Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin
and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London.[3] After they formed
Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to
Starfish.[4] Will Champion joined as a drummer, backing vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist,
completing the line-up. Manager Phil Harvey is often considered an unofficial fifth
member.[5] The band renamed themselves "Coldplay" in 1998,[6] before recording and
releasing three EPs; Safety in 1998, Brothers & Sisters as a single in 1999 and The Blue
Room in the same year. The latter was their first release on a major label, after signing to
Parlophone.[7]
They achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single "Yellow" in 2000, followed by
their debut album released in the same year, Parachutes, which was nominated for the
Mercury Prize. The band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), was released
to very favourable reviews and won multiple awards, including NME's Album of the Year,
and has been widely considered the best of the Nelson-produced Coldplay albums. Their next
release, X&Y, the best-selling album worldwide in 2005, was met with mostly positive
reviews upon its release, though some critics felt that it was inferior to its predecessor. The
band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), was produced
by Brian Eno and released again to largely favourable reviews, earning several Grammy
nominations and wins at the 51st Grammy Awards.[8] On 24 October 2011, they released their
fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto, which was met with favourable reviews, and was the UK's
best-selling rock album of 2011.[9]
The band has won a number of music awards throughout their career, including seven Brit
Awards—winning Best British Group three times, four MTV Video Music Awards, and
seven Grammy Awards from twenty nominations. As one of the world's best-selling music
artists, Coldplay have sold over 55 million records worldwide.
Chris Martin, Jon Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman, who met whilst they were
staying at the same Halls of Residence at University, formed Coldplay in 1996.
All four members studied at University College London – Chris was doing a course in
Ancient History, Jon read Maths and Astronomy, Will was an Anthropologist, and Guy was
training to be an engineer.
Both Chris and Jon had been playing the guitar since their early teens, Guy is the band’s bass
player, and Will took the role of drummer, despite that fact that he prefers to play the guitar.
In 1998, Coldplay released their first EP, which they funded themselves. Only five hundred
copies were made, and after they had handed them out to family and friends, only fifty were
left for distribution around London.
Shortly afterwards, the band were spotted playing in Camden by the co-founder of Fierce
Panda Records, Simon Williams. He offered them a one-off deal and they soon released the
'Brothers and Sisters' EP on the Fierce Panda label.
The band graduated from UCL in 1999 and, in the same year, were tipped by the NME as a
band to watch. Later that year they signed to Parlophone Records.
'Yellow' was the first hit single from Coldplay, and after a critically acclaimed performance at
Glastonbury festival in 1999, the track went straight into the charts at number four. The
album this song was taken from, 'Parachutes', went into the album chart at number one just a
few weeks later.
In just a few years, Coldplay have been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and done a
great deal of work promoting various charities and humanitarian causes.
'A Rush of Blood to the Head' was released in August 2002, to much critical acclaim and
impressive sale figures. Their 2005 album, 'X&Y', also dominated the charts.
It quickly became the best-selling album of 2005 with global sales of 8.3 million, with the
lead single 'Speed of Sound' being released on 18 April that year.
The band followed this album with the Twisted Logic Tour between June 2005 and July
2006, including appearances at Glastonbury and Isle of Wight Festival.
Coldplay won Best Album and Best Single at the Brit Awards in February 2006, with the
group releasing a total of six singles from 'X&Y'.
The band spent 2007 playing some select dates in Latin America and recording their fourth
studio album 'Viva La Vida' or 'Death and All His Friends' with producer Brian Eno.
'Violet Hill' was the first single from the album released on 28 April 2008 and entered the
UK's top ten charts within the first week of being available to download.
Lead single 'Viva la Vida' was exclusively released on iTunes and became the band's first UK
number one based on downloads alone.
The album also topped the charts after three days of being released, becoming the one of the
fastest-selling records in UK history, according to the BBC.
Once again, Coldplay went on tour, kicking off with a free concert at Brixton Academy and a
45-minute performance broadcast live from the BBC Television Studio. They released their
third single 'Lost!' and received two Grammy Awards for song of the year for 'Viva La Vida',
along with four Brits nominations.
