The most universally influential band ever, Liverpudlian quartet The Beatles set the benchmark in the 60s for song writers and pop/rock groups ever since. With output and achievement that remain unsurpassed, no other group in history has been as successful whilst writing diverse, innovative and imaginative popular music.
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The musical and social phenomenon dubbed 'Beatlemania' grabbed a hold of the global mass consciousness in 1964 to such an extent that it is impossible to cover the impact and diversity of this trail blazing band. They were undoubtedly the greatest and most influential band in rock, and introduced more character into music than any other band of the 20th century. Whilst popular they were continually imaginative and experimental with their sound; from the simple charged rock & roll pop of their debut LP, Please Please Me (1963); through exceptional and innovative albums like Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966) and Sergeant Pepper's (1967) to Abbey Road (1969), The White Album(1968) and Let It Be (1969) they always displayed remarkable artistic progression. As the prototype for rock groups who wrote and performed their own material, their craft and melodic inventiveness were second to none.

As interchangeable singers, both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were among the best and most expressive vocalists in rock; the group's harmonies were intricate and exhilarating. George Harrison’s resonant 12-string electric guitar leads were hugely influential and Ringo's uncomplicated, no frills drumming was the perfect foil for the catchy guitar hooks and McCartney’s melodic bass. Their legacy as rock icons remains unchallenged to this day, decades after their breakup in 1970. "The Fab Four" had known each other and played together for about five years before they began to have hit records, including several months in Germany and legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool, the centre of the Merseybeat sound. Though they started with themes of romantic scenarios, later they developed complex, personal feelings. They were also pushing the limits of studio rock by devising new guitar and boosted bass textures, experimenting with distortion and multi-tracking, and using unconventional instruments like the sitar.

Collectively The Beatles were always charismatic and exciting performers but this was often lost in the noise of thousands of screaming fans and subsequently they felt creatively hindered by their touring obligations and retreated to the studio in order to concentrate on their studio recordings. The appearance of the Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever single in 1967 is regarded as the strongest double A-side ever, and then Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band(1967) was released as the 'Summer of Love' dawned, to become the definitive psychedelic soundtrack of the 60s. Despite professional difficulties in January 1969, they did agree to try and record a "back-to-basics," live-in-the-studio-type LP, the sessions being filmed for a television special. In order to provide a plausible live concert-like experience for the film, the group took to the roof of their Apple headquarters in London to deliver an impromptu performance on January 30, 1969. This was their last live performance of any sort. Their final album and film - eventually emerging as Let It Be (1969) boasted some of their most intricate harmonies and instrumental arrangements; and showed Harrison to be a composer of equal talent to Lennon and McCartney, before they parted ways to concentrate on other musical projects and solo material. The Beatles' records feature a timeless magnificence that continues to captivate and inspire new generations of listeners. Their records continue to sell in massive quantities and are covered and arranged by everyone from rock and pop artists to big bands and choral composers through to the present day.
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