The Beatles

John, Paul, George and Ringo – the fab four, as they’re known by many millions across the universe. The most famous band that Britain have ever produced, it’s hard to believe that Decca even dared to turn them down when these four talented scallywags entered their lair, what utter fools to have not seen the obvious talent that was pouring from the speakers as they played their tapes.

Many people can connect with the Beatles, it’s hard to find someone who isn’t a Beatles fan – I’m putting this down to the amounts of genres that they crossed into; Mersey beat, ballad, psychedelic, rock, the list is endless. Album sales reaching record amounts, the hundreds of Guinness world records’ that these four own is astounding, and it all happened to four young lads from Liverpool. John Lennon, a troubled teen that had a poet buried deep inside of him that was just waiting to get out, everyone thinks of the Beatles as four happy chaps but if you listen to songs such as ‘Julia’, ‘Help’ and ‘Norwegian wood’ it’s understood that this was a troubled genius that was crying out, in his poetry, for some love and attention. And it was Lennon who brought Paul McCartney into the group, Paul is the charismatic brown-eyed boy who had all the girls weak at the knees with one smile, a better guitarist than a bassist but his song writing outshone them both, it’s easy to see why Paul had so much to smile about when you listen to how cheeky and uplifting his songs are, take ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’, ‘When I’m sixty-four’ and the middle half of ‘A day in the life’ – it’s easy to see in that last example where he and John differed in writing styles during their later years. From Paul the Beatles gained George Harrison, an excellent guitarist with a shy nature – it was a long time until George had a well deserved number one with ‘Here comes the sun’ – and for many people it’s a favourite. I love listening to isolated guitar tracks from the many works of the Beatles because of how blown away I get by George Harrison’s talent as a guitarist, Harrison is never failing to surprise me when I hear something I had never noticed before and it takes a lot for me not to just stand up and applaud it. The replacement of Pete Best caused a stir throughout the early Beatle fans when Ringo sat down behind that famous Ludwig drum kit, hearing the chants of “Pete Best forever, Ringo never” almost every night until his cheeky smile warmed their hearts and Ringo became as much a part of the Beatles as John, Paul or George was. A warm hearted drummer that lives without the recognition he deserves from fans all over the world, without his steady drum beat songs that we love so much would have never sounded the same, a simple drummer that was never to be a free drummer but it’s what we we’re comfortable with when listening to the Beatles, it’d be no good having John Bonham or Keith Moon in the Beatles.

I can’t think of a Beatle song that I don’t like, nor can I think of an album that I don’t like. The first time I listened to them changed it my life, it was at the instance that I wanted to have a career in music and for many years that has always stayed the same, and I thank the Beatles for most of the amazing things that have ever happened to me.