The Beatles

If you haven't heard of The Beatles by now, then you must be from some other planet. These guys were one of the biggest, if not the biggest, influences in music history. They have more than 200 songs. Ya, that's right, more than 200! They started out as young lads in the Liverpool, England, area. They started on their long and winding road in 1962 with their first hit Love Me Do. Their songs continued to climb the UK charts, but England couldn't contain them. They ventured to America in February of 1964 and were greeted by a horde of fans. They gave their first television performance on The Ed Sullivan Show with an estimated 74 million viewers. They did intense touring in their early days, which was one reason they didn't tour at all in their later days as a band. They were made Members of the Order of the British Empire in June of 1965 by Queen Elizabeth II. The Beatles started getting into drugs in 1965, which heavily influenced their music. To me, this change was most evident from the album Rubber Soul to Revolver. Their music became even more diverse and complex over the years. Tension elevated between the four toward the end of the 1960's, but this was also when some of their best music was made, at least I think so. Their final two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be, consisted of songs such as Get Back, Come Together, Let It Be, and Here Comes the Sun. The Beatles are the best-selling band in music history, had a total of twelve albums, and were inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.