The Beatles were founded in Liverpool as an evolution of guitarist John Lennon , The Quarrymen . In July 1957, the guitarist met Paul McCartney and invited him to join the band. The following year, George Harrison joined them. In 1960, with Stuart Sutcliffe on bass and vocals and Pete Best on drums, John Lennon changed the band's name to The Beatles. Sutcliffe quickly left the band, and McCartney took over as bassist. Only in 1962, when they were about to record their first studio album with producer George Martin , did Best leave the band and Ringo Starr join, thus forming the classic and permanent Beatles lineup.
Managed by Brian Epstein , the Beatles achieved immediate success in the United Kingdom with their first single, "Love Me Do," in 1962. The following year, the group released their debut LP, *Please Please Me *, which went straight to the top of the British charts, only to be replaced 30 weeks later by their second album, * With The Beatles *. By the end of 1963, the Beatles were the biggest band in the world, and Beatlemania had conquered continents.
Their subsequent releases, A Hard Day's Night (1964), Beatles For Sale (1964), and Help! (1965), continued to propel the Beatles to the top of the charts, featuring hits such as "Can't Buy Me Love," "Eight Days A Week," and "Yesterday."
In '65, in addition to being awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen of England , the Beatles played the first rock concert in history at an open-air stadium, at Shea Stadium in New York, for over 55,000 people.
The band's sixth album, Rubber Soul , released in late 1965, was received as a breakthrough in the group's career due to its musical maturity, with more elaborate songs, lyrics, and melodies, such as "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and "Nowhere Man". Revolver in 1966 followed the same path, resulting in an album that marked the group's transition to psychedelia. The change occurred largely due to George Harrison's greater participation in the compositions (with "Taxman", "Love You To", and "I Want To Tell You"), which until then had been almost 100% dominated by the Lennon/McCartney partnership. Realizing the band's potential in the studio and tired of touring, the Beatles gave their last paid performance in August 1966.
In 1967, The Beatles released their most acclaimed album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . Freed from performing live, the Beatles took the liberty of adopting an experimental approach, writing songs such as "With a Little Help from My Friends," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and "A Day in the Life." The album received widespread critical acclaim worldwide. With 30 million copies sold, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is one of the biggest commercial successes of all time.
In 1968, the group released Magical Mystery Tour , the soundtrack to the new Beatles film. Shortly after its release, Brian Epstein died of an overdose, a fact that many believe contributed to the first conflicts between the members. Earlier in the year, the quartet traveled to Rishikesh, India, where they studied meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , who inspired a new creativity in the musicians.
In November, The Beatles released a self-titled album, widely known as the White Album because of its cover. The work highlighted the individuality of its members, who at the time were experiencing conflicts for various reasons, the most well-known being the constant presence of John Lennon's new girlfriend, Yoko Ono , during the album's recording sessions. In 1969, the band released Yellow Submarine , the soundtrack to an animated film featuring the group, which had been released the previous year.
In the following two years, the Beatles released Abbey Road (1969) and Let It Be (1970), their last albums. Despite being released last, the recordings for Let It Be took place before its predecessor, making Abbey Road the quartet's last real work. Despite receiving some negative reviews, Abbey Road is frequently cited as the band's best work, and features iconic compositions such as "Come Together," "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," and "Here Comes The Sun." Let It Be was released only after the group's dissolution in 1970, for reasons still debated today, and features one of the group's legendary songs, its title track.
The Beatles lead the list of artists who have had the most number 1 albums on the British charts and have sold more albums in the United States than any other artist. More than just commercial success, the Beatles are known worldwide as revolutionaries in the music industry and a major influence on artists of various styles to this day.
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