In 2010, the band only released one single called 'Christmas Lights' in December and spent
the rest of the year touring and recording their next album.
At the start of 2011, Martin told BBC Radio about the new album: "It's about love, addiction,
OCD, escape and working for someone you don't like." He did not confirm a release date but
announced the group would be making several festival appearances.
Coldplay played at Rock Werchter, T in the Park and headlined Glastonbury for which they
were voted the best act of the festival by BBC Radio listeners.
Single 'Every Teardrop is a Waterfall' was released on 3 June 2011, while the band confirmed
in August this year that their new album will be called 'Mylo Xylto' and released on 24
October.
Coldplay announced three arena dates that they will be playing in December 2011, including
concerts in Glasgow and Manchester.
Musical style
Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin once proclaimed the band's music as "limestone rock" in
comparison to "hard rock".The band's music has been called "meditative" and "blue
romantic"; it "[reflects] on their emotions" and Martin "endlessly examine[s] his feelings".
Martin's lyrical wordplay has been called feminist, similar to Andrew Montgomery of
Geneva.
The tone of the band's first studio album, Parachutes, was described as melodic pop with
"distorted guitar riffs and swishing percussion" but also being "exquisitely dark and
artistically abrasive". Such alternative rock style has been compared to bands like U2, Oasis,
Radiohead and Travis. The band acknowledges the Scottish alternative rock band, Travis, as
a major influence on their earlier material.
In their second studio album A Rush of Blood to the Head, the band draws inspiration from
artists like Echo & the Bunnymen, Kate Bush, George Harrison and Muse. The songs in it
were considered to contain "lush melodies and a heartbreak" and that they had a "newfound
confidence." The music on their third release X&Y has been considered to be "ruminations on
Martin's doubts, fears, hopes, and loves."It was particularly influenced by the artists Johnny
Cash and Kraftwerk.
In Viva la Vida or Death And All His Friends, the group's style was moving towards art rock,
being influenced by the bands Blur, Arcade Fire and My Bloody Valentine. The band
experimented with different instruments including orchestras, honky-tonk pianos and further
so.
Regarding their international wide success, the band's president at Parlophone, Miles Leonard
has stated that one of their "secrets" is that they have never sounded like a parochial UK
artist, saying: "Some bands are very proud to be British, but sometimes come across as being
very ‘British’. Coldplay never aspire to that; on one hand they sound British but on the other
they sound like a huge global artist." In 2011 Coldplay were hailed as 'Rock Statesmen
Studio albums
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Parachutes (2000)
A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
X&Y (2005)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
Mylo Xyloto (2011)
Clocks
The lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead, singing
Come out of the things unsaid
Shoot an apple off my head and a
Trouble that can't be named
A tiger's waiting to be tamed, singing
You are, you are
Confusion that never stops
The closing walls and the ticking clocks gonna
Come back and take you home
I could not stop, that you now know, singing
Come out upon my seas
Cursed missed opportunities am I
A part of the cure
Or am I part of the disease, singing
You are, you are
You are, you are
You are, you are
And nothing else compares
And nothing else compares
And nothing else compares
You are, you are
Home, home, where I wanted to go
Home, home, where I wanted to go
Home, home, where I wanted to go (You are)
Home, home, where I wanted to go (You are)
The scientist
Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles; coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science; science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
Oh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
X4
Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
I turn the music up,
Got my records on
I shut the world outside until the lights come on
Maybe the streets alight,
Maybe the trees are gone
I feel my heart start beating to my favorite song
And all the kids they dance
All the kids all night
Until Monday morning feels another life
I turn the music up
I'm on a roll this time
And heaven is in sight
I turn the music up,
I got my records on
From underneath the rubble sing a rebel song
Don't want to see another generation drop
I'd rather be a comma, than a full stop
Maybe I'm in the black
Maybe I'm on my knees
Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes
But my heart is beating and my pulses start
Cathedrals in my heart
As we saw, oh this light
I swear you emerge blinking into
To tell me it's alright
As we soar walls
Every siren is a symphony
And every tears a waterfall
Is a waterfall
Oh
Is a waterfall
Ooh-oh-oh
Is a waterfall
Every teardrop
Is a waterfall
Ooh-oh-oh
So you can hurt, hurt me bad
But still I'll raise the flag
It was a wa-wa-wa-wa-waterfall
A wa-wa-wa-wa-waterfall
Every tear
Every tear
Every teardrop is a waterfall(5x)
Queen
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie
Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar, guitars,
vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals). Queen's earliest works were influenced by
progressive rock, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly
works, incorporating more diverse and innovative styles in their music.
