Once upon a time there were four Liverpool lads with funny haircuts. They used to play music in a little nightclub down a back lane called Mathew Street in the centre of Liverpool. They were very good, and soon they became famous. Then they became legendary. They don't play together any more, and sadly one of them was murdered, but the legend lives on, and in Liverpool it has become an industry.
Serious Beatle fans should visit the Beatