Years
Nine years, 217 songs, one extraordinary decade
Early Beatles (1962-1964)
The Beatles sign with Parlophone and cut their debut single in a single June session. Still honing their craft from Hamburg residencies, these recordings pulse with raw Merseybeat energy and American R&B hunger - the beginnings of something explosive.
Beatlemania erupts across Britain. Four consecutive No.1 singles, two LPs in a single year, and a Royal Variety Performance seal their status as the most thrilling force in British pop.
The conquest of America. The Ed Sullivan Show, Carnegie Hall, and 73 million viewers: the British Invasion rewrites the global map of popular music.
Middle Period (1965-1967)
The artistic pivot. Dylan's influence and Lennon's growing introspection crack open the beat-group formula. Rubber Soul arrives in December - literary lyrics, Indian instruments, genuine adult emotion.
The end of touring and the beginning of something new. Revolver pioneers tape loops, backwards guitars, and orchestral strings while the group retires from the road forever.
The psychedelic peak. Sgt. Pepper defines the Summer of Love; Magical Mystery Tour ventures into avant-garde film. Then Brian Epstein dies in August and the magic darkens.
Late Period (1968-1970)
The fractures become cracks. The White Album documents four increasingly solo artists under one roof - sprawling, contradictory, brilliant.
The beginning of the end, and a final flourish. The Get Back sessions reveal both intimacy and tension; Abbey Road responds with polished grandeur and the medley's aching beauty.
Dissolution. Let It Be is released and the legal battles begin. The greatest sustained creative run in the history of popular music ends not with a concert but in a courtroom.