Beatles, The
Beatles, The, the most important rock group in history. Membership: John Lennon, rhythm gtr., pno., har., voc. (b. Woolton, Liverpool, England, Oct. 9, 1940; d. N.Y.C., Dec. 8, 1980); Paul McCartney, bs., pno., bjo., trpt., voc. (b. Allerton, Liverpool, June 18, 1942); George Harrison, lead gtr., sitar, pno., voc. (b. Wavertree, Liverpool, Feb. 24, 1943); Ringo Starr (b. Richard Starkey), drm., voc. (b. Dingle, Liverpool, July 7, 1940). Early members included Stuart Sutcliffe, bs. (b. Edinburgh, Scotland, June 23, 1940; d. Hamburg, Germany, April 10, 1962); Pete Best, drm. (b. Madras, India, Nov. 24, 1941).
The evolution of The Beatles began in 1956 when John Lennon formed a group called The Quarrymen. In July 1957, he met Paul McCartney, who subsequently joined the group. George Harrison joined in August 1958 and, by 1959, they were down to a trio. The group\u2019s name changed several times during that year, eventually becoming The Silver Beatles. Bassist Stu Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best joined the group in January and August 1960, respectively. Subsequently performing in Hamburg, Germany, for three months as The Beatles, the group later backed singer Tony Sheridan in Hamburg in June 1961 and recordings done with Sheridan were later released on albums. In Hamburg, the group completed their musical apprenticeship, playing rigorous night-long shows to unappreciative audiences; live recordings made at the Star Club in 1962 were eventually issued in 1977.
The Beatles returned to England and took up residence at The Cavern, a club in Liverpool, beginning in February 1961. In April, Stu Sutcliffe left the group; he died of a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg on April 10, 1962. In November 1961, record shop owner Brian Epstein discovered the group at The Cavern and attempted to secure them a recording contract. They were initially rejected by Decca and later picked up by the Parlophone subsidiary of EMI (British Capitol) in May 1962. That August, Ringo Starr quit Rory Storm\u2019s Hurricanes and replaced Pete Best on drums. Best later recorded an album for Savage Records and served as \u201ctechnical advisor\u201d for the 1979 Dick Clark production The Birth of The Beatles, which aired on ABC-TV. By the late 1990s, Pete Best had formed The Pete Best Combo, recording Best for Music Club Records.
In September, with George Martin producing, The Beatles conducted their first recording session. In October, their first single, \u201cLove Me Do,\u201d was issued in Great Britain on Parlophone Records, becoming a modest hit. Their second single, \u201cPlease Please Me,\u201d quickly proved a smash hit. The Beatles\u2019 first British album, Please Please Me, issued in March 1963, remained near the top of the charts for six months. Their second album, With The Beatles, issued in November, initiated a string of 11 consecutive studio albums of new material to top the British album charts.
In the United States, the next Beatles single, \u201cI Want to Hold Your Hand,\u201d backed with \u201cI Saw Her Standing There,\u201d was released in January 1964, with heavy promotion by Capitol. The song became a top hit within two weeks and proved to be one of the fastest-selling singles of the 1960s, eventually selling 15 million copies worldwide. In February, The Beatles performed on CBS television\u2019s Ed Sullivan Show before an estimated audience of 73 million and launched their debut U.S. tour, with massive media coverage.
