It’s easy to look at The Beatles and define their epic success as destiny. Something freakish and already mapped out from beginning to end. And why not? Their legacy appears too great for explanation, allowing us to accept it as phenomenon.
From their early days in Hamburg to their fabled walk across Abbey Road, The Beatles were more than outliers — they were pioneers. Like a space-bound rocket, every new height The Beatles reached, they’d shed their skin to soar higher and further for the unknown.
When The Beatles first entered the recording studio, they arrived with their own songs — for the most part, unheard of in 1962. Staff songwriters were the industry norm, hired to pen hit singles for Top 40 radio — the golden calf of the music business.
The Beatles broke this industry-mold. Not only did they write their own songs, but these singles became Billboard hits.
Have you ever wondered what was on the back of these records? In most cases, what executives dubbed, ‘a throwaway’. Songs never played over the radio nor included on the album, if there was one. Oftentimes the back of the disc remained blank, since the group had nothing else to offer but the single itself.
The Beatles refused to play this game and release anything less than their best effort.
For the first time in Top 40 history, The Beatles’ B-sides not only enjoyed air play, but climbed the Billboard charts as well. Some even higher than their A-side counterparts, becoming classics in their own right. Yesterday, Come Together and I Saw Her Standing There were all B-sides. So were Rain, Revolution, Don’t Let Me Down and I Am The Walrus. Imagine that?
Global fame was never their destination. With every success, The Beatles remained unfulfilled and in search of their next challenge. Anxious to travel uncharted terrain and break new barriers.
During the production of Revolver, they found it. Soon after, The Beatles announced they would no longer tour nor aim for top ten hits. Instead, The Beatles would be going into the recording studio to ‘experiment’. In 1966, a mighty gamble — even for the Fab Four.
The sessions at EMI Studios (later renamed Abbey Road) became the launch pad for The Beatles to test and push themselves. The inspiration for this article is a reminder of how ambitious and uncertain this all was. Nobody had ever tried what The Beatles were doing — turning their backs on Top 40 stardom to focus on studio music.
Look at all The Beatles risked. If things went south, they could have ended up a footnote, if not forgotten. Instead of a benchmark for success, The Beatles could have become poster children for failure, poor judgement and tossing it all away.
The new era began with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour with a made-for-television film. The first double album in rock history, what’s known as The White Album followed. The animated feature and soundtrack for Yellow Submarine came next. Every one of these, all firsts of their kind. Landmark achievements with more to come and a new path for countless artists to follow.
The music from Abbey Road Studios changed the course of rock and roll forever. From here on, bands signed record contracts to create studio albums, not Top 40 hits. Furthermore, record companies began to invest in artist development to support the studio process.
The Beatles we know today didn’t exist before entering Abbey Road Studios. To the Fab Four, they always remained a work in process — from the underground clubs in Hamburg to the rooftop concert in Let it Be. Despite their fame and fortune, they never stopped spawning and recreating — this was their vision, mission and essence. An amazing journey for sure and one we may never see again.
It would have been easy for The Beatles to stay the course and remain hit makers. How many in their place would have chosen the same path? Who among us would have risked it all or played it safe?
Leaving this phase, The Beatles arrived at the next threshold: Abbey Road and the end of their spectacular journey. In many ways, it’s The Beatles exiting the stage and leaving the scene, or is it? Look at how this walk has evolved — they’re still breaking ground while crossing new frontiers.
What will their stroll look like 50 years from now? 100? Where will The Beatles go and what landscapes will they cross?