Проектно-исследовательская работа "The Beatles is the most successful band of the 20th century"

Конкурс проектно - исследовательских работ

«Иностранный язык как средство познания мира»

Тема: The Beatles is the most successful band of the 20^th century

Выполнили: Учащиеся 7 «А» класса

МБОУ СОШ№2 г. Семенова

Барсукова Влада

Белицкая Юлия

Учитель: Фильчагова Н. В.

Introduction

Music is the greatest thing which connects people over the world. It hasn’t nationality or citizenship. It’s common human property. For most part of people listening to music is very enjoyable way of leisure. And each of us has own musical preferences, favorite music styles, groups or singers. Today we want to tell you about our favorite music band. Everyone is sure to hear of them. This group’s name is The Beatles.

Who are they? Or maybe it would be more logic to ask – who were they? Because they don’t exist as a creative union for more than 40 years, and two of them, two brightest personalities and ingenious musicians died. So – who are they, the four young Englishmen called” the fabulous four”?

The results of sociological survey (among teachers and students)

We have asked our teachers and students about this popular music band. According to results of sociological survey we can say that there is no man who would not have heard about this band.

The most known and popular songs of this band are Yesterday, The yellow submarine, Help, Love me do, Can’t buy me love.

The answers may be numerous.

Well, some may say they are four young long-haired hooligans singing primitive rock’n’roll tunes like “Can’t buy me love”. The others may put them in the same rank with the greatest composers as Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, taking into account their album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. Still the others may call them outstanding pacifists, philosophers and optimists remembering texts of their compositions, their mode of life and their obvious influence on the young generation in the sixties.

Let us try to find our own answer to this question.

Surely, they are four boys from Liverpool, who decided to play and sing together. None of them got any special musical education. Each of them has got his own strong and sometimes strange individuality. 15 years of joint life and work, several concerts at the greatest TV-studios, concert-halls and stadiums of the world, some more than 200 songs, - and the popularity which doesn’t fade away after so many years after their break-up.

They are: energetic, always fighting John, romantic and fantastically talented Paul, philosophical and a bit religious George, always smiling and friendly Ringo.

Well, what’s the use of all that talk? – They are THE BEATLES. Have you never heard of them?

The main part

Starting with the imitation of the classics of American rock ' n ' roll in 1950s, the Beatles came to own style and sound. The Beatles had a significant influence on rock music and were recognized by specialists to be one of the most successful groups of the twentieth century as in the creative, also in a commercial sense. Many famous rock-musicians admit that they were established under the influence of the Beatles’ songs.

The group made many records and had more than fifty top hit songs. The Beatles started a new era of music. Their music was unusual because most rock was strong beat with no melody, and they added melody to the rock. The Beatles also added strong and meaningful lyrics.

The group included George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr). All of the Beatles where born in Liverpool, England. John Lennon was the leader of the band, one of two lead singers, the guitarist and a song writer. George Harrison was the lead guitarist. Paul McCartney was a song writer, one of lead singers, and a bassist. Ringo Starr played the drums.

1957-1959: Before they became Beatles/ The Quarry men

John Lennon was just 17 when he formed his first band, The Quarry men. They played skiffle music, a mixture of folk, jazz, and blues which was popular in England at the time.

In the summer of 1957, The Quarry Men were setting up for a performance in a church hall when another member of the band introduced Lennon to Paul McCartney, a 15-year-old self-taught left-handed guitar player. He was immediately invited to join the group, and he did it in October, 1957.

In contrast to rebellious John, since early childhood Paul had a diplomatic gift peacefully solve the conflicts. Paul and John spent much time together, often missed lessons and played music at John’s place. Since then, Paul began to learn the guitar and he immediately began to try to compose. Between young people appeared atmosphere of competition and John, in order to establish himselfself as the leader of the group, also began to compose music. In 1958, in a car accident, the mother of John - Julia was dead. Two years before, Paul’s mum was died from cancer. The death of parents made very young boys closer.

By February 1958 Lennon was moving increasingly away from skiffle and towards rock 'n' roll. In spring of 1958 they were joined by friend of Paul, George Harrison. George was the first, who brought fashion to wear long hair. The band, which then consisted of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and other members recorded a song "That'll Be the Day" and a Lennon-McCartney original song, “In Spite of All the Danger.”

Their success in 1960-1963

In 1960, Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were joined by drummer Pete Best (whose mother owned The Casbah Coffee Club where the three had played many times) and bassist Stu Sutcliffe, Lennon's friend from Liverpool Art School. They went through a lot of names - Long John and The Beatles, The Silver Beetles, The Beat Brothers - before settling on The Beatles.

After tours to Scotland the group was invited to play in Hamburg, Germany. They returned to Hamburg twice more in 1961 and 1962, after that they became increasingly popular.

