History of the BeatlesDiscography of The Beatles. The legendary THE BEATLES

By 1958, when John, Paul and George began playing together, American rock and roll had spread to the United Kingdom with might and main. Young people were waiting for a second wind, some kind of spark that would overshadow the British conservation and post-war dullness, they wanted musical development. The idol of youth in those days was Elvis, under whom she was ready to dance all night long. Of course, in addition to simple admirers, he also had imitators. Hundreds of amateur bands all over England rehearsed in basements and garages, imitating American stars. In Liverpool alone, there were countless such teams. Even a special genre of British music stands out - mersibita (after the name of the Liverpool River Mersey).

In those days, our heroes were far from the only band playing this kind of music. You can recall at least the group The Undertakers, which refused to cooperate with Brian Epstein (who knows, perhaps these guys would have become the most influential band in the world in history, had they signed a contract). And in the 1960s, British music was not limited to the Beatles alone: ​​there were The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Cream and many others. But it was The Beatles who managed to thunder all over the world so that the echoes are still heard.

Who knows whether this is the merit of one Brian Epstein or collective, but the fact remains: out of hundreds of identical groups, it was the famous Liverpool four that became legendary. They achieved what others could only dream of.

Surely there is not a single person in the civilized world who has not heard of the group at least once.

Music historians, critics and music lovers are still trying to unravel the phenomenon of this four.

Is it possible to explain such massive popularity and truly popular love for British musicians, who turned the world upside down in the 1960s.

At the origins of The Beatles

It is impossible even to imagine the culture of the past century without the legendary four. For at least 20 years, they have been a role model not just for musical groups and individual performers, but for entire generations of young people. It was they who managed with their creativity to instill love and peace in the souls of Europeans, exhausted by the war. It is difficult to overestimate the importance in world culture. Could at least one of the members of the group have guessed what peak they would fly to when they got to know each other and decided to create together.

And it all started way back in 1957. Then the very young met a slightly older one. He was the leader of the Quarrymen at the age of 17 and was a fan of rock and roll. The group adhered to the skiffle direction in their work - it was the British model of rock and roll. Paul made an impression on a new acquaintance - he knew the chords and words of all rock and roll hits, knew how to play the trumpet and was taught to play the piano. A few months later, they began joint performances, which were joined by one of Paul McCartney's friends, George Harrison. This is how the permanent basis of the future group appeared, and later bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, John's classmate in art college, joined them.

Looking for a name

After several performances at city events, young people decided that they had already become a close-knit team of like-minded people and began to develop musical skills and abilities. Of course, there were no real concerts yet, one could only dream of recording a record, but this did not bother the ambitious comrades in the least.

The musicians began to actively establish contacts in order to join the club life of Liverpool and begin concert performances. They did not miss a single more or less significant creative competition, but this did not bring the expected results. And then the guys thought about changing the name of the group. The Quarrymen first became Johnny and the Moondogs, then the Silver Beetles, and eventually became just . The origin of this name is still disputed. The Beatles themselves said that it was a joint idea of ​​John and Stewart. They wanted to come up with a word that would have a double meaning. They took beetles (“beetles”) as a basis, and then replaced one letter in it and got beatles. It sounded the same, but the root beat meant beat music.

It cannot be unequivocally stated that the name change affected the activity of the group, but soon after that the musicians began to receive offers to perform. In early 1960 the band even went on a short tour of Scotland. They just needed to break out of a number of Liverpool's numerous unknown bands that performed similar music.

With a new look to a new life

In the summer of 1960, a new stage in creativity begins - the group was invited to perform in Hamburg, which meant that there was a great chance to show themselves to Europe. Just before the German tour, the long search for a drummer was crowned with success and Pete Best was accepted into the group. A trip to Germany and the first performances abroad became a real test of strength for the team. The Beatles spent seven months in Hamburg, where they were met first by visitors to the Indra club, and then by the regulars of the Kaiserkeller.

Astrid Kirchherr and The Beatles

The busy schedule did not give the musicians a single day to relax, concerts in clubs continued non-stop, some groups replaced others, and the Liverpool team had to constantly improve in order not to embarrass themselves in front of the German public. On stage, they performed jazz compositions, blues, pop and even folk songs in rock and roll arrangement. It was the German tours that helped to hone the skills of the performers, which was immediately noticed by music lovers in their hometown.