The dam burst. Nothing could stop The Beatles, and in their wake followed dozens of British groups. Indeed, Lennon and McCartney provided a number of hit songs to up-and-coming British groups, including \u201cHello Little Girl\u201d for The Fourmost, \u201cBad to Me\u201d for Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, and \u201cIt\u2019s for You\u201d for Cilia Black. Peter and Gordon scored with their \u201cWorld without Love\u201d (a top British and American hit) and \u201cI Don\u2019t Want to See You Again,\u201d and The Rolling Stones\u2019 first major British hit came with Lennon and McCartney\u2019s \u201cI Wanna Be Your Man.\u201d
For many weeks after the release of \u201cI Want to Hold Your Hand,\u201d The Beatles dominated the highest chart positions with the top hits \u201cShe Loves You\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t Buy Me Love\u201d (on Capitol), \u201cPlease Please Me\u201d and \u201cDo You Want to Know a Secret\u201d (on Veejay), and \u201cTwist and Shout\u201d and \u201cLove Me Do,\u201d backed with \u201cPS. I Love You\u201d (on Tollie). In March 1964, the group began work on their first film, A Hard Day\u2019s Night, and John Lennon published his first book, In His Own Write. The film premiered in July and the British A Hard Day\u2019s Night album comprised entirely songs written by Lennon and McCartney. The Beatles\u2019 second U.S. tour began in August, and the following February and March they recorded and filmed their second movie, Help!, which opened in late July. In June, Lennon published his second book, A Spaniard in the Works. Through mid-1965, The Beatles continued their string of hit singles with the top hits \u201cA Hard Day\u2019s Night,\u201d \u201cI Feel Fine\u201d (backed with \u201cShe\u2019s a Woman\u201d), \u201cEight Days a Week,\u201d and \u201cTicket to Ride,\u201d and the major hits \u201cAnd I Love Her,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll Cry Instead,\u201d and Carl Perkins\u2019s \u201cMatchbox\u201d backed with \u201cSlow Down.\u201d
Increasing sophistication in the lyrics of Lennon and McCartney became evident after mid-1965. The words to the top hits \u201cHelp\u201d and \u201cYesterday,\u201d the smash hit \u201cNowhere Man\u201d and the major hit \u201cEleanor Rigby,\u201d and songs such as \u201cIn My Life\u201d (from Rubber Soul) possessed a profound emotional intensity not apparent in earlier work. Completing their third North American tour in August 1965, The Beatles scored a top hit with \u201cWe Can Work It Out\u201d/\u201dDay Tripper\u201d at year\u2019s end. George Harrison\u2019s songwriting ability began to be showcased with Revolver, which contained three of his songs: \u201cTaxman,\u201d \u201cLove You To,\u201d and \u201cI Want to Tell You.\u201d The Beatles conducted their final American tour in August 1966 as \u201cYellow Submarine\u201d (backed with \u201cEleanor Rigby\u201d) was becoming a smash hit.
With the single \u201cRain\u201d (the flip side of the top hit \u201cPaperback Writer\u201d) and songs such as \u201cTomorrow Never Knows\u201d (from Revolver), The Beatles began utilizing involved studio production techniques in their recordings. The contributions of producer- arranger George Martin became particularly strong between 1966 and 1968. Lyrically, the songs of Lennon and McCartney began a tendency toward the bizarre and surreal, often defying logical explanation. This penchant for the surreal, first evident with \u201cNorwegian Wood\u201d (from Rubber Soul), continued with \u201cLucy in the Sky with Diamonds\u201d, the quintessential \u201cA Day in the Life\u201d (from Sgt. Pepper), and the singles \u201cStrawberry Fields Forever\u201d/\u201dPenny Lane\u201d and \u201cI Am the Walrus.\u201d
Focusing their attention on recording, The Beatles\u2019 Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band was issued in June 1967, with advance sales of one million plus. It remained on the American album charts for more than three years and eventually sold more then eight million copies in the United States. The first Beatles album to be identical in its British and American versions, Sgt. Pepper entailed 700 hours of studio time. As the music industry\u2019s first recognized concept album, the record was highly acclaimed by critics and marked perhaps the high point of The Beatles\u2019 recording career. The album included \u201cLucy in the Sky with Diamonds/\u2019 \u201cWith a Little Help from My Friends\u201d (sung by Ringo), Harrison\u2019s self-consciously philosophical \u201cWithin You, Without You,\u201d and the quintessential 1960s production, \u201cA Day in the Life.\u201d The singles \u201cAll You Need Is Love\u201d and \u201cHello Goodbye\u201d became top hits before year\u2019s end, followed by the smash \u201cLady Madonna\u201d the next spring.
