards Indian religion is evident in some
of their albums, which used Indian instruments like the
sitar.
However, all was not smooth sailing with the Beatles
group. There were regular differences between the group
members. The marriages of Lennon to Yoko Ono and that of
McCartney to Linda Eastman were seen as major reasons
which led to the band’s breaking up in 1970.
They began pursuing solo careers and were becoming
increasingly involved in their personal lives. Lennon’s
solo album Imagine in 1971, went on to become one
of his most successful ones – it went on to become the
“Song of the Year” in 2000. Lennon’s music, however,
came to an untimely halt when he was shot dead by a
fanatic in 1980.
Meanwhile, McCartney’s song-writing continued and he was
later called the most successful composer of all time,
credited with writing 43 songs that sold more than 1
million records each. He was knighted in 1997.
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