Who Beatles are?

Not all the greatest heroes of the last 50 years come with moral or political gravitas; some are simply people whose creativity and style continue to influence each successive generation. And who could have imagined the worldwide impact of a rock band that was actually just one of countless bands who crossed the pond from Britain to the United States in the 1960s? Who could have anticipated the effect of their music on generations to follow? Who could have appreciated their style and sound in the context of a wider cultural revolution? Who could have predicted the longevity of their careers both together and individually? Absolutely no one could have thought they would be so influential for so long.

The Beatles were controversial in their time-both when they first appeared on the scene and later when they were seen as embracing a lifestyle of drugs and countercultural social and political views. But now they are so mainstream that Paul McCartney has even performed during the halftime show of the Super Bowl!

What made them Beatles?

Among the Fab Four, John Lennon is generally credited as being the one who formed the band and was most instrumental in its development as a group. It was Lennon who found Paul McCartney and, later, George Harrison. This core group, along with a variety of drummers and other musicians that came and went, haunted the small venues of Liverpool looking for work. The band had a variety of names-almost as many as there were drummers. The Quarrymen became Johnny and the Moondogs, which begot Long John and the Beatles, which begot the Silver Beatles which begot the Beat Brothers, which finally, thankfully, begot the Beatles!

Once they had settled on a name, it was time to make a name for themselves. The music business has never been easy, but a trip to Hamburg and a chance meeting with Tony Sheridan produced their first hit, My Bonnie, under the name of Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers.

However, their start in Britain really began when Brian Epstein took over as their manager and began to promote the band. It was at this time, in 1962, that the final piece fell into place: a new drummer named Ringo Starr-or, as his mother knew him, Richard Starkey. Their first hit, Love Me Do, finally brought the Beatles to national prominence.

“It took almost a year and a half before the same song became a hit in the United States, because most record producers and radio station managers were convinced that British groups would not appeal to American audiences!”

That first hit was followed by a succession of hits in Britain-Please, Please Me, From Me to You and She Loves You just for starters. Some believe that the reason American teenagers did not embrace the Beatles for so long was.. .their haircuts! It just was not what real rockers looked like! In the beginning, not even Dick Clark’s famous American Bandstand could crack American audiences’ indifference to this new English band.

It was Brian Epstein who came to the rescue; he arranged three gigs on the then-famous Ed Sullivan Show-a. Sunday night staple that was watched by huge audiences. The show and the song I Want to Hold Your Hand were just the ticket— Beatlemania was on, and there would be no end to it. The song made it to No. 1 on the U.S. charts, and the Beatles never looked back. Perhaps the best evidence of their irrefutable success came when they arrived at New York’s JFK Airport to near-riotous mobs of fans. The years 1964 and 1966 took the Beatles around the world, going on tours throughout the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Japan and the Philippines.

From 1966 to 1969 the band appeared much less in public but was experimenting musically and exhibiting great creativity in both sound and lyrics. During this period, the band produced the albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, and Abbey Road. But this was also a time in which not only creative differences but also personal relationships were increasingly affecting the band’s work. It is generally thought that no wedge worked more effectively to split the band apart than the presence of Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s girlfriend. She began to have tremendous influence on Lennon and the direction of the band-much of which was resented by the other band members. By 1969, both Lennon and McCartney had, for all practical purposes, left the band. All that was needed was to sign the papers-which McCartney began in 1970.

Above all else, many music historians feel that it was the death from a drug overdose of their long-time business manager, Brian Epstein, in 1967 that advanced the deterioration of the band-there was no one there to manage the complex business and financial matters, and tensions within the band grew. As this period progressed, the Beatles had changed, and changed dramatically. They were more and more radical, reflecting the hippie movement and the anti-establishment feelings of the young and disenfranchised. Drugs and spiritualism became an increasing part of their lives, and their personal dissatisfactions and artistic differences only made the partnership increasingly difficult to maintain.

The Legacy of the Men

The Beatles left not only a portfolio of some of the most creative and ingenious music from the midcentury but also a series of films-many of which were critical and financial successes. There seemed nothing that they could not do. And, yet, sometimes with success, there comes a degree of arrogance and a detachment from the people and events that propel a person to success.

Of course, all of this is clear in retrospect. On one trip to the Philippines, they snubbed the powers that be-and then had cause to regret it. The band found itself barely able to get to the airport safely. Every effort was made to threaten and harass them before leaving the country. And not long after that, John Lennon proclaimed in The Evening Standard that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” Interestingly the quote caused little reaction in England but caused a furor elsewhere, especially in conservative parts of the United States. Additional comments about Christianity (that it was dying), as well as a general disregard for generally accepted beliefs and behavior (including drugs), helped further estrange the group increasingly from its fan base.

Does this suggest that all Beatles fans were now, suddenly, former fans? Not at all. In fact, part of the legacy of these heroes is that year after year their music is rediscovered by each new generation-even by those exposed to the hardest of hard rock and the most rhythm-fueled rap. The body of work itself—as well as the terrible death of John Lennon-cemented the Beatles in the minds of the music-loving public as the best and greatest… at least until the next best and greatest comes around!

So how do we think of our heroes after some 45 years? We think of them fondly, although at times with some confusion. However, we know for a fact that they remade music as we know it. What we do not know is why they could not have continued, why were the many strange sideshow activities necessary and how such mistrust could creep in. Was it because of all the money? Were the differences a matter of artistic temperament? We may never know for sure, but we will always have the music (and the movies) to comfort us.

Courtesy

Said to be the official Beatles’ Website, visit www.beatles.com for a variety of images, words, album covers and other memorabilia from the Beatles era. A very intriguing and rich Website is called 1 Am The Beatles, which can be found by visiting www.iamthebeatles.com. For true fans, visit www.rarebkitles.com for interesting and obscure materials from the Beatles era.