Individual endeavors by members of The Beatles began in 1967 with the acting debut of John Lennon in the film How I Won the War and Paul McCartney\u2019s recording of the soundtrack to the film The Family Way. During the year, the group scripted, cast, directed, and edited the made-for-television movie Magical Mystery Tour, a conspicuous failure in its poor editing and photography. The soundtrack album, released in November in the United States only, included \u201cThe Fool on the Hill,\u201d \u201cI Am the Walrus,\u201d and \u201cAll You Need Is Love.\u201d In 1968, George Harrison composed, arranged, and recorded his own music for the soundtrack to the film Wonderwall. Lennon, now with conceptual artist Yoko Ono, recorded with her the controversial Two Virgins album. In July, the animated movie Yellow Submarine premiered. It was probably the most artistically successful film with which The Beatles were associated. Furthermore, it was one of the most engaging psychedelic movies of the late 1960s. The soundtrack album included the title song and \u201cAll You Need Is Love.\u201d
In April 1968, The Beatles had formed their own record company, Apple. The first single for the label, \u201cHey Jude\u201d (backed with \u201cRevolution\u201d), was released in August and became a top hit. The double-record set entitled The Beatles (also known as The White Album), issued in November, was the first album on Apple. Disjointed and revealing the tell-tale signs of a Lennon-McCartney rift, the album contained such diverse songs as \u201cBack in the U.S.S.R.,\u201d \u201cBlackbird,\u201d \u201cRevolution,\u201d and Harrison\u2019s superlative \u201cWhile My Guitar Gently Weeps\u201d (recorded, without credit, with Eric Clapton). It remained on the American album charts for nearly three years and sold more than seven million copies in the United States.
During most of 1969, the individual Beatles worked apart. Ringo appeared in the movie The Magic Christian. The soundtrack album contained a solo McCartney composition, \u201cCome and Get It,\u201d a near-smash hit for Badfinger. In March, John Lennon married Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman. The marriages seemed to mark the informal end of The Beatles. During the year, The Beatles scored top hits with \u201cGet Back\u201d and \u201cCome Together\u201d (backed with Harrison\u2019s smash hit \u201cSomething\u201d) and the near-hit \u201cThe Ballad of John and Yoko.\u201d John Lennon became the first Beatle to perform publicly outside the group in September with The Plastic Ono Band in Toronto.
The only Beatle album release of 1969, Abbey Road (named for the studio in which the group had recorded since 1962), was issued in November and became their most popular album, selling more than nine million copies in the United States. It included Lennon\u2019s \u201cCome Together,\u201d Harrison\u2019s \u201cSomething\u201d and \u201cHere Comes the Sun,\u201d Ringo\u2019s \u201cOctopus\u2019s Garden,\u201d and \u201cShe Came in through the Bathroom Window.\u201d The Abbey Road album was actually the final Beatles recording. Let It Be, initially produced by George Martin and later reworked by Phil Spector, was held up by remixing disputes and film editing problems and was eventually issued in May 1970. The album included the top hits \u201cLet It Be,\u201d \u201cGet Back,\u201d and \u201cThe Long and Winding Road,\u201d The Beatles\u2019 final single release.
On the last day of 1970, Paul McCartney sued for dissolution of The Beatles\u2019 partnership, which legally ended on Jan. 9, 1975. Subsequent Beatles album releases were the live sets Live at Star Club and Live at the Hollywood Bowl (recorded in 1964 and 1965), Rarities, and various anthology sets. The individual members of The Beatles recorded a number of albums for Apple in the first half of the 1970s, most notably Paul McCartney\u2019s McCartney (1970) and Band on the Run (with his group, Wings; 1973), George Harrison\u2019s All Things Must Pass (1970) and The Concert for Bangladesh (1972), John Lennon\u2019s Imagine (1971), and Ringo Starr\u2019s Ringo (1973).
Throughout the 1970s, rumors persisted that The Beatles would reunite for touring or recordings, but such speculation finally and tragically ended with the murder of John Lennon in N.Y.C. on Dec. 8, 1980. The remaining three, plus Linda McCartney, jointly recorded the 1981 tribute to Lennon, \u201cAll Those Years Ago,\u201d written by Harrison.
The public\u2019s fascination with The Beatles was sustained in the early 1980s through the film documentary The Compleat Beatles (1982) and long- time associate Peter Brown\u2019s book, The Love You Make: An Insider\u2019s Story of The Beatles (1983). In August 1985, superstar Michael Jackson purchased the copyrights to 40, 000 songs, including over 200 Lennon-McCartney songs. During the 25th anniversary year of The Beatles\u2019 first recording, 1987, Capitol Records issued for the first time on CD The Beatles\u2019 first seven albums in their British versions (U.S. versions contained one to four fewer songs) and their last five albums (U.S. and British versions were identical). Sgt. Pepper, released in June, rapidly became the best-selling CD of all time.
