Contents -- Maps -- Europe -- Britain -- Liverpool -- London -- America -- Asia and Oceania -- PRELUDE: Thinking of Linking -- ONE: And the Band Begins to Play (1956-1960) -- Historical Narrative -- Musical Beginnings: The Quarry Men -- The First Compositions by Lennon and McCartney -- The Quarry Men with George Harrison -- British Revolutionaries: The Liverpool Scene -- Bass and Drums -- Substance in the Music of the Beatles and Their Forebears -- Formal, Harmonic, and Melodic Characteristics -- Rhythmic, Textural, Instrumental, and Vocal Articulation of Structure -- TWO: Someone to Love, Somebody New (1960-1963) -- The Beatles with Pete Best -- Apprenticeship in Hamburg -- Enter Brian Epstein -- The First EMI Recordings -- New Drummer Ringo Starr -- Introductory Singles: "Love Me Do" / "P.S. I Love You" and "Please Please Me" / "Ask Me Why" -- The First LP: Please Please Me -- Composers at Work -- Spring 1963-The Third Single -- Composing for the Epstein Stable -- The Fourth Single: "She Loves You" / "I'll Get You" -- The Final Two-Track Recordings -- Beatlemania: The Second Half of 1963 -- The Second LP: With the Beatles -- INTERLUDE: I Want to Hold Your Hand -- Initial Reception in America -- THREE: I'm Not What I Appear to Be (1964) -- The Beatles Conquer America -- History through May 1964 -- Peter & Gordon -- Other Friends -- "Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That" -- A Hard Day's Night: Film Soundtrack -- June-July 1964: World Tour, Additional LP and EP Tracks -- The Australian Tour and Surrounding Events -- Final Recordings for the EP and LP -- Late 1964: U.S. Tour and Fourth LP -- Events of August-December 1964 -- Beatles for Sale and "I Feel Fine" / "She's a Woman" -- The Beatles' Musical Growth in Their First Two Years with EMI -- FOUR: I'm Here to Show Everybody the Light (1965) -- Popular Music, 1964-1966 -- British Beat Music.

Pop Music in America -- A Second Feature Film -- Help!: Recordings for the Film -- The Spring of 1965 -- The Second Half of 1965 -- Summer Tours -- Rubber Soul and "We Can Work It Out" / "Day Tripper" -- November-December 1965 -- POSTLUDE: The Act You've Known for All These Years (1957-2000) -- APPENDIX: Instruments Played by the Early-Period Beatles -- Table of Chord Functions -- Glossary of Terms -- Notes -- References -- Index of Names, Songs, Albums, Videos, and Artworks -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z.