Britain in the early 1960s. A land still recovering from the cataclysm of World War Two. Searching for a role as the Empire slipped away, the UK seemed trapped between the United States and the European Common Market.
Elvis had come out of the army and gone into the movies. The Shadows were duelling guitars and Cliff was on a Summer Holiday. And in Northern England, a four piece group were swapping drummers.
“Love, love me do…
At Abbey Road studios, George Martin gave The Beatles the chance to respond to his criticisms of their audition performances “I’ve laid into you for quite a long time,” he said. “You haven’t responded. Is there anything you don’t like?” “Well, for a start,” replied George Harrison, “I don’t like your tie.”
…You know I love you”.
The Fab Four’s first hit was a starkly simple song that is memorable mainly for John Lennon’s haunting harmonica sound. Released on 5th October 1962, it reached Number 17 in the UK Singles Chart and is one of the first songs I remember hearing on the radio. Just over three months later, their second single Please Please Me came out.
This was undoubtedly a step up from their debut and in some charts (though not the “official” one) reached Number 1. The start of a run of fantastic singles that carried on throughout the decade, Please Please Me seemed almost like an electrical storm lighting up the country with its relentless rhythm and canny chord changes. John Lennon’s peerless lead vocals complemented by Paul McCartney’s higher notes (that remain high as the melody descends) were a wake up call to the rest of the pop music industry that suddenly seemed as old fashioned as the rapidly fading Conservative government of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
March 1963 saw the release of the band’s first LP Please Please Me, which as well as their two singles, featured twelve other “poptastic” songs. The final track on the album was Twist and Shout. Originally an Isley Brothers hit, the Beatles version was a barnstorming performance that featured Lennon’s screaming and shouting the chorus. I saw the fab four in Llandudno in August 1963, and the song brought the concert to a climax in more ways than one as teenage girls screamed their approval!
With The Beatles was the group’s second LP which like their first, featured a mixture of Lennon & McCartney original songs and cover versions. A fine follow up that was released in November 1963, it again showed a band growing in confidence.
However, their next album A Hard Day’s Night was a true milestone. It consisted of thirteen self penned songs ranging from the peerless title track to the stupendous Can’t Buy Me Love, which were both Number 1 singles in their own right. The LP’s A Side was the accompanying feature film’s soundtrack and the album and movie confirmed The Beatles position at the toppermost of British pop music and culture.
Later that year (1964), Beatles For Sale was released. The cover showed the foursome looking a bit tired and the songs seemed somewhat more downbeat than previous releases. The lead song No Reply was another Lennon classic that set the mood for a more thoughtful set of songs.
The group’s second film Help! came out in 1965, again with an album soundtrack. The movie was a zany tale involving a tale conceding a jewel of Ringo’s wanted by different people. My favourite track remains You’re Going To Lose That Girl, and the LP of course also featured the famous Yesterday.
The Beatles were undoubtedly still at the pinnacle of pop music and had conquered the United States, but since A Hard Day’s Night their songs had in many ways not moved on. However, in late 1965, the band’s sixth album Rubber Soul reaffirmed their desire to explore new and different forms of music.
Drive My Car was indeed a driving, funky start to the LP, with McCartney’s bass mixed to the fore. Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man and You Won’t See Me followed on and confirmed the group were indeed progressing in terms of quality and performance. It was on the second side though that the best song on the album (and one of their best ever) was to be found. In My Life was a reflective and extremely moving song that showed Lennon and the band at the peak of their powers.
It had been only three short years since The Beatles had first hit the charts and they had come a very long way. However, little did we know what would come next…
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