THE BEATLES: THE BEATLES FACTS

Introducing the Beatles:
The Beatles had sold an estimated 1 billion records worldwide by 1985 and had 21 no 1 singles in the US alone. Even today, 40 years after they broke up, they remain a great source of inspiration for other artists.

In just seven years the Beatles made a string of unforgettable albums. They set new standards for composing, performing and recording popular music. They blended music of many genres and experimented with instruments that had never before been heard on pop records. They were commercially successful and artistically stimulating at the same time.

The Beatles defined a generation by breaking new barriers and by showing a reluctance to compromise.

Chapters: Where did it all start? - The Beatles hit America - Chemistry and understanding - Talent and sophistication - Dylan makes an impression - A new direction - Rubber Soul: a turning point - The psychedelic experience - The final show - An unexpected death - The Beatles in India - Get back - Abbey Road: the end

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Where did it all start?

A beginning took shape in Liverpool, England, in 1957. John Winston Lennon (born October 9, 1940) formed a skiffle group with friends. The group called themselves the Quarry Men. Some of the members played on real instruments, while others played on wash boards etc. The Quarry Men performed at low key events in Liverpool. They played folk, country and rock music. The group's line up changed frequently.
The Beatles - early days

On July 6 1957, the Quarry Men played at a garden fete of St Peter's Church in Woolton, Liverpool.

After the concert, John Lennon was introduced to James Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) for the first time. McCartney was playing his guitar backstage, and Lennon was impressed by his skills.

"I saw he had talent," Lennon recalled in 1980.

"I turned around to him right then on the first meeting and said: Do you want to join the group?"

"I think he said yes the next day."
In February 1958, George Harrison (born February 25, 1943) also joined the Quarry Men. George had been introduced to John through Paul.On July 15 the same year, John's mother Julia died in a hit-and-run accident. John was then 17 years old. He had lived most of his short life separated from his mother. His parents' marriage only lasted two years, and when John was five, Julia had a child with another man. John was then taken care off by Julia's sister Mimi and her husband, George Smith. John, however, continued to see his mum, who encouraged his passion for music and taught him to play the banjo. When uncle George died in 1955, John and his mother developed a closer relationship.
His mother's death left John emotionally devastated. Fortunately, John had a new friend in Paul, who he could relate to. Paul's mother Mary had died when he was just 14. Paul's background was however quite different to John's. He came from a disciplined working class family, with a father (James, also a musician) who worked hard to make ends meet. John, on the other hand, was brought up in middle-class surroundings, but experienced more emotional instability as a child because of his parents' absence.

Their personalities could not have been more different. Paul was polite and diplomatic, while John's mood would change from one extreme to another frequently.

Nevertheless, their shared experience of loss helped them to develop a close friendship. In addition, they shared a passion for music in which they both could express emotions, whether joy or grief.

They continued to perform under the name the Quarry Men until January 1960, when John's friend from art school, Stuart Sutcliffe, joined on bass guitar. After that, the group changed their name several times, to the Beatals, Silver Beats and the Silver Beetles.

The Beatles - early days

Later that year, Pete Best joined the band on drums. The group then traveled to Hamburg, Germany, where they played more than 100 concerts at the Indra Club and the Kaiserkeller. The band's name had by then changed to the Beatles. The Beatles would return to Hamburg also in 1961 and 1962, and in February 1961 they played at the infamous Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time, where they soon became regular performers.

The Beatles were initially inspired by black, R&B and Motown music. They liked Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent and Fats Domino, to name a few. The Beatles had black leather jackets, long hear combed forward and cheeky humor. Even in the early pre-fame days, they stood out from most other contemporary bands, because of their scruffy look and energetic live concerts.

It was during a lunchtime performance at the Cavern Club in November 1961 that the Beatles were discovered by Brian Epstein, who soon after became the group's manager.

In January 1962, the Beatles auditioned for Decca Records in London. The group failed to make an impression, and Decca turned them down. Manager Epstein was furious:"You must be out of your minds. These boys are going to explode. I am completely confident that one day they will be bigger than Elvis Presley!"

Fortunately, shortly after, Epstein got in touch with George Martin, who was the head of Parlophone, a part of EMI records. Martin, a classically trained musician and producer, would play a key role in the Beatles' career in the years to come. Today, some refer to him as the "fifth Beatle," because of his undeniable musical influence on the group.

The Beatles - early days, with drummer Pete Best second from left

The Beatles - early days, with drummer Pete Best second from left

Meanwhile, on April 10 1962, Stuart Sutcliffe, the band's bassist, died of a brain hemorrhage while in Hamburg with his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr, a German photographer.

Soon after, George Martin decided to give the Beatles a chance, and on June 4 1962, the group signed with EMI in London. "I've got nothing to lose," George Martin said at the time.

There was one problem, however: Martin was not impressed with the band's drummer, Pete Best. The Beatles had no choice but to let Best go.

In August 1962, they recruited a new drummer. His name was Richard Starkey (born July 7, 1940), AKA Ringo Starr.The Beatles' line up was now as follows:

John Lennon (vocals, guitar)
Paul McCartney (vocals, bass guitar)
George Harrison (vocals, guitar)
Ringo Starr (drums)

When George Martin offered the Beatles a record deal, the plan was that the group would record songs written by others, like most pop groups did at the time. It was almost unheard of that pop groups wrote their own music. Even the Beatles' pre-fame live repertoire consisted almost exclusively of cover songs.

Martin had no idea that Lennon and McCartney were aspiring song writers, and he was therefore presented with a big surprise on September 4, when the Beatles turned up for their second recording session at EMI's studios in Abbey Road, London.

After recording How Do You Do It, a song written by Mitch Murray, which George Martin had handpicked for the Beatles, the group insisted on recording one of their own songs. Martin was hard to convince, however. He didn't think the Beatles would have any potential hits up their sleeves. But the group insisted, and in the end Martin let them play him their song. It was called Love Me Do, and had been written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Martin was perhaps not blown way by what he heard, but he was still quite impressed. The song had potential, that was for sure. He suggested that John played some harmonica on it, just to give the arrangement something extra.

The Beatles - early success

In an interview with Mark Lewisohn for the book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, first published in 1988, Paul McCartney said:

"Love Me Do was us trying to do the blues. It came out whiter because it always does. We're white and we were just young Liverpool musicians. We didn't have any finesse to be able to actually sound black. But Love Me Do was probably the first bluesy thing we tried to do."

Love Me Do was released as a single in the United Kingdom in October 1962, where it reached number 17 on the charts. Almost two years later, in May 1964, the song went to number one on the American charts. How Do You Do It was never released by the Beatles, but later became a hit with Gerry and the Pacemakers, also a Liverpool band.

The Beatles' next single, entitled Please Please Me, was a Roy Orbinson inspired Lennon/McCartney song. It was released in January 1963, and by March it had climbed all the way to number two on the British charts.

The group's big break through came in May the same year, when both their debut album, Please Please Me, and the single From Me To You, written by Lennon/McCartney, reached number one in Britain.
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