THE BEATLES TIMELINE
1957-62- FORMATION, UK POPULARITY, CHANGE IN LINEUP
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Made up of McCartney/Lennon/Sutcliffe/Harrison/Best. Offered small venues in Hamburg (Harrison underage,
McCartney/Best arrested for arson, Lennon back to Liverpool, Sutcliffe left to focus on art studies)
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After their second Hamburg residency, the band enjoyed increasing popularity in Liverpool, particularly in
Merseyside.
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1962; the Beatles concluded their fifth and final Hamburg residency.
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Starr joined as session drummer to replace Best.
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1963; all 4 members would be able to contribute vocals. Lennon/McCartney established songwriting partnership.
1963-66- BEATLEMANIA, TOURS, INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS, DRUG USE, RECOGNITION, SLIGHT TENSION
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1963; Please Please Me initiated a run during which eleven of their twelve studio albums released in the United
Kingdom through 1970 reached number one.
Greeted with riotous enthusiasm by screaming fans, the press dubbed the phenomenon "Beatlemania".
First live US television performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by approximately 73 million viewers.
Touring internationally in June/July, thirty-seven shows over twenty-seven days in Denmark, the Netherlands,
Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
Fourth studio LP, Beatles for Sale, evidenced a growing conflict between the commercial pressures of global
success and their creative ambitions.
1965/66- tried LSD
Given MBE’s in 1965.
The band expanded use of vocal overdubs on Help! and incorporated classical instruments into some
arrangements, notably the string quartet on the pop ballad "Yesterday". Composed by McCartney, it would
inspire the most recorded cover versions of any song ever written.
At a show in Atlanta, the Beatles gave one of the first live performances ever to make use of a foldback system of
on-stage monitor speakers.
Rubber Soul- embraced deeper aspects of romance and philosophy, influenced by marijuana, studio sessions
revealed signs of growing conflict within the group—"the clash between John and Paul was becoming obvious"
1966-70- BREAK UP, TENSION, HIPPIE INFLUENCE, MUSIC EXPERIMENTATION, RELIGIOUS CONTROVERY
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1966, Yesterday and Today—compilation created for the US market—caused an uproar, portrayed the Beatles
dressed in butcher's overalls, accompanied by raw meat and mutilated plastic baby dolls. It has been suggested
that this was meant as a satirical response to the way Capitol had "butchered" the US versions of their albums.
Faced a fierce backlash from US religious and social conservatives over a comment Lennon had made
(“Christianity will go”). Bans on Beatles' records were imposed by Spanish and Dutch stations and South Africa's
national broadcasting service. The band had grown increasingly bored with the routine of performing live.
Revolver featured sophisticated songwriting, studio experimentation, and a greatly expanded repertoire of
musical styles ranging from innovative classical string arrangements to psychedelic rock. Sgt. Pepper became the
catalyst for an explosion of mass enthusiasm for album-formatted rock. Sgt. Pepper depicted the group as the
fictional band referred to in the album's title track, standing in front of famous people. The moustaches worn by
the group reflected influence of hippie style. Yellow Submarine released 1969.
During recording for the White Album, relations between the Beatles grew openly divisive. Lennon had lost
interest in collaborating with McCartney. More tension from Lennon’s relationship with Ono. Lennon identified
the sessions as the start of the band's break-up. Relations between The Beatles were at their lowest. Abbey Road
received mixed reviews. McCartney filed suit for the dissolution of the Beatles' contractual partnership in 1970.
1970-present- DEATHS, SOLO ALBUMS
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All members released solo albums in 1970. Beatlemania opened in 1977 and proved popular
The 1980 murder of Lennon. In 1988, the Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Death of Harrison in 2001.