History of the Beatles
         Муниципальное общеобразовательное
учреждение
                              Средняя школа № 51
В В В В В В В В В
В В В В В В В В
В В В В History of The Beatles
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
Пыхтина Сергея
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
9 «Б»
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
1) John
Lennon………………………………………………………………………….….2
2) Paul
McCartney………………………………………………………………………….5
3) George
Harrison…………………………………………………………………………10
4) Ringo
Starr………………………………………………………………………………..14
5)
Early
beginnings……………………………………………………………………..…. 15
6)
The
Beatlemania years………………………………………………………………….17
7)
The
psychedelic years…………………………………………………………………..18
8)
The
studio years……………………………………………………………………...…..20
9)
Breakup…………………………………………………………………………………….22
10) В The
end of touring……………………………………………………………………….22
11) В Brian
Epstein's death………………………………………………………………...…24
12)   Beatles Ltd………………………………………………………………..……………...24
13) В The Get
Back Sessions…………………………………………………………………24
14) В Neglect
of George Harrison's songs…………………………………………..…….25
15) В After
the breakup………………………………………………………………………...25
16) 
 Personnel………………………………………………………………………………….27
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В Supplement:
17) Songs……………………………………………………………………………………….29
18) Photos………………………………………………………………………………………32
В
В
В В В В В
The Beatles were a hugely successful band, consisting of John
Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey),
with global sales exceeding 1.3 billion albums (as of 2004). This article
covers The Beatles' extensive history from their earliest beginnings in the
1950s until their breakup and beyond.
John Lennon
В В В В В В В В John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England, to Alfred Lennon and Julia Stanley Lennon. His full name was John
Winston Ono Lennon. Early in his life he suffered the loss of both his parents,
when his father left the family to become a seaman, and his mother, unable to
care for a child on her own, decided to leave him in the hands of his aunt,
Mimi. This early feeling of abandonment was to mark John for the rest of his
life, and his fear of rejection can be heard in his lyrics, from his early work
with The Beatles, all the way up to his pleading 1970's track "Mother.
(John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band).
В В В В В В В With
his aunt, Lennon experienced a quiet and undisturbed working class upbringing
that left him with many happy memories. Some of these would later result in
some of his best work. (Strawberry fields forever, the masterpiece single
released before Sgt. Pepper was based upon his childhood recollections of
happiness). Ever since his early childhood his artistic side found a way up to
the surface of his personality and young Lennon began to express himself
through sketches and artwork. A few of his teachers were
impressed with his work, and suggested The Liverpool art school for the
boy. Although John Lennon was (even by his own admission) a "child genius",
he decided for this option, over a regular academic schedule. During
this period, at fifteen years of age, John met Paul McCartney, at a Wooten
Parish Garden Fete. The result of their conjoined musical talents was a band
called "The Quarrymen", named after Quarry Banks, the school that
they attended. Years later this band would become the greatest musical
influence of recent recording history, and would define an entire generation.
This would be under another name, though:: The Beatles.
В В В В В В В В At age 18, John's life
underwent a drastic change, when, shortly after having reunited with his son,
Julia Stanley Lennon, died. She was hit by a bus driven by an off -duty
policeman in Liverpool. Lennon never fully recovered from the loss of his
mother, and he continued to seek for her love in most of the women he met,
finally finding comfort in the person of Yoko Ono, many years later. In the
meantime, he met a fellow student, Cynthia Powell, and in spite of their many
differences, they soon became romantically involved. In 1959, he left his natal
Liverpool for Hamburg, Germany, along with Paul McCartney, guitarist George
Harrison, longtime friend Stuart Sutcliffe and drummer Pete Best. Their
objective was to have a shot at fame and fortune in Hamburg's music scene. It
was during this trip that he and his fellow bandmasters met Astrid Kilcher and
Klaus Voorman; she, a visionary photographer who would document The Beatles'
transition from Liverpool lads to full grown musicians, and would suggest the
now legendary "mop top" image. The later, was to become John's close
friend, and later play bass on many of his solo projects. Their trip ended when
George was deported back to England for being a minor, by which time they had
already achieved a certain amount of popularity. Lennon also lost Sutcliffe,
his best friend. At the time, Stuart had become a celebrated artist who died in
Hamburg, after a short marriage to Astrid Kilcher.
В В В В В В В В
Back in Liverpool, The Beatles were hired to play the "lunch shift"
on a little club, "The Cavern". Brian Epstein, a local record store
owner and business man, decided to hear them, after their records were
requested several times. It didn't take him much to realize the potential of
the group. For the rest of his life he would make it his mission to see the
boys succeed, and his first step was to get them a recording contract with EMI
records. In 1962, The Beatles released "Love me Do" Their first
single, and started on the road of musical history.
В В В В В В В В В In
August 23, 1962, shortly after the Beatles' Big break, John married
longtime girlfriend Cynthia Powell, and she soon gave birth to their son
Julian. (April 8th, 1963): Because of the group's increasing popularity in both
Britain and the U.S, his marriage was kept secret for a relatively long time.
It was Brian Epstein's (the Beatles manager) idea that a married "mop top"
would surely be less appealing to their targeted audience: mostly screaming
teenage girls. John would later admit to being a failure both as a husband to
Powell and as a father to Julian, mostly due to the war that he was still
waging with his inner demons, which continue to haunt him, in spite of his
success.
В В В В В В В В John
Lennon and Paul McCartney close songwriting collaboration was clearly always
the driving force of the Beatles' success. They also had very definite roles
within the group. John always wrote songs or contributed with lyrics that highlighted
his strong rock and roll roots and surfaced his feelings and raw emotions. He
was the strong minded and outspoken genius. Paul was the directing part of the
duo. He orchestrated the signature catchy tunes that placed the band in the
charts. Although they differed vastly in their points of view, their
songwriting efforts produced more hit singles (59) and innumerable masterpieces
than any other musical partnership in recording history, left as an enduring
legacy of their work.
В В В В В В В For
the next seven years, John got caught up on a ongoing cycle of bliss, fame,
controversy, drugs and rock and roll that ultimately led him nowhere. In 1964
the Beatles were awarded the MBE (members of the British Empire) title by Queen
Elizabeth, honor which infuriated some, but mostly amused both their fans and
the group itself. Years later Lennon 
would
return his MBE, citing Britain's involvement in the Vietnam War as reason. Unfortunately,
he also mentioned his first solo single "cold turkey" falling off
from the charts, a comment that widely cheapened the gesture.
В В В В В В В В
John's disappointment with the music business can be witnessed by listening to
some of the songs he contributed to the Beatles's albums released in the
period. After a the first fecund years of boundary-pushing lyrics and melodies
he stopped challenging his own songwriting capabilities and simply gave up.
Shortly after Sgt. Pepper, his songs clearly reflect how much of his early enthusiasm
was gone, specially his contributions to the Yellow Submarine soundtrack and
The White album, although it contains some of his best compositions ever.
В В В В В В В
In the mist of the sixties' psychedelic, and after a great disillusion with the
spiritual world, John met the woman who was to become his life partner: Yoko
Ono. She was an avant-garde, Japanese American artist, six years his senior.
Soon after they met, and in spite of public outrage they were inseparable. John
decided to leave his wife and marry Yoko, who was being dubbed by the press as
"the dragon lady", the woman who had cast a spell on "prince
charming". They didn't seem to care.
В В В В В В В В John married
Yoko in March 20th 1969. В In Gibraltar in the years to come, she would be
accused of creating tension between the Beatles, and ultimately forcing John
away from the group, thus inciting to their 1970 break up. They became close
collaborators, not only artistically or music, but also as peace promoters.
They staged "bed-ins" during their honeymoon in Amsterdam; elaborate
press conferences conducted from their honeymoon suite that centered on their
peace efforts. Their marked eccentricities quickly alienated them with the British
public opinion, and in the end they were force to seek refuge in America. And they fled for New York City.
В В В В В В В John
and Yoko settled in New York City, and he remained there for the rest of his
life. There were clearly a great number of qualities in NYC that reminded John
of his native Liverpool. He was also very attracted to the city's communication
capabilities. In his opinion, New York was capital of the world. He even went
as far as saying "If I'd lived in Roman times, I'd have lived in Rome. Where else? Today, America is the Roman Empire, and New York is Rome itself".
В В В В В В В But
as fond as John and Yoko were of New York City, not all New Yorkers were particularly
fond of the Lennon’s. Politicians and government organizations, specially,
thought that they could only mean trouble. An exhaustive undercover prosecution
campaign against John would later unveil the tight scrutiny they were under.
The FBI went as far as tapping their telephone conversations, and having agents
pose as groupies or fans, all in an effort to deport them. Between December
1971 and August 1972, John and Yoko collaborated with numerous protests and
spoke out whenever they felt worthy a cause. Good examples of this are Benefit
at Apollo,
where they performed "Attica State", protesting in favor of the
infamous upraising in the prison and the Geraldo Rivera One to one concert.
В В В В В В В The
pressures of their hectic lifestyles, combined with the ones of the outside
world, finally affected the couple. After only three years of marriage, John
and Yoko decided to take a brake from each other. That two year period would
later be known as John's infamous "lost weekend". John took off May
Pang, his assistant and with some of his old friends, feeling carefree for the
first time since he was 20. He reunited with Ringo, and helped him work on his
album, and also played with the likes of David Bowie and Elton John. He was a
bachelor once again, but only enjoyed it for a short period, before he started
to long for home.
В В В В В В В Yoko
Ono developed into her own person, after being criticized for so long, and
being in the shadow of the genius of John. She became very active in the
Avant-garde New York scene, regaining her place as an accomplished artist. She
would often check in with May Pang, to catch up with his life without him
finding out.
