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Index of Artists
Long John Baldry
A Band Of Angels
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The Beat Merchants
Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers
Dave Berry & The Cruisers
The Pete Best Four
The Big Three
The Birds
The Black Knights
The Graham Bond Organisation
John Lennon 
Paul McCartney - bass guitar/piano/vocals (born June 18th 1942, Liverpool)
George Harrison - lead guitar/vocals (born February 24th 1943, Liverpool, died November 29th 2001)
Ringo Starr - drums/vocals (born Richard Starkey, July 7th 1940, Liverpool)
What more is there to be said about the "Fabs"? The most important and influential group of the sixties, their achievements were innumerable - a record 17 No. 1 hits in a recording career that only lasted a little over six years. Twelve best-selling albums in that same period, the first true stadium concerts, the first live satellite transmission of a pop recording session, first rock performers to receive M.B.E.'s, the only artists to hold the top five places in the Billboard chart in a single week, etc., etc.
If greatness is measured in terms of commercial success and popularity, the Beatles were the greatest pop group of the 20th century. Moreover, the changes in the music industry brought about by their success make it unlikely that their impact will ever be surpassed.
The origins of the group lie back in the UK skiffle craze of the 1950s. Following the success of Lonnie Donegan, thousands of British teenagers realised that they too could form groups and make music. John Lennon was no exception, in the spring of 1957 he and some of his classmates at Quarry Bank school formed The Quarry Men. Using cheap acoustic guitars and home-made instruments (tea-chest bass, washboard) they got gigs where they could. It was while playing at a church fete in Woolton on 6th July 1957 that a mutual friend introduced Lennon to fifteen year old Paul McCartney, who was immediately invited to join the group.
In the February of '58 young guitarist George Harrison joined the line-up and the following year Stuart Sutcliffe (born June 23rd 1940, Edinburgh, died April 10th 1962), an art school friend of Lennon's, bought a bass guitar and amplifier with some money he had earned from the sale of one of his paintings. This won him a place in the band. The four-piece drummerless group took part in a talent contest in Manchester in 1959 as Johnny & The Moondogs. Next they became the Silver Beetles, and finally the Beatles as they got their first regular gigs, playing lunchtime sessions at Liverpool's Jacaranda Club where they recruited Pete Best (born November 24th 1941, Madras, India)) as their permanent drummer.
By this time, the "Mersey Beat" style of guitar-based rock was evolving although the Beatles were not yet among its leading exponents. The decisive stage of their development was a five-month period of work in Hamburg, Germany during 1960. Forced to perform lengthy sets every day, the Beatles turned themselves into a tightly knit, professional beat group, combining rock standards with their own songs.
Over the next two years they established themselves as the premier band in Liverpool, gaining the regular lunchtime spot at the Cavern Club and played several residencies in the clubs of Hamburg. By the end of 1961, they had been voted top band by the readers of "Mersey Beat" and completed their first recording session. In Hamburg they backed up singer Tony Sheridan on a rocked-up version of the traditional "My Bonnie" produced by Bert Kaempfert. It was allegedly a request for a copy of this record that attracted the attention of Brian Epstein, the manager of NEMS, Liverpool's leading record store. Epstein soon became the groups' manager and set about finding them a recording contract.
After famously being turned down by Decca ("guitar groups are out of date") they were signed to EMI's Parlophone label by George Martin. By the Sutcliffe had left the group, he decided to remain in Hamburg to pursue his art studies where he was to die tragically young and McCartney switched to bass, but there was to be one more change....
On the eve of their meteoric rise to fame Pete Best (the unluckiest man in the annals of rock?) was sacked, his place on the drum-stool being taken by Ringo Starr.
The first single, "Love Me Do" was released in the autumn of 1962 and was a minor hit. With the next record, "Please Please Me" the characteristic Beatles style was forged - soaring harmonies underpinned by Harrison's guitar. The record was to spend seven weeks in the Top 5 without topping the charts. However, "From Me To You", "She Loves You" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" all reached the No. 1 spot during the remainder of the year.
By the end of 1963, the Beatles were the most popular group through Europe, setting fashions in hairstyles (the "mop top") and clothing (collarless jackets, Beatle boots), quite aside from phenomenal record sales. But with EMI's American label, Capitol, refusing to release their records they had made no impact in the United States. That all changed when Epstein persuaded Ed Sullivan the feature the group on his television show, Capitol finally issued "I Want To Hold Your Hand". Within a month it was No. 1 and with the release of their earlier records, the Beatles had the top five places in the American charts in March 1964.
