The Beatles are undoubtedly the most popular rock band of all times... They took rock music to heights that could never be scaled by their contemporaries. This article tries to tap into the feeling of Beatlemania which was the buzz of the 60s....
When the Beatles first auditioned, they were not offered a record deal, & were advised to stop trying as 'the world was not looking for such a four piece'!! But eventually 'the Fab Four' did make music, & their records sold out like hot cake. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, & George Harrison eventually went onto write epic songs & followed it up with mindblowing live performances. Their songs were contagious, so to speak, & gave them worldwide acceptance & fame. Every genre of Rock music that now exists was in one way or the other influenced by the Beatles.
The crowds went delirious with each hit spurned out by this quartet, & album sales by this band soared all over the world. The Beatles' songs were of all kinds- love ballads, feel good numbers, philosophical gems & what not!! In a short span of 8 years, the Beatles achieved a level of fame that no band has been able to surpass till now!!
Most of the Beatles' songs were written by John Lennon & Paul Mc Cartney.... Their songs were exceptionally well structured & were real earworms. Their live performances were the most sought after, in the 60s. Though most of the live sets by this band was only around 30 minutes long, they earned more than their contemporary bands. Fans thronged concert venues just to get a glimpse of the Fab Four!! The Beatles toured heavily, & all concert tickets were sold out in hours. With an evergrowing fan base, this phenomenon, later termed Beatlemania engulfed the whole world!! What followed was interviews, documentaries, more offers for live performances & all the other joys of superstardom. The main rivals of the Beatles were the Rolling Stones & the Kinks, who did churn out a few hits, but couldn't come on par to the Beatles, either in album sales or fan following.
Though every album by The Beatles was a gem in itself, the best albums, according to most critics are-'Revolver','Abbey Road' & 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.....'Revolver' was voted by Rolling Stone magazine as the best album of the 20th century. 'Abbey Road' is one of the highest selling albums of all time. The cover work of this album(Abbey Road) is also voted as one of the best ever. 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' is a landmark album in rock history. Many bands have since tried to emulate the perfection of this album(& some like Pink Floyd who came out with 'Dark side of the moon' have succeeded too).
Listing just a handful of songs by this band wouldn't do justice to them, because this band has belted out way too many hit songs. 'Hey Jude' is one gem of a song, which was voted by Rolling Stone magazine as the best rock song of the 20th century. 'Yesterday' a song about heartbreak is a killer song which was written by McCartney. 'Strawberry fields' is a crowd favorite, & is also a song that has been covered, scores of times, by other bands. 'Let it be' is a song that was hugely popular, & was even eventually sung by church choirs (because of the lyrics- "When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom let it be.."). 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds', is one mother of a song, based actually on a drawing by Lennon's son. 'Hard day's night' was another bodacious rock song, which also appeared on the soundtrack of a movie of the same name, which was based on the life of the Fab Four. 'Yellow submarine' & 'I am the walrus' are really popular songs, again extensively covered by other bands. One of my favorites is a song called 'Not guilty', which was written by George Harrison. George Harrison was the Silent Beatle, who didn't like the limelight all that much & was an ardent follower of the ISKCON movement. For a novice, a compilation of number one songs by The Beatles was released around 2000 & this will give an idea of the talent possessed by this juggernaut.
Beatlemania reached dizzying heights in the 60s & there was once even a situation where 'Beatle breath' was sold for 20$ per container. This was basically the air around the stage that was trapped in plastic containers & then sold. No other band would have achieved this feat. But eventually the Beatles split up & the world saw the Punk Rock revolution picking speed. Lennon, Harrison & McCartney pursued successful solo careers. Though the band slowly faded out of the public eye, their indelible influence in Rock n Roll cannot be denied..