David Stubbs · @sendvictorious
18th Feb 2016 from TwitLonger
The History Of The 60s - an NME 2016 exclusive.
30 years before Oasis, The Beatles were already putting Manchester on the map with hits like "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (All She Needs Is Love)" and "Eleanor Rigsby". Featuring John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney (who would eventually achieve fame for being father of top designer Stellar McCartney and vegetarian cook Linda) and Freddie Starr, they would dominate British rock until they disbanded in 1980 when John Lennon was assassinated in Los Angeles, New York.
Their closest rivals were The Rolling Stones, led by Mick Jagger and Cliff Richard, whose controversial career came to a head when Hells Angels beat a fan to death at the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest while they were performing their hit "Congratulations". Other rivals included The Beach Boys, led by the brothers Dennis, Carl and Harold Wilson who retired from music in the mid-60s altogether to become leader of Britain's Taxman Party, in coalition with jazz bandleader Mr Ted Heath.
In the late 60s the rock scene was dominated by The Doors, precursor to modern bands like The Arcade Monkeys and The Arctic Fire, who were led by Van Morrison. Although he is buried in Paris, Van still enjoys a fruitful solo career as a covers artist playing songs by Irish singer Van Morrison (no relation). We got all these facts from surfing a Windows 10.9.6 with flexible tablet interface.
NEXT WEEK: The rise of Bob Springsteen