The next two years were the high-point of "Beatlemania". They toured the world playing to packed houses which screamed so loud that the band couldn't hear themselves. They also made two critically acclaimed films, A Hard Day's Night" (1964) and "Help!" (1965), in addition to releasing four albums and a slew of chart-topping singles. During this period too, their music began to undergo changes as their songs extended beyond love songs and regular pop formulas.
The Beatles gave up touring following a concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco on August 29th 1966. They retreated to the studio where they began to experiment with exotic instrumentation. It took four months to record "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Released in June 1967, it was hailed as serious art for its concept and its range of styles and sounds. Later that month the group appeared on international television performing "All You Need Is Love" to an audience of 200 million viewers.
On August 27th 1967, while the four Beatles were in Wales beginning their involvement with Transcendental Meditation and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (which took them to India for two months in early 1968), Brian Epstein died alone in his London flat from an overdose of sleeping pills. Shaken by Epstein's death, The Beatles retrenched in the autumn and filmed "Magical Mystery Tour" which was aired by BBC TV on December 26th 1967. Although roundly panned by the critics, the films' soundtrack contained their most cryptic work to date in "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am The Walrus".
As their late 1967 single "Hello Goodbye" went to No. 1, the group launched the Apples clothes boutique in London but, similar to their next venture, Apple Corps, it. was plagued by mismanagement and it closed in July '68.
From 1968 onwards, the Beatles began to disintegrate in a slow, painful manner. Apple Corps was an enterprise designed to encourage creative projects of all kinds, centred around a record label. Though Apple released the debut album by James Taylor and successful records by Badfinger and "Opportunity Knocks" winner Mary Hopkin, its disastrous financial management only compounded the business problems left by Epstein's death. Meanwhile McCartney and Lennon were in dispute as to who should be brought in to salvage the groups' fortunes. McCartney favoured his future father-in-law Lee Eastman, while the other three preferred Allen Klein who had recently become manager of the Rolling Stones.
Throughout this difficult period the Beatles kept working. In August '68 they released McCartney's "Hey Jude" backed with Lennon's "Revolution", it became one of the biggest selling records of their career. They'd also been working on the double album "The Beatles" (often referred to as the "White Album"), a record which displayed their divergent directions.
The Beatles attempted to smooth over their differences in early 1969 at filmed recording sessions. When the project fell apart hundreds of hours of studio time later, no one could face editing the tapes (a job that eventually fell to Phil Spector), and the only immediate release was the single "Get Back". When the project finally saw the light of day in the spring of 1970 in the shape of an album and a film, both titled "Let It Be". Essentially a documentary of their breakup, the film included footage from a show played on the rooftop of the Apple building on January 31st 1969 - their final public performance.
The four re-grouped for the final time in July and August 1969 to record the "Abbey Road" LP. Another phenomenal seller, it didn't stop the internal bickering within the group and in 1970 Paul McCartney sought a court order to dissolve the Beatles
Throughout the seventies, the four ex-Beatles were constantly hounded by pleas for a reunion. Tragically, the murder of John Lennon ended those hopes and speculations permanently.
Singles
|
Oct '62 |
Love Me Do/PS I Love You |
Parlophone R 4949 |
UK#17 |
|
Jan '63 |
Please Please Me/Ask Me Why |
Parlophone R 4983 |
UK#2 |
|
Apr '63 |
From Me To You/Thank You Girl |
Parlophone R 5015 |
UK#1 |
|
Aug '63 |
She Loves You/I'll Get You |
Parlophone R 5055 |
UK#1 |
|
Dec '63 |
I Want To Hold Your Hand/This Boy |
Parlophone R 5084 |
UK#1 |
|
Mar '64 |
Can't Buy Me Love/You Can't Do That |
Parlophone R 5114 |
