The Beatles is a band that was so famous back in the day that they were commonly referenced in other forms of media. Their fame continues today despite being a British quartet formed in the 1960s. They are the ones who created the iconic pose of four people walking over a crosswalk in a line, and other bands have referenced them. One example is Big Time Rush, which sang a cover of one of their songs and referenced their pose in one of their movies about spies. One of the band’s albums that they are most known for is their White Album, a double album containing thirty songs.
The Beatles
Out of all the bands from the 1900s, The Beatles were the most successful and the most remembered out of every other in the 20th century. Their timeline begins in the 1960s in Liverpool, a city in England. The four band members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, and their band consisted of guitars, bass guitars, and drums. Their musical journey technically began in 1956 in a skiffle band called the Quarrymen. At the time, it was only Paul, John, and George. In 1959, when the three were in college, they created another band called Johnny and the Moondogs, and they didn’t have a full-time drummer yet.
The band name would go through several variations, first Beatals as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets, then Silver Beetles, and then shortened and changed into Beatles. In August of 1960, their unofficial manager, Allan Williams, arranged for them to perform their first concerts in the red-light district of Hamburg. Between 1961 and 1962, they began growing in popularity in Liverpool. Their first drummer, Sutcliffe, left the band, and Ringo Starr left his former band to join them. They began their first recording sessions with the owner of EMI’s Parlophone label as a traditional band of musicians.
In 1963, they all decided to have vocal roles in their first album, and the owner, George Martin, suggested they should all begin having cleaner images for the stage. Everything began going up after the release of their first single and the start of the period, Beatlemania, on February 11th, 1963. Their popularity spread to the US in 1964, and they finally stopped their years of endless touring during 1966. Unfortunately, for numerous reasons, The Beatles eventually split in September 1969, but the information was first withheld to prevent the drop in sales.
White Album
The white album is special as it was the start of a new era for The Beatles. It is extremely rare and can’t even be found on the Beatles’ official website, where nearly the rest of their albums can be found. The white album was created on November 22nd, 1968, containing thirty of the thirty-four new tracks they made that year. Unlike other covers, it had no design, just a blank white with the name of their band embossed on it, hence the name, White Album, as there was no specific name given. This album emphasized and differentiated each band member, with early sales packages having four individual photos of each member.
The white album was the first album of theirs to appear on the Apple label, a switch from their former record label. It reached number one on the UK charts, stayed there for eight weeks, and stayed up for nine weeks on the US charts. To further emphasize the rarity of this album, the original, non-remastered songs in the album are difficult to find, and the Beatles website only gives previews of the remastered versions. What’s sad about the white album, however, is that it was one of those albums that lessened the tension between the bandmates as they were close to separating but continued until 1969.
It took five dedicated months to create, with an uninterrupted runtime of 94 minutes, no graphics, no text, and all blank. It was their ninth British album and fifteenth American album. The record was considered so diverse due to its range of musical genres. Folk, British blues, ska, music hall, Avant-garde, and possibly more gave it the vibe of post-modern music.
Top Three Songs
The Beatles have a YouTube channel where all their songs are, including the original and remastered versions of their White Album songs. The top three best songs in the album have varied and may have changed over the years, but for now, these three are certainly the best songs to listen to during this decade:
- “Back In The USSR” is the easiest to find the non-remastered version, and it is the most fun, energetic, and upbeat song on the album.
- “Mother Nature’s Son” is a lullaby-like song. Of course, since it was sung by Paul McCartney, the vocals and the lyrics’ expression give a soothing tingle in your chest.
- “I Will“. It is one of the many that give off the vibe of the blues genre and the sound of most love songs back in the day. It’s also like a lullaby but with a great use of the bass guitar in its soundtrack.
Continuation of the Beatles
Despite the breakup of the band and the way things went downhill for some, the popularity of the namesake and music kept going. The Beatles split when their recently released songs were at peak popularity, leaving behind legendary music and an untainted legacy. Their untainted legacy became free real estate for advertisements and other media to take over and take advantage of their image. Not to mention, even before their band breakup, they appeared in many movies and ads. Years later, people continued to find their stories interesting, and their music was incredible. More movies and media were made about them.
Conclusion
The Beatles is a British rock band that also acted as a quartet, and their albums involved every band member having a vocal role. One of their most well-known, legendary, and popular albums that includes an example of each band having their own song is the White Album. The album was released on November 22nd, 1968, with thirty songs and an uninterrupted runtime of 94 minutes. It was one of their most famous albums, which did the best on the charts and sold the most; it was too rare and legendary to pay for today. It’s even difficult to download a digital version of the album today without the remastered versions.