At the end of the tour Sutcliffe decided to stay in Hamburg and decided to stop his musical career in the band. In 1962, Sutcliffe died in Hamburg from a hemorrhage in the brain. Bass guitar was passed to McCartney. After the second tour to Hamburg Paul had saved enough money for a professional instrument, bass guitar Höfner in the form of a violin - which later became one of the symbols of the band.

In February 1962 the Beatles’ songs were recorded for the BBC. In April, the Beatles went to the third tour to Hamburg in order to be one of the best rock group of Liverpool.

In September, 1962, the band's first single, "Love Me Do" was released in the UK. It would be almost two years until the song was released (and became a hit) in the USA.

Their first album «Please Please Me» was released in the UK in March 1963. Then The Beatles released the second album which sold a million copies in the UK, and released an album titled Introducing ... The Beatles in January 1964.

Beatlemania: 1964-1965

The release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964 marked the beginning of the phenomenon known as "Beatlemania" in the United States. In 1964 The Beatles came to New York City for the first time and were an instant success. Some weeks later after their New York tour with five best selling records they became world-famous. They introduced a new style in clothing and appearance, too. They wore their shaggy long hair and soon all over the world people started wearing the Beatles haircut. They were so popular that 'Beatlemania' emerged. In 1967 the Beatles directed a movie Magical Mystery Tour about themselves, in which they toured the English countryside in search of wonder, fun, and magic.

By April, 1964, the band's songs occupied the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That summer, they toured New Zealand and Australia, where their arrival was greeted by a crowd estimated at more than 300,000 people. The first Beatles’ film, A Hard Day's Night was released in 1964.

Actually, 1964-66 years are marked in the biography of the group with large tours and records of new albums. On average, they held three tours a year: two obligatory - in England and in America and the other in any other country. The Beatles continued to beat records.

In 1965 the Beatles became Members of the Order of the British Empire, one of the highest honors in the UK, usually given to military and government officials.

The Beatles' second movie, Help! came out in 1965, and the soundtrack was one of four albums the band released that year.

Beginning of the End: 1966-1968

The band released just two albums in 1966. One of them, Revolver, is considered to be one of the Beatles' best albums.

In summer of 1966 the band was attacked by an angry crowd in the Philippines after turning down an invitation to breakfast at the Presidential Palace. That disastrous tour had ended when Lennon set off a huge wave of record burning protests when he said in an interview that "Christianity is dying" and that the Beatles "are more popular than Jesus now."

In August 1966, the band made what would turn out to be its last public performance - at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The decision was made to stop touring and concentrate on writing and recording.

Although they had lost their luster, the Beatles continued to produce critically and commercially successful albums: in 1967, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the soundtrack from their third feature film, Magical Mystery Tour.

The band spent time studying meditation in India in 1968. When they returned, they announced the creation of their own label, Apple Records, and worked on the album called «The White Album» which was released in November 1968.

The End and Beyond: 1969

Disputes, disagreements and disharmony among band members had been gradually increasing, become especially apparent during the White Album recording sessions. The band's last performance together outside the studio was in January 1969. Their last recording session (Abbey Road) followed in August.

In September 1969, Lennon told the band that he was leaving. The others persuaded him not to leave until they made one more effort to get an acceptable version of their final album, Let It Be, which had been recorded several months before Abbey Road but shelved by producer George Martin to put it in final form.

In 1970 the world-famous and world-loved Beatles separated. Thirty-five years later, in 2005, the American entertainment industry magazine Variety named them the most iconic entertainers of the 20th century.

After the Beatles broke up, each of the band members followed separate creative paths. Paul McCartney formed a band called Wings with his wife, Linda; they recorded numerous hit songs, including "Live and Let Die". John Lennon achieved great success as a solo artist, with classic songs like "Imagine." Tragically, he was killed by an obsessive fan, Mark David Chapman, in 1980. George Harrison recorded many solo albums over the years, and died of cancer in 2001.

Conclusion

The Beatles are widely acknowledged as one of the world's most influential bands, and are played on classic rock radio stations today. More recent bands, including Oasis, have achieved great success by copying the Beatles' songs.

This band, their great music means a lot for us. And not only for us. Many people all over the world love Beatles. So we can say with sure that they exist because their music is loved till our days . The Beatles live in people’s hearts and will be remain there forever.

The year Album

1963 Please Please Me

1963 With The Beatles

1964 A Hard Day’s Night

1964 Beatles For Sale

1965 Help!

1965 Rubber Soul

1966 Revolver

1967 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

1967 Magical Mystery Tour

1968 The Beatles «White Album» («Белый альбом»)

1969 Yellow Submarine

1969 Abbey Road

1970 Let It Be

The Beatles — Википедия

www.beatles.com