History of beatles Essay Example For Students

History of beatles Essay Probably the most popular, influential and enduring rockgroup of all time, the Beatles almost single-handedly reshapedrock n roll from a genre of throwaway singles by faceless stars toan artistic medium with memorable images and idols. The Beatlesplaced the emphasis on a group, rather than a single individual,like Frank Sinatra or Elvis. They also set an example for all rock nroll bands to follow with their strong sense of self-determination,going against their record company and management on manyissues, even refusing to tour at the height of their popularity. Ofcourse, their countless hit singles have become modern-day folksongs, covered by hundreds of individuals and groups and inspiringcountless more, and have sold more copies than those of any otherThe roots of the Beatles date back to Liverpool, Englandin the late 1950s. Inspired by the growing skiffle craze, JohnLennon bought a guitar in March 1957 and formed a skiffle groupcalled the Quarrymen, named after his high school, Qu arry Bank. The lineup changed frequently, but by October 1959 it consisted ofLennon, his younger classmate Paul McCartney, George Harrisonand drummer Colin Hanton. By March of 1960, Lennons art schoolclassmate Stuart Sutcliffe joined the band on bass and suggestedthe name the Beetles, a play on Buddy Hollys group the Crickets. By that summer they were the Silver Beatles, settling on theBeatles in August. That month the Beatles left for Hamburg, WestGermany, with their new drummer Pete Best, to try to establishthemselves in Europe. The band became a popular local act,performing at various clubs until they were expelled from thecountry in November because George Harrison was underage. The Beatles returned to Germany in early 1961 to record as abackup band for singer Tony Sheridan; these sessions were laterreleased during the mid-60s as new Beatles material, takingadvantage of unsuspecting fans. Meanwhile Sutcliffe had left theband to pursue his art career and relationship with Germanphotographer Astrid Kircherr. Paul took over on bass. Ironically,Stu died of a brain hemorrhage the following year, right before theThroughout 1961 the Beatles played clubs in Britain,becoming an underground sensation; they were particularlyfamous at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. Though they played mostlycovers, Lennon and McCart ney began writing original songstogether, agreeing to forever share songwriting credits, eventhough they only co-wrote a handful of tunes during their entirecareer as the Beatles. By the end of the year, Liverpool recordstore owner Brian Epstein had become the bands manager, andquickly began trying to find them a record contract. On January 1,1962 the Beatles auditioned for Decca Records, performing 12covers and three originals for AR assistant Mike Smith. The groupwas rejected, however, and told that guitar groups are on the wayout. Undaunted, Epstein got the group an audition at Parlophone,an EMI subsidiary, with producer George Martin, who signed theBeatles on May 9, 1962. After one recording session, Martinsuggested that drummer Pete Best be replaced, and the Beatlesbrought in Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey), a well-known localdrummer, as his replacement. By October 1962 their first single,Love Me Do b/w P.S. I Love You, was a U.K. Top 20 hit, allegedlybecause Epstein bought 10,000 copies himself to ensure that itwould chart. The band became regular guests on the BBC,performing over fifty times between 1962 and 1964. In February of 1963 the Beatles returned to the studio torecord 10 songs (in one day!) for their first album, Please PleaseMe, which was released the following month. It became an instanthit, staying at No. 1 in Britain for 30 weeks and by October, femalefans were screaming at their performances , the start ofBeatlemania. Following an early November performance beforethe royal family, Parlophone released a second Beatles album,With The Beatles. By the end of the year the group had sold over2.5 million albums in Britain, and had a string of million-sellingNaturally, word about this amazing new act soon spread toAmerica. Yet, ignoring the British success of the Fab Four, EMIsU.S. partner, Capitol, refused to issue the first few Beatles singles,which were instead picked up by the Chicago-based indie labelVee Jay Records. Vee Jay packaged the early singles asIntroducing the Beatles, their first U.S. LP. During the second half of1963 it was the only Beatles material available in America, and soldincredibly well; by 1964 a court awarded the rights to all Beatlesrecordings to EMI/Capitol, and the record went out of print, only tobecome one of the most counterfeited albums in music history. In January of 1964 