Before joining Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had been playing together in a band
named Smile with bassist Tim Staffell. Freddie Mercury (then known as Farrokh/Freddie
Bulsara) was a fan of Smile, and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage
and recording techniques after Staffell's departure in 1970. Mercury himself joined the band
shortly thereafter, changed the name of the band to 'Queen', and adopted his familiar stage
name. John Deacon was recruited prior to recording their eponymous debut album (1973).
Queen enjoyed success in the UK with their debut and its follow-up, Queen II (1974), but it
was the release of Sheer Heart Attack (1974) and A Night at the Opera (1975) that gained the
band international success. The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", which stayed at
number one in the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks; it charted at number one in several other
territories, and gave the band their first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Their 1977
album, News of the World, contained two of rock's most recognisable anthems, "We Will
Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". By the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest
stadium rock bands in the world, and their performance at 1985's Live Aid is regarded as one
of the greatest in rock history. In 1991, Mercury died of bronchopneumonia, a complication
of AIDS, and Deacon retired in 1997. Since then, May and Taylor have infrequently
performed together, including a collaboration with Paul Rodgers under the name Queen +
Paul Rodgers which ended in May 2009.
The band has released a total of 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles, and 10
number one DVDs, and have sold over 150 million albums, with some estimates in excess of
300 million albums, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. They have
been honoured with seven Ivor Novello awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 2001.
Queen was a glam rock/heavy metal band that started out in 1971 after guitarist Brian May
and drummer Roger Taylor, who together had been in several bands, decided to form
yet another one and joined up with vocalist and some time piano player Freddie Mercury.
After a short time bassist John Deacon joined them and in 1972 they were signed to EMI
Records. Their first single "Keep Yourself Alive" was released shortly thereafter but didn't
sell well. Then their debut album Queen came out in '73 with a combo of glam and hard rock
songs on it.
It wasn't till 1974 that they would make it big with their third album Sheer Heart Attack. It
went to number two in the UK and the album's single "Killer Queen" became the band's first
US hit, just missing the US top ten. They also started to make a name for themselves,
especially Mercury who early on would always be satin-clad and was one great showmen on
stage with his theatrics. He also had one hell of a voice too.
It was the 1975 release of the masterpiece A Night At The Opera which would make them
superstars. The album would go to number five in the US, but in Britain it went to number
one and stayed there for nine weeks. The album had a little bit of everything including the
seven minute single "Bohemian Rhapsody", a mini opera written by Mercury. It was the one
rock opera that truly sounded like a opera, even with May's great heavy metal guitar riffs.
With many vocal overdubs, hard drumming, mellow piano, the song became their fans most
loved. They also put together one fine video for the song, which in the pre MTV days wasn't
really done too often. No cost was spared for the song and it took a month to complete. But A
Night At The Opera also had other great tunes on it and all the band's members helped in
writing several of them including Deacon's "Your My Best Friend", which was perfect for
Mercury's voice, and Taylor's heavy metal lead vocal, drums a pounding "I'm in Love With
My Car".
The next album, A Day At The Races, released in 1976 was another hit and included the
single, "Somebody To Love". Then in '77 the release of News of the World went top ten with
its double A sided "We Will Rock You", written by May, and Mercury's "We Are The
Champions". "Champions" was supposedly a gay rights song that was pretty much overtaken
and and still today used as an anthem for champion sports teams worldwide. In 1978, still
more success came Queen's way with the release of Jazz with yet one more double A hit
single, "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race".
