The Beatles are by all accounts the greatest band to have ever walked the Earth, but few can comprehend how four mop-topped minstrels from the mean streets of Liverpool, England forever altered the landscape of Rock and Roll.

Consisting of the immortal John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, the Beatles took the US by storm in 1964 with an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, where they were greeted by the frenzied shouts of teenage girls, a sound they would eventually grow accustomed to.

Their singles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You” quickly soared to the top of the charts and thus began the British Invasion.

Disillusioned by the glare of the international spotlight and the fleeting fame that it came with, Lennon and McCartney took to the studio and recorded the groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, whose Avant-garde fueled psychedelia pushed the boundaries of music.

From there the foundation was laid for the epic White Album, Abbey Road, and a final rooftop performance for Let It Be.

Influenced: Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, The Cure