In 1994, the movie Backbeat focused on the early days of The Beatles and Stu Sutcliffe in particular. Late in the year, Apple Records issued The Beatles\u2019 Live at the BBC, 56 songs recorded for broadcast by the radio station between March 1962 and June 1965. Consisting largely of cover songs, the album quickly sold more than five million copies. In November 1995, the three-part special The Beatles Anthology aired on ABC television, and the end of the first program featured the debut of \u201cFree As a Bird,\u201d a Lennon demonstration record completed by the former Beatles, which became a near-hit. Capitol subsequently issued three double-CD sets of Anthology albums that demonstrated the remarkable popularity of a group that had disbanded a quarter of a century ago.
The most important rock group in history, The Beatles\u2019 unprecedented commercial success was paralleled by their masterful artistic achievements and widespread cultural impact. Musically, The Beatles were the group that institutionalized many of the advances pioneered in rock music in the late 1950s, from the selfcontained music group to the use of sophisticated arrangements and studio production techniques. In encompassing so many diversified forms of music (pop love songs, ballads, novelty songs, folk, country-and-western, rhythm-and-blues) within the basic rock \u2019n\u2019 roll format, The Beatles revitalized rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. Their music exhibited a fresh, clean, exuberant sound that contrasted sharply with the vapid pop ballads and dance songs pervading popular music in the early 1960s. Initiating an eclecticism that was to become one of their trademarks with Something New, The Beatles went beyond the standard three-chord progression, often utilizing diminished or augmented seventh and ninth chords while devising intriguing melodies and developing engaging vocal harmonies. Particularly after the Help! album, songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney brought an unprecedented lyric sophistication to rock music, writing songs of a personal and emotionally evocative nature. Their frequent philosophical concerns in lyrics widened the intellectual boundaries of rock in a manner rivaled only by Bob Dylan. Beginning with the Revolver album, perhaps the most innovative rock album ever made, The Beatles introduced novel instrumental combinations into rock, explored elaborate electronic production techniques under George Martin, and sparked the use of the East Indian sitar in rock music. The landmark Sgt. Pepper album, regarded by many as the first fully realized concept album and certainly an astounding work, may be the best known rock album of all time; its intricate jacket design also set new standards for the developing field of album artwork.
Within the music industry, The Beatles\u2019 enormous success turned the industry away from its preoccupation with individual singers performing songs written by professional songwriters toward music groups performing original material. The consistency of The Beatles\u2019 musical performances switched the focus of the consuming public\u2019s attention from singles to albums. The Beatles\u2019 rise enabled dozens of other British musicians to express themselves musically and achieve popularity, thereby breaking the American stranglehold on British popular music. Perhaps most significantly, the musical and songwriting advances pioneered by The Beatles led critics to view rock music as a valid art form in and of itself, and induced the public to perceive rock music as a total, internally coherent form of conscious experience. In social terms, The Beatles brought public attention to psychedelic drugs, the peace movement, Indian music, and Eastern spiritualism. Moreover, they helped promote a growing youth culture and inspired many young people to begin playing music by and for themselves, making music an essential part of their lifestyle. The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Producer George Martin was inducted in 1999.
For information on their subsequent careers, see separate entries on John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison.