John's work during this 18
month period clearly reflect the pain that being away from his beloved Yoko
caused him. "What you got" "Nobody loves you when you're down
and out" and "Sweet bird of paradox" share the same theme: Fear
of abandonment and isolation. Even В«whateverВ» gets you through the night, the
peppy single that propelled him back to the top of the charts, was based on the
assumption that getting by alone is not easy. Soon it became clear to everyone
who knew him that Yoko was not only the woman under John's shadow; she was also
indispensable to him.
В В В В В В В В В
John and Yoko finally got back together in 1974, after being set up at an Elton
John concert, where John was making a guest appearance. They would remain
together for the rest of his life. In 1975, John retired from public life,
after releasing his last album of new material. On October 9 of that same year,
Yoko gave birth to Sean Lennon, after several miscarriages. John was delighted
with his life as a "house husband" and decided to stay home, to take
care of Sean, while Yoko took care of business. He felt no urge to record or
release any music during the next five years, although he continued to write
songs as always. From time to new he would release statements, or give
interviews, but amazingly he managed to regain his private person status and
his inner peace. Sean had given him a second chance at parenting just as Yoko
had given him a second shot at love. He kept away from the same music business
he had pursuit with so much enthusiasm before.
В В В В В В В В В
With the release of 1980's "Double Fantasy" John came back to the
public eye. In this album, at the age of 40 he targeted audience had changed
from screaming teenage girls to an entire generation: His generation, his age
group. "How did things turn out for you" he seemed to asked the same
persons he had moved to believe that "all you need is love" and to
Imagine. The album was an immediate success, mainly because of the honesty of
the songs it contained. The plans of a follow up album were cut drastically
short, as so was his life. In December 8, 1980, in front of his NYC home, he
was shot down by Mark David Chapman and died instantly. The unfinished
"Milk and Honey" was released in 1984 by Yoko Ono.
В В В В В В В В В В В John Lennon's
legend lives on and will remain alive as long as his vision of peace and love
keep inspiring new generations of dreamers - To Love and Imagine.
Paul
McCartney
В В В В В В В В В В В Paul McCartney was
born in 1942 in Walton Hospital, which on the Rice Lane. His parents was Jim
and Mary McCartney. 7 January 1944 was born his brother, called Pitter Michael
McCartney. Together they recorded some good songs.
В В В В В В В В В В В In 1957 Paul joined
Quarrymen, in 1960 re-named in Beatles. There he was since 1970 with John
Lennon, Gorge Harrison and Ringo Starr.
В В В В В В В В В В В Out of all the
former Beatles,
Paul McCartney by far had the most successful solo career, maintaining a
constant presence in the British and American charts during the '70s and '80s.
In America alone, he had nine number one singles and seven number one albums
during the first 12 years of his solo career. Although he sold records, McCartney
never attained much critical respect, especially when compared to his former
partner John Lennon.
В В В В В В В В В В В Following
his first marriage to Linda Eastman on March 12, 1969, Paul McCartney began working at his home studio on his first solo album. He released the record,
"McCartney", in April 1970, two weeks before the Beatles'
"Let It Be" was scheduled to hit the stores. Prior to the album's
release, he announced that the Beatles
were breaking-up, which was against the wishes of the other members. As a
result, the tensions between him and the other three members, particularly
George Harrison and John Lennon, increased and he earned the ill-will of many
critics. Nevertheless, "McCartney" became a hit, spending three weeks
at the top of the American charts. Early in 1971, he returned with
"Another Day", which became his first hit single as a solo artist. It
was followed several months later by "Ram", another home-made
collection, this time featuring the contributions of his wife Linda.
В В В В В В В В В В В He wanted to be in
a rock band. Within a year after the Beatles'
break-up, McCartney had formed Wings. In December 1971, Wings released their
first album, "Wings Wild Life." However, the album was greeted with
poor reviews and was a relative flop. After they released three singles:
"Give Ireland Back to the Irish," "Mary Had A Little Lamb"
and "Hi, Hi, Hi" in 1972, Paul McCartney & Wings released
"Red Rose Speedway" in 1973. Regardless of weak reviews, the album
became McCartney's second American number one album, and generated his number one
hit single "My Love." That same year they scored another Top 10 hit
with "Live and Let Die," the theme to the James Bond movie. In
December 1973, Paul McCartney & Wings released their best-reviewed album
"Band on the Run." The album became a number one hit in the US and UK, eventually going triple platinum.
В В В В В В В В В В В Following the
success of "Band on the Run," Wings released "Venus and
Mars" in May 1975. The album also hit number one in the US and UK. As for 1976's "Wings at the Speed of Sound," the album became a number
one hit in the US, and produced two Top 10 hits: "Silly Love Song"
and "Let 'Am In." Following the release of those two albums, Wings
embarked on their first international tour which broke many attendance records;
their first US tour was captured on the 1976 live triple-album "Wings over
America." The live album also became a Top 10 hit in the US and UK, regardless of the live triple-album.
В В В В В В В В В В В After the world
tour completed, Paul McCartney released "Thrilling ton," an
instrumental version of "Ram," under the pseudonym of Percy
"Thrills" Thrilling ton in 1977. Later that year, Wings released
"Mull of Kindred," which became the biggest-selling British single of
all time, selling over two million copies. It was followed several months later
by the 1978 album "London Town," which became a Top 10 hit in the US
and UK. Later that year, Wings released their first Greatest Hits album
"Wings Greatest." After its release, Wings released "Back to the
Egg" in 1979. But the album was a relative flop, though it became a Top 10
hit in the US and UK. Later in 1979, Wings embarked on their British tour; early
in 1980, Wings intended to embark on their first Japanese tour; but McCartney
was arrested for marijuana possession at Narita Airport; he was imprisoned for
10 days and then released, without any charges being pressed; but their first
Japanese tour was cancelled.
В В В В В В В В В В В In May 1980, Paul
McCartney released "McCartney II," which was a one-man band effort
like his solo debut. It was more successful than Wings' "Back to the
Egg." Later that year, however, McCartney was thunderstruck at the news of
John Lennon's assassination. The following year, he effectively broke up Wings.
McCartney entered the studio with Beatles producer George Martin to make his
solo album "Tug of War." In April 1982, he released "Tug of
War." The album received the best reviews of any McCartney record since
"Band On The Run," which became a number one hit in the US and UK. It
also produced the number one single "Ebony and Ivory," a duet with
Stevie Wonder that became McCartney's biggest American hit. Later that year,
"The Girl Is Mine," a duet with Michael Jackson, was released as the
first single from Michael Jackson's blockbuster album "Thriller"; the
single became a Top 10 hit in the US and UK. In 1983, Paul released "Pipes
Of Peace." Though the album was a relative flop, it spawned the number one
single "Say -Say -Say," a duet with Michael Jackson that is currently
the last number one single of his career in the US; it also generated another
number one smash, "Pipes Of Peace," which is currently the last
number one single of his 
career in the UK.
В В В В В В В В В В В In 1984, McCartney
released the soundtrack, "Give My Regards to Broad Street," which
featured new songs and re-recorded Beatles tunes. Though McCartney's first
feature film was a flop, the soundtrack became his British number one album,
generating a Top В В В В В В В 10 hit single "No More Lonely Nights." Later
that year, Paul had another British Top 10 hit single "We All Stand
Together," the theme to the video "Rupert and the Frog Song,"
under the name of Paul McCartney And The Frog Chorus. The following year,
McCartney scored a Top 10 hit with "Spies like us," the theme to the
film "Spies like us," which is currently his last American Top 10
single. With the release of "Press to Play" in 1986, his commercial
fortunes started to slip somewhat; in fact, the album was a flop. In 1987, Paul
released his second Greatest Hits album "All the Best!" It spawned
the Top 10 single "Once upon a Long Ago," which is currently his last
British Top 10 single. In 1988, McCartney recorded a collection of rock &
roll oldies called "CHOBA B CCCP" for release in the USSR; it was given official release internationally in 1991. After he co-wrote several
songs with Elvis Costello, Paul released "Flowers in the Dirt" in
1989. The album received the strongest reviews of any McCartney release since
"Tug Of War," which became the British number one album. Later in
1989, Paul McCartney embarked on an extensive international tour, which was a
considerable success. The "Get Back Tour" was captured on the 1990
live double-album "Tripping The Live Fantastic."
В В В В В В В В В В В In 1991, McCartney
released another live album in the form of "Unplugged," which was
taken from his appearance on MTV's acoustic concert programme of the same name;
it was the first "Unplugged" album to be released. Later that year,
he unveiled his first classical work, "Liverpool Oratorio." Early in
1993, McCartney released "Off the Ground." Though the album was
mauled by the critics and was a flop, he supported the album with his
successful "New World Tour." Later that year, he released another
live album "Paul Is Live"; he also released an ambient techno album,
"strawberries oceans ships forest", under the pseudonym of the
fireman. On March 23rd 1995, Paul premiered his classical piece for solo piano,
"A Leaf," at St. James's Palace. In April 1995, he released the piece
for solo piano in the UK. However, his primary activity in 1994, as well as
1995, was the Beatles'
Anthology. After "Anthology" was completed, Paul McCartney released
"Flaming Pie" in 1997. "Flaming Pie" received the strongest
reviews of any McCartney release since "Flowers in the Dirt" and hit
number two in the US and UK. It was nominated for a Grammy as
"Album of the Year". Later that year, Paul McCartney unveiled his
second large-scale classical work, the symphonic poem "Standing
Stone" and became a number one hit classical work in the US and UK.
In April 1998 Paul McCartney
was bereaved of his beloved wife Linda McCartney by reason of her disease:
breast cancer. Later that year, however, McCartney unveiled his second ambient
dance album, "Rushes,"
under the pseudonym of the Fireman. On the solo album from Linda McCartney,
titled "Wide Prairie," he sings backing vocals and plays a variety of
instruments; Paul produced the album as the definitive collection of all the
songs recorded by Linda over the past 25 years. Beyond a total heartbreak, Paul
McCartney is getting back to where he should belong.
