‎England, the 1960s, and the Triumph of the Beatles - Apple TV

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A fresh look at how a pop band becomes one of the most compelling voices against the status quo; zeroing in on the story of how the Beatles emerge as a worldwide phenomenon; the songs like "Yesterday" and "Help!" that define them.

Educational · 2020 · 27 min

Starring Michael Sheldon

EPISODE 1

The Magical Mystery 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.

26 min · 20 May 2021
EPISODE 2

Fateful Intersections in Liverpool

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.

26 min · 20 May 2021
EPISODE 3

Finding the Beat in the Beatles

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.

26 min · 20 May 2021
EPISODE 4

Nowhere Men: The Dark Side of the Beatles

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!".

26 min · 20 May 2021
EPISODE 5

Beatles for Sale: Brian Epstein's Genius

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.

26 min · 20 May 2021
EPISODE 6

The Cold War, JFK, and the Beatles

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".

25 min · 20 May 2021

Michael Sheldon

Host