Discography
EARLY BEATLES RECORDINGS: The Beatles with Tony Sheridan and Their Guests (1964; reissued as This Is Where It Started, 1966); Live at the Star Club (1962); Introducing...The Beatles (1963); Jolly What! The Beatles and Frank Ifield (1964); Songs, Pictures and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles (1964); The Beatles versus The Four Seasons (1964); Ain\u2019t She Sweet (1964); The Early Beatles (1965); In the Beginning (1970). PETE BEST: Best of The Beatles (1966); Beyond The Beatles 1964r\u201366 (1996). PETE BEST COMBO: Music Club (1998). THE BEATLES: Note: The album releases for The Beatles through 1966 were significantly different in the U.K. (on Parlophone) and the U.S. (on Capitol). Capitol chose to release the British albums on CD, except in the case of Meet The Beatles. Please Please Me (1963); With The Beatles (1963); Meet The Beatles (1964); The Beatles\u2019 Second Album (1964); A Hard Day\u2019s Night (1964); Something New (1964); Beatles for Sale (1964); The Beatles\u2019 Story (1964); Beatles\u2019 \u201965 (1965); Beatles VI (1965); Help! (1965); Rubber Soul (1965); Yesterday...and Today (1966); Revolver (1966); Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967); Magical Mystery Tour (1967); The Beatles (White Album) (1968); Yellow Submarine (soundtrack; 1969); Abbey Road (1969); Hey Jude (1970); Let It Be (1970); Live at the BBC (1994). BEATLES ANTHOLOGIES: 1962\u20131966 (1973); 1967\u20131970 (1973); Rock V Roll Music (1976); Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1977); Love Songs (1977); Rarities (1980); Reel Music (1982); 20 Greatest Hits (1981); Past Masters-Vol. 1, 2 (1988); The Ultimate Box Set (1988); Anthology 1 (1995); Anthology 2 (1996); Anthology 3 (1996); 1 (2000).
Writings
John Lennon, In His Own Write (N.Y., 1964); John Lennon, A Spaniard in the Works (N.Y., 1965); George Harrison, I Me Mine (N.Y., 1980); Pete Best and Patrick Don-caster, Beatlel The Pete Best Story (N.Y., 1985); John Lennon, Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Writings (N.Y., 1986).
Bibliography
Brian Epstein, A Cellarful of Noise (Garden City, N.Y., 1964); Billy Shepherd, The True Story of The Beatles (N.Y., 1964); Hunter Davies, The Beatles: The Authorized Biography (N.Y., 1968); Edward E. Davis, The Beatles Book (N.Y., 1968); Julius Fast, The Beatles: The Real Story (NX, 1968); Anthony Scaduto, The Beatles (N.Y., 1968); Jann Wenner, Lennon Remembers: The Rolling Stone Interviews (San Francisco, 1971); Richard Duello, The Longest Cocktail Party: A Personal History of Apple (Chicago, 1972); Peter McCabe and Robert Schonfeld, Apple to the Core: The Unmaking of The Beatles (N.Y., 1972); Derek Taylor, As Time Goes By (San Francisco, 1973); Wilfrid Mellers, Twilight of the Goods (N.Y., 1974); Allan Williams and William Marshall, The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away (N.Y., 1975); Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, All Together Now: The First Complete Beatles\u2019Discography 1961\u20131975 (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1976); Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, The Beatles Again? (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1977); Bill Harry, ed., Mersey Beat: The Beginnings of The Beatles (London, N.Y., 1977); Nicholas Schaffner, The Beatles Forever (N.Y., 1977); Roy Carr and Tony Tyler, The Beatles: An Illustrated Record (N.Y., 1975, 1978); J. Philip DiFranco, ed., The Beatles: A Hard Day\u2019s Night (London, N.Y., 1978); Miles (comp.), The Beatles in Their Own Words (N.Y., 1978); George Martin with Jeremy Hornsby, All You Need Is Ears (N.Y., 1979); Goldie Friede, Robin Titone, and Sue Weiner, The Beatles AtoZ (N.Y., 1980); Nicholas Schaffner, The Boys from Liverpool: John, Paul, George, Ringo (N.Y., 1980); Tom Schultheiss (compiler), The Beatles: A Day in the Life: The Beatles Day-by-Day, 1960\u20131970 (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1980); Geoffry Stokes, The