UK#1 |
|
Jul '64 |
A Hard Day's Night/Things We Said Today |
Parlophone R 5160 |
UK#1 |
|
Dec '64 |
I Feel Fine/She's A Woman |
Parlophone R 5200 |
UK#1 |
|
Apr '65 |
Ticket To Ride/Yes It Is |
Parlophone R 5265 |
UK#1 |
|
Jul '65 |
Help!/I'm Down |
Parlophone R 5305 |
UK#1 |
|
Dec '65 |
Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out |
Parlophone R 5389 |
UK#1 |
|
Jun '66 |
Paperback Writer/Rain |
Parlophone R 5452 |
UK#1 |
|
Aug '66 |
Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby |
Parlophone R 5493 |
UK#1 |
|
Feb '67 |
Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever |
Parlophone R 5570 |
UK#2 |
|
Jul '67 |
All You Need Is Love/Baby You're A Rich Man |
Parlophone R 5620 |
UK#1 |
|
Nov '67 |
Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus |
Parlophone R 5655 |
UK#1 |
|
Mar '68 |
Lady Madonna/The Inner Light |
Parlophone R 5675 |
UK#1 |
|
Aug '68 |
Hey Jude/Revolution |
Apple R 5722 |
UK#1 |
|
Apr '69 |
Get Back/Don't Let Me Down |
Apple R 5777 |
UK#1 |
|
May '69 |
Ballad Of John And Yoko/Old Brown Shoe |
Apple R 5786 |
UK#1 |
|
Nov '69 |
Something/Come Together |
Apple R 5814 |
UK#4 |
|
Mar '70 |
Let It Be/You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) |
Apple R 5833 |
UK#2 |
E.P.s
|
Jul '63 |
Twist And Shout - Twist And Shout/A Taste Of Honey/Do You Want To Know A Secret/There's A Place Parlophone GEP 8882 |
|
Sep '63 |
The Beatles Hits - From Me To You/Thank You Girl/Please Please Me/Love Me Do Parlophone GEP 8880 |
|
Nov '63 |
The Beatles (No. 1) - I Saw Her Standing There/Misery/Anna (Go To Him)/Chains Parlophone GEP 8883 |
|
Feb '64 |
All My Loving - All My Loving/Ask Me Why/Money/PS I Love You Parlophone GEP 8891 |
|
Jun '64 |
Long Tall Sally - Long Tall Sally/I Call Your Name/Slow Down/Matchbox Parlophone GEP 8913 |
|
Nov '64 |
Extracts From The Film A Hard Day's Night - I Should Have Known Better/If I Fell/Tell Me Why/And I Love Her Parlophone GEP 8920 |
|
Nov '64 |
Extracts From The Album A Hard Day's Night - Any Time At All/I'll Cry Instead/Things We Said Today/When I Get Home Parlophone GEP 8924 |
|
Apr '65 |
Beatles For Sale - No Reply/I'm A Loser/Rock And Roll Music/Eight Days A Week Parlophone GEP 8938 |
|
Jun '65 |
Beatles For Sale No. 2 - I'll Follow The Sun/Baby's In Black/Words Of Love/I Don't Want To Spoil The Party Parlophone GEP 8938 |
|
Dec '65 |
The Beatles Million Sellers - She Loves You/I Want To Hold Your Hand/Can't Buy Me Love/I Feel Fine Parlophone GEP 8946 |
|
Mar '66 |
Yesterday - Act Naturally/You Like Me Too Much/Yesterday/It's Only Love Parlophone GEP 8948 |
|
Jul '66 |
Nowhere Man - Nowhere Man/Drive My Car/Michelle/You Won't See Me Parlophone GEP 8952 |
|
Dec '67 |
Magical Mystery Tour - Magical Mystery Tour/Your Mother Should Know/I Am The Walrus/The Fool On The Hill/Flying/Blue Jay Way Parlophone SMMT/MMT1 |
L.P.s
|
Jan '63 |
Please Please Me - I Saw Her Standing There/Misery/Anna (Go To Him)/Chains/Boys/Ask Me Why/Please Please Me/Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You/Baby It's You/Do You Want To Know A Secret?/A Taste Of Honey/There's A Place/Twist And Shout Parlophone PMC 1202/PCS 3042 |
|
Sep '63 |
With The Beatles - It Won't Be Long/All I've Got To Do/All My Loving/Don't Bother Me/Little Child/Till There Was You/Please Mister Postman/Roll Over Beethoven/Hold Me Tight/You Really Got A Hold On Me/I Wanna Be Your Man/Devil In Her Heart/Not A Second Time/ Money Parlophone PMC 1206/PCS 3045 |
|
Apr '64 |
A Hard Day's Night - A Hard Day's Night/I Should Have Known Better/If I Fell/I'm Happy Just To Dance With You/And I Love Her/Tell Me Why/Can't Buy Me Love/Any Time At All/I'll Cry Instead/Things We Said Today/When I Get Home/You Can't Do That/I'll Be Back Parlophone PMC 1230/PCS 3058 |
|
Nov '64 |
Beatles For Sale - No Reply/I'm A Loser/Baby's In Black/Rock And Roll Music/I'll Follow The Sun/Mr. Moonlight/Kansas City/Eight Days A Week/Words Of Love/Honey Don't/Every Little Thing/I Don't Want To Spoil The Party/What You're Doing/Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby Parlophone PMC1240/PCS 3062 |
|
Jun' 65 |
Help! - Help/The Night Before/You've Got To Hide Your Love Away/I Need You/Another Girl/You're Going To Lose That Girl/Ticket To Ride/Act Naturally/It's Only Love/You Like Me Too Much/Tell Me What You See/I've Just Seen A Face/Yesterday/Dizzy Miss Lizzy Parlophone PMC1255/PCS 3071 |
