Fifty years have passed since The Beatles first record was released, and this one is perhaps a lesser known song from the Liverpool laddies; a "B" side from way back in '66. The first track ever to have a piece recorded backwards and the accompanying promo video was yet another first from The Beatles and the fore runner of MTV. The world wide record sales of The Beatles (excluding solo work) between 1962 and 2011 is over 1.3 billion units. Elvis comes in second at around 1 billion with Michael Jackson third on 750million. The one thing that everyone who's knowledgeable about the history of popular music agrees about is: The Beatles were incredible original. In both the art of song writing and along with their producer George Martin, their highly inventive use of the recording studio has become legendary. *"Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" were the first tracks recorded for their Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band album (released in 1967 and recorded on just four tracks - the best available technology in the UK at the time) However, the suits at EMI required a single to be released, so these two great tracks were never included on the album! The Sgt. Pepper album in 2003, was ranked #1 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List. In 2006, it was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time. It has also been voted Best Album On Earth.
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* For those of a musical or creative persuasion, I've included this excellent video made by a devote, to the evolution of the track Strawberry Fields. It takes you from Lennon doodling a few notes while in a busy hotel room in the US, right through to the finished song. A fascinating 26 minute insight into a creative journey, for those who wish to make the it.
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