Beatles (N.Y., 1980); John Blake, All You Needed Was Love: The Beatles After The Beatles (N.Y., 1981); Philip Norman, Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation (N.Y., 1981); Charles Reinhart, You Can\u2019t Do That! Beatles Bootlegs and Novelty Records, 1963\u201380 (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1981); Bob Woffinden, The Beatles Apart (London, N.Y., 1981);Bill Harry, ed., The Beatles Who\u2019s Who (London, 1982); Jeff Russell, The Beatles Album File and Complete Discography (N.Y., 1982); Mark Wallgren, The Beatles on Record (N.Y., Schuster, 1982); Peter Brown and Steven Gaines, The Love You Make: An Insider\u2019s Story of The Beatles (N.Y., 1983); Kevin Howlett, The Beatles on the Beeb, \u201962\u201365: The Story of Their Radio Career (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1983); Terence J. O\u2019Grady, The Beatles, A Musical Evolution (Boston, 1983); Charles P. Neises, \u00e9d., The Beatles Reader: A Selection of Contemporary Views, News and Reviews of The Beatles in Their Heyday (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1984); Neville Stannard, The Long and Winding Road: A History of The Beatles on Record (N. Y, 1984); John Tobler, The Beatles (N.Y., 1984); Beatlefan: The Authoritative Publication of Record for Fans of The Beatles (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1985); Carol D. Terry (editor and compiler), Here, There and Everywhere: The First International Beatles Bibliography, 1962\u20131982 (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1985); Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik, The End of The Beatles? Ann Arbor, Mich., 1985); Robert Cepican, Yesterday\u2014Came Suddenly: The Definitive History of The Beatles (N.Y., 1985); Hunter Davies, The Beatles (N.Y., 1978, 1985); Geoffrey Guilano, The Beatles: A Celebration (N.Y., 1986); Mark Lewisohn, The Beatles Live! (N.Y., 1986); Allen J. Wiener, The Beatles: A Recording History (Jefferson, N.C., 1986); Derek Taylor, It Was Twenty Years Ago (N.Y., 1987); Mark Lewisohn, Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (N.Y., 1988); Tim Riley, Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (N.Y., 1988); Ray Coleman, The Man Who Made The Beatles: An Intimate Biography of Brian Epstein (N.Y., 1989); William J. Dowlding, Beatlesongs (N.Y., 1989); William McKeen, The Beatles: A Bio- Bibliography (N.Y., 1989); Gareth L. Pawlowski, How They Became The Beatles: A Definitive History of the Early Years, 1960\u20131964 (N.Y., 1989); Denny Somach, Kathleen Somach, and Kevin Gunn, Ticket to Ride (N.Y., 1989); Edward Gross, The Fab Films of The Beatles (Las Vegas, 1990); Mark Lewisohn, The Beatles: Day by Day, A Chronology 1962\u20131989 (N.Y., 1990); Mike Clifford, The Beatles (N.Y., 1991); Bill Harry, \u00e9d., The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia (N.Y., 1992); Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Chronicle (N.Y., 1992); Allen J. Wiener, The Beatles: The Ultimate Recording Guide (N.Y., 1992); Geoffrey Guilano and Brenda Guilano, The Lost Beatles Interviews (N.Y., 1994); Ian MacDonald, Revolution in the Head: The Beatles\u2019Records and the Sixties (N.Y., 1994); George Martin, With a Little Help from My Friends: The Making of \u201cSgt. Pepper\u201d (Boston, 1994); Steve Turner, A Hard Day\u2019s Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song (N.Y., 1994); Mark Hertsgaard, A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of The Beatles (N.Y., 1995); The Beatles: From Yesterday to Today (Boston, 1996); Jim O\u2019Donnell, The Day John Met Paul: A Hour-by-Hour Account of How The Beatles Began (N.Y., 1996); Brandon Toropov, Who Was Eleanor Rigby? And 998 More Questions and Answers about The Beatles (N.Y., 1996); Doug Sulpy and Ray Schweighardt, Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of The Beatles\u2019Let It Be Disaster (N.Y., 1997); Richard Buskin, The Complete Idiot\u2019s Guide to The Beatles (N.Y., 1998).
