The Beatles

The Beatles remain the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in popular music history, having sold over 600 million records worldwide. Formed in Liverpool in 1960, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr transformed from leather-clad rock and rollers into architects of the counterculture, their trajectory mirroring post-war Britain's shift from austerity to prosperity. Their harmonic sophistication drew from Tin Pan Alley, rhythm and blues, and Indian classical music, whilst their studio experimentation with producer George Martin on albums like Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) redefined recording as an art form rather than mere documentation. The group's melodic invention, from the modal ambiguity of "A Hard Day's Night" to the tape loops of "Tomorrow Never Knows", established new sonic possibilities. Their cultural impact transcended music, influencing fashion, film and social attitudes during the 1960s. The band dissolved in 1970 amid personal and creative tensions, yet their catalogue continues shaping popular music's vocabulary and ambition.