Recently I’ve received requests to examine “Rain,” the groundbreaking B-side to “Paperback Writer.” Indeed, “Rain” has transformed into one of the Beatles’ best-loved B-sides, a masterpiece both musically and lyrically.

Many fascinating stories have emerged from the landmark 1963 recording of the Please Please Me album. The all-day marathon session signaled the beginning of The Beatles’ rock and pop reign and produced an impressive array of singles: “Love Me Do,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Twist and Shout,” and the title track

Unlike many bands, the Beatles’ B-sides were often just as good, if not better, than the A-side single. Case in point: “For You Blue,” the B-side to the hit single “The Long and Winding Road.”

The stereotype stands to this day: John Lennon wrote the rockers, Paul McCartney the love songs. But the Abbey Road track “Oh! Darling” challenged this notion by having McCartney write and sing the blues.

“That was Paul and me trying to write a song … and it didn’t work out,” John Lennon said in a 1980 interview. Despite Lennon’s opinion, 1963′s “I’ll Get You” exemplifies the Beatles’ growing ability to absorb pop and rhythm and blues

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I stand before you to defend the reputation of the Beatles’ 1964 cover of “Mr. Moonlight.” Since its first appearance on Beatles for Sale, fans and critics have derided the track as corny, cheesy, and overdone, unworthy of the band’s otherwise stellar recordings.

Would the Beatles’ self-titled 1968 album (otherwise known as the White Album) have been stronger as a single-disc work? Was it as fragmented and disjointed as critics then claimed?

1965 proved to be a busy year for the Beatles. Beatlemania continued to take over the globe, the group maintained a whirlwind touring schedule, they shot the film Help!, and they recorded two albums.

As the Beatles’ career progressed, George Harrison gradually developed into a first-class songwriter on a par with the formidable John Lennon/Paul McCartney partnership.

As any Beatles student knows, the four made no secret of their love for R&B. Before they conquered the world, they cut their teeth on tracks by Little Richard, Arthur Alexander, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles