The Beatles 2

 

The Beatles 2

History of the Liverpool group and why they broke up

The Beatles marked a before and after in the history of music with more than 600 million records sold worldwide. In any self-respecting book on the history of rock and roll, the chapter dedicated to the 60s will inevitably always be dedicated to them... the Beatles, one of the most revolutionary and influential groups in history. These four boys from Liverpool managed, with their music, to enter the collective imagination and change this genre forever, giving life to a true popular phenomenon that we remember today as Beatles mania. In a few years, this band was able to literally conquer the entire planet, -and for some even surpassing- the success that Elvis Presley had in the United States in the previous decade. In the following lines, we will see this rapid rise to success, trying to revive those years. This is the story of The Beatles and the reason why they broke up. History of the Liverpool group one of the most popular groups in music history is undoubtedly The Beatles. Four young people from Liverpool with the dream of being rock stars who became one of the bands that changed the culture of the 60s and marked the lives of millions of people, making their songs the soundtrack for many generations. Let us find out what it was and how the history of The Beatles developed. To speak of The Beatles today is to speak of one of the musical groups of the 60s that marked a before and after, but it may be that those who belong to the Alpha generation (born with technology integrated into everything they do in their life), have barely heard of who Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are. It was the 1960s when these young people dreamed of being someone in the world of music and not only did they achieve their dream, but they also overwhelmed the entire world, managing to impose the so-called "Beatle mania", a phenomenon that, although equaled with many other artists in years to come, in those years it was a "hurricane" that practically nobody expected. So much so that the "fever" felt by The Beatles continues today among their fans and those who have joined them over the years. Beginnings in Liverpool Born in Liverpool, the beginnings of The Beatles start at the end of the 50s with the friendship that was born between two young McCartney and Lennon who meet by chance as teenagers and who quickly become friends thanks to their passion for music and in especially the rock that was heard from the United States, represented in some of its idols of the moment, such as Buddy Holly or Elvis Presley. Despite the fact that the base of its beginnings is set in rock, the truth is that the band did not have a fixed musical genre: they made rock, pop and light songs and somehow had their own style. In fact, it was they who invented beat music, made young people 'visible', made them grow their hair and changed the rules of their dress: all in less than 10 years, selling millions of copies of their albums. The Beatles marked the history of music and were the interpreters of their generation: their albums and their songs profoundly changed the scene of Western popular music since McCartney and Lennon signed George Harrison and Ringo Starr, to become the "Fab Four". »which was how they were nicknamed after they began to be successful, but their first name as a group was not The Beatles, but they called themselves The Quarrymen. However, before Harrison and Starr we have to mention the name of Stuar Sutcliff, who was one of the members of John Lennon's first band, and who is said to have invented the name of The Beatles, inspired by what was seen in Buddy Holly and his group The Crickets (which means "the Crickets"), although another version of the origin of the name claims that it was Lennon and Stucliff who decided to call themselves The Beatles from a scene in the Marlon Brando movie "Savage" in the that the "Beetles" are mentioned, some girls who appeared with their motorcycles in the film.

The Beatles made history in pop music, pioneers in this style and which marked a before and after in music around the world. George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have gifted their talents to the world for decades, and to this day, their songs remain among the most listened to and sung in the world. Throughout their career, the group performed countless memorable performances; however, there is one that forever marked millions of fans: the concert they held 51 years ago on the mythical roof of the city of London.

That concert took place on a grey day in London, where the wind and rain seemed like they were going to thwart the group's plans to perform that performance. However, not even the weather conditions were able to prevent the four artists from performing one of the most incredible performances of their entire career.

 

On the year 1969, The Beatles surprised the world by giving a concert remembered as a "concert on the roof". The one that took place in the Apple Records building lasted 42 minutes before being interrupted by the police and it would be the last concert of the band.

 

After starting as a group of students, already with Lennon, McCartney and Harrison and then Starr, the group moves to Hamburg where the look that will go down in history is created, from the clothes to the haircut. Back in Liverpool, the Beatles make their debut at The Cavern Club in 1961 and their fame begins to spread.

 

First album, successes and clash of egos

Their first album is "My Bonnie", released that same 1961. In the Beatles, there was no singer or leader because the four members of the group could sing; it was the group that made the difference, a band made up of young people who also communicated their desire for a life based on completely new rules compared to the past. A year later, the group recorded on the Decca label, but their ability was unguessed and they were rejected, an event that even today is considered one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the record market. The group then auditioned at EMI, recorded “Love me do”, their first major international hit, and thus began Beatlemania.

 

Two years later, five of his songs were already among the top five on the US chart, generating a fame of millions of fans around the world and the publication of albums full of "hits" such as "A Hard Day's Night" , «Help», «Ruber Soul», «Yellow Submarine» or «Let it Be». After the "White Album", an album published in 1968 to which many musicians still refer today, where rock, psychedelic music, avant-garde, melodic music and pop songs come together, the group's harmony gradually disappeared because individualities took over group identities: the collaboration between Lennon and McCartney began to fade; George Harrison, was eager to get a different weight, having vastly improved his skills as a composer and performer; Ringo Starr himself could no longer support his cohesive role within the formation. These tensions did not prevent the release of "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be", his last album.

 

Band. End

In April 1970, Paul McCartney publicly announced the dissolution of the group. Everyone expected a possible reunion, but with the assassination of Lennon in 1980, the dream was dashed. In the mid-nineties, the other three members decided to complete two songs composed by Lennon in the seventies: they were the first unreleased Beatles songs in twenty-five years. Harrison later died in December 2001.

 

After the separation, in May 1970 the posthumous album “Let it be” was released. But why did the Beatles break up? For a long time, Yoko Ono, wife of John Lennon, was accused of being responsible for the end of the Beatles. Surely, Lennon had changed a lot after her wedding to the Japanese artist and he took her to the studio when the four of them were recording her pieces.

Why did the Beatles break up? The official ending

A few years ago, Paul McCartney, interviewed by Al-Jazeera, admitted that Yoko was not the cause of the dissolution: "Of course it was not Yoko who caused the break; I don't think she can be blamed for anything". John would have left anyway." So what is the reason for the end of the Fab Four? Surely, thanks to Yoko, Lennon began to conceive of his creative potential and his role in the world in a different way, thus distancing himself from Paul, George and Ringo. But the separation worried everyone.

 

George Harrison was increasingly interested in exploring Indian music and spirituality, Ringo Starr was less involved since they stopped performing live, and Paul felt more and more of a leader. The truth is that between 1968 and 1969 there were clashes that led the four from Liverpool to distance themselves from the group dimension. The official cessation of existence of the Beatles as a group can be dated to October 1996, following the release of "Anthology III", when Apple issued a statement saying: "The end has finally come: The Beatles are gone. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr will never play together as a band again."

 

With affection,

Ruben