When the Beatles rose to superstardom first in their native Britain and then throughout the world, they were an unprecedented musical and cultural phenomenon. Using both common and rare recordings and video clips, this course will trace their artistic evolution from the dawn of their career through their incredible run of innovative early hits to their retirement from live performance in mid-1966. The development of the numerous styles they pioneered and mastered will be explored in detail, from the relatively simple Merseybeat of their first recordings through the folk-rock and psychedelia of their Rubber Soul and Revolver albums. This class is generously discounted by the Anonymous Fund of the Marin Community Foundation.