Queen was at the peak of their popularity as they entered the decade of the 80s. The Game
was released in early 1980 and became their first US number one album. It also contained
four hit singles, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," an Elvis like song, the somewhat disco
sounding "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Play the Game". A fourth song "Save Me" was
another British hit. For whatever reasons, this would be the last real big Queen album in the
States and as the eighties went on they seem to fade there. But back home in the UK things
still were going strong. "Under Pressure", recorded with David Bowie went number one in
Britain in 1981 and in '84 they went to number two on the UK charts with "Radio Gaga".
Then they played a great show at the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985. In '86, A Kind of
Magic sold great in the UK and the rest of Europe, but it failed to sell at all in the States. The
same fate was to come to 1989's The Miracle. 1991's Innuendo did a little better in the US,
peaking at number 30.
But by early 1991, the end was near for the band. Mercury was gravely ill with AIDS,
although his fans didn't have a clue at first. Later in the year stories started to go around about
his health and on November 22, he issued a statement confirming he had AIDS. He died just
two days later. Mercury who was known for throwing big expensive parties would be
honored by the surviving Queen members and his friends in one last Queen gig. It was held at
London's Wembley Stadium on May 20 1992 and televised worldwide. Featuring such guest
artists as Bowie, Elton John, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Def Leppard and Guns N'
Roses, the concert raised millions for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was established for
AIDS awareness. Also at this time the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was reissued to also raise
money for AIDS research projects, and soared to the top of the British charts. The song also
climbed to US number 2 after being featured in the movie Wayne's World (it had originally
reached US number 9 in January of 1976).
Surprisingly, there would be one last studio album issued by Queen. In 1995 May, Taylor and
Deacon got together and added new music to backing tapes of vocal tracks that Mercury had
recorded on his death bed. The album, Made In Heaven received mixed reviews. But like so
many other Queen albums, it sold real well and the surviving band members did a grand job
in putting it together. One last tribute to a much loved and missed guy.
Musical style
The band drew artistic influence from many other British rock acts at the time, such as The
Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple and David
Bowie.[190] Queen composed music that drew inspiration from many different genres of
music, often with a tongue-in-cheek attitude.[191] The genres they have been associated with
include progressive rock,[190] heavy metal,[190] glam rock,[190] hard rock,[190] pop rock,[190]
dance/disco,[192] blues rock and psychedelic rock.[193] Queen also wrote songs that were
inspired by genres that are not typically associated with rock, such as ragtime, opera, gospel,
vaudeville, and folk.
In 1963, the teenage Brian May and his father custom-built his signature guitar Red Special,
which was purposely designed to feedback.[194][195] Sonic experimentation figured heavily in
Queen's songs. A distinctive characteristic of Queen's music are the vocal harmonies which
are usually composed of the voices of May, Mercury, and Taylor best heard on the studio
albums A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races. Some of the ground work for the
development of this sound can be attributed to their former producer Roy Thomas Baker, and
their engineer Mike Stone.[196][197] Besides vocal harmonies, Queen were also known for
multi-tracking voices to imitate the sound of a large choir through overdubs. For instance,
according to Brian May, there are over 180 vocal overdubs in "Bohemian Rhapsody".[198]
Many Queen songs were also written with audience participation in mind, such as "We Will
Rock You" and "We Are the Champions"
Discography
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Queen (1973)
Queen II (1974)
Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
A Night at the Opera (1975)
A Day at the Races (1976)
News of the World (1977)
Jazz (1978)
Live Killers (1979)
The Game (1980)
Flash Gordon (1980)
Hot Space (1982)
The Works (1984)
A Kind of Magic (1986)
Live Magic (1986)
The Miracle (1989)
Innuendo (1991)
Made in Heaven (1995)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy (poor boy), I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
little high, little low
Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooo
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters
It's too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye everybody - I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooo - (anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, scaramouche, will you do the fandango?