В В В В В В В В В В В Paul McCartney was honored
on March 15, 1999 with an induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In celebration, Capitol
Records released the 25th Anniversary remastered, limited edition reissue of
Paul McCartney & Wings' chart-topping, Grammy award-winning, and all time
best-selling albums В«Band on the RunВ» in the US.
В В В В В В В В В В В Paul McCartney had
done his first exhibit: the Painting of Paul
McCartney in Siegen, Germany from 1st May until 25th July 1999.
In October, 1999, "Run Devil Run,"
Paul's first album since Linda's death in April 1998, was released worldwide.
Recorded in two quick-burst sessions at Studio 2, Abbey Road, from 1 March to 5
May, 1999, the 15-track album includes his interpretations of 12 songs chosen
not for musical merit but for reasons of pure nostalgia that were his favorite
'50s rock'n'roll as a teenager, as well as three new songs Paul wrote in a '50s
style. The hand-picked band was the classic rock'n'roll line-up of bass, guitar
and drums. McCartney (bass, guitar, vocals) - accompanied by Pink Floyd's David
Gilmour (guitar), Mick Green (guitar), Deep Purple's Iran Piece (drums), Pete Winfield
(keyboards), Dave Mattacks (drums), Geraint Watkins (keyboard) and Chris Hall
(Accordion) - recreated that golden age of rock'n'roll. Although recent Beatle
myth has enshrined John Lennon as the Beatles' rocker and Paul McCartney as the
Beatles' balladeer, "Run Devil Run"
must remind you of Paul as the rocker. (You know Paul composed not only the
best-known ballade such as "Yesterday" and "Let It Be" but
punchy hard rock such as "I'm Down" and "Helter Skelter".)
On the other hand, Paul
McCartney unveiled his third classical album, titled "Working
Classical," in the UK on October 18, 1999. That's just two weeks after the
release of "Run Devil Run."
The album features McCartney's first foray into chamber music, including two
pieces for small orchestra: "A Leaf" and "Spiral." The
classical album became No.1 on the Billboard classical charts.
В В В В В В В В В В В On Tuesday, December 14th, 1999, Sir Paul McCartney rocked the Cavern - the Liverpool club
where he and the Beatles
found stardom - for the first time in 36 years. The show - Paul's first at the
Cavern Club since The Beatles
last played there on August 3rd, 1963 - was his 281st show at The Cavern. His
historic concert was a "one-off, end of the millennium tribute to rock and
roll". Due to the expected demand for tickets, and in an attempt to be
fair for all, however, tickets for "Paul at the Cavern" were
available through a national (UK) raffle. Therefore, only 150 fans picked from
an international ballot could pack the Cavern. But the concert was carried live
in cyberspace too. As at least three million people across the globe watched
his performance through a live web cast at one time, it set a new world record
as the biggest musical gig in the history of the Internet. A further 15,000
fans gathered in wintry conditions in Liverpool's Chavasse Park, where a huge video screen showed the concert live. Thus, Paul and his band (Dave Gilmour
and Mick Green on guitars, Iran Piece on drums, Pete Wingfield on keyboards and
Chris Hall on Accordion) rocked out the end of the century. They "rocked Liverpool and the world bopped too." His 13-song performance lasted a little over 40
minutes and included "I Saw Her Standing There," a Beatles song from
the Cavern years. But other songs were the classic rock and roll mostly from
his album "Run Devil Run".
В В В В В В В В В В В In February, 2000,
"a Garland for Linda" was released; it features new choral works by
the nine contemporary British composers: John Tavener, Michael Berkeley, Sir
Richard Rodney Bennett, Giles Swayne, John Rutter, Roxanna Panufnik, David
Matthews, Judith Bingham and Sir Paul McCartney and "Silence and
Music" originally composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams for "A Garland
for the Queen," in which ten leading British composers contributed new
works for a musical celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in
1953. The inspiration for "a Garland for Linda" was certainly "A
Garland for the Queen"; the raison dieter for the disc is to commemorate
the life of Linda McCartney and to promote The Garland Appeal to raise money
for non-animal-tested cancer research and British music. Incidentally, Sir Paul
McCartney's own piece for "a Garland for Linda" is entitled
"Nova."
В В В В В В В В В В В On August 21, 2000, "Liverpool Sound Collage" was released in the UK. McCartney created the piece at the request of Peter Blake, the artist who helped
designed the Beatles'
memorable cover for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," as the
soundtrack for his show "About Collage," at Liverpool's Tate Gallery.
Along with Super Furry Animals, producer/musician Youth also collaborated with
McCartney on the project. But what's most likely to get people's attention was
actually the inclusion of studio outtake clips from recordings McCartney made
with The Beatles
between 1965 and 1969. "Liverpool Sound Collage" was nominated for a Grammy as
"Best Alternative Music Album."
В В В В В В В В В В В On 19 March, 2001, Paul McCartney published a book of poetry, called "Blackbird 
Singing:
Poems and Lyrics 1965-1999." It is McCartney's first
anthology of poetry and lyrics. The book contains more than 100 poems written
between 1965 and 1999 as well as some of his best-known song lyrics. "Blackbird Singing:
Poems and Lyrics 1965-1999" has sold more than
55,000 copies in the UK and USA.
In May 2001, Paul McCartney
released "WINGSPAN - Hits and History -," the 40-song collection from
Paul McCartney and Wings. "Wingspan" is the soundtrack of a two-hour
film of the same title that is a television documentary about the formation and
history of the band Wings. The double-album not only made its debut at No.2 on
the Billboard album charts as of May 26, 2001, but marked the fastest-selling
release of the McCartney post-Beatles era; it went Gold, Platinum and double
Platinum, earning Paul his 21st gold record. Later that year, he released
"Driving Rain,"
the first studio album of new songs from Paul McCartney since 1997's
"Flaming Pie." Though the album peaked at No.26 on the Billboard
album charts, "Driving Rain"
was certified gold on 29 April, 2002.
В В В В В В В В В В В On April 1st, 2002, Paul McCartney kicked off DRIVING USA, a two-month concert tour of America and his first in almost 10 years. Following his second marriage to Heather Mills on
June 11th, 2002, Paul McCartney returned to North America for further 23
concerts on the Back In The U.S. tour in late September and October. Following
the second leg of the U.S. tour, Paul McCartney performed in November in Mexico City, Tokyo and, for the first time in Paul's career, Osaka. The "DRIVING
USA" tour was captured on the 2002 live double-album "Back In The U.S. -
Live 2002." The live double-album made its debut at
No.8 on the Billboard album charts, eventually going platinum in the US. According to concert trade publication Pollstar,
by the way, Paul McCartney is the runaway winner for biggest tour of the year.
As Paul's tour grossed $103.3 million in 2002, Paul's tour now ranks as the
all-time fourth biggest earner in the US and Canada, behind the Rolling Stones,
U2 and Pink Floyd.
В В В В В В В В В В В On March 25th, 2003, Paul McCartney kicked off the "Back in the World" tour, a
three-month UK and European tour and his first in 10 years since his New World
Tour of 1993. It coincided with the release on March 17th of the live
double-album "Back in the World - Live" as a proper souvenir of the
European tour. After touring through Europe, including Russia, Paul McCartney capped the tour with a hometown concert at Liverpool on June 1st, 2003.
В В В В В В В В В В В On May 25th, 2004, Paul McCartney kicked off the all-stadium "04 Summer Tour." It
was highlighted with 7 first-time performance visits as well as 5 concerts in
cities that haven't rocked with him since 1989's "Get Back World
Tour" or 1993's "New World Tour". After touring throughout Europe, including a special performance in St. Petersburg's Palace Square, Paul McCartney
concluded the tour with a special appearance at The Glastonbury Festival on June 26th, 2004. That same year he released a selection of his Animated Films called
"Paul McCartney: The Music And Animation Collection." On September 20, 2004, he released his first single for children in 20 years, "Tropic
Island Hum," the title track of a new children's animation film featured
on the collection. Later that year, he published a new book called "EACH
ONE BELIEVING: ON STAGE, OFF STAGE AND BACKSTAGE", an account of life on
the road with Paul McCartney during his recent Word Tour during which he played
to over two million people - his most successful tour since The Beatles.
В В В В В В В В В В В Anyway, I recommend
"All the Best" or "WINGSPAN - Hits and History -" as a good
introduction to Paul McCartney. Check it out!
George
Harrison
В В В В В В В В В В В The youngest of
four children, George was born February 25, 1943 at 12:10 a.m. to Harold and Louise. George has a sister, Louise, and two brothers, Harold and Peter. The Harrisons lived at 12 Arnold Grove, Wavertree, Liverpool 15 until 1949 when the family
moved to 25 Upton Green, near, Liverpool.
В В В В В В В В В В В George began his
education at Dove dale Primary. In September 1954, George began attending the
Liverpool Institute where Paul McCartney was already a student. They often met
on the bus going home and soon became friends.
В В В В В В В В В В В Influenced by Carl
Perkins, Lonnie Donegan and others, by age 13 George had developed a strong
interest in music. His wonderfully supportive mother bought George a used
guitar and encouraged him when he became frustrated learning to play the more
difficult chords. Long before Paul met John Lennon, George and Paul spent many
an afternoon going through George's chord manual together. In 1956, George, his
brother and friends performed once as the Rebels. After that, George sat in on
gigs with other groups, and worked Saturday mornings in a butcher shop. One of
the butcher's assistants was in a group with whom George also played. Through
this group, George met Pete Best, future drummer for the Beatles.