Capitol released their first U.S. Beatles LP,Meet the Beatles, containing remixed material from their twoBritish albums. Following a landmark three weekend stint on the EdSullivan show in February of 1964 (viewed by over 73 millionpeople), the Beatles were the biggest band in America,Beatlemania had taken hold of the U.S., also paving the way forother British Invasion groups. To capitalize on their incrediblepopularity, the Fab Four were made the stars of a comedy film, AHard Days Night, which, surprisingly, earned good reviews and,not surprisingly, produced a hit soundtrack album. Following therelease of the movie in July, the band left for their first NorthAmerican tour, performing 25 stadium dates in the U.S. andCanada. By the end of the year Beatles For Sale was in Britishstores, part of EMIs plan to have a new Beatles album out every sixmonths, while their previous albums and singles still clogged theU.S. and U.K Top 10. In 1965 the band appeared in a secondmo vie, the James Bond spoof Help!, which also spawned asoundtrack album. Another huge U.S. tour followed. Welty's Natchez Trace: all obstacles EssaySadly, internal tension resurfaced in the Beatles when AllenKlein brought in Phil Spector to produce and overdub Get Back(released in May 1970 as Let It Be) against Pauls wishes, alsodemanding that Paul delay the release of McCartney, his solodebut, in order to avoid detracting from sales of Let It Be. In anger,McCartney released his album in April, before Let It Be, andpublicly announced that he was quitting the group. On December31, 1970 McCartney filed suit against Klein to break up the Beatles,which upset the other three, who had considered periodicallyrecording as a group while continuing their solo careers now anychance of a reunion was gone, at least for quite a while. AppleRecords became a financial and legal mess. During the 1970s each of the Beatles released solo albums. Paul, performing with wife Linda in the group Wings, was the mostcommercially successful. John recorded on and off with Yoko Ono,and continued to attract attention for his radical politics (though hesemi-retired from music in 1975 to spend time with his newbornson, Sean). Throughout the decade there was idle talk of a reunion,peaking around 1976 when a Beatlesque Australian group namedKlaatu was rumored to be the Fab Four under a false name (theywerent, though their manager and record company encouragedthe rumor) and Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaelshalf-seriously offered the Beatles $3,000 to perform on his show. Though all four Beatles did contribute to the 1973 Ring Starr songIm the Greatest, no real reunion ever took place. On December 8,1980 all chances of that happening were ended when a derangedfan, Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon outside hisAlthough the Beatles had not released any new albums since1970, interest in the group remained high into the 90s, theirbackcatalog selling millions of copies a year and providing Capitolwith a large part of their annual income. Publishing rights to allLennon-McCartney compositions were sold during the 80s forhundreds of millions of dollars, at one point passing through thehands of Michael Jackson. Though Capitol issued singles/out-takescompilations such as Past Masters and Rarities, a lot moreunreleased material remained unavailable due to ongoing legalproblems, and ended up on illegal bootlegs. By the early 90s Paul, George, Ringo and Yoko Ono settledtheir disagreements about contracts, permitting the re-release oflong unavailable recordings. In 1994 Capitol issued a double CD ofearly Beatles recordings for the BBC. Phenomenal sales of Live atthe BBC inspired more exploitation of the Beatles legacy. In 1995the surviving Beatles came together to contribute to a TVdocumentary about the group and select material for a plannedrarities anthology of out-takes and demos. While together, Paul,George and Ringo laid down music for two John Lennon demoout-takes, Free as a Bird and Real Love. Though the soundquality was often abysmal, the material inferior, and thesurrounding hype insulting, Americas aging Beatles fans ate upthe three 1996 double-album releases, Beatles Anthology 1, 2, and3, which sold over 15 million copies in less than a year. Capitolonce again insists that there is no more Beatles material that willEven though one of the Fab Four has passed away, they live on,almost vividly, in the hearts of the youth in the world. Nothingbefore or since the Beatles has affected people in such a hugeway. Forty years ago, four young lads from Liverpool, England gottogether and grew and grew until they were bigger than anythingthats ever been seen in the music industry. They live forever inme, the world, in music, in everything. Love surrounds them forBibliography: