From the Cavern Club to Apple Corps: The Rise & Fall of the Beatles
Above: The Beatles with Ed Sullivan
Post Author - Ellis Nolan
The Beatles, arguably the world’s most popular band, have a storied history spanning decades. From the Cavern Club, to the Ed Sullivan Show, to the rooftop of Apple Corps, their musical journey is the stuff of legend.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney, principal songwriters of the group, met in 1957, after Paul joined John’s band, the Quarrymen, as a rhythm guitarist. Eventually, the two would form their own group, with Paul inviting his friend George Harrison to play lead guitar. The trio would often rehearse in George’s mother’s house at 25 Upton Green.
A major moment in the burgeoning band’s career was their residency in Hamburg, Germany, where they would perform for long hours in many different styles and genres. Eventually, this journey would be cut short after a series of run-ins with the German authorities, as well as the band breaching their contract with a Hamburg club.
Above: The Beatles perform in Hamburg, Germany, with original drummer, Pete Best
Upon their return to Great Britain, they performed often at the Cavern Club, where they first met Brian Epstein. Epstein would become the band’s manager, landing them their first recording contract with EMI. During the sessions for the band’s first singles, producer George Martin was unimpressed with drummer Pete Best, and suggested someone else play drums on the record. The band chose Ringo Starr as his replacement, after which their single “Please Please Me” was a number one hit.
After recording “Please Please Me,” the band recorded their first LP of the same name. It would be the first of a string of 11 LPs to go to #1 in the UK Charts, and the group immediately embarked on a strenuous schedule of touring in the UK. After appearing on “Sunday Night at the London Palladium,” the frenzy of young fans over the group was dubbed “Beatlemania.” Fans’ adoration was so intense that upon returning from their 1963 tour of Sweden, police had to use water hoses to disperse the throng.
The frenzy only intensified in February of 1964, as the Beatles departed for their first tour of the United States. Their first television performance on the Ed Sullivan Show was the largest recorded audience for a television program to date. While many Americans disapproved of the Beatles’ long hairstyles, many young fans saw them as a symbol of hope after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy cast a shadow over the nation months before.
Above: The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964
1964-1966 saw almost non-stop touring, recording, and even filmmaking from the Fab Four. The group released their third LP “A Hard Day's Night” and starred in the accompanying film of the same name, both smash hits. While on tour, the group met Bob Dylan, who not only introduced the group to cannabis, but was a major influence on John Lennon’s changing songwriting style.
It’s no secret that this wasn’t the group’s only foray into consciousness-altering substances. In 1965, Lennon and Harrison were introduced to the psychedelic LSD, then followed by McCartney, who announced the drug had made him a “better [...] member of society.” These substances, as well as the Beatles’ changing influences, ushered in a new era of their music. In October of 1965, they began recording Rubber Soul, a landmark of their experimentation with Indian instruments such as the sitar, as well as more complex song structures and experimental recording techniques.
Exhausted from near-constant touring for two years, the Beatles announced their summer 1966 tour would be their last. They released Revolver in the weeks before embarking on the first show, which further expanded on their explorations in different techniques and genres in Rubber Soul.
Upon returning from their final tour, the group began recording Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a tour-de-force of experimental studio techniques that astounded listeners. The sessions for this album also produced the single “Strawberry Fields Forever,” named for Strawberry Field, a garden which Lennon frequented as a child. With Sgt. Pepper’s, the Beatles won the Grammy award for Album of the Year, the first rock album to do so.
Above: The Beatles recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Following the psychedelic style of Sgt. Pepper’s, the Beatles began creating two films with soundtrack-LPs, The Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine. While both films received mixed reviews, it was during this time they released the single “All You Need is Love,” a smash hit and anthem for the “flower power” era anti-war movement.
Following the death of their manager Brian Epstein in 1967, the Beatles embarked on a short-lived retreat to India to study transcendental meditation. While they wrote many songs for their next album in this period, it only lasted about 2 months before all of the band returned. During the summer of 1968, Lennon and McCartney announced the creation of a new Beatles venture, named “Apple Corps.” A multifaceted company with little organization, it opened a veritable sinkhole in the band’s expenses; Harrison would later estimate they lost millions.
Unfortunately, Apple Corps seemed to be the beginning of the end for the band. In the Summer of 1968, they began recording what would become known as the “White Album,” or, by its actual title The Beatles. Released via “Apple Records,” the album contained mostly songs worked on by only one member at a time due to creative differences. These differences only grew after the album was released, with the sessions for their next album, Get Back, being described by various members as “hell” and “a miserable experience.”
Get Back was released with an accompanying concert film after Abbey Road, an album in which Lennon and McCartney requested their songs be on separate sides of the LP. Both received mixed reviews, as did the Let it Be film. The Beatles officially broke up when paperwork was signed for the dissolution of their partnership as a band.
The group’s final performance occurred on January 30th, 1969, on the rooftop of Apple Corps in London. After much deliberation over a comeback performance, the group somewhat spontaneously decided on the rooftop location, where they performed 5 new songs recorded and written for Let it Be. The concert was quickly discovered by onlookers as well as police, who shut down the event after threatening to arrest Apple Corps employees. The unsanctioned performance bookended a decade of the band’s career and would be etched into their history as a fitting end. Lennon ended the performance by addressing their London audience: “I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we've passed the audition.”
The Beatles remain one of the most influential and well-known bands of the 20th century, and their music continues to endure in popularity. Their many eras are almost all equally imitated, and their impact on popular music is constantly felt. Interested in owning a piece of Beatles history? Check out our collection here!
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