Thunderbolts and lightning - very very frightening me
Galileo, Galileo,
Galileo, Galileo,
Galileo Figaro - magnifico-o-o-o
I'm just a poor boy nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go - will you let me go
Bismillah! No - we will not let you go - let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go - let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go - let me go
Will not let you go - let me go (never)
Never let you go - let me go
Never let me go - ooo
No, no, no, no, no, no, no Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has the devil put aside for me
for me
for me
for me
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh baby - can't do this to me baby
Just gotta get out - just gotta get right outta here
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters, nothing really matters, to me
Anyway the wind blows...
Somebody to Love
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
Take a look in the mirror and cry
Lord what you're doing to me
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!
Somebody, somebody
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?
(He works hard)
Everyday - I try and I try and I try But everybody wants to put me down
They say I'm goin' crazy
They say I got a lot of water in my brain
Got no common sense
I got nobody left to believe
Yeah - yeah yeah yeah
Oh Lord
Somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Got no feel, I got no rhythm
I just keep losing my beat
I'm ok, I'm alright
Ain't gonna face no defeat
I just gotta get out of this prison cell
Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!
Find me somebody to love
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
Don't Stop Me Now
Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive and the world it's turning inside out Yeah!
I'm floating around in ecstasy
So don't stop me now don't stop me
'Cause I'm having a good time having a good time
I'm a shooting star leaping through the skies
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me
I'm burning through the skies Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man of you
Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time just give me a call
Don't stop me now ('Cause I'm having a good time)
Don't stop me now (Yes I'm having a good time)
I don't want to stop at all
I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
On a collision course
I am a satellite I'm out of control
I am a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb about to
Oh oh oh oh oh explode
I'm burning through the skies Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic woman out of you
Don't stop me don't stop me don't stop me
Hey hey hey!
Don't stop me don't stop me
Ooh ooh ooh (I like it)
Don't stop me have a good time good time
Don't stop me don't stop me
Ooh ooh Alright
I'm burning through the skies Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic woman of you
Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time
Just give me a call
Don't stop me now ('Cause I'm having a good time)
Don't stop me now (Yes I'm having a good time)
I don't wanna stop at all
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, and one of the most
commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.[1] The
group's best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney
(bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals).
Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging
from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in
innovative ways. Their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania"; as their
songwriting grew in sophistication by the late 1960s, they came to be perceived by many fans
and cultural observers as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural
revolutions.
Initially a five-piece lineup that included Stuart Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums), the
band built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period
from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced by Starr the following
year. Moulded into a professional act by manager Brian Epstein, their musical potential was
enhanced by the creativity of producer George Martin. They gained popularity in the United
Kingdom after their first single, "Love Me Do", became a modest hit in late 1962, and they
acquired the nickname the "Fab Four" as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following
year. By early 1964 they had become international stars, leading the "British Invasion" of the
United States pop market. The band toured extensively around the world until August 1966,
when they performed their final commercial concert. From 1966 they produced what many
critics consider to be some of their finest material, including the innovative and widely
influential albums Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The
Beatles (1968) and Abbey Road (1969). After their break-up in 1970, the ex-Beatles each
found success in individual musical careers. Lennon was murdered in 1980, and Harrison
died of cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.
The Beatles are the best-selling band in history, with estimated sales of over one billion
units.[2] They have had more number-one albums on the UK charts and have held the top spot
longer than any other musical act. According to the RIAA, they have sold more albums in the
US than any other artist, and in 2008 they topped Billboard magazine's list of the all-time
most successful Hot 100 artists. As of 2012, they hold the record for most number one hits on
the Hot 100 chart with 20. They have received 7 Grammy Awards from the American
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. They were collectively included in
Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people.
