England, the 1960s, and the Triumph of the Beatles

What happens between September 1963 and February 1964 to launch the Beatles toward international stardom; discovering some of the major social and sonic factors at work in the transformation of these young musicians into a pop culture hurricane.

The Beatles are a product of the many worlds contained within 1950s and 1960s Liverpool; how the band soaks up this post-industrial and culturally vibrant scene; how they store ideas and impressions that turn up in some of their early tunes.

The "beat" in the Beatles is about more than just the music; exploring the Bohemian fringe known as the beatniks; following John, Paul and George as they search for the right drummer; the importance of the Beatles' apprenticeship in Hamburg.

Professor Shelden reveals some of the less flattering characteristics of the Beatles; chief among these is anger, both as a problem for John Lennon and as an outlet for creativity best seen in one of the Beatles' early successes, "Help!".

Meeting band manager Brian Epstein; discovering how Epstein puts the show on the road; how he makes sure that road goes all the way around the world despite a strong degree of resistance to the band in its early days.

During the early 1960s, the Beatles become the West's most irresistible export; how the Cold War transforms the Beatles from a provincial act to superstars of the Western world; considering new ways to think about the song, "Back in the USSR".