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The Beatles had a cultural impact which shows no signs of diminishing.
They started performing in the late ‘50s and when Ringo Starr joined in 1962, Paul McCartney said the rest of them looked at each other and knew he made the band.
Beatlemania started in earnest in 1963 and the band evolved phenomenally after that. They released any number of classics. Some were covers like Twist and Shout, Roll Over Beethoven and Act Naturally but most were their own compositions. Songs like Hard Day’s Night, Back In The USSR, Michelle, Yesterday and Here Comes The Sun still have an element of freshness and creativity that suggests they’ll be around for decades to come.
It wouldn’t last long though. The Beatles dealt with an amazing number of issues ranging from drug abuse to finances to creative differences and living in a suffocating fishbowl. Toss in George Harrison’s growing frustration with his limited role as a songwriter and the 1970 break up was, in retrospect, not a terrible surprise.
Think about it though: everything they accomplished together, which really was world-class and world-changing, they did in their 20s. Only Ringo Starr was as old as 30 when they broke up; Harrison was just 27.
There is a new film coming out from archive footage filmed near the end of their run as a band. Directed by Peter Jackson, who did The Lord of the Rings trilogy and turned in a stunning film in They Shall Not Grow Old (if you haven’t seen it you really should - it’s incredibly well done), Get Back looks like it’s going to be amazing. Even near the end, when they had a lot of personal issues, when they’re in the studio they are loose, warm and funny.
That’s just based on the trailer though, but if you are a Beatles fan, you’re probably going to want to see this. Jackson is a superb filmmaker and this one looks like it’s going be something special.
Or in his case, something else special. It’s due out on November 25th on Disney+.