В В В В В В В В В В В At this point,
history gets a little shaky with contradictory accounts. Possibly upon Paul's
suggestion, George saw the Quarrymen perform, and met John backstage. With the
hope of joining the Quarrymen, George impressed John and Paul, who by now was
also a member of the group, with his rendition of "Raunchy." John was
unsure at first, George being three years younger than him. But George's
ever-growing knowledge of chords inspired John and Paul's songwriting. By early
1958, in part possibly to irritate his Aunt Mimi who saw George as a bad
influence, John relented and George became lead guitarist for the Quarrymen.
В В В В В В В В В В В By August 1962,
Pete Best was out, Ringo Starr was in, and the Beatles were born.
On February 7, 1964, the Beatles -- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- arrived in America. Their music exhilarated while their wit charmed. George's often unsmiling,
brooding demeanor earned him the nickname The Quiet One.
В В В В В В В В В В В On March 2, 1964, on the set of "A Hard Day's Night," George met 19-year-old model,
Patricia Anne Boyd. Though she initially rejected him, eventually they start
dating. Just before Christmas of 1965, Patti accepted George's proposal of
marriage, and they married on January 21, 1966.
В В В В В В В В В В В It was Patti who
opened George's heart and mind to "all things Indian"В an ongoing
passion that has not diminished for more than 30 years.
In summer 1966, George met
classical guitarist Ravi Shankar. In September, George visited India to study sitar and Eastern philosophy with Ravi. To this day, George is the only
Beatle who has studied music formally and can read music (Indian notation).
While many believe Paul reads western musical notation, Paul himself has denied
this many times in many interviews over the years, and most recently and
clearly in the CD booklet accompanying his 1997 symphonic poem 'Paul
McCartney's Standing Stone.'
В В В В В В В В В В В The next year, at
Patti's suggestion, the Beatles went to London to attend a lecture on
Transcendental Meditation given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Beatles were
so intrigued, the next day they left for Bangor, Wales to continue studying
with the Maharishi. Their stay in Bangor was cut short by manager Brian
Epstein's sudden death. In February 1968, the Beatles and their entourage spent
several weeks at Rishikesh, India to begin a teacher's training course at the
Maharishi's ashram. George continues to support the Maharishi, now 81 years
old, and his Natural Law Party.
В В В В В В В В В В В Late 1968 saw the
release of the soundtrack to the film "Wonder wall," composed and
produced by George. It was the first solo album by a Beatle, and the first
album issued on the Beatles' Apple label. (While Paul helped write the
soundtrack to the film "The Family Way" the year before, George
Martin wrote the score. Paul wasn't as extensively involved in "The Family
Way" as George Harrison was with "Wonder wall." However, the
point is arguable :-))
Starting in 1968, George
performed and recorded with friends he'd made while a Beatle. After years of
being eclipsed by the brilliant genius of John and Paul, of having to fight for
every song he wrote that was included on an album, superstars such as Eric
Clapton and Bob Dylan treated George as an equal. No longer was second fiddle,
George recognized as a great musician in his own right.
В В В В В В В В В В В In 1970, George
bought the gothic and ornate Friar Park, complete with a 120-room mansion,
fantastical caverns (including a skeleton cave!), underground lakes,
stone-carved gnomes and gargoyles, acres of meticulously cared-for gardens . .
. and some say even the ghost of Friar Park's designer, Sir Frankie Crisp.
В В В В В В В В В В В At Friar Park, George discovered another passion: gardening. It's not unusual for George to be
hip-deep in fertilizer tending to his beloved gardens.
How far George had come! The
gawky 15-year-old who tagged along at the heels of his idol, John, was now
master of Friar Park estate and a world-renowned rock star.
В В В В В В В В В В В On July 7, 1970, George's mother died from brain cancer. A warm, loving, jovial woman, Louise
Harrison enjoyed hearing from George's fans, corresponding with them and
sometimes inviting them into her home. So dearly loved was George's mother,
after her death a group of George's American fans started the Louise F.
Harrison Memorial Cancer Fund.
1971 was George's year to shine!
That year he was unquestionably the most successful Beatle. On August 1, The
Concert for Bangladesh, organized by George and featuring an array of
megastars, was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Perhaps spurred
by his accomplishments and blooming self-confidence, George's creativity
exploded like a supernova with the release of his first post-Beatles record.
The triple-album set, "All Things Must Pass," flew to the Number One
spot on American and European charts, and was hailed as a masterpiece.
В В В В В В В В В В В In 1974, George
went on a North American concert tour -- the first Beatle to have done so. On a
personal level, his marriage to Patti was at an all-time low. Years earlier,
Eric Clapton had declared his love for Patti. At first Patti put him off, but
in time came to return his love. On the plus side, George met his wife-to-be,
Olivia Trinidad Arias, an employee at A&M Records, the distributor for
George's Dark Horse Records.
With the 1976 release of
"Thirty-three & 1/3," things started looking up. That is, until
George lost his copyright infringement case over "My Sweet Lord." Its
melody and chord structure were similar to the 1963 song "He's So
Fine." George was found guilty of "subconscious plagiarism."
On June 9, 1977, George and Patti's divorce came through. Two years later, Patti married Eric Clapton. George,
Paul and Ringo were among the guests/performers at the wedding celebration for
George's ex-wife and his dearest friend.
В В В В В В В В В В В In May 1978,
George's father died from emphysema. As did his wife, Mr. Harrison enjoyed
chatting with George's fans, and by all accounts was a delightful gentleman.
В В В В В В В В В В В On August 1, 1978, George and Olivia's son, Danni (pronounced "DAH-nee") was born.
On September 2, George and Olivia were married.
В В В В В В В В В В В George's new career
as a film producer came about as the result of generosity and friendship. In
1978, after the original backers backed out, Handmade Films was formed to fund
Monty Python's movie "The Life Of Brian." Handmade Films made
possible fascinating films that in time became cult classics, as well as
popular films which, if not for George's farsightedness, might never have seen
the light of day. Among them are "Time Bandits," "Nuns On The
Run," and "Shanghai Surprise" starring then-husband and wife
Madonna and Sean Penn. Altogether, Handmade Films produced about 26 movies.
George made cameo appearances in and wrote the soundtracks or songs for a few.
In the late 1980s, Handmade Films had a run of bad luck, and was acquired by
Paragon Entertainment Corp. in May 1994. Eight months later, George sued his
former business partner, Denis O'Brien, for $20 million for breach of contract
and fiduciary duties, and disposition of assets. George was awarded $10.9
million by the court, but has yet to collect this money.
В В В В В В В В В В В George's autobiography,
"I Me Mine," was published on August 22, 1979, first as a leather-bound collector's edition, and later as a mass market hardcover. George dedicated it
"to gardeners everywhere." Though not especially informative,
George's conversational manner and Derek Taylor's side notes make "I Me
Mine" a delightful read. George's commentaries on every song he composed
up through 1978 make it "must reading" for all George fans.
On December 9, 1980, George was awakened by Olivia. John Lennon had been shot and killed. "All Those Years
Ago" was George's musical tribute to John. (John died just after 11 p.m. on December 8 in New York City, which made it December 9 in Europe.)
In 1988, George formed the
Traveling Wilbur’s. The other Wilbur’s were Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne
and Roy Orison. Both albums were highly successful. "The Traveling Wilbur’s,
Vol. 1" went multi-platinum and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock
Performance.
In 1990, Olivia founded the
Romanian Angel Appeal to aid Romanian orphans. George and Olivia gave much of
their time and money to this most worthy cause.
In late 1991, George and Eric
Clapton embarked on a tour of Japan. In 1992, a recording of some performances,
"Live In Japan" was released.
В В В В В В В В В В В Because he released
no solo albums during the 90s, fans have the false impression that, except for
the Beatles' "Anthology," George was not active professionally. Not
true! As he had since the Beatles were still together, George continued to work
with many artists. All in all, George has produced and performed on more
non-solo albums than any other Beatle. Between 1990 and 1999, George was
involved with over two dozen albums and singles.
[Please click here for the Discography of George's work with other artists]
George survived a knife attack
and three occurrences of cancer. In 2001, he and Olivia bought a villa near the
ocean in the south of Switzerland.
George was in the final stages
of recording a new solo album, as well as a box set of demos, outtakes and
other unreleased material. Wait, there's more! Ownership of his solo Dark Horse
1976-92 catalogue and the two Traveling Wilbur’s albums were to have reverted
back to George, and he had been considering re-circulating these currently
out-of-print CDs with possible bonus tracks. All of this is now in Olivia's
(and maybe Danni’s) more than capable hands.
В В В В В В В В В В В On a U.S. morning news show aired June 12, 1997, George said, "For every human is a quest
to find the answer to, why are we here? Who am I? Where did I come from? Where
am I going? That to me became the only important thing in my life. Everything
else is secondary."
On November 29, 2001, after a long battle with cancer, surrounded by those he loved, George leaves his
body and moves on to wherever his spiritual journal will lead him.
Gardener, musician, composer,
film producer, record producer, philanthropist, car racing enthusiast,
spiritual seeker and slide guitarist extraordinaire, the multi-faceted George
Harrison continues to enrich our lives. His inner light will shine forever.
Ringo
Starr
В В В В В В В В В В В Richard Starkey Jr.
was born in the front room of 9 Madrid Street in Liverpool's Dingle area on July 7, 1940. His parents were Elise and Richard Starkey Sr. Elise and Richard would soon
divorce in 1943 and she and her son moved to 10 Admiral Grove. Richard attended
St. Silas Infants' School where he began to suffer the first of many illnesses
which seriously affected his education.
В В В В В В В В В В В At the age of six
he was taken to the Royal Children's Infirmary suffering from acute abdominal
pains. A ruptured appendix was diagnosed and this led to an inflamed peritoneum
and the first of several operations for the young Richard. He went into a coma
for two months during which several more operations were made. Richard was
known to be accident prone. After he woke up from the coma he tried to hand a
toy bus to the boy in the next bed. Richard fell over head first onto the floor
resulting in a concussion. He remained in the hospital for several more months.