\u2014Brock Helander
![\"Historic](\"https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/wp-content/themes/en-gb-hn/dist/img/logo.png\"){kind=logo}
\n ![\"history](\"https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/app/uploads/2020/03/Beatles_ad_1965_just_the_beatles_crop.jpg\")
![\"the](\"https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/app/uploads/2020/03/The_Beatles_in_America.jpg\")
![\"CookieYes](\"https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/cookie-law-info/public/images/logo-cookieyes.svg\"){kind=logo}
![\"Encyclopedia.com](\"/themes/custom/trustme/images/header-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
![\"The](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-beatles-rehearse-for-that-nights-royal-variety-performance-at-the-prince-of-wales-theatre-4th-november-1963-the-queen-mother-will-attend-photo-by-central-press_hulton-archive_getty-images.jpg?resize=1200:*\" "\\"The")
![\"pinterest\"](\"//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.biography.com/musicians/how-the-beatles-formed&description=&media=https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-beatles-rehearse-for-that-nights-royal-variety-performance-at-the-prince-of-wales-theatre-4th-november-1963-the-queen-mother-will-attend-photo-by-central-press_hulton-archive_getty-images.jpg?resize=1600:*\")
![\"The](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-beatles-circa-1963-paul-mccartney-holds-a-cigarette-others-are-left-to-right-ringo-starr-george-harrison-1943---2001-and-john-lennon-photo-by-cbs-photo-archivegetty-images.jpg?resize=980:*\" "\\"The")
![\"eric](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/american-singer-songwriter-guitarist-and-keyboardist-eric-news-photo-1710251386.jpg?crop=0.725xw:1.00xh;0.130xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"\"Hungry")
![\"elvis](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/rock-and-roll-singer-elvis-presley-poses-for-a-portrait-news-photo-1707321118.jpg?crop=0.712xw:1.00xh;0.109xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Elvis")
![\"tina](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/singer-tina-turner-is-photographed-in-her-dressing-room-news-photo-1707413515.jpg?crop=0.671xw:1.00xh;0.133xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Tina")
![\"billie](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/billie-eilish-arrives-at-the-2024-palm-springs-news-photo-1704683929.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.721xh;0,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Billie")
![\"john](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/composer-john-williams-attends-the-44th-afi-life-news-photo-1709846644.jpg?crop=0.870xw:0.790xh;0.0801xw,0.0451xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"John")
![\"cher](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/singer-cher-performs-onstage-during-the-2017-billboard-news-photo-1707941911.jpg?crop=0.731xw:1.00xh;0.256xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Cher")
![\"becky](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/becky-g-gettyimages-1357783233.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"47th")
![\"bad](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/bad-bunny-at-the-billboard-latin-music-awards-2023-held-at-news-photo-1697750432.jpg?crop=0.591xw:0.394xh;0.236xw,0.0836xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"Bad")
![\"adele](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/adele-attends-the-brit-awards-2022-at-the-o2-arena-on-news-photo-1709739132.jpg?crop=0.612xw:0.845xh;0.176xw,0.0199xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"adele\\"")
![\"priscilla](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/las-vegas-nev-entertainer-elvis-presley-sits-cheek-to-cheek-news-photo-1699019398.jpg?crop=0.684xw:1.00xh;0.162xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Priscilla")
![\"jelly](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-live-coast-to-coast-three-hour-season-finale-features-news-photo-1697206971.jpg?crop=0.715xw:0.896xh;0.143xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Jelly")
![\"beyonce](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/beyonc-c3-a9-performs-onstage-during-the-renaissance-world-tour-news-photo-1708535456.jpg?crop=0.668xw:1.00xh;0.167xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Beyonce")
![\"\"](\"/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png\"){kind=icon}
\n\t![\"Wikipedia\"](\"/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg\")
\n\t\t![\"The](\"/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-simple.svg\")
\n\t![\"A](\"/wiki/File:The_Beatles_members_at_New_York_City_in_1964.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:The_White_Album.svg\")
![\"Edit](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\"){kind=icon}
![\"The](\"/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg\")
\n\t![](\"/wiki/File:The_Beatles_logo.svg\"){kind=logo}
![](\"/wiki/File:John_Lennon_en_echtgenote_Yoko_Ono_vertrekken_van_Schiphol_naar_Wenen_in_de_vert,_Bestanddeelnr_922-2499_(cropped).jpg\")
![\"A](\"/wiki/File:3_Savile_Row.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:John_Lennon_rehearses_Give_Peace_A_Chance_cropped.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Phil_Spector_in_1965.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:BANGLADESHconcert1971LipackOWNER_(cropped_2).jpg\")
![\"\"](\"/wiki/File:John_Lennon_last_television_interview_Tomorrow_show_1975_(34_cropped).JPG\")
![\"\"](\"/wiki/File:Paul_McCartney_during_a_Wings_concert,_1976_(34_cropped).jpg\")
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png\")