Beatles Recordings

Beatles Performances

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The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool. The members of the band were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Most people say they are the most successful and influential band in the history of popular music. 

Starting in 1956, John Lennon and several of his friends played in a band called the Quarrymen. Over the next few years, the members of the band changed, and by 1960, the band had changed their name to the Beatles. Their main songwriters were Lennon and McCartney. Before The Beatles became popular, they played in clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. They went through many drummers before finally asking Ringo Starr to join in 1962. Brian Epstein was their manager and George Martin produced most of their music. Their first single, called "Love Me Do", was released in late 1962. In February 1963 their song, "Please Please Me", became their first song to reach the number 1 position on the British charts. 

The Beatles first came to the United States in 1964. They were met at the airport by thousands of screaming American teenagers. The Beatles were so popular that they were attacked by screaming fans everywhere they went around the world. The effect they had on their fans was known as 'Beatlemania'. The Beatles made their first live American television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. 74 million viewers — about half of the American population — watched the group perform on the show. Beatles songs soon filled the top 5 places on the American top 40 chart - a record that has never been matched.

Towards the mid 1960s, The Beatles became bolder with their style of music. This largely started in 1965, with the release of the album "Rubber Soul", and hit a peak in 1967 with the release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which was named as the greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. In addition to the landmark Sgt. Pepper album, their most acclaimed works included "Revolver", the “White Album”, and Abbey Road. 

The Beatles became so popular that no regular concert venue was big enough for their concerts. This led to them playing the first ever stadium rock concert at Shea Stadium in America, to around 50,000 people. The Beatles stopped touring and playing live music in 1966 because they were sick of audiences screaming so loudly that their music could not be heard. They were also tired of the pressures of touring. They were so popular that thousands of people would gather outside the hotels they stayed in. They couldn't leave their rooms unless they were playing a concert.

The Beatles made thirteen albums and twenty-six singles together. They also started their own record label, called Apple Records. They made two movies, "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!", where they appeared as actors. Later, they made Magical Mystery Tour, a television special. Yellow Submarine was a cartoon movie based on their music. The movie "Let It Be" showed them working on a new album.

Amid public quarrels and lawsuits, the Beatles officially broke up in 1970. Lennon had begun recording with his wife, Yoko Ono, and McCartney formed the successful group Wings with his wife, Linda. George Harrison and Ringo Starr also recorded solo albums.

Rumors that the Beatles would reunite persisted for a decade after the band’s demise until John Lennon was murdered in New York City in 1980. George Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr still make music.

The band was still very popular all over the world after they broke up. They are the highest-selling recording artists ever, and have sold more than one billion records. Musicians today perform cover versions of Beatles songs, and people everywhere still listen to their music. Their song 'Yesterday' has been recorded by more artists than any other song. The Beatles and their music still influence musicians today.