В В В В В В В В В В В When he finally
returned to school, he found himself far behind in his school work which gave
him an undeserved reputation of being stupid. In 1953, at the age of thirteen,
Richard caught a cold which turned into chronic pleurisy necessitating another
stay at Myrtle Street Hospital. The illness caused some lung complications
which resulted in the youth being sent to Howell Children's Hospital where he
remained until 1955.
By this time Elise had married
Harry Graves, whom Richard referred to as his "step ladder". For a
short time he had a job as delivery boy for British Rail. He next took on a job
as barman on a ferry to New Brighton before becoming a trainee joiner at Henry
Hunt and Sons. Richard's stepfather, Harry, bought him a secondhand drum kit
and Richard showed promise of becoming a great musician.
В В В В В В В В В В В Richard bounced
around from band to band but he finally found a home with "Rory Storm
& the Hurricanes". Rory Storm was a showman and he insisted that
Richard add some flare to his act by renaming him Ringo Starr. To which he
eventually legally change his name. The Hurricanes became one of the most
popular groups in Liverpool and they topped the bill at Hamburg's Kaiser keller
club, above The Beatles. Pete Best was not always the most reliable drummer so
Ringo would occasionally fill in for Pete if he didn't show up.
The Hurricanes were by now
being out shown by The Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers. Ringo had
thought about leaving The Hurricanes and joining another group called "The
Seniors". After a brief lull period, Ringo decided to fill the spot of
drummer for The Hurricanes once again. Ringo, feeling like he was going nowhere
thought about taking up his apprenticeship at Hunt's again, when fate stepped
in.'
В В В В В В В В В В В The Beatles were
now the top band in Liverpool and throughout most of England. The Beatles had
just signed with Parlophone and George Martin didn't like Pete as their drummer
describing him bluntly as "not good". The new task was to find a
replacement drummer. Many considered Johnny Hutchinson of "The Big
Three" to be the best drummer in Liverpool but then the idea was put
around to ask Ringo if he would like to fill the position.
When Ringo went to record with
The Beatles for the first time George Martin had already hired a session
drummer, Andy White. Ringo was devastated and the fact that at first the fans
didn't take kindly to him didn't help matters either. When Ringo first appeared
with The Beatles at The Cavern Club, the fans still upset over Pete getting
fired, started shouting "Pete forever, Ringo never!"
В В В В В В В В В В В As it turned out,
Ringo was perfect for The Beatles and at one time was the most popular member
of the group with American fans. He also proved to be more of a natural actor
than any other members of the group and received favorable reviews for his
performance in "A Hard Day's Night". Because of this, Ringo was
placed in the center of the spotlight in The Beatles second film
"HELP!".
В В В В В В В В В В В Ringo married his
long-time girlfriend Maureen Cox on February 11, 1965 and the couple were to have three children: Zack, Jason, and Lee. The couple would eventually divorce
in July 1975 and Ringo was to marry Barbara Bach. Ringo at first had the same
problem as George did which was getting his songs noticed. Mainly John and Paul
would write a song or two for him to sing on a particular album. Such songs
were: "Boys"
on Please -Please Me, "I Want Be Your Man"
on With The Beatles, "Honey Don't"
on Beatles For Sale, "Act Naturally"
on HELP!, "What Goes On"
which was co-written by Starr on Rubber Soul, "Yellow Submarine"
on Revolver and Yellow Submarine, and "A Little Help From My
Friends" on Sgt. Pepper's.
While with The Beatles, Ringo
had two songs that were "original Starr compositions". They were
"Don't Pass Me By"
on The White Album and probably his most famous one "Octopus's Garden"
on Abbey Road. Following The Beatles break up, Ringo had a very successful solo
career which consisted of eight albums and thirteen singles. Ringo also
appeared in various TV shows, including his own special, "Ringo", and
a TV mini-series "Princess Daisy", with his wife Barbara.
В В В В В В В В В В В After many years
out of the limelight, during which he did voice-overs for the children's TV
series "Thomas The Tank Engine" and experienced drinking problems,
which resulted in himself and Barbara attending a drying out clinic. He
reappeared on the scene sober with an All-Starr Band to tour America and Japan.
В В В В В В В В В В В This proved to be
so successful that he formed another All-Starr Band in 1992, which began an
American and European tour in June 1992. Members comprised his son Zack,
guitarists Dave Edmunds, Nils Lofgren, Todd Rundgren and Joe Walsh, saxophonist
Tim Cappello, bassist Timothy B. Schmit and keyboards player Burton Cummings.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
В В В В В В В В В В В В Early beginnings
Lennon met McCartney on July 6, 1957 at the annual
St. Peter's Woolton Parish Church Garden Fete. Lennon was in a skiffle group
called The Quarry Men who were performing at the event. Lennon was impressed by
McCartney as he knew the words to several rock 'n' roll songs (Lennon would
just make his own words up), and because he taught him some guitar chords
(Lennon only knew the banjo chords taught to him by his mother Julia).
McCartney subsequently joined the band, and brought Harrison along soon after,
on February 6, 1958. In 1958, The Quarry Men recorded a demo of two songs; the
first was an original Harrison/McCartney tune called "In Spite Of All The
Danger"; the other was a cover of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The
Day". A number of songs that were later recorded for Beatles records, were
originally written at this time including "I'll Follow The Sun"
(which McCartney had written independently), "When I'm Sixty-Four"
and "One After 909".
After a brief split, the Quarry Men regrouped in
1960 as The Fabulous Silver Beatles, later shortened to The Beatles. The name
was a tribute to Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets, combined with beat
music, a common British term for rock and roll at the time. In another
tribute, they had sometimes called themselves the Foreverly Brothers.
The reformed band consisted of Lennon, McCartney
and Harrison, plus Stuart Sutcliffe on bass. Allan Williams served as their
first manager. They were offered a gig in Hamburg, West Germany, but they had
no drummer. Pete Best, who had played occasionally with the Quarry Men, was
auditioned on August 12th, 1960. Four days later, the group (with new member
Pete Best) left for Hamburg. Hamburg was a wild place for the young men. They
were featured at a small club and were playing to Germans who often didn't
understand English. They were uninhibited on stage, drinking alcohol, sometimes
goading the crowd and acting unruly, but such was the club's atmosphere. The
Beatles playing together in Hamburg had the group becoming more tight-knit,
better musicians and better showmen. When Harrison was deported for being
underage, they returned to Liverpool.
In March 1961, the Beatles played their first gig
at Liverpool's 'Cavern Club' before returning to the lucrative Hamburg scene
with a now legal Harrison. During their stay in Germany they were hired by Bert
Kaempfert to record backing for the singer Tony Sheridan. A single, "My
Bonnie", was released in Germany on the Polydor label in August 1961,
credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Boys. It was the Beatles' first
commercial release.
In the Spring of 1961, while still in Hamburg,
Sutcliffe decided to leave the band in order to concentrate on his art studies.
While Sutcliffe had had little musical impact on the group, he had influenced
their appearance and sense of style. McCartney, who had been playing guitar,
replaced him on bass.
In their early days, the Beatles composed and
rehearsed their songs at 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool, the home of Paul
McCartney, and now a National Trust property open to the public.
The Beatles, as individuals and as a group, soaked
up influences from performers enjoying popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Besides the previously mentioned Buddy Holly and Everly Brothers, both John
Lennon and Paul McCartney were enamored with early Elvis Presley recordings.
George Harrison liked American “rockabilly” guitar styles. The Beatles were
also directly influenced by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, the
Isley Brothers, and the Motown stars and groups. The Beatles were an opening
act for Roy Orbison during one of Orbison’s overseas tours, and his influence
can be heard in some of McCartney’s early melodies. Ringo Starr had a fondness
for straight-ahead country & western music. Guitar-based American blues had
little influence on them until the late вЂ60s, although they recorded the old
Blind Lemon Jefferson song “Matchbox Blues” (but in a country & western
style). By the mid sixties, Bob Dylan’s “folk rock” was an influence on John
Lennon’s lyrical attitudes and content. Still later, American mainstream
amplified-guitar blues had an influence on the Beatles, but probably more by
way of Eric Clapton and Cream, and other British bands that had been steeped in
that influence for years, by this point.
On December 10, 1961, Brian Epstein agreed to
become the band's full-time manager, after receiving requests for the band's
music two months earlier in his record store ("My Bonnie by The
Beatles" - Epstein couldn't find it) and watching them perform at the
Cavern Club on November 9, 1961. Epstein arranged for the Beatles to audition
for Decca Records on January 1, 1962. Decca, in one of the most embarrassing
business decisions in music history, rejected the band, on the grounds that
guitar music was "on the way out". The Decca audition has
subsequently accumulated significant legend.
The Beatles auditioned for EMI's Parlophone label
on June 6, 1962. George Martin, who was at first unimpressed by the band's
demos, liked them as people when he met them, and they were signed. Not only
did he feel that they had musical talent, but he also felt that their wit and
humor made them extremely "likeable." When he asked them if there was
anything they wanted to change, Harrison said, "I don't like your
tie". Martin informed the Beatles that he was signing them in late July.
Martin did have a problem with Best however, whom
he criticised for not being able to keep time. For this and other reasons, the
Beatles let Best go on August 16, 1962, although it was left to Brian Epstein
to tell him. They immediately asked Starr, whom they had met and even performed
with previously, to join the band permanently. Starr had been the drummer for
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, at a time when they seemed a bigger group than
the Beatles were. Martin, unaware of this personnel change, hired
session drummer Andy White to play drums on the Beatles' first studio session
on September 4, 1962. Andy would be the session drummer during their 3rd EMI
session on September 11, 1962.