|
Dec '65 |
Rubber Soul - Drive My Car/Norwegian Wood/You Won't See Me/Nowhere Man/Think For Yourself/The Word/Michelle/What Goes On/Girl/I'm Looking Through You/In My Life/Wait/If I Needed Someone Parlophone PMC 1267/PCS 3075 |
|
Aug '66 |
Revolver - Taxman/Eleanor Rigby/I'm Only Sleeping/Love You Too/Here, There And Everywhere/Yellow Submarine/She Said She Said/Good Day Sunshine/And Your Bird Can Sing/For No-one/Dr. Robert/I Want To Tell You/Got To Get You Into My Life/Tomorrow Never Knows Parlophone PMC/PCS 7009 |
|
Dec '66 |
A Collection Of Beatles Oldies - She Loves You/From Me To You/We Can Work It Out/Help/Michelle/Yesterday/I Feel Fine/Yellow Submarine/Can't Buy Me Love/Bad Boy/Day Tripper/A Hard Day's Night/Ticket To Ride/Paperback Writer/Eleanor Rigby/I Want To Hold Your Hand Parlophone PMC/PCS 7016 |
|
Jun '67 |
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/A Little Help From My Friends/Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds/Getting Better/Fixing A Hole/She's Leaving Home/Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite/Within You, Without You/When I'm Sixty-Four/Lovely Rita/Good Morning, Good Morning/Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)/A Day In The Life Parlophone PCS 7027 |
|
Nov '68 |
The Beatles - Back In The USSR/Dear Prudence/Glass Onion/Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da/Wild Honey Pie/The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill/While My Guitar Gently Weeps/Happiness Is a Warm Gun/Martha My Dear/I'm So Tired/Blackbird/Piggies/Rocky Raccoon/Don't Pass Me By/Why Don't We Do It In The Road/I Will/Julia/Birthday/Yer Blues/Mother Nature's Son/Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey/Sexy Sadie/Helter Skelter/Long, Long, Long/Revolution #1/Honey Pie/Savoy Truffle/Cry Baby Cry/Revolution #9/Goodnight Apple PCS 7067 |
|
Sep '69 |
Abbey Road - Come Together/Something/Maxwell's Silver Hammer/Oh! Darling/Octopus's Garden/I Want You (She's So Heavy)/Here Comes The Sun/Because/You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window/Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End/Her Majesty Apple PCS 7088 |
|
May '70 |
Let It Be - Two Of Us/Dig A Pony/Across The Universe/I Me Mine/Dig It/Let It Be/Maggie Mae/I've Got A Feeling/One After 909/The Long And Winding Road/For You Blue/Get Back Apple PCS 7096 |
Selected Re-issues
|
1990 |
Past Masters Volume One - Love Me Do, From Me To You, Thank You Girl, She Loves You, I'll Get You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, This Boy, Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand, Sie Liebt Dich, Long Tall Sally, I Call Your Name, Slow Down, Matchbox, I Feel Fine, She's A Woman, Bad Boy, Yes It Is, I'm Down |
|
1993 |
1962-1966 (The Red Album) - Love Me Do, Please Please Me, From Me To You, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, All My Loving, Can't Buy Me Love, A Hard Day's Night, And I Love Her, Eight Days A Week, I Feel Fine, Ticket To Ride, Yesterday, Help, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, We Can Work It Out, Day Tripper, Drive My Car, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Nowhere Man, Michelle, In My Life, Girl, Paperback Writer, Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine |
|
1993 |
1967-1970 (The Blue Album) - Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, A Day In The Life, All You Need Is Love, I Am The Walrus, Hello Goodbye, The Fool On The Hill, Magical Mystery Tour, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, Revolution, Back In The U.S.S.R., While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Get Back, Don't Let Me Down, Ballad Of John And Yoko, Old Brown Shoe, Here Comes The Sun, Come Together, Something, Octopus's Garden, Let It Be, Across The Universe, The Long And Winding Road, |
|
1994 |
