The Beatles Story - Essay Example

The Beatles Story Introduction The Beatles were a rock band from England and were formed in 1957, in Liverpool. The group was made of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon. The most outstanding area associated with the Beatles is their music. While the group was rooted in rock and roll, it utilized other genres as well, such as psychedelic rock and pop ballads and oftentimes incorporated classical elements in very creative ways (Barrow, 2005, p. 83). The music reputation of the group during its formative stages was built in Liverpool and Hamburg.

They toured Hamburg, Germany, in 1960 where they made their first studio work as a singer Tony Sheridan’s backing band for the Polydor label of Germany. The group gained more popularity in Britain in the 1960s due to their creativity. “Love Me Do,” which was their first single, became a hit in 1962 (The Beatles, 2000, p. 75). The group started gaining popularity internationally in 1964, when they ventured into the American music market. The year 1964 was their biggest year that saw them conquer America – the biggest record market.

This is the year that America was mourning the death of President John F. Kennedy and the group appeared on the scene to end the mourning and to bring Americans excitement and fun (Everett, 1999, p. 44). After 1964, the group had become international stars and they made extensive tour across the world performing commercial concerts. Their most notable influential albums include Abbey Road, The Beatles, and Revolver. The Beatles eventually broke up in 1970 and each member successfully pursued their individual musical careers (The Beatles, 2000, p. 108). As far as their style of music was concerned, the group mainly focused on the rock and roll genre of music.

According to Barrow (2005, p. 156), the Beatles revolutionized the style, attitude and sound of popular music, as well as enhanced the popularity of rock and roll music in Britain and the world at large. Even though their first style was based on classical rock and roll genre, the group expanded the genre’s stylistic frontiers in the 1960s. The group utilized other genres and often encompassed them in rock and roll genre. The variety of genres that they incorporated includes psychedelic, baroque pop, and folk-rock among others.

It is important to note that the members had diverse approaches to their musical composition, which further enhanced the quality of their music, and this made them a favourite of music fans across the world (Womack, 2007, p. 79). ConclusionApparently, as Womack (2007) points out, the Beatles is the greatest popular and most successful entertainers of the twentieth century. They remain the best-selling band in the world’s music history, having made sales exceeding one billion units (p. 11). They have contributed immensely to art, literature, fashion, film, and music and their contribution in these areas has continued to have remarkable impact on the lifestyle and popular culture of several generations.

The group changed what rock and roll music was in addition to helping to change what society was experiencing especially in the sixties. Their images and songs carried powerful ideas of imagination, help, peace, and love, which evoked liberation and creativity that made significant impact in the human history (Everett, 1999, p. 17).BibliographyBarrow, T., 2005. John, Paul, George, Ringo & Me: the real Beatles story. New York: Thunders Mouth.Everett, W., 1999. The Beatles as musicians: Revolver through the anthology.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.The Beatles, 2000. The Beatles anthology. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.Womack, K., 2007. Long and winding roads: the evolving artistry of the Beatles. London: Continuum.