Another event in the history of the group happened in the glorious port city. There, the musicians met a couple of students from the local art college - Klaus Forman and Astrid Kirchherr. The girl soon began a romantic relationship with Stuart Sutcliffe, she also made the group's first professional photo shoot in a Hamburg park, and during their next tour in 1961, she invited the musicians to change their image. The transformation consisted in creating new hairstyles with hair down to the forehead and ears and replacing concert costumes with jackets without lapels and collars, which were promoted by the famous Pierre Cardin. Thus, Astrid actually became their first real image maker.

Brian Epstein era

In Liverpool, the band began playing regularly at the Cavern Club and were already in contention for leadership in the city. The main competitors of the four were the Rory Storm and the Hurricanes team. Its members also came on tour to Hamburg, where the Beatles saw their drummer Ringo Starr, who later replaced Sutcliffe, who left the group.

Brian Epstein and The Beatles

During the second long tour in Germany, the first professional recording was made for the first time. Then they accompanied Tony Sheridan and received permission to record several of their songs.

In the Cavern club, the performance of the Beatles was noticed by an employee of one of the records stores, Brian Epstein, and set about promoting the career of musicians. He negotiated with several record companies, but they refused to work with a little-known team, but Parlophone took a chance and signed a contract with the group.

Later, the producer of the company, George Martin, admitted that he agreed to work with the team not because of their high professionalism, but solely because of their human qualities. Wit, good nature, openness and a little impudence attracted a venerable producer, who brought them to the Abbey Road studio in London.

And then the life of the musicians began to spin like in a kaleidoscope. In October 1962, their first single, Love Me Do, was released. Brian Epstein went to the trick and bought 10,000 records, which created an unprecedented hype around the group.

Then performances on television began, which gathered millions of people at the screens, concerts, new singles, and finally the recording of the full-fledged album “Please Please Me” took place. He headed the British national charts for six months. This is how the real Beatlemania began in 1963.

The second album of the Liverpool four "With The Beatles" was not long in coming either. And again there was a record - the stores received 300 thousand preliminary applications for its purchase! Over a million copies were sold in a year.

Almost like Beethoven

However, the popularity of the quartet in Britain did not affect their positions in America. Record companies were slow to re-release the band's singles, despite the best efforts of the nimble Epstein. The turning point was the release of the record with the recording of the song "I Want To Hold Your Hand". flattering review it was published in the authoritative newspaper The Sunday Times by critic Richard Buckle. Among other things, he placed Lennon and McCartney in the list of the greatest composers immediately after. The article did its job, and the victorious march of the Beatles across America began. In early 1964, the top five of the 14 songs on the US national chart belonged to .

At home, the members of the quartet continued to record albums, made films (“A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!”) And toured around the world. After the release of the album "Help!" the song "Yesterday" was recognized as one of the greatest musical compositions. Many ensembles and singers began to perform it, there are now about two thousand such interpretations!

The Beatles - studio band

The turning point for rock music was 1965. New artists began to appear who turned rock and roll from entertainment into an art. And again they were ahead of the rest with their new album "Rubber Soul". Even after a year full of creativity, one of the four’s iconic albums appeared - “Revolver”, which was filled with complex studio effects and did not imply a concert performance. From that moment on, the band's exhausting touring activity ended and only studio work began.

1966 began a 129-day recording of the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which became a real triumph of pop music, the evolution of the entire genre. But the success did not last long, and the group's affairs were shaken. Not the last role in this was played by the death in 1967 of Brian Epstein from an overdose of sleeping pills.

The recording of the next album "White Album" was the first signal of the breakup of the group. Disagreements arose between the musicians, they no longer wrote music together, each sought to prove his superiority. The new wife of John, who did not arouse sympathy among the members of the group, also added to the creative atmosphere.

Sunset at its peak

It became obvious that the history of the group was nearing its end. John Lennon began to perform with a new group (official announcements of his departure were persuaded not to give), Paul McCartney released his records. Since the middle of 1969, the group did not record anything together, but the fans still did not suspect anything. Therefore, McCartney's announcement in 1970 that he was leaving the group sounded like thunder.

