Facts about the Beatles
- 13
Four members of the Beatles played on only 14 of the band's 213 officially released songs, as recording sessions frequently featured rotating musicians and studio collaborators.
- 12
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band spent 27 weeks at number one on the UK charts after its June 1967 release, becoming one of the most commercially dominant albums of the decade.
- 11
Across their ten-year recording career from 1962 to 1970, the Beatles released 290 different songs when including non-album singles, B-sides, and alternate versions.
- 10
Between 1963 and 1970, the Beatles recorded 213 officially released songs across 13 studio albums, an average of 16 tracks per album.
- 09
Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane, released as a double A-side single in February 1967, were the first Beatles songs recorded after their final concert performance in August 1966.
- 08
At age 30, George Harrison's 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass outsold the Beatles' contemporary releases and featured 23 songs recorded during sessions spanning 1968 to 1969.
- 07
Apple Records, the Beatles' own record label founded in 1968, released their final album Let It Be in May 1970, nearly three years after the band had stopped performing together.
- 06
Paul McCartney wrote and recorded the entire bass line for Dear Prudence in approximately 10 minutes during a single 1968 White Album session.
- 05
John Lennon's 1969 bed-in protest for peace in Montreal lasted 7 days and was attended by over 80 journalists and dignitaries who discussed world peace from his hotel room.
- 04
Ringo Starr joined the Beatles on August 16, 1962, replacing Pete Best after the band had already recorded their first single, Love Me Do.
- 03
In 1965, a 15-minute Beatles concert at Shea Stadium in New York drew 55,600 screaming fans, setting an attendance record for a rock concert.
- 02
During their final recording session on August 20, 1969, the Beatles laid down what would become Abbey Road's closing track, with only three of four members present.
- 01
Over 600 million copies of Beatles records have been sold worldwide, making them the best-selling music artist in history.