The Beatles

The Beatles were the biggest musical phenomenon of the 20th century, being largely responsible for inventing pop music as we know it. No other musical act has been as critically praised or as commercially successful, and only Elvis Presley's emergence in the mid-50s can compete with the Beatles' in terms of width or depth of cultural influence. Comprising song-writing team John Lennon and Paul McCartney (also vocals and rhythm/bass guitar), George Harrison (lead guitar) and Ringo Starr (drums), the Beatles emerged from Liverpool in England in the early 60s. Soon they were international pop superstars, prompting screams from hysterical teenagers wherever they went across the world (this reaction was dubbed 'Beatlemania'). As well as becoming international pop celebrities, the Beatles did more than anyone else to push the boundaries of pop music, both in terms of recording techniques, and compositional aspects such as structure and melody. In these early days of pop music, the Beatles showed it could be an art form of no less essential worth than jazz or classical music.

The Beatles are widely believed to have sold more records than any other musician or musical group in history. In 1985, before their albums were re-issued on CD, their record label EMI announced that they had sold over one billion (1,000,000,000) units of Beatles music. The Beatles recorded dozens of internationally famous songs - among 17 singles that topped the UK Charts are classics like: "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Ticket to Ride", "Paperback Writer", "All You Need is Love", "Hey Jude" and "Get Back". In the US they achieved 20 No.1 singles. Other well-known songs include: "Eleanor Rigby", "Tomorrow Never Knows", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "A Day in the Life", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I am the Walrus". "Yesterday", which reached No.1 in the USA, is possibly the most covered song of all time (with over 3000 recorded cover versions), and was the most performed song of the century (it was estimated to have been performed over seven million times).

The Beatles were also one of the first bands to take albums seriously (as opposed to just singles). They released 12 proper albums in their 10 year career, almost all of which are hugely critically acclaimed. Generally, five of their later albums are considered their best, with most fans able to choose a favourite from: Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), The Beatles (aka The White Album) (1968) or Abbey Road (1969). Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's often top 'best of all-time' lists, while the other three are regularly placed in the Top 50 of similar surveys. Other notable albums include: their debut, Please Please Me (1963); With The Beatles (1963); A Hard Day's Night (1964); and Magical Mystery Tour (1967).

As well as their influence on music, the Beatles have also had a massive influence on fashion and culture. The 60s saw a world of increasing independence and hedonism, and a burgeoning western economy boosting the spending power of the young. The Beatles provided an aspirational focus for the rise of the 'independent teenager', their every clothing choice or verbal statement directly influencing the views and attitudes of fans. Their mop-top haircuts were widely copied at the height of their popularity, and whatever they wore suddenly became a popular look worldwide.

But perhaps the Beatles' biggest contribution to western culture was that, in appealing so very much to so many people, they boosted the popularity of 'pop' music to the extent that it became the pre-eminent art form to the vast majority of ordinary people (as it still is today). Recorded music was becoming a source of enjoyment and a unifying force for millions anyway, but the music of the Beatles unified hundreds of millions of people unlike anything else in history.