The Beatles, 1965

'65 was another whirlwind for the world's most famous rock band.

Feb. started out with a bang as Ringo Starr married Maureen Cox, just 19! (she was a hair dresser) on the 11th or 12th (accounts vary).

At this time, John was still married to Cynthia with two-year-old Julian, Paul was involved with British actress Jane Asher, and George was still smitten with model Patti Boyd.

Later that month, shooting began in the Bahamas on the group's second film (in color!), "Help!" (The original title was "Eight Arms To Hold You"). The group studied the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup to prepare for their roles.

Legend has it that during filming, the group met Bob Dylan, who had a significant conversation with John in particular about songwriting; (Lennon admired Dylan's work.) he thought the group's songs were too "fluffy".

Lennon took the their conversation to heart; subsequently "Rubber Soul", the Beatles' first landmark album, was the result.

Legend also has it that it was Dylan who introduced the group to LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)!

Another account says that while at a dinner party in early 1965, George, his girlfriend, Patti, John and Cynthia were intentionally given LSD by their host (but without their knowledge). LSD is a man-made substance, completely odorless and colorless. In 1965, this was so new as a recreational drug that it had not yet been declared illegal.

Bear in mind that the public still had no knowledge of any of this; under Brian Epstein's (and his staff's) careful management, the Beatles were still perceived as "those lovable mop tops who are safe, wholesome, and good clean fun!"

The Beatles retained their status as the no. 1 darlings of the "in" crowd, England, and particularly "swinging London". Thanks in large part to the group, British fashion, music, books, actors, words!, food, and even certain streets and districts became "the thing". Mary Quant, creator of the mini-skirt, was the hot new designer. Model Jean Shrimpton and photographer David Bailey were hot. Actress Julie Christie and another model, Patti Boyd exemplified the "English Look" (Twiggy would set the pace a year later). Carnaby Street and Chelsea became fashion artistic centers and crowd attractions. Even being an ordinary British citizen at this time was hot (Some U.S. radio stations added a British DJ to their lineup!)

On June 12th, the Beatles were named to receive the MBE-Members of the British Empire by the Queen. (The full name is Membership of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire!)

On July 29th, "Help!" opened in London. (It cost $1.5 million to make.) And it was a success.

On Aug. 6th, the soundtrack album of the same name was released in the U.K. and the U.S., becoming a no. 1 smash.

The 11th saw the release of "Help!" (the movie) in the U.S.

The 15th was the day of the historic Shea Stadium concert. The group played for a record-breaking 55,600 people, grossing $304,000. The group's share was $160,000 (Divided by 4, each one got $26,500 before taxes).
On Sept. 25th, The Beatles, a new cartoon series featuring the Fab Four, debuted on ABC at 10:30 am. (The group's actual voices weren't used.) Two segments were shown; a Beatle song was the title of each cartoon, and each cartoon figured that song. The show was highly rated ( pulling in at least a 52% share of the audience), but as the Beatles progressed musically and changed their appearance, the series became outdated. (Now it's probably priceless, for it captures a
whimisical look at a cultural icon and a slice of '60s pop culture, while becoming valuable memorabilia
itself. There were a total of 39 shows, with 78 stories. The last airing was on April 20, 1969, and I think by this time the first two-three seasons were being shown in repeats.)

They were the first rock group to ever have a Sat. cartoon show in their likness. "For a while, this show was popular among the kiddies, like myself, who regularly watched cartoons, and teenagers, who ordinarily wouldn't ", recalled Pamela Foster. "It was considered quite cool to catch this show; but as the group and their fans evolved , how were the animators going to continue to make a cutesy cartoon about the 'lovable mop tops'?
"Now it's a wonderful time capsule."

In Oct., Zak Starkey (Ringo's real last name) was born.

On the 26th, the Beatles were formally presented with medals at Buckingham Palace (Many previous MBE holders returned theirs in protest).

And on Dec. 3rd, "Rubber Soul" was released in the U.K. first. The album hits no. 1 there and in the U.S.

(By now, Brian Epstein's other acts were suffering from neglect, except for Cilla Black.)

No one could ever overlook the importance of George Martin, the group's arranger/producer. With the exception of the Beatles themselves, no one was more pivotal to the group's sound or in getting the sounds for certain songs (I'd also like to think he was a very good friend to all four of them.)

The group also did a U.K. winter tour that sadly enough, was their last ever performance in Liverpool.

The following year would bring more success but many upheavals, an ending, another marriage, and a momentous meeting.

The Fab Four continued their red-hot Top 40 chart action with:

The April 27th entry, "Eight Days A Week"- a no. 1 smash/backed by "I Don't Want To Spoil TheParty"- 03/20/, peaked at no. 39.

05/01-"Ticket To Ride"-no. 1 smash
08/14-"Help!"-no. 1 smash for three weeks!
10/02-"Yesterday"-no. 1 smash for four weeks! There are more than 2500 versions of this; it's probably the most covered Beatles song. Paul McCartney had the music written before the lyrics; the working title was "Scrambled Eggs" before he came up with the much better, way cooler final title.
12/18-"We Can Work It Out"-no. 1 smash for three weeks!/backed by "Day Tripper"-12/25, peaked at no. 5.

Here's a look at their U.S. albums for this year:

The Early Beatles (Released on Mar. 22nd)

Side 1

Love Me Do
Twist And Shout
Anna (Run To Him)
Chains
Boys
Ask Me Why

Side 2

Please Please Me
P.S. I Love You
Baby, It's You
A Taste Of Honey
Do You Want To Know A Secret

Beatles VI (Released on June 14th)

Side 1

Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey
Eight Days A Week
You Like Me Too Much
Bad Boy
I Don't Want To Spoil The Party
Words Of Love

Side 2

What You're Doing
Yes It Is
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
Tell Me What You See
Every Little Thing

Help! (Released Aug. 13th)

Side 1

James Bond Theme (Instrumental)
Help!
The Night Before
From Me To You Fantasy (Instrumental)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
I Need You
In The Tyrol (Instrumental)

Side 2

Another Girl
Another Hard Day's Night (Instrumental)
Ticket To Ride
The Bitter End/You Can't Do That (Instrumental)
You're Gonna Lose That Girl
The Chase (Instrumental)

Their next album would also be their first landmark. There was a maturity and poignancy to the lyrics, and new instrumentation, like the sitar, not previously heard on a rock and roll record before.

"Even now, when I listen to this, it still blows me away," said Pamela Foster. "This forever put asunder the notion that the Beatles were just a 'teeny bopper' group. They were going to be around for a while and were a force to be reckoned with."

(This album also inspired Brian Wilson to take his group, The Beach Boys, in another musical direction.)

And now, without further ado:

Rubber Soul (Released Dec. 6th)

Side 1

I"ve Just Seen A Face
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)- I didn't know until years later that this song was about one of John's affairs ("Bird" is British slang for "girl"). George's sitar work was fantastic!
You Won't See Me
Think For Yourself
The Word
Michelle

Side 2

It's Only Love
Girl
I'm Looking Through You-Supposedly about Jane Asher, Paul's then-girlfriend
In My Life-
Wait
Run For Your Life