披头合唱团(Beatles, the)
英国乐团，在摇滚乐高潮期进入音乐界。乐团四名成员皆生於利物浦，分别是保罗麦卡尼、约翰蓝侬、哈里逊（George Harrison, 1943～2001）、斯塔尔（Ringo Starr, 1940～）。乐团始於1956年保罗麦卡尼与约翰蓝侬的搭档，1957年哈里逊加入，这三人外加萨克利夫（Stu Sutcliffe, 1940～1962）和後来的贝斯特（Pete Best, 1941～）於1960年取名披头合唱团。1962年该团签订一份唱片合约，并由斯塔尔取代贝斯特。1962～1963年发行的唱片包括〈请取悦我〉和〈我想握你的手〉，使他们成为英国最受欢迎的摇滚乐团，1964年「披头热」席卷美国。披头合唱团的音乐原受美国歌手查克贝里、艾维斯普里斯莱和哈利等人启发，他们的直接和充满活力的歌曲使他们盘据流行排行榜之首达数年之久。他们的长发和服装品味的影响遍及全世界，而吸食迷幻药和信奉印度神秘主义的行径也一样影响巨大。在保证畅销下，他们感到可以自由地实验新的音乐形式和编曲。结果产生各种不同的歌曲，从民谣〈昨日〉到繁复节奏的曲调如〈平装书作者〉，从儿歌如〈黄色潜水艇〉到社会批判歌曲〈艾琳娜.里格比〉等。1966年他们告别公开演出。披头合唱团制作的《橡胶灵魂》（1965）、《左轮手枪》（1966）和《披头合唱团》（又称「白色专辑」；1968）等为摇滚乐确立了新的潮流。1967年他们制作了《比柏军曹寂寞芳心俱乐部》，这个专辑在整体概念上是一部戏剧，在使用电子音乐和显然是舞台上无法重现的录音室作品方面也是新鲜的。他们还在两部影片《一夜狂欢》（1964）和《救命》（1965）中演出。乐团在1971年解散。
English version：
Beatles, the
British musical group that ushered in the climactic phase of rock music. Its members, all born in Liverpool, were Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison (born 1943), and Ringo Starr (born 1940). It began in the pairing of McCartney and Lennon in 1956, joined by Harrison in 1957, along with Stu Sutcliffe (1940-1962) and later Pete Best (born 1941). In 1960 they adopted the name The Beatles. In 1962 they signed a recording contract and replaced Best with Starr. The release in 1962-63 of such songs as “Please Please Me” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” made them England's most popular rock group, and in 1964 “Beatlemania” struck the U.S. Originally inspired by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Bill Haley, their direct and energetic songs kept them at the top of popularity charts. Their long hair and tastes in dress proved influential throughout the world, as did their experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs and Indian mysticism. Guaranteed huge sales, they felt free to experiment with a mix ranging from ballads (“Yesterday”) to complex rhythm tunes (“Paperback Writer”), from children's songs (“Yellow Submarine”) to songs of social comment (“Eleanor Rigby”). Their public performances ended in 1966. Albums such as Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966) and The Beatles (“White Album,” 1968) set new trends in rock. In 1967 they produced Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album novel for its conception as a dramatic whole, use of electronic music, and character as a studio work unreproducible on stage. They appeared in the films A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965). The group dissolved in 1971.