LES BEATLES

Through rare documents and unpublished interviews, with true narrative art, the author unravels the threads of an epic that was less smooth and successful than the record sales (more than two billion records sold since 1962) suggest. The author elucidates what McCartney has rightly said: ‘‘We were not only in the spirit of the moment; we were in the spirit of the century‘‘.

From their erratic beginnings in Liverpool and Hamburg to On April 10, 1970, the news made headlines around the world: Paul McCartney was leaving the Beatles. His departure not only signaled the split-up of the most popular group of all time, it also meant the end of an extraordinary adventure: four teenagers who came out of the cellars of Liverpool to become accomplished musicians, embodiments of the entire post-war generation's thirst for freedom. While Let It Be, their testament song, was proving to be a final success, McCartney sued his three former associates. The dream was over. And yet, fifty years later, their legend remains.
She Loves You, Help, Yesterday, Hey Jude, Come Together, Something... The two hundred songs recorded by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in just eight years are still revered by millions of fans. Their twelve albums constitute an awesome and irreplaceable discography, a source of inspiration for all musicians today.
Behind pop music's most beautiful score, another fascinating story finally emerges. Mass culture, psychedelics, artificial paradises, peace activism --the phenomena they experienced or helped launch not only tell the history of the 1960s, they also highlight a social and cultural revolution with still perceptible impacts.

Journalist and author FRÉDÉRIC GRANIER is a department head at the French magazine, Geo. A collector of rare recordings and films, he has written numerous books on pop culture.