Inspired by the "skiffle boom", a student at Quarry Bank School in Liverpool named John Lennon
decided to form a group in 1957 which laid the foundation to what was to become the most famous
rock band of all time. John's original name was "The Blackjacks". However, this name only lasted a
week and John used the school name as inspiration for the later name "The Quarry Men" in March
1957. John sang and played guitar, Colin Hanton played drums, Eric Griffiths on guitar, Pete Shotton
on washboard, Rod Davis on banjo and Bill Smith on tea-chest bass. Bill was soon replaced by Ivan
Vaughan.
John was inspired by "Heartbreak Hotel" and became a fan of American rock 'n' roll music. He
introduced songs by Buddy Holly , Carl Perkins, The Coasters, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and
Gene Vincent into their repertoire. On July 6, 1957, Ivan Vaughan invited Paul McCartney to see their
gig at The Woolton Parish Church Fete. The fifteen-year-old McCartney was introduce to sixteenyear-old Lennon and a unique song writing partnership began.
The line-up of The Quarry Men increased to seven with Paul on guitar and vocals, John Lowe on
piano and George Harrison on guitar and vocals. Soon Griffiths and another member would leave,
leaving a five-piece band. The group appeared at several local talent contests but had very few gigs.
By January 1959, the group wasn't operating. Although John and Paul kept in touch, George had
joined the Les Stewart Quartet.
That might have been the end of The Quarry Men but they had a stroke of luck. The Les Stewart
Quartet had been booked as a resident band at a new club called "The Casbah". It was run by Mrs.
Mona Best to support her son's Pete and Rory. Stewart, upset because his guitarist Ken Brown help
decorate the club, refused to play there. Ken and George walked out of the group and George
contacted John and Paul, and The Quarry Men were reunited as a quartet. After about seven gigs at
the club, Ken Brown left over a disagreement about money. From October 1959 to January 1960
John, Paul and George continued as a trio with Paul on drums. They called themselves "Johnny & the
Moondogs".
By this time John was enrolled in The Liverpool College of Art. John knew that they needed a bass
player so he asked two students if they would like the position. The two were Stuart Sutcliffe and Rod
Murray. Both could not afford a guitar, so Rod started to make one by hand. However, Stuart was able
to sell one of his paintings to a John Moores Exhibition and was able to buy a Hofner bass guitar and
join the group in January, 1960. At this time the group had changed its name to "Silver Beetles". They
also began shifting drummers around, the first was Tommy Moore who toured with them through
Scotland and then left. The next was Norman Chapman but he left after only a few weeks. Finally,
George suggested that Pete Best, the son of club owner Mrs. Mona Best, become the group's
drummer.
Paul contacted Pete and offered him the drummer seat, he took it. The group had finally settled on
"The Beatles" just before their first trip to Hamburg in August, 1960. Now John, Paul, George, Stuart
and Pete would head off for Hamburg. At that time The Beatles weren't considered to be the leading
group in Liverpool and in most cases were looked down upon. In Hamburg they pulled their act
together musically. This was caused by the fact that they had to play such long hours and were bullied
by the club owner Bruno Koschimider to "make a show". It wasn't just Hamburg that made them
special. The fact that Liverpool had so many venues for local acts to play at, coupled with the rivalry
between more than 300 Merseyside groups, continued to forge The Beatles until they were to be
regarded as Liverpool's top band.
At the time, Pete Best was regarded as the most potent symbol in the band. After Hamburg, Stuart
Sutcliffe had left and now The Beatles were a four-piece band and Paul took over as bass guitarist.
John, Paul and George were the three front-line guitarists and they alternated as lead singers and also
performed vocal harmony with either John and Paul or all three. Pete Best played drums and
occasionally sang one song but he had developed a distinctive drum sound called "the atom beat"
which many other drummers tried to copy.
By this time, The Beatles had hired Brian Epstein as their manager and he signed them up for an
audition with Decca Records. The head of Decca Records told The Beatles manager, "Guitar groups
are on their way out Mr. Epstein.". The Beatles were devastated by their failed audition but Epstien
secured them a contract with Parlophone Records. George Martin became their A&R Man. In August
of 1962, Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr.
