From the Editors of PEOPLE comes a beautifully illustrated history of The Beatles that takes you from their boyhoods and cavern days in Liverpool, to the Beatlemania era that swept from the UK around the world, to the Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road years that pushed the boundaries of pop music, and finally to the making of their last album, 1970's Let It Be. Now, 60 years after Help! And Rubber Soul, PEOPLE offers a loving look back at John, Paul, George, and Ringo, their music, the moments, the movies, and their lasting impact on fans worldwide.
THE STORY OF THE BEATLES • The Band That Changed Music Forever
Beatles Forever
1966: The Last Tour • FROM EUROPE TO ASIA TO AMERICA: THE BEATLES BRAVED DISMAL WEATHER, A DICTATOR AND DROOPING SALES. FANS STILL SCREAMED IN JOY, BUT THE BAND TOOK ITS FINAL BOW
Back to the Start • BORN IN A PORT CITY BATTERED BY GERMAN BOMBS, RAISED IN A BRITAIN STRUGGLING BACK TO ITS FEET, FOUR WORKING-CLASS BOYS HEARD THE SIREN CALL OF AMERICAN ROCK & ROLL AND PUT LIVERPOOL ON THE MUSICAL MAP
Come Together! • MONEY WAS TIGHT, SCHOOL WAS BORING, ELVIS WAS GOD: HOW SOME LIKE-MINDED LIVERPOOL TEENS BECAME THE BEATLES
The Almost Fab Four • A HANDFUL OF HERE-AND-GONE MUSICIANS—AND ONE MANAGER WHO WENT THE DISTANCE WITH THE BAND—CAN ALL CLAIM THE TITLE OF ‘THE FIFTH BEATLE’
The Beatles in Hamburg • PLAYING MORE THAN 270 NIGHTS IN ROWDY GERMAN NIGHTCLUBS, THE FAB FIVE (FROM LEFT, THAT’S PETE, GEORGE, JOHN, PAUL AND STU) ARRIVED MEDIOCRE BUT, SAID A PEER, ‘TURNED INTO A STOMPING-GOOD BAND’
Remembering Astrid Kirchherr • HER CAMERA AND COMB CREATED AN ICONIC LOOK
P.S. We Love You • HOME FROM HAMBURG, THE BEATLES FOUND MAGIC IN A LIVERPOOL CAVERN. FANS BECAME FANATICS, AND SOON THE PHENOMENON HAD A NAME: BEATLEMANIA
On American Shores • WHEN THE LADS HOP THE POND, RECORD CROWDS JAM THE AIRPORT, AND THEIR FIRST U.S. TELEVISION APPEARANCE DRAWS A STUNNING 73 MILLION VIEWERS
At the Movies • WITH A HARD DAY’S NIGHT, HELP! AND YELLOW SUBMARINE, THE BEATLES LEFT THEIR MARK ON ANOTHER MEDIUM
Curtain Down • AFTER A ROUGH YEAR AND A FINAL LIVE SHOW IN SAN FRANCISCO, THE BEATLES SWEAR OFF TOURING AND RETREAT TO THE STUDIO, WHERE THEY ARE REBORN
The Sgt. Pepper Sessions • ON THEIR EIGHTH ALBUM THE BEATLES INVENT SOUNDS, PUSH BOUNDARIES AND CHALLENGE FANS: ‘WOULD YOU STAND UP AND WALK OUT ON ME?’
How to Write a Beatles Song • FOR LENNON AND MCCARTNEY, THE PROCESS WAS PROSAIC, THE RESULTS MAGICAL
1969: The Year in Pictures • JANUARY SAW THE BEATLES PLAY THEIR LAST CONCERT, ON APPLE CORPS’ ROOF. BY DECEMBER THEY HAD WRAPPED TWO ALBUMS AND WERE PLANNING SOLO CAREERS
The Last Days • AT TIME OR ANOTHER, ALL FOUR BEATLES SEPARATELY QUIT THE BAND, IF ONLY BRIEFLY. BUT JOHN LENNON’S 1969 CALL FOR A ‘DIVORCE’ WAS THE REAL BEGINNING OF THE END. PAUL MCCARTNEY TOOK THE SPLIT PUBLIC IN 1970 WITH A STATEMENT AND SOLO ALBUM.
Yesterday • ONE LAST LOOK: FROM THE MADNESS OF BEATLEMANIA TO THE PRIVATE MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION, FOUR FRIENDS TOOK ON THE WORLD AND LEFT BEHIND AN ENDURING GIFT OF JOY
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PEOPLE The Beatles