Overview of a Groundbreaking Group

Perhaps the ultimate sign of their fame is that now in the English language, wherever spoken, the small black insect is relegated to the second image that calls to mind when the word "beetle" is mentioned. (Try this with anyone: white, black, other minorities, the elderly, deaf and hard-of-hearing, foreigners, the blind, and even those born after, and well after 1964. See what happens!)

After Winston Churchill, they're the 20th century's greatest standard-bearer for Britain.

They are one of the enduring images of the '60s. And they set the gold bar for every American, British, or any rock group since. (The '90s group, The Spice Girls, were often referred to as "the female Beatles" during the height of their fame. They were much bigger stars in Britain and Europe, I believe.)

These four guys actually changed the course of not just American and British popular culture, but world culture. How many groups can do that?

Hairstyles, clothing, lifestyles, perceptions, and music itself forever changed. Even the Beatles themselves were always changing and evolving.

They became gurus, and in some cases, "living gods" to many people. No joke. Many based their lives on what the Beatles were doing. If the Beatles ate a certain snack, dressed a certain way, used a certain brand of toilet paper, then by golly, that's what they did, too. When the Beatles stopped doing something, so did they. Remember all the "instant converts" when the Beatles studied with the Marhareshi Mahesh Yogi?

When a new Beatles single or album was released, it was usually analyzed by a rock critic (1965 and after) and others for a profound, deeper meaning, because "The Beatles were the key to life".

None of the group members ever took themselves that seriously. (Many of John's lyrics, for example, contained references to drugs and sex!) Sometimes a pleasant song is just a pleasant song (Or a reference to drugs and sex!).

It's been speculated that the Beatles may had also inadvertently contributed to the moral decline of American society.

Many people looked up to and used the group as a guideline to challenge the system or their own surroundings. Some used this for good, but others didn't. Others sought to create chaos and domestic "mass destruction". (Charles Manson is an extreme example.)

I honestly don't know if the group was a factor; I can say that I believe that a lot of people, who were most likely anarchistic-oriented anyway, used the Beatles as an excuse for their actions.

I just thought of something. How come no one ever blamed The Rolling Stones? Back in the day, they were always considered the "thugs" and "anti-society." Hmmm.....

The Beatles set a record (among so many) that may never be broken: a total of 20 no. 1 hits, in the U.S. alone. In 2001, they were the top-selling act of the year, according to Billboard.

"1" was a compilation of 27 (in the U.S. and England) no. 1 singles from 3 decades earlier, that topped the album charts in Britain, America, and around the world.

Not bad for a band that broke up in 1970!

"I thought they were fresh and different", recalled Mrs.Tina Martin. "The hair took some getting used to, but after a while, you didn't notice that; their talent stood out. After the nation's great loss, they made you smile again."

"I'm probably one of the few people around at that time that actually missed them on Ed Sullivan." Longtime music fan and record collector Pamela Foster further remembered that "the reason why was because my family (Mom, Dad, my four brothers and me), at the time, were living in a large duplex.

It was early Sunday evening, and on Sunday we'd always have a big meal, which was tradition.

One of my household jobs was as the dishwasher. Bear in mind the size of the family, which means that for a big meal, you're going to end up cleaning an incredible amount of dishes, silverware, pots and pans. Multiply that by other relatives dropping by, friends, etc. And our kitchen was located all the way in the back, while our front room with the one TV was located all the way in the front. In between them were two long hallways, bedrooms, 1 +1/2 bathrooms, closets, etc.

Now I was told once I finish everything, I could watch TV. Well, by the time I got through and then had to navigate through the two hallways, I only caught a glimpse of the end! It was the talk at school the next day, and I missed it!!!

I actually started really getting into the Beatles' music when "Rubber Soul" came out, though I did see "Help!" at the drive-in and I enjoyed the movie and soundtrack. I particularly liked "You're Gonna Lose That Girl", "Ticket To Ride", and "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away". But "Rubber Soul" just blew me away. The whole album. I was only 10 or 11 years old, so I had no job, unless you count school and my household chores. I begged my Mom to please buy me this album, but to no avail. She didn't believe that minorities should be buying records by whites, unless it was jazz-oriented. To me, good music is good music, regardless.

Each successive album just continued blowing me away. Finally I was old enough to work at a paying job; one of the first things I did was stock up on Beatles music. I now have an impressive collection; made up for lost time!"