It is worth recognizing that the collapse of the team benefited its members. Each began an independent creative path and achieved a certain recognition. They did not maintain almost any relationship with each other, communication was even a burden for them.

The murder of Lennon by a fanatic in 1980 destroyed the last hopes of fans about the reunion of the legendary group. The musicians continued to work separately, but began to live autonomously in the hearts of music lovers, without losing popularity and having passed the test of time for half a century.

DATA

In 1965, the participants received the Order of the British Empire. This is the first time in British history that this has happened. that the highest state award be given to pop musicians with the wording "for their contribution to the development of British culture and its popularization around the world."

In 1967, 400 million viewers were able to see the performance in the program "Our World", during which the video version of the single "All You Need Is Love" was recorded.

The group released the 1969 feature-length cartoon "Yellow Submarine". In the same year, one of their best songs "Hey Jude" appeared, dedicated to John Lennon's eldest son, Julian.

The Beatles updated: June 17, 2017 by: Elena

The most popular musical group of all time is The Beatles. Today it seems that The Beatles have always been around. Their unusual style cannot be confused with any other band. You can not love and not listen to them, but you cannot not know them.

The Guinness Book of Records claims that the world-famous song "Yesterday" has the largest number of cover versions in the history of recording. And how many times it has been performed since the time of its writing, it is difficult to calculate at all. None of the compiled lists of "songs of all times and peoples" is complete without the compositions of The Beatles. In addition, every second musician admits that his work was influenced by the Liverpool Four and its songs. It is impossible to imagine the musical world without the Beatles.

And if you remember all the awards and titles received by the group for almost 10 years of existence, the list will turn out to be long and impressive. However, The Beatles are not the first and not the best. They are unique. In this article, we will tell The history of the Beatles and about how the Liverpool four went to success.

Simple Music of the Yards

The history of the Beatles began in those days when England was literally engulfed in an epidemic of the creation of musical groups. In the late 1950s, skiffle was the most popular and widely accessible style - a bizarre combination of jazz, English folk and American country. In order to get into the group, you had to play the banjo, guitar or harmonica. Well, or in extreme cases - on a washboard, which often replaced drums for musicians. he was able to do all this. However, the Great Elvis was his real idol, and it was the king of rock and roll who inspired the “difficult teenager” to study music. So in 1956, John and his school friends created his first brainchild - The Quarrymen. Of course, they also played skiffle. And at one of the parties, friends introduced them to Paul McCartney. This left-handed guy not only played rock and roll guitar well, but he also knew how to tune it! And he, like Lennon, tried to compose.

Two weeks later, a new acquaintance was invited to the group, and he agreed. Thus was born the unsurpassed author's duo Lennon - McCartney, who was destined to shake the world. However, this happened a little later. Despite the fact that one was a bully and the other a "good boy", they got along well and spent a lot of time together. And soon they were joined by a friend of Paul - George Harrison, who did not just play the guitar. He played it very well. Meanwhile, the “school ensemble” has remained in the past, and it is time to choose a future path in life. All three chose music without hesitation. And they began to look for a new name and a drummer, without which there could be no real group.

In search of gold

The name was searched for a long time. It even happened that it changed the very next evening. It was difficult to please the producers: sometimes it turned out too long (for example, "Johnny and the Moondogs"), then too short - "Rainbows". And in 1960, they finally find the final version: The Beatles. At the same time, a fourth member appeared in the group. It was Stuart Sutcliffe. By the way, he was not going to be a musician at all, but he not only had to buy a bass guitar, but also learn how to play it.

The group performed quite successfully in Liverpool, toured the United Kingdom a little, but so far nothing foreshadowed world fame. The first "foreign trip" was an invitation to go to Hamburg, where English rock and roll was in high demand. To do this, urgently had to find a drummer. So Pete Best joined the Beatles. The first tour took place in truly extreme conditions: many hours of work, domestic disorder and, in the end, deportation from the country.

But, despite this, a year later The Beatles again went to Hamburg. This time everything was much better, but they returned to their homeland already as a quartet - Sutcliffe, for personal reasons, preferred to stay in Germany. The next "forge of excellence" for the musicians was the Liverpool club Cavern, on the stage of which they performed 262 times in two years (1961-1963).