The
Beatlemania years
The Beatles' first single, "Love Me Do",
was released on October 5, 1962 and became a minor hit. The Beatles recorded
their first full length album, often "live" in the studio, on
February 11, 1963 in one 12 hour session; it was released as Please, Please
Me in March. On February 22, 1963 the Beatles' second single, "Please
Please Me" went straight to No. 2 in the U.K. "From Me to You"
and "She Loves You" (with its instantly memorable "Yeah, yeah,
yeah" refrain) followed to the top of the U.K. charts.
Beatlemania as a chaotic
cultural phenomenon began in Britain on October 13, 1963 with a televised
appearance at the London Palladium.
Meet the Beatles, the
first Beatles album in the United States, was released on January 20, 1964. On
February 7, 1964 The Beatles traveled to New York for a number of U.S.
television appearances and performances. Upon arriving at JFK airport, The
Beatles noticed thousands of kids screaming and awaiting the plane's arrival.
They assumed that there must have been someone important on the plane with them
and were a bit shocked to learn that the crowds were actually there for them.
On February 9, 1964 The Beatles performed on The Ed
Sullivan Show for the first time. Their appearance made their popularity
explode across the country. To this day it remains one of the highest rated
television programs of all time, with 73 million people tuning in. The Beatles
made four more live appearances on the show in months to come. Two days later,
on February 11 in the Washington
Coliseum, The Beatles made their first live stage appearance in the
United States.
On April 4, 1964, The Beatles set a record that
has yet to be broken when they occupied all five top positions on Billboard's
Hot 100 (they first appeared on Billboard on January 18th that
year). Their single "Can't Buy Me Love" was at number one. In August
of that year, The Beatles' first motion picture was released, A Hard Day's
Night. They started filming their second film, Help! on February 23,
1965 in the Bahamas.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В The
psychedelic years
From mid 1964 all the band members became habitual
smokers of marijuana after
reportedly being introduced to it when they met Bob Dylan for the
first time in New York. In mid 1965,
according to Lennon and Harrison, they were unwittingly 'dosed' with LSD at a party by their dentist. (The dentist,
however, never admitted that he had put anything unusual in Lennon's or
Harrison's tea).
Nevertheless, in the ensuing years, the Beatles
met with psychedelic counterculture icon Timothy Leary, and
began experimenting with the psychedelic drug - though McCartney claims today
he only took the drug once. Two albums released during this period, Revolver
and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were
both clearly influenced by the band's experimentation with LSD. Around this
same time, Geoff Emerick took over as the new recording engineer at the
beginning of the Revolver sessions. With Emerick's help, the group
incorporated a new sound into these two groundbreaking albums, one which
represented a radical alteration compared to their previous studio work. A key
innovation in their recording was the use of automatic double tracking, invented by Abbey Road staff
engineer Ken
Townshend, which allowed the group to automatically 'double' their
vocals in recordings. Townshend reportedly came up with the technique because
of Lennon's well-known dislike of tracking sessions. In 1966 McCartney worked
with George Martin on the film score for "The
Family Way" that allowed him to use orchestration, another
element that featured in the following albums, and he subsequently won an Ivor Novello award for
the score.
On June 12,
1965, HRH Queen Elizabeth II created each
Beatle Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This
appointment is bestowed by the monarch (under advisement by the Prime Minister) for
important services rendered to the nation. Many opposed the decision, and some
recipients of the Order returned their own honours in protest, claiming that
the honorary title had been "devalued." It should be remembered that
at the time, many were veterans of World War II. Lennon would return his own in
1969 with the note:
"Your
Majesty, I am returning my MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the
Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against
'Cold Turkey' slipping down in the Charts.
"With
love,
"John
Lennon of Bag"
On August 15,
1965, The Beatles started their second North American tour at
Shea Stadium, which
was the first rock concert to be held in a venue of that size. The concert also
set two new world records, one for attendance (55,600+) and one for revenue.
On March 4,
1966, in an interview for the London Evening Standard
with Maureen
Cleave, John Lennon made the following statement:
"Christianity
will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I
will be proved right. We're more
popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first? rock 'n'
roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and
ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."
The statement was part of a two page interview and
went virtually unnoticed in Britain. In July of that year, Lennon's words were
reprinted in the United States fan magazine Datebook,
leading to a backlash by conservative religious groups mainly in the rural
South and Midwestern states. Radio stations banned the group's recordings, and
their albums and other products were burned and destroyed. Spain and the Vatican denounced
Lennon's words and South
Africa banned Beatles music from the radio. On August 11, 1966 Lennon held a press conference in Chicago in order to
address the growing furor. He told reporters:
"I suppose
if I had said television was more popular than Jesus, I would have gotten away
with it. I'm sorry I opened my mouth. I'm not anti-God, anti-Christ, or
anti-religion. I was not knocking it. I was not saying we are greater or
better."
On June 5,
1966, The Beatles returned to The Ed Sullivan Show, this time with a taped appearance,
where they introduced their two new music videos, "Rain" and
"Paperback Writer". In later years, The Beatles would appear on the
show to introduce more music videos for the songs "Hello Goodbye",
"Penny Lane",
"Strawberry Fields Forever", "Two Of Us", and
"Let
It Be".
On July 2,
1966, The Beatles became the first musical
group to perform at the Nippon
Budokan Hall in Tokyo.
The performance ignited a lot of protest from local citizens who felt that it
was inappropriate for a rock-and-roll band to play at Budokan.
By the end of July, the band headed to the Philippines for a
series of shows. The Beatles, while relaxing in their hotel room, read in the
newspaper that they would visit the Malacanang Palace of
President Ferdinand
Marcos. This came as news to the Beatles, who were tired from the
tour and otherwise had a strict policy of keeping their rare days off to
themselves so as to be consistent about their obligations. They spent a
relaxing evening in the hotel, and awoke the next morning to death threats and
newspaper headlines like "Imelda stood up!" and "The Beatles
snub the First Lady!". Epstein attempted to make a televised apology for
the incident, but none of the local stations would air it. The following day, armed
guards attempted to keep the band from leaving the country until they paid a
fee of some kind. The Beatles, who hadn't been paid for their shows in the
country, paid out of their own pockets. The Beatles literally had to fight
their way to the airplane. Decades later with the fall of the Marcos regime and
the full exposure of its abuses, the members of the band took some pride that
they stood up to the Marcos' in some small way.
Events like those in the Philippines, in addition
to the fact that the fans screamed so loud at their concerts that they couldn't
even hear themselves perform, led to the band deciding to quit touring
altogether. The band performed their last concert (at least on a large scale)
at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
The studio years
With the distractions of touring behind them, The
Beatles began recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on November 24, 1966. The album took so much time to record
(for a Beatles record anyway) that the press started to suggest that the
Beatles had "lost it" and had run out of creativity. Three early tracks,
"Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane", and
"Only A Northern Song", were left out of Sgt. Pepper
as it was not then customary to include singles releases on albums. Some were
saved for later albums: the latter song becoming part of the "Yellow
Submarine" film, but George Martin still refers to the omission of
"Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" from Sgt.
Pepper as the greatest regret of his career. Ironically, the "Penny
Lane" / "Strawberry Fields Forever" double A side was the first
Beatles single not to make UK number 1 since their first release. It was kept
from the top spot by Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release
Me".
Nonetheless, Sgt. Pepper's release on June 1, 1967, was a high point both for the band and
for all of rock music, for it was the first-ever widely-popular concept album (built
around a particular theme) and helped to launch what we know today as the
"Classic Rock" format.
On June 25,
1967 The Beatles performed "All You Need
Is Love" for the Our World
television special. It was the first television special to air worldwide.
Singing backup for the Beatles were a number of artists including Eric Clapton, and
members of the Rolling
Stones and The Who.
Manager Brian Epstein died of
a drug overdose on August 27,
1967, while the Beatles were in Bangor, Wales,
attending a weekend conference given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The death was officially ruled
accidental, although it has often been speculated that it was a suicide.
Epstein had managed every aspect of the Beatles' career, and his absence was
immediately noticeable. The Beatles' business affairs began to unravel.
In January 1968, The Beatles launched Apple
Corps, a disastrously mismanaged entertainment company that included
a recording studio, a record label (Apple Records), a film
division and clothing store. In addition to Beatles records, Apple released
albums by James
Taylor, Mary
Hopkin, Billy
Preston, Badfinger,
Ravi Shankar and other artists.
Towards the end of the 1960s, members of the band began to pursue
their own musical interests and were writing together less and less. This
became more and more obvious on releases like 1968's The
Beatles (a.k.a. "The White Album"), and Let
It Be. The
Beatles was largely written during the band's visit to India, where they stayed at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's retreat. With the exception of
Harrison, the Beatles eventually rejected the Maharishi, particularly after he
was publicly disgraced. Lennon, disillusioned, wrote the song "Sexy
Sadie" (originally titled "Maharishi") about their former
teacher. A number of unreleased songs from the Let It Be sessions also
make reference to the Maharishi. The Beatles went on to become their
biggest selling LP in the United States and one of the US top ten selling
albums of all time. The double album has often been criticised for its varying
quality and including too many tracks on what should have been a single LP
release. The Beatles released two albums in order to be free of their EMI
contract which stipulated a total number of recorded songs. However, in the
words of McCartney: "It sold, it was the bloody Beatles' White Album, shut
up!"
It was during sessions for The Beatles that
the band recorded "Hey Jude",
a seven-minute magnum opus which turned out to be the biggest-selling single of
the group's entire career.
The Beatles began recording their final album in
July of 1969, entitled Abbey
Road, returning to the EMI studios in West London and the
production team led by George Martin. It proved to be a relatively smooth and
peaceful production and a highly acclaimed album. Lennon announced to the other
Beatles that he was leaving the band just before that album's release but was
persuaded to remain quiet in public.
