The Beatles

FOREWORD

”Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.

Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.

Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game

It's easy.

There's nothing you can make that can't be made.

No one you can save that can't be saved.

Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you

in time - It's easy.”( All you need is love)

”It’s easy” to say why we all love Beatles. We love them because they were always more than just a rock'n'roll band.

They were freedom : "I think we gave some sort of freedom to the world. I meet a lot of people now who say The Beatles freed them up...”( Sir Paul McCartney, Anthology).

They were peace :”Give peace a chance”

They were love : "There were some really loving, caring moments between four people... a really amazing closeness. Just four guys who really loved each other. It was pretty sensational." (Ringo)

They were philosophers. Philosophers of love in particular and Life in general and that’s why it’s so invaluable to spend a bit of time with them on Life’s rich and tangled journey. Catch them at the right time and they will help you with romantic love (Love Me Do), erotic love (Drive my Car), that affair (Norwegian Wood), reconciliation (We can Work it Out). They‘ll help you put things in perspective (Let it Be). Realise it will be OK (The long and Winding Road). Manage your past (with Penny Lane or Strawberry Fields). Empathise with others (She’s Leaving Home). Release your toxic anger (Taxman), be optimistic (Good Morning, Good Morning). And just be downright silly (Look up My Number).

Play their music. Just play their music. Any. And you soon know it'll be OK. Whatever challenge you've got, just listen to a few tracks and you know it'll be OK.

HISTORY

The Beatles were undoubtedly the most influential band of the century. In a course of 8 years, they changed not only rock and roll, but also the face of all music forever.

On July 6, 1957, John Lennon, the leader of a band called the Quarry Men, was introduced to Paul McCartney, through a mutual friend, Ivan Vaughan, at Woolton Parish Church, where the Quarry Men were scheduled to perform. Impressed by McCartney's ability to play and tune a guitar, Lennon soon asked McCartney to join the Quarry Men. McCartney accepted. Shortly after McCartney joined the group, he began to recommend an old school friend to Lennon. Lennon refused to even audition this friend because he was only 14. However Lennon finally relented, and on February 6, 1958 (19 days short of his 15th birthday) he auditioned George Harrison. After playing Raunchy Harrison became the newest member of the group.

The group went through several names. They adopted names such as the Johnny and the Moondogs, The Silver Beetles, The Beatals, The Silver Beatles, and eventually The Beatles. As well as several names, the band went through several members, the more noteworthy of these would be John Lennon's closest friend Stuart (Stu) Sutcliffe - born June 23, 1940, Edinburgh, Scotland, dead April 10, 1962, Hamburg, Germany - (on bass guitar) and Pete Best - born 1941, Liverpool, England - (the drummer before Ringo).

Toward the end of 1961, Brian Epstein, whose family owned the furniture/record store NEMS, began to hear about the Beatles and their record My Bonnie, on which they performed as the backup group for another English performer Tony Sheridan. Brian checked into the record, and ordered some to sell. To Epstein's surprise, the records sold as fast as he could put them on the shelves. Eventually, he decided to go see this group for himself. When he arrived at a club known as The Cavern he was amazed at what he saw. Liverpool was full of guys like that at the time, but the Beatles had something else - charisma. By January 1962, Brian was officially their manager, putting the boys in suits, but keeping their long hair, gave them a look different from any other group around.

On April 10, 1962, further bad news was forthcoming when the group heard that Stuart Sutcliffe had died in Hamburg of a brain haemorrhage. The following day, the Beatles flew to Germany and opened a seven-week engagement at Hamburg's Star Club.

After several failed attempts at different recording studios, the Beatles were able to land a recording session with Parlophone. There was only one problem, the group' drummer Pete Best had to go. Not wanting the task of firing a friend the group asked their manager Brian Epstein to perform the task. Many have called them cowards, others thought they were jealous of his good looks, in truth, he didn't have the talent required of the group.

The Beatles asked Ringo Starr, drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to join the group. Unfamiliar with this new drummer, Beatles producer George Martin refused to allow Ringo to drum and a session drummer named Andy White played for the group. Andy's career with the Beatles was short lived as the group insisted on Ringo for all future recording and performances. With Ringo at their side the Beatles went on to conquer Great Britain. The craze that they caused was nothing Britain had ever experienced.