Meanwhile, the popularity of The Beatles grew. However, during this period, the group performed mostly other people's hits, from rock and roll to folk songs, and the joint work of John and Paul is still accumulated "on the table". The situation changed only when the group finally got their own producer - Brian Epstein.

Beatlemania as an epidemic

Before meeting The Beatles, Epstein was a record dealer. But one day, becoming interested in a new group, he suddenly decided to start promoting it. It was love at first sight. However, the owners of record companies did not share the producer's hopes for the success of his Liverpool protégés. And yet, in 1962, EMI agreed to sign a contract with The Beatles on the condition that they release at least four singles. The serious level of studio work forced the band to change drummers. So in the history of the Beatles ensemble entered and remained forever Ringo Starr.

A year later, the group released their debut album Please Please Me (1963). The material was recorded at the studio in almost one day, and in the list of tracks, along with "foreign" hits, there were songs signed "Lennon - McCartney". By the way, the agreement on a double signature under the created songs was adopted at the very beginning of cooperation and lasted until the very breakup of the group, despite the fact that Lennon and McCartney no longer wrote the last songs in collaboration.

In 1963, the Beatles released their second album, With the Beatles, and found themselves in the epicenter of fame. Again performance on radio and TV, tours and work in the studio. The British Isles were swept by "Beatlemania", which evil tongues began to call only "national hysteria". Crowds of fans filled the concert halls, stadiums and even the streets adjacent to the venue. Those who did not have the opportunity to get to the group's performance were ready to stand for hours just to see the idols at least with one eye.

At concerts, sometimes there was such a noise that the musicians could not hear themselves. But curbing this flurry proved impossible. It remained to wait for the wave to go down on its own. In 1964, the "epidemic" spread across the ocean - The Beatles conquered America.

The next two years passed in a very intense rhythm - a busy tour schedule, the release of albums (as many as 5 were recorded from 1964 to 1966!), Filming and the search for new forms and sounds. At some point, it became clear that things could not continue like this and that something had to be changed.

Family album

The image of the group was thought out impeccably: costumes, hairstyles, temperament and habits - the embodied ideal. And of course, thousands of women around the world were crazy about these guys! On stage, in photographs, in films - always together. Meanwhile, their personal lives were hidden from the eyes of fans as much as possible. However, there were no reasons for scandals and conjectures here, rather everything looked like a quiet feat. It is rather difficult to imagine that with a crazy amount of work, the “bit” had enough time for a family.

John Lennon was the first of the quartet to marry. It happened in 1962, and in April 1963 his son Julian was born. However, this marriage, alas, ended in divorce in 1968. By this time, Lennon was madly in love with the extravagant Japanese woman Yoko Ono, who was destined to become the most famous of the Beatles' wives (in some way she influenced the history of the development of the Beatles group).

They got married in 1969, and after another 6 years their son Sean was born. For the sake of his upbringing, John left the stage for 5 years, but, by the way, that's another story - after The Beatles.

The second "married idol" was Ringo Starr. His marriage to Maureen Cox was a happy one. She bore him three children, but here, unfortunately, 10 years later there was a divorce. The drummer's second attempt to find love was also unsuccessful.

George Harrison and Patti Boyd became husband and wife in January 1966. Here, at first, everything was fine, too, but this couple was destined to part. In 1974, Patti left her husband for his friend, the equally famous musician Eric Clapton. George remarried in 1979 to his secretary Olivia Aries, and the marriage was a happy one.

When, in 1967, Paul McCartney and Jane Asher finally announced their engagement to the world, no one expected that in six months the engagement would be canceled at the initiative of the groom. However, a year later, Paul married American Linda Eastman, with whom he lived happily ever after, until death separated them in 1999.

By the way, biographers write that Linda, like Yoko, was not loved by the rest of the Beatles. And all because these women considered it possible to interfere in the affairs of the group, which, according to the musicians, should not have been done at all.

A walk to the movies

The first "feature" film featuring The Beatles was filmed in just 8 weeks and was called A Hard Day's Evening (1964). In fact, the legendary four did not have to invent or play anything - the plot of the film looks like a "peeped episode from life." The tour, going on stage, annoying fans, a little humor and a little bit of philosophy - everything is like in life. However, the film was a success and was even nominated for an Oscar twice.

