Sunday Reading - The Fab Four (Beatles)

 

The Fab Four   The Beatles were a 20th-century British band credited with innovating the sound of popular music and, in the process, helping to legitimize rock 'n' roll as an art form. > How the Beatles became the most influential band on Earth. (More, w/podcast) > Explore Abbey Road Studios, the site of the first ever stereo recordings and home to most of the Beatles' songs. (More) The intense fandom for the band, called Beatlemania, began in the United Kingdom in 1963 but did not initially translate into success in the United States. In fact, the band's American label rejected the band's first two singles. Eventually, the band gained traction and then exploded after a 1964 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." > Check out a list of the best Beatles songs. (More) > Watch the Beatles' performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." (More, w/video) > The group was not an immediate success in the United States. (More) Although the band's recording career spanned a little over seven years, they released an astounding 13 LPs, averaging two a year. Among them were 1965's "Rubber Soul," 1966's "Revolver," and 1967's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," records that were cohesive, fully realized artistic statements, a concept that was still novel for the time. > The band stopped touring in 1966, citing frustration with the era's limited sound systems. (More) > The Beatles sued technology company Apple in 1978 to defend naming rights to their record label, Apple Corps. (More, w/video) Discover more:  > The Beatles tried to get the rights to make a "Lord of the Rings" film starring the band members as Gollum, Frodo, Gandalf, and Samwise. (More) > "Tomorrow Never Knows," the final track from 1966's "Revolver," used innovative recording methods to redefine the sound of popular music. (More, w/video) > Explore all 58 famous figures portrayed on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover. (More)