Live At The BBC - Beatle Greetings, From Us To You, Riding On A Bus, I Got A Woman, Too Much Monkey Business, Keep Your Hands Off My Baby, I'll Be On My Way, Young Blood, A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues, Sure To Fall (In Love With You), Some Other Guy, Thank You Girl, Sha La La La La!, Baby It's You, That's All Right (Mama), Carol, Soldier Of Love, Little Rhyme, A, Clarabella, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You), Crying Waiting Hoping, Dear Wack!, You Really Got A Hold On Me, To Know Her Is To Love Her, A Taste Of Honey, Long Tall Sally, I Saw Her Standing There, Honeymoon Song, Johnny B. Goode, Memphis Tennessee, Lucille, Can't Buy Me Love, From Fluff To You, Till There Was You, Crinsk Dee Night, A Hard Day's Night, Have A Banana!, I Wanna Be Your Man, Just A Rumour, Roll Over Beethoven, All My Loving, Things We Said Today, She's A Woman, Sweet Little Sixteen, 1822!, Lonesome Tears In My Eyes, Nothin' Shakin', The Hippy Hippy Shake, Glad All Over, I Just Don't Understand, So How Come (No One Loves Me), I Feel Fine, I'm A Loser, Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby, Rock And Roll Music, Ticket To Ride, Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Kansas City / Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!, Set Fire To That Lot!, Matchbox, I Forgot To Remember To Forget, Love These Goon Shows!, I Got To Find My Baby, Ooh! My Soul, Ooh! My Arms, Don't Ever Change, Slow Down, Honey Don't, Love Me Do |
|
1995 - Anthology 1 |
|
Free As A Bird, That'll Be The Day, In Spite Of All The Danger, Hallelujah I Love Her So, You'll Be Mine, Cayenne, My Bonnie, Ain't She Sweet, Cry For A Shadow, Searchin', Three Cool Cats, The Sheik Of Araby, Like Dreamers Do, Hello Little Girl, Besame Mucho, Love Me Do, How Do You Do It, Please Please Me, One After 909, Lend Me Your Comb, I'll Get You, I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You, Money (That's What I Want), You Really Got A Hold On Me, Roll Over Beethoven, |
|
She Loves You, Till There Was You, Twist And Shout, This Boy, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Moonlight Bay, Can't Buy Me Love, All My Loving, You Can't Do That, And I Love Her, A Hard Day's Night, I Wanna Be Your Man, Long Tall Sally, Boys, Shout, I'll Be Back, You Know What To Do, Mr. Moonlight, Leave My Kitten Alone, No Reply, Eight Days A Week, Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey |
1995 - Anthology 2
|
Real Love, Yes It Is, I'm Down, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, If You've Got Trouble, That Means A Lot, Yesterday, It's Only Love, I Feel Fine, Ticket To Ride, Help!, Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby, Norwegian Wood, I'm Looking Through You, 12-Bar Original, Tomorrow Never Knows, Got To Get You Into My Life, And Your Bird Can Sing, Taxman, Eleanor Rigby, I'm Only Sleeping, Rock And Roll Music, She's A Woman, Strawberry Fields Forever, Strawberry Fields Forever Take 7 (mono), Penny Lane, A Day In The Life, Good Morning Good Morning, Only A Northern Song, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Within You Without You (instrumental), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, You Know My Name (Look Up The Number), I Am The Walrus, The Fool On The Hill (demo), Your Mother Should Know, The Fool On The Hill, Hello Goodbye, Lady Madonna, Across The Universe. |
1996 - Anthology 3
|
A Beginning, Happiness Is A Warm Gun (demo), Helter Skelter, Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, Glass Onion, Junk, Piggies, Honey Pie, Don't Pass Me By, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Good Night, Cry Baby Cry, Blackbird, Sexy Sadie, While My Guitar Gently Weeps (acoustic), Hey Jude, Not Guilty, Mother Nature's Son, Glass Onion, (mono), Rocky Raccoon, What's The New Mary Jane, Step Inside Love/Los Paranoius, I'm So Tired, I Will, Why Don't We Do It In The Road, Julia, I've Got A Feeling, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Dig A Pony, 5 Two Of Us, For You Blue,Teddy Boy, Rip It Up/Shake, Rattle And Roll/Blue Suede Shoes, The Long And Winding Road, Oh! Darling, All Things Must Pass (demo),-Mailman Bring Me No More Blues, Get Back, Old Brown Shoe, Octopus's Garden, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Something, Come Together, Come And Get It, Ain't She Sweet, Because, Let It Be, I Me Mine, The End, |
2000 - 1
|
Love Me Do, From Me To You, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Can't Buy Me Love, A Hard Day's Night, I Feel Fine, Eight Days A Week, Ticket To Ride, Help!, Yesterday, Day Tripper, We Can Work It Out, Paperback Writer, Yellow Submarine, Eleanor Rigby, Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, Hello Goodbye, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude, Get Back, Ballad Of John & Yoko, Something, Come Together, Let It Be, The Long And Winding Road, |