The following year, it was decided to repeat the experience, and the second film with the participation of superstars, “Help!”, saw the light of day. (1965). As with the first film, a soundtrack album of the same name was released almost immediately that same year. The third experiment of the Beatles in the cinema was drawn - the legendary four became the heroes of a kind, albeit somewhat psychedelic cartoon Yellow Submarine (1968). And by tradition, the soundtrack was released as a separate album, however, a year later.

It was also in the history of the Beatles that they tried to make films on their own, and so the film Magical Mystery Journey (1967) was born. But he did not gain much success with the viewer, however, as well as with criticism.

Hard day's Night

Album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" ("Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"), released in 1967, is considered by critics to be the pinnacle of creativity in the history of The Beatles. By this time, the group, tired of concerts and tours, completely switched to studio work - the last "live" concert in England was played in April 1966. The group was in crisis. The Beatles wanted individual projects, a search for something new and, most likely, a break from the burden of fame. The first blow was the sudden death of Brian Epstein in August 1967. It turned out to be impossible to find an equivalent replacement for him, and the group's affairs were getting worse. However, by united efforts, the group still managed to record three more albums: "White Album" (1968), "Abbey Road" (1968) and "Let it be" (1970).

In April 1970, McCartney released his first solo album and immediately after that gave an interview that became in fact a manifesto about the end of history of The Beatles. And after almost 10 years, the musicians again began to think about how to revive their famous group. However, this was not destined to happen - on December 8, 1980, an American psycho shot John Lennon. Together with him, the hope that the history of the Beatles would continue, and the team would again sing on the same stage, was dying. The greatest band of all times and peoples has become a legend. None of those who tried to repeat their success, did not succeed.

Secret dossier: the history of the Beatles of the Russian spill

Entry into the USSR "Beatles" was closed. But their incendiary songs even leaked behind the Iron Curtain.” The Beatles listened at night, writing on X-ray film and reel-to-reel tape recorders. English was taught from their texts. And at the very beginning of the 80s, in one St. Petersburg university (LGITMiK), a “group of comrades” suddenly appeared that wanted to be like The Beatles. By the fall of 1982, they decide on the name - "Secret", and begin to look for a drummer (a small but curious coincidence). The group's birthday is April 20, 1983. Then the "main team" was determined - Maxim Leonidov, Nikolai Fomenko, Andrei Zabludovsky and Alexei Murashov. Like the Beatles, everyone in the band sings except for the drummer.

The development of the beat quartet took place in the Soviet flavor - at that time, most informal musicians, in addition to playing music, certainly had to study or work. So, Leonidov and Fomenko were closely involved in educational performances, Murashov studied at the geofaculty, and Zabludovsky worked at the factory. Immediately there was a place for a feat - novice rockers rehearsed in the morning from 7 to 9 and at lunchtime. In the summer of 1993, "The Secret" joins the Leningrad Rock Club, and ... everything is postponed, because half of the group is taken to the army. Success came to the group on its own - in the form of Leonidov's invitation to LenTV as the host of the "Disks are spinning" program. At this time, a whole "pack" of hits was written: "Sarah Baraboo", "Your dad was right." "My love is on the fifth floor." Of course, they immediately try to call the team "Soviet battles", but this label is only part of the truth. The group is not a "tracing paper" of the famous The Beatles. This is not blind imitation or plagiarism. What “The Secret” does on stage is more like a subtle stylization of the Liverpool Four, an elegant acting game. Yes, there is something in common, and the songs written on the same “eternal themes” are just as simple and melodic. But still, the beat quartet "Secret" succeeds not because of this "common with the greats." They, like the Beatles, are independent and very recognizable.

1985 was a fruitful year for the band. In the summer, as part of the Festival of Youth and Students, a Secret concert took place, and it suddenly became clear that the group was terribly popular. Almost immediately after that, the beat quartet took part in the filming of the first Soviet video film How to Become a Star, and by the autumn there was an unprecedented surge in concert activity. In 1986, fans of the beat quartet were among the first in the country to create an official fan club. For the next five years, the group is at the peak of popularity - albums are being recorded: "Secret" (1987) - the disc became double platinum !; "Leningrad time" (1989), "Orchestra on the way" (1991). In 1990, the composition of the quartet was undergoing changes - Maxim Leonidov left for Israel. But for some time the group does not give up positions. However, it gradually changes under the influence of time and circumstances. And at the same time, “playing the Beatles” is coming to naught. However, even if the group has changed or ceased to exist, the songs written and sung always remain. They are unchanged, and the romantic atmosphere of the 60s is perfectly preserved in them.