In September of 1969, Russell Gibb, a radio DJ in Detroit, Michigan, announced
that Paul McCartney was dead. Other DJs, television news reporters, newspapers
and magazines picked up on the story and began to look for clues. This
snowballed into what is commonly referred to today as the Paul Is Dead hoax.
People that believed the rumors, claimed that McCartney had died in a car
accident and was replaced by a look-alike
named William Campbell. Numerous clues were supposedly hidden in album artwork,
lyrics, and recordings themselves (fans even went so far as to play Beatles
records backwards, for instance the words "number nine, number nine"
on the song "Revolution#9" on The
Beatles (a.k.a. "The White Album") became "turn
me on, dead man, turn me on, dead man" when played counterclockwise).
Another key clue apparently was the cover of the album Abbey
Road in which Paul held a cigarette with his right hand, indicating
his becoming reduced to ashes. Paul is left-handed. The legendary hoax has been
the subject of several books.
The band officially broke up in 1970. The last Beatles studio session that
included all four band members took place on August 20, 1969. The song they had finished had a fitting
title: "The End". The final Beatles session was on January 4, 1970, with Paul, Ringo, and George recording
"I Me Mine".
EMI
released Let It Be, the result of the Spector rework of the Get Back
sessions, in May of 1970, and the film of
the same name shortly after (for the main purpose of fulfilling the group's
contract with United Artists).
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
Breakup
On April 10,
1970, McCartney announced that the band had
officially broken up. The cause of the breakup has been debated by fans and
historians ever since that day, and ultimately they came up with several
factors that could have easily contributed to the breakup. It is likely that
the world will never know what caused the break-up, following are some
theories.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
The end of touring
On August 29,
1966, the Beatles played their final live
concert at Candlestick
Park in San Francisco. It was the concluding concert in a series of
short tours in the summer of 1966 that had several unhappy incidents. Viewed in
hindsight, the occurrences were perhaps not as grave as they seemed at the
time, but for a band that had toured almost without negative incident throughout
1964 and 1965 (although FBI files reveal an extortion threat in Denver, Colorado on August 26, 1964[1]), the existence of troubles
during their tours was a straw that broke the camel's back. Performing live was
becoming a stressful chore rather than the satisfying experience it had been in
their earlier days.
The problems started during their tour of Japan, where they were scheduled to play at
the famous Budokan
Hall, despite the large protests against it. The performance was in
front of a very quiet audience. This was a change from the band's usual, in
front of fans that couldn't hear the music.) Due to the sudden ability to hear
the band, it seemed that their ability to perform had degraded; a majority of
the fans who have the bootleg of the show agree with this.
Philippines. Problems started with the band being
denied permission to leave the hotel by the police. Then, shortly after their
concert, the First Lady Imelda
Marcos 'invited' them to a social event for her family and friends;
however, neither the band nor manager Brian Epstein had been
informed of this invitation in advance, and Epstein sent away the guards sent
to escort the band to the First Lady. This was perceived as a snub by Marcos.
The next morning the local newspaper headlines
proclaimed that the Beatles had stood up the First Lady. Angry riots broke out
as the band tried to escape the country, and drummer Ringo Starr received
rib injuries trying to reach their airplane. Numerous other Beatles touring
crew members were also injured. Their instruments were lost, they were 'taxed'
all the money they were due to have received from their concert, and several
members of the touring party were left behind in the airport scuffles.
After the band's summer tour of the US ended, George Harrison by
some accounts informed Epstein that he was quitting the band. If this
conversation did occur, his decision was obviously rescinded. The thought
behind it may be attributed to the growing discontent arising from the conflict
between the desire to create music and the technical limitations of playing
music live in the mid-1960s owing to the primitive amplification equipment of
the era. The Beatles decided to make a wholesale change in their lives.
Instead of continuing the standard pattern of an
endless succession of recording and touring, they decided to give up live
performance in favor of focusing on recording and other projects. Given the
growing sophistication in their composing and recording, as evidenced by the
albums "Rubber
Soul" and "Revolver",
they regarded this as a step forwards - an opportunity to devote whatever time
was needed to creating music in the studio, without the usual pressures to
record swiftly in order to meet commercial deadlines, or to have 'product'
ready to promote on tour. The first results of this new philosophy were the
single "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" and their
1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
The new music resulting from this commitment to spend unlimited time on
creating music in the studio was both critically acclaimed and commercially
successful.
The decision to give up live performance was quite
a revolutionary step for successful musical performers in the 1960s, and was
probably alarming to those who had a traditional view of how entertainers
should conduct their careers. However the Beatles were clearly forging a new
path as creative artists in which fulfilling their artistic urges was more
important than toiling unhappily just because it was expected of them, or
simply to make money. This approach was followed by many musical artists in the
late 1960s and thereafter.
Eventually, the lack of live performance did lead
to strains within the band. Paul McCartney in particular started to miss the
positive aspects of playing live. This led to conflicts, especially with George
Harrison, who came to believe that the Beatles iconic status with pop fans was
incompatible with the band being able to play live as serious musicians in the
same way as some of the newer progressive rock bands. Harrison wanted the
Beatles to be appreciated for their newer music. He felt that live performances
would be marred by fans screaming for their 'moptop' era pop songs. McCartney,
however, felt that the essence of the band lay in live performance. Lennon and
Starr vacillated between support of McCartney's and Harrison's viewpoints.
After the issue of a possible return to live performance first surfaced, in late
1968, there was never a time that all four Beatles were in agreement on the
topic. This factor probably contributed to their eventual break-up.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
Brian
Epstein's death
On August 27,
1967, the group's longtime manager Brian Epstein died of
an overdose of Carbitol,
a sleeping pill.
This marked the end of an era for the band; he had
kept them together through the years of touring, and kept them doing something.
From the time of his death onwards, the band was mostly aimless and drifted
apart as a power vacuum was left open for who decided what the Beatles did, and
when. This resulted in a struggle between Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Lennon himself stated that this was a major factor in the breakup of the band
in a series of interviews for Rolling Stone magazine
(1970):
"We got fed up with being side
men for Paul, after Brian died that's what began to happen to us you know ...
after Brian died we collapsed. Paul took over and supposedly led us, but what
is leading us when we went around in circles. We broke up then"
Beatles Ltd. was a company
founded by The
Beatles and their manager Brian Epstein, to
handle merchandising
and other business affairs for the band. The company was dissolved in 1968 to form Apple Corps Ltd. and
its record division Apple
Records.
Shortly after its founding, due to the band's lack
of experience at business matters, John Lennon announced that in his opinion it
would go broke in six months. The level of work required to run the company
resulted in a lot of stress, frustration, and fracturing of their friendships
as the company wasted money almost nonstop.
When they decided to find someone experienced
enough to run Apple, the band was divided. Paul McCartney wanted to hire Lee Eastman, but the
other three wanted to hire The
Rolling Stones' manager, the notorious Allen Klein. Klein
won, but it was evidently too little and too late as the company stopped
releasing records in 1975. Aside from the
release of a few Beatles disks in the 1990s, the company remained unproductive.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
The Get Back Sessions
In January of 1969, Paul McCartney came up with the idea for
the band to spend hours in Twickenham Studios being filmed rehearsing material
for what would become the Let
It Be album. They originally planned a TV special, a live
performance, and other things but these were never realised and after a month
of work the original project ended in failure. The band was forced to work
together as relationships strained to the breaking point, George Harrison's
songs were thoroughly ignored, and at one point he stormed out of the sessions
claiming he was quitting.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В Neglect
of George Harrison's songs
Often cited as a large factor of the breakup is
when Lennon and McCartney limited Harrison's song contributions to one or two
tracks per album. By 1967, Harrison was writing songs of finer quality than his
earlier 1963-5 efforts. However Lennon and McCartney had been established as
the group's primary songwriters since its earliest days - and they were
astonishingly prolific. Though they acknowledged the considerable growth in the
quality of Harrison's songwriting they continued to allocate him just a token
presence on most Beatles records. The three tracks he was accorded on the 1966
album Revolver was an
improvement on his average one-song per album.
An example of this is when Harrison contributed
songs like "Hear Me Lord" and "Let It Down" during the 1969
Get Back sessions. The bootlegs show that he ran through the songs on a
guitar a few times and then it was dropped when band members decided to do
something else. A similar thing happened to "All Things Must Pass"
when they performed it several times during the sessions and then completely
dropped it.
Though he was only a very occasional composer -
Ringo Starr was treated in a similar way, and he was given only rare
opportunities to have any of his songs included. According to him, he had
written "Don't Pass Me By" as shown by the Top Gear program on the BBC promoting A Hard Day's
Night. The chatter introduction to "And I Love Her" includes an
exchange between McCartney and Starr in which McCartney sings an early and
unmistakable rendition of the song, as well as Starr chiding McCartney for
promising to record it. He asked the band to record it every time a new album
was recorded. It wasn't recorded until the White Album. Study of the Get
Back session bootlegs reveals that the band expressed scant interest in
another Starr song, "Octopus's Garden"
finally recorded for Abbey
Road.
Starr did not regard himself as a songwriter so
the neglect of his occasional compositions was not a major issue to him. But
Harrison, who had growing pride in his development as a songwriter became
frustrated that Lennon and McCartney tended to still treat him as the 'baby' of
the band and were not giving him the respect he believed he deserved as a
songwriter.
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В After
the breakup
A jam session between John Lennon and Paul
McCartney was recorded on March 31,
1974, when McCartney visited Lennon in Los Angeles, California. They played with a number of other
musicians, including Stevie
Wonder. Believed to be the last time the pair recorded together,
this tape has been released on bootleg as A Toot and a Snore in '74.
On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was murdered in front of his
New York City
apartment by a mentally deranged fan, Mark
David Chapman, thus forever crushing any hope of a Beatles reunion.
His death was mourned by millions of fans around the world.