Their first single "Love Me Do" was issued on October 5, 1962, and was a modest hit. 1963 and 1964
proved to be the most important years in their careers. In 1963 the "Beatlemania" craze had started in
Britain and The Beatles were no longer support acts at concerts. Now they were starring in the Royal
Variety Show and the highest rating TV show "Sunday Night At The London Palladium".
Their biggest year was 1964 when they conquered the biggest record market in the world - America.
The group became symbols. America was mourning the death of President John F. Kennedy and The
Beatles appeared on the scene to bring them fun and excitement and end their mourning. They also
brought back rock 'n' roll to America. After Elvis had join the army, he lost much of his early
rebelliousness. Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry were rocked by scandals and their careers suffered.
Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens had been killed in an plane crash. The American
media was promoting what The Beatles called "One-Hit-Wonders" such as Frankie Avalon, Tab
Hunter, James Darren, etc.
Ed Sullivan had been at London airport when The Beatles return from Sweden and saw all the girls
screaming, the boys cheering and the media taking pictures. He knew they were something special
and he booked them on his TV show "The Ed Sullivan Show". That show received the highest ratings
in the history of television up to then. That same year The Beatles toured America for the first time
and starred in their first motion picture "A Hard Day's Night". In 1965, The Beatles second motion
picture "HELP!" premiered. Later that year, The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium in New York to a
crowd of 55,000 screaming fans. The largest live audience in history. Their tours did have their darker
moments. The first being in Tokyo, Japan where The Beatles were locked up in their hotel and were
not allowed to come out until show time. The next was in the Philippines when, on a day off, Madam
Marcos asked them to attend a Royal dinner. The Beatles politely turned down the invitation and the
public was furious. The Bea
tles quickly left.
In 1966, The Beatles were under heavy pressure from the press after John made a remark that The
Beatles were more popular than Jesus. John had to apologize and explain himself several times. Not
only that but their tour of America was plagued with mishaps. On August 19, 1966 they receive a
death threat in Memphis and a firecracker went off during the show terrifying The Beatles. The next
day in Cincinnati a concert promoter failed to provide a stage canopy and can't understand why The
Beatles were unwilling to play electric guitars in a rainstorm. Paul becomes so agitated he becomes
ill. On August 28, 1966 at Dodger Stadium, L.A. cops are seen beating teenage girls. Dozens are
trampled in the chaos.
During the sixties, The Beatles not only became a musical phenomenon, they affected the styles and
fashions of the decade. They transformed the record industry as well. They brought about royalties for
artists and producers, revolutionized music tours, and started the Pop promo film or what we know
today as "The Music Video". Everyone of their albums, from Please Please Me to Abbey Road were
all popular and unique in their own way. But after the death of their long time manager Brian Epstein,
things would start to fall apart for The Beatles.
Due to outside interests the group focused less and less and the band. In late 1964 they were
introduced to marijuana and would experiment with more drugs such as LSD which they were first
introduced to in late 1965. The Beatles played their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco
on August 29, 1966. In 1967, their manager Brian Epstein died of a accidental drug overdose. Some
friction was caused between John and Paul because Paul was trying to become the leader of the group
after Brian's death. Ties were still strong at this point between the band members despite Ringo
leaving the band for a short time during The White Album because he felt left out. When Ringo
decided to return he found his drum kit decked with flowers and the others tried to include him more.
After The White Album they embarked on the "Let It Be" project. The idea was to see The Beatles
jam, rehearse and record a whole new album of songs. At the end they would give a concert from
some spectacular place. Tensions were high between Paul and George as they started recording at
Twickenham Film Studios. John was off in his land of love with Yoko and Ringo was left in the
background. One day George walked out on a session after a disagreement with Paul. George came
back to finish up the album but as John would later explain, "We couldn't play the game anymore, we
just couldn't do it".
The Beatles gave their last public appearance on top of the Apple building on January 30, 1969.