• It is said that John Lennon saw the future name in a dream. As if a man appeared to him, engulfed in flames, and ordered to change the letters in the name - The Beetles ("Beetles"), to get The Beatles.
• There is a fairly large group of fans who believe that Paul McCartney died in a car accident in November 1966. And the person who pretends to be a Beatle is his doppelgänger. The proof of their correctness takes more than one page of text - amateur mystics analyze in detail the words, songs and album covers and point to countless "secret signs" indicating that at the time of the release of Paul's albums, Paul was no longer alive, and The Beatles are carefully concealed. Sir McCartney himself refuses to comment on this grandiose hoax.
• In 2008, the Israeli authorities admitted that in the 60s they did not let The Beatles into the country, fearing their "corrupting influence on young people."
• In June 1965, The Beatles were awarded the Order of the British Empire "For their contribution to the development of British culture and its popularization around the world." No other musician had received such a high award before, and this caused a scandal. Many of the cavaliers wished to return their award in order to "not stand on a par with pop idols." After 4 years, Lennon returned his order in protest against British policy during the Vietnam War.
• took place on August 22, 1969 in Tittenhurst Park, in the place where the estate of John Lennon was located.

50 years ago, on October 5, 1962, the Beatles' first record, Love Me Do, went on sale.

The Beatles ("The Beatles") - a British rock band that has made a huge contribution to the development and popularization of both rock music and rock culture in general. The ensemble became one of the brightest phenomena of the world culture of the 60s of the XX century.

On June 20, 2004, as part of the European tour 04 Summer Tour, Paul McCartney's only concert took place in St. Petersburg on Palace Square.

On April 4, 2009, former Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr performed in New York City. The concert featured both solo songs by the musicians and several Beatles' hits. The money from their joint concert was used to promote spiritual values ​​among young people.

They last performed together at the 2002 George Harrison Tribute Concert.

In February 2012, it became known that at home in Liverpool, where members of the legendary Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney spent their childhood,. The Historic Monuments, Landmarks and Scenic Preservation Organization previously restored both buildings to look just like they did when the musicians were young.

Since 2001, according to the decision of UNESCO, January 16 is celebrated annually as the World Day of The Beatles. Music lovers around the world are celebrating the best band of the past 20th century.

In the USSR, from 1964 to 1992, the Krugozor magazine and the Melodiya Firm released records in the form of flexible gramophone records, including music by Western musicians, so during 1974 five The Beatles records were released.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Biography of the Beatles - young years.
The legendary Beatles were born in 1959 in the UK, in the city of Liverpool. The very first line-up of the group included Paul McCartney (bass guitar, guitar, vocals), John Lennon (guitar, vocals), George Harrison (guitar, vocals), Stuart Sutcliffe (bass guitar), Pete Best (drums).
At first, the group was known only in Liverpool, then, when the musicians left for Germany in 1960, they were noticed by Tony Sheridan, who was at that time a very famous rock and roll performer. Together with the Beatles, Sheridan recorded the studio album Tony Sheridan and the Beatles. It was then that the first serious debut at the international level took place in the creative biography of the Beatles.
After a joint project with Sheridan, Brian Epstein, owner of a record store, became interested in the band. From the autumn of 1961 he became their manager. When Stuart Sutcliffe left the group in December 1961, the Beatles became a quartet. Then the composition of the group underwent another change: the record company with which Epstein was negotiating, for their agreement to cooperate with the Beatles, demanded to change drummer Pete Best.
The first author's single of the Beatles, called "Love me do", was recorded at the then little-known recording studio "Parlofon" in December 1962. Brian Epstein, in an effort to arouse public interest in the group's new hit, took a rather risky step - he bought the first ten thousand copies himself. This commercial ruse was a success - interest in the instantly scattered record attracted a lot of buyers. The first independent album in the Beatles' biography was released in early 1963. By 1964, the whole world was crazy about the Beatles.
The official "birthday" of the "Beatlemania" phenomenon is considered to be the day the Beatles performed at the London Palladium on October 13, 1963. Their concert was televised and attracted about fifteen million viewers. At the same time, thousands of the group's fans, instead of watching a TV show, preferred to gather near the concert hall building, hoping to see their idols in real life.
On November 4 of that year, the Beatles performed at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Their performance became the highlight of the program of the Royal Variety Show. The Queen Mother herself expressed admiration for the song "Till There Was You" performed by the Beatles.
Soon the Beatles' second album, With The Beatles, was released, breaking all existing records for the number of pre-purchase requests. By 1965, over one million copies of the album had been sold.
In 1963-1964, the Beatles conquered America. They became the first English band to have such a resounding success overseas. Moreover, the Parlofon company did not dare to release the group's singles in the USA, precisely because of the short-lived popularity in the States of almost all musicians from Great Britain. Brian Epstein tried to attract the attention of the American public by releasing the singles "Please Please Me" and "From Me To You" and the album "Introducing The Beatles", but they were not successful.