In February of 1981, the then-three surviving Beatles
reunited for the first time since the break-up for George Harrison's tribute to
fallen Beatle John Lennon, "All
Those Years Ago". It was expressly a Harrison single off his
album, Somewhere In England, but in a series of recording sessions
McCartney contributed bass guitar and vocals [wife Linda also contributed
vocals], and Starr played the drums, all of which was mixed into the final
recording.
Singer
Michael Jackson bought
the publishing rights for most of the Beatles' music, on August 10, 1985, for $47 million. McCartney, who had been
attempting to purchase the rights himself, had told Jackson that he should get
into publishing. McCartney did not expect Jackson to purchase the Beatles'
music. "I wrote a couple of letters and I said, Michael, don't you think
that even if I was just a writer on the payroll after 30 years of being
reasonably successful to this company that you now own, don't you think I could
have a raise?" said McCartney. "And he said 'Oh Paul, that's just
business'. He won't even answer my letters, so we haven't talked and we don't
have that great a relationship. The trouble is I wrote those songs for nothing
and buying them back at these phenomenal sums... I just can't do it." This
is an example of how future royalties of an entertainment work are difficult to
value and how creators should be cautious in making business decisions.
However, McCartney is not short of a few bucks: He has always received his
standard songwriter's share of the royalties to those songs and is by far the
richest musician in UK history.
In 1988,
The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison
were also inducted separately in later years (1994, 1999, and 2004, respectively).
On November 30, 1994, Apple Records released
a 2 CD collection of early Beatles performances on the BBC, entitled Live At The BBC.
In February of 1994, the then-three surviving Beatles
reunited again (since the recording of "All Those Years Ago") to produce
and record additional music to a few of Lennon's old unfinished demos, with Jeff Lynne
co-producing. The first new song, "Free As A Bird", premiered November 19, 1995 as part of The Beatles Anthology series of television specials on the
ABC network in the US and ITV in the UK. The song was also
included on a CD with the same title, which was released on November 21, 1995. The following year, a second
"new" track was released, entitled "Real Love", on March 4, 1996. That song was also included on the
second Anthology collection which was released on March 18, 1996. A third Anthology collection
followed on October 12, 1996, but did not include any new material. At
least one other song, entitled "Now And Then", was worked on during
these sessions, but remains unreleased.
In 2000,
The Beatles released a best of collection, entitled 1. The CD included
27 number one hits by the band and, within five weeks, became the best selling
album of the year. Later that year, The Beatles released the Anthology book, which included interviews with all four
band members and others involved, plus rare photos. The book went straight to
the top of the New
York Times bestsellers list.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications reportedly sent out of a list of
150 songs that were recommended to be pulled from airplay. Four Beatles songs
were on the list: "A
Day in the Life", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Ticket To Ride",
and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da". John Lennon's "Imagine" was also
listed.
George Harrison fought a long battle with lung and
brain cancer throughout the 1990s,
finally succumbing and passing away on November 29, 2001.
In 2002,
the Let It Be film was being restored and prepared for future release on
DVD, but due to continuing legal issues, its
release has been delayed for some years, and no firm release date has been
announced. It is expected that this DVD, if is ever released at all, will
include additional footage, not seen in the original film. The album Let
It Be... Naked, featuring stripped-down (but intended) versions
of the original album, was released in November, 2003.
In
January, 2003, following an
investigation by The International Federation of
the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recovered
nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let
It Be sessions. Five people were arrested. The tapes have been
used for bootleg releases for years.
In March, 2003, the Anthology television series was released on DVD with
additional bonus material.
Several individuals who played an important role
in the history or promotion of the band have at various times been called, or
called themselves, the "fifth
Beatle".
On December 15, 2005, Paul and Ringo along with the families
of John and George sued EMI in a royalties dispute in
which Apple claimed EMI owes The Beatles ВЈ30 million.
Personnel
The following were regular members of the band:
- John Lennon -
guitar, piano, harmonica, bass, vocals (1960 - 1970)
- Paul McCartney -
bass, piano, guitar, vocals (1960 - 1970)
- George Harrison -
guitar, vocals (1960 - 1970)
- Ringo Starr -
drums, vocals (1962 - 1970)
- Stu Sutcliffe -
bass, vocals (1960 - 1961)
- Pete Best - drums
(1960 - 1962)
Original drummer Pete Best was asked to
leave the group in August 1962
just before it started recording, and was replaced by Starr. Earlier, in
January 1961, original bass
player Stu
Sutcliffe had decided to leave the band and remain in Hamburg, Germany with his
girlfriend, Astrid
Kirchherr where the Beatles had played several long engagements; McCartney
took over the bass role. Sutcliffe would later die of a brain hemorrhage. His
life, and his friendship with John Lennon, was fictionalised in the 1993 movie Backbeat.
Only primary instruments are listed; at one time
or another, each of the four Beatles played other instruments on record as
well.
The following individuals were irregular members
of the band before the Beatles achieved international success:
- Chas Newby - Temporary
bassist in Liverpool, after band returned from Hamburg in December 1960.
Left the group to return to college, replaced on bass by McCartney January
1961.
- Tommy Moore - drummer for
the Silver Beetles for one month in 1960. Quit the
band, claiming to have had "just about enough of Lennon".
- Norman Chapman - drummer
for the Silver Beetles for a few weeks in 1960. Left when
conscripted into the Army for two years service in Kenya and Kuwait.
The following individuals have played a role in
the studio when Beatles records were recorded:
Others have been associated with the Beatles in
several ways. These include:
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
|
Help!: Английский
Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.
When I was younger, so much
younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help
in any way.
But now these days are gone,
I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind
and opened up the doors.
Chorus:
Help me if you can, I'm
feeling down
And I do appreciate you
being round.
Help me, get my feet back on
the ground,
Won't you please, please help me?
And now my life has changed in
oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish
in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so
insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've
never done before.
Chorus.
|
|
Спаси меня!: русский
Спаси меня, мне нужен кто-то,
Но не первый встречный!
Спаси меня, ты знаешь как мне
нужен хоть кто-нибудь!
Когда я был моложе, намного моложе,
чем сейчас
Мне был никто не нужен.
Но прошли те времена и я
уже не так уверен в себе,
Я понимаю, что изменился, а мои двери
распахнуты.
Припев:
Спаси меня, если можешь, мне
так плохо.
Я буду очень благодарен, если ты
останешься со мной.
Спаси меня, дай ощутить почву под
ногами.
Неужели, ах неужели ты меня не спасёшь?
Теперь моя жизнь во многом
изменилась.
Моя независимость исчезла
как дым.
То и дело я чувствую себя таким
беззащитным.
Я знаю, что сейчас ты мне нужна мне как
никогда раньше.
Припев.
|
|
Drive my car: Английский
Asked a girl what she wanted to be
She said baby,
can't you see
I wanna be famous, a star on the screen
But you can do something in between
Chorus:
Baby you can drive
my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I'll love you
I told a girl that my prospects
were good
And she said baby, it's understood
Working for peanuts is all very fine
But I can show you a
better time
Chorus.
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Chorus.
I told a girl I can start right away
And she said listen babe I got
something to say
I got no car and it's breaking
my heart
But I've found a driver and
that's a start
Chorus.
|
|
Садись за руль: русский
(c)
AndyMan andyman80@mail.ru (andyman80@mail.ru)
Я спросил у девчонки, кем она хочет стать,
Она сказала: Парень, неужели ты
не понимаешь?
Я хочу быть знаменитой, звездой экрана,
Но пока и тебе может кое-что перепасть.
Припев:
Парень, ты можешь сесть за руль
моей машины.
Да, я собираюсь стать звездой.
Парень, ты можешь сесть за руль,
Р, может быть, СЏ тебя полюблю.
Я сказал этой девчонке, что у меня
хорошее будущее,
Она сказала: Само собой!
Совсем неплохо работать за гроши,
Но я подскажу тебе как провести
время лучше.
Припев.
Би-би!
Припев.
Я сказал ей, что мы можем отправиться
прямо сейчас.
Она ответила: Парень, я хочу кое-что
сказать тебе.
У меня нет никакой машины, и
это ужасно,
Но я нашла себе водителя и
это неплохое начало.
Припев.
|
|
Back in the USSR : Английский
Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC
Didn't get to bed last night
On the way the paper bag was
on my knee
Man I had a dreadful flight
Chorus:
I'm back in the U.S.S.R.
You don't know how lucky you are boy
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Been away so long I hardly knew the place
Gee it's good to be back home
Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case
Honey disconnect the phone
Chorus:
Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out
They leave the West behind
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout
The Georgians always on my mind.
Chorus:
Show me round your snow peaked mountains way
down south
Take me to your daddy's farm
Let me hear your balalaika's ringing out
Come and keep your comrade warm.
Chorus:
|
|
РЎРЅРѕРІР° РІ РЎРЎРЎР : СЂСѓСЃСЃРєРёР№
(СЃ) AndyMan andyman80@mail.ru (andyman80@mail.ru)
Лечу я рейсом из Майами Бич
Всю прошлую ночь не спал.
Всю дорогу держал на коленях бумажный
пакет,
Старик, мой полёт был ужасным.
Припев:
я вернулся в СССР,
Ты даже не подозреваешь, как тебе повезло.
Вернулся в СССРЕ
я так давно здесь не был, что ничего не узнаю.
Просто здорово снова оказаться дома!
Чемоданы подождут до завтра.
Дорогая, отключи телефон.
Припев:
Украинки сводят меня с ума;
Западу до них далеко.
Видя москвичек, мне хочется петь и танцевать,
Грузинки не выходят у меня из головы.
Припев:
Проведи меня по южным склонам твоих
заснеженных гор,
Покажи мне деревню твоего отца.
Поиграй мне на своей весёлой балалайке.
Согрей своего товарища!
Припев:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В
В В В В В В В В В В В В В В В