However their "Let It Be" album was deemed un-releasable. It was handed over to Phil Spector who
added lush orchestrations to such songs as "The Long and Winding Road", infuriating Paul. Despite
all of this, The Beatles decided to get together to make one final album "Abbey Road" which would
go on to become their biggest selling record in history. It was mainly Paul who kept the group
together this long, encouraging them to make Magical Mystery Tour back in 1967 after Brian's death
and trying to get them all excited about recording and performing. Recording yes, performing no.
From Sgt. Pepper's through Abbey Road these were considered to be their "studio years" where they
rarely got together except to record. The Let It Be album was finally released on May 8, 1970 less
than a month after Paul publicly announced he was no longer a member of the group.
In the end, The Beatles became true legends. Their music touched all our lives. The Beatles wanted
more than just to "Be Beatles", they wanted happiness. A happiness that they once had back when
they first became successful. John found happiness with his one true love Yoko, his Plastic Ono Band,
and son Sean; Paul found happiness with Linda, his children, and Wings; George found happiness
with his solo career, Olivia, and his son Dhani; and Ringo found happiness with his solo career, acting
career, Barbara, and his sons. They will always be the greatest rock 'n' roll band in history.
Musical Style
In Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever, Scott
Schinder and Andy Schwartz sum up The Beatles' musical evolution:
In their initial incarnation as cheerful, wisecracking moptops, the Fab Four revolutionized the
sound, style, and attitude of popular music and opened rock and roll's doors to a tidal wave of
British rock acts. Their initial impact would have been enough to establish the Beatles as one
of their era's most influential cultural forces, but they didn't stop there. Although their initial
style was a highly original, irresistibly catchy synthesis of early American rock and roll and
R&B, the Beatles spent the rest of the 1960s expanding rock's stylistic frontiers, consistently
staking out new musical territory on each release. The band's increasingly sophisticated
experimentation encompassed a variety of genres, including folk-rock, country, psychedelia,
and baroque pop, without sacrificing the effortless mass appeal of their early work.[267]
In The Beatles as Musicians, Walter Everett points out Lennon and McCartney's contrasting
motivations and approaches to composition: "McCartney may be said to have constantly
developed—as a means to entertain—a focused musical talent with an ear for counterpoint
and other aspects of craft in the demonstration of a universally agreed-upon common
language that he did much to enrich. Conversely, Lennon's mature music is best appreciated
as the daring product of a largely unconscious, searching but undisciplined artistic
sensibility."[268]
Ian MacDonald, comparing the two composers in Revolution in the Head, describes
McCartney as "a natural melodist—a creator of tunes capable of existing apart from their
harmony". His melody lines are characterized as primarily "vertical", employing wide,
consonant intervals which express his "extrovert energy and optimism". Conversely,
Lennon's "sedentary, ironic personality" is reflected in a "horizontal" approach featuring
minimal, dissonant intervals and repetitive melodies which rely on their harmonic
accompaniment for interest: "Basically a realist, he instinctively kept his melodies close to
the rhythms and cadences of speech, colouring his lyrics with bluesy tone and harmony rather
than creating tunes that made striking shapes of their own."[269] MacDonald praises Harrison's
lead guitar work for the role his "characterful lines and textural colourings" play in
supporting Lennon and McCartney's parts, and describes Starr as "the father of modern
pop/rock drumming .... His faintly behind-the-beat style subtly propelled The Beatles, his
tunings brought the bottom end into recorded drum sound, and his distinctly eccentric fills
remain among the most memorable in pop music.
Discography
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Please Please Me (1963)
With The Beatles (1963)
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Beatles for Sale (1964)
Help! (1965)
Rubber Soul (1965)
Revolver (1966)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
The Beatles (aka the White Album) (1968)
Yellow Submarine (1969)
Abbey Road (1969)
Let It Be (1970)
Let it be
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Hey, Jude
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better.
And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Hey, Jude! Don't let her down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Yesterday
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.
Now it looks as though they're here to stay.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Suddenly,
I'm not half the man I used to be,
There's a shadow hanging over me,
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Why she had to go
I don't know she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong,
Now I long for yesterday.
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
Why'd she had to go
I don't know she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong,
Now I long for yesterday.
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.