Robert Freeman was a prolific and gifted Beatles photographer in 1964-5. Although the madcap moptops were renowned for zany antics, Freeman was adept at capturing their more serious, sensitive side, as in his camera sessions for the album Beatles For Sale, Freeman also did the memorable black and white cover for With The Beatles and the interesting wide angle shot for the cover of Rubber Soul. Freeman and others were constantly challenged with finding fresh ways to portray the most filmed foursome on earth.

Life in the spotlight changed the Beatles, both on stage and off. The public hungered for Beatle news, no matter how trivial or intimate. Prisoners of their own fame, it was time to let go of the Fab Four image and move on, musically and personally. After their last public concert in August 1966, they became a studio band. This distanced the Beatles from fans but brought them closer to their music. Within a year, a revolutionary new sound floated out of EMI's Abbey Road and into the consciousness of radio listeners everywhere. They called it Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and truly it was a defining moment for rock and roll, and for the Beatles themselves.