THE ORIGINAL STORY IS A DISTANT memory for some of us, but there can
be few people whose lives haven't been affected by The Beatles. Their influence on the world of music is pervasive; the effect they've had on popular culture is profound.
Looking from today's vantage point, over four decades on from when The Beatles first came to the world's attention, we might think that the story is complete, that there's nothing more to be said. We'd be wrong. Eric Burdon, the gravel-voiced singer with The Animals, expressed it as well as anyone: "there is something beyond time about The Beatles, something fairy tale. I think people will still be talking about them 100 years from now, like we discuss the Bible, or Shakespeare." Burdon has made his share of great records — but he recognised that, with The Beatles, the story is about much more than the records.
At MOJO magazine, we're lucky to be surrounded by an unending supply of new music, of new bands to enthuse about, or rediscovered gems that are new to us or our readers. But The Beatles are always there. Many of the staff weren't even born when Paul McCartney dissolved the band in London's High Court, but when a new cache of photos is discovered, or another piece of their story is unearthed, it's still as exciting as hearing the latest demo by a bunch of 2 3-year-olds. Their charisma leaches through every artefact — incredibly, after eight years of looking through stashes of photos, it's still impossible to find one where they don't look cool.