After Martin suggested rerecording "Please Please Me" at a faster tempo, he accurately predicted, "You've just made your first No. 1."

Spector was brought in to salvage the incomplete Let It Be, an album abandoned by the Beatles, performances from which had already appeared in several bootleg versions when the sessions were still referred to as Get Back. Spector's overdubs proved controversial among fans and the Beatles themselves.

The Beatles embraced an increasingly experimental approach as they recorded Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, beginning in late November 1966. According to engineer Geoff Emerick, the album's recording took over 700 hours!

George's introduction of a sitar on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" marked a further progression outside the traditional boundaries of popular music.

Deep in the jungle where the mighty tiger lies
Bill and his elephants were taken by surprise
So Captain Marvel zapped him right between the eyes

Lennon recorded "Julia" entirely by himself.

Things were tense when the Beatles were working on The White Album, and at one point Ringo walked out of the recording session, briefly quitting the band. During his absence, Paul McCartney played drums on several songs. When Ringo returned, there were flowers waiting for him on his drum kit.

Brian Epstein first discovered the Beatles in November 1961 during a lunchtime Cavern Club performance.

The album's sleeve was designed by pop artist Richard Hamilton, in collaboration with McCartney. Hamilton's design was in stark contrast to Peter Blake's vivid cover art for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and consisted of a plain white sleeve.

The Beatles were formed in Liverpool in 1960.