Friday, 15 July 2011
31. The Beatles
Posted by Sukant Sharma | Friday, 15 July 2011 | Category:
Alternative Rock Artists
|
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960. They are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.[1] From 1962, the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as "Beatlemania", transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. They came to be perceived as the embodiment of ideals of the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.
Initially a five-piece line-up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums), they built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced by Starr the following year. Moulded into a professional outfit by their manager, Brian Epstein, their musical potential was enhanced by the creativity of producer George Martin. They achieved mainstream success in the United Kingdom in late 1962, with their first single, "Love Me Do". Gaining international popularity over the course of the next year, they toured extensively until 1966, then retreated to recording studios until their break-up in 1970. Each then found success in independent musical careers.
During their studio years, they produced what critics consider some of their finest material including the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), widely regarded as a masterpiece. They are the best-selling band in the history of popular music,[2][3] and four decades after their break-up, their recordings are still in demand. They have had more number one albums on the UK charts and have held the top spot longer than any other musical act.[4] According to the RIAA, they have sold more albums in the United States than any other artist.[5] The Beatles were placed at number one on Billboard magazine's fiftieth-anniversary list of all-time top Hot 100 artists in 2008.[6] They have received 13 Grammy Awards from the American National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences[7] and 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[8] They were collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people.[9] Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York City in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.
| The Beatles | |
|---|---|
 The Beatles in 1964 John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Years active | 1960–1970 |
| Labels | Parlophone, Capitol, Vee-Jay, Apple |
| Associated acts | The Quarrymen Plastic Ono Band |
| Website | www.thebeatles.com |
| Members | |
| John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr | |
| Past members | |
| Stuart Sutcliffe Pete Best | |
A Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale, Help! and Rubber Soul :
Capitol Records' lack of interest throughout 1963 had not gone unnoticed. A competitor, United Artists Records, encouraged United Artists' film division to offer The Beatles a motion picture contract in the hope that it would lead to a record deal.[89] Directed by Richard Lester, A Hard Day's Night had the group's involvement for six weeks in March–April 1964 as they played themselves in a boisterous mock-documentary.[90] The film premiered in London and New York in July and August, respectively, and was an international success.[91] The Observer's reviewer, Penelope Gilliatt, noted that "the way The Beatles go on is just there, and that's it. In an age that is clogged with self-explanation this makes them very welcome. It also makes them naturally comic."[92] According to Allmusic, the accompanying soundtrack album, A Hard Day's Night, saw them "truly coming into their own as a band. All of the disparate influences on their first two albums had coalesced into a bright, joyous, original sound, filled with ringing guitars."[93] That "ringing guitar" sound was primarily the product of Harrison's 12-string electric Rickenbacker, a prototype given him by the manufacturer, which made its debut on the record. Harrison's ringing 12-string inspired Roger McGuinn, who obtained his own Rickenbacker and used it to craft the trademark sound of The Byrds.[94]
Beatles for Sale, the band's fourth studio album, saw the emergence of a serious conflict between commercialism and creativity.[95] Recorded between August and October 1964, the album had been intended to continue the format established by A Hard Day's Night which, unlike the band's first two LPs, had contained no cover versions.[95] Acknowledging the challenge posed by constant international touring to the band's songwriting efforts, Lennon admitted, "Material's becoming a hell of a problem". Six covers from their extensive repertoire were included on the album.[96][95] Released in early December, its eight self-penned numbers nevertheless stood out, demonstrating the growing maturity of the material produced by the Lennon-McCartney partnership.[95]
In April 1965, Lennon and Harrison's dentist spiked their coffee with LSD while they were his guests for dinner.[97] The two later deliberately experimented with the drug, joined by Starr on one occasion.[98] McCartney was reluctant to try it, but eventually did so in 1966, and later became the first Beatle to discuss it publicly.[99]
Capitol Records' lack of interest throughout 1963 had not gone unnoticed. A competitor, United Artists Records, encouraged United Artists' film division to offer The Beatles a motion picture contract in the hope that it would lead to a record deal.[89] Directed by Richard Lester, A Hard Day's Night had the group's involvement for six weeks in March–April 1964 as they played themselves in a boisterous mock-documentary.[90] The film premiered in London and New York in July and August, respectively, and was an international success.[91] The Observer's reviewer, Penelope Gilliatt, noted that "the way The Beatles go on is just there, and that's it. In an age that is clogged with self-explanation this makes them very welcome. It also makes them naturally comic."[92] According to Allmusic, the accompanying soundtrack album, A Hard Day's Night, saw them "truly coming into their own as a band. All of the disparate influences on their first two albums had coalesced into a bright, joyous, original sound, filled with ringing guitars."[93] That "ringing guitar" sound was primarily the product of Harrison's 12-string electric Rickenbacker, a prototype given him by the manufacturer, which made its debut on the record. Harrison's ringing 12-string inspired Roger McGuinn, who obtained his own Rickenbacker and used it to craft the trademark sound of The Byrds.[94]
Beatles for Sale, the band's fourth studio album, saw the emergence of a serious conflict between commercialism and creativity.[95] Recorded between August and October 1964, the album had been intended to continue the format established by A Hard Day's Night which, unlike the band's first two LPs, had contained no cover versions.[95] Acknowledging the challenge posed by constant international touring to the band's songwriting efforts, Lennon admitted, "Material's becoming a hell of a problem". Six covers from their extensive repertoire were included on the album.[96][95] Released in early December, its eight self-penned numbers nevertheless stood out, demonstrating the growing maturity of the material produced by the Lennon-McCartney partnership.[95]
In April 1965, Lennon and Harrison's dentist spiked their coffee with LSD while they were his guests for dinner.[97] The two later deliberately experimented with the drug, joined by Starr on one occasion.[98] McCartney was reluctant to try it, but eventually did so in 1966, and later became the first Beatle to discuss it publicly.[99]
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