There's something a little twee and restrained about the rock and roll music which came out throughout the 1950s, and there's a hint of this sweetness in the early footage of The Beatles, whose skiffle-inspired tunes veered far more towards what we perceive as pop than they did rock. Jump forwards a decade from their formation in 1960, however, and it becomes immediately apparent how few bands in the history of music have managed to so successfully reinvent themselves over and over while still appealing to millions of fans around the world. Breaking through the constraints of the music scene they were brought up with, their songs oozed creativity, both lyrically and in the wonderful instrumental arrangements. While Beatlemania and the legions of screaming teenage girls which it spawned might not be the greatest legacy to leave to popular culture, The Beatles' overall output represented a string of major breakthroughs in how music is written and produced.