Popularity came after the release in the United States at the end of 1963 of the single "I Want To Hold Your Hand". One of the famous music critics after this song called Lennon and McCartney "the greatest composers since Beethoven". In January 1964, the album "Meet the Beatles!" was released in the United States, which in February received the status of "gold".
The quartet went on tour in the United States, where they gave three concerts, and also twice became participants in the popular television program The Ed Sullivan Show. The Beatles brought together forty percent of the US population in front of television screens - that's about seventy-three million people. This fact of the Beatles' biography is one of the most significant: such a number of television audiences was recorded for the first time in the history of television.
This was the height of the "Beatlemania": their next creative project, the musical film "A Hard Day's Evening" and the album of the same name, received three million pre-orders, foreign tours were a triumph. The Beatles were called "the best songwriters since Schubert ".
However, the quartet soon had to put an end to concert performances: the public was ready to tear apart their idols, the fans did not let the musicians pass, so the Beatles were practically isolated from the whole world. In 1965, world popularity showed its reverse side: protests began against the Beatles, their records, portraits, and clothes were burned. The careless statements of the members of the group led to scandals on a national scale. In addition, the stage limited their creative development - day after day they performed the same songs, under the terms of the contract they did not have the right to deviate from the program. The stage biography of the Beatles ended, and the musicians decided to devote themselves entirely to studio work. On August 5, 1966, one of The Beatles' best albums, Revolver, was released. The album was distinguished primarily by the fact that most of its songs did not involve stage performance - the studio effects used here are so complex.
In 1967, the Beatles recorded a monumental and innovative album called Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. It was a real revolution in the world of rock music: the album was the first impetus to the new musical directions that subsequently appeared, such as art rock, hard rock and psychedelia.
Biography of the Beatles - mature years.
In June 1967, the Beatles concert was broadcast around the world. They also became the first in this - about four hundred million people saw their performance, no other musical ensemble has ever achieved such a grandiose success. During the performance, a video version of the song "All You Need Is Love" was recorded. Shortly after this triumphant success, the tragic death of the "fifth Beatle" of the band's manager, Brian Epstein, occurred. The group's business went into decline.
In 1968, the band released a double album, which would become known among the band's fans as the "white album" due to the cover artwork. The album was very popular, but it was during the work on it that the first signs of a subsequent collapse appeared in the group. The atmosphere began to heat up, between the musicians from time to time there were scandals. contributed to the improvement of the group.
In 1969, the group released one of their best songs, "Hey Jude". The single reached the top of the charts around the world and sold six million copies.
In February 1969, relations in the group finally went wrong due to disagreements over a new manager. McCartney sued his own group. However, later the group released another masterpiece of their work - the album "Abbey Road", which is considered their last collaboration (the album "Let It Be", released in 1970, included old recordings of the group).
In April 1970, at the same time as the release of the solo disc, Paul McCartney officially announced that the Beatles were no more. The world's greatest rock band has broken up. In 1979, McCartney made attempts to reunite the group in the same lineup. But this was never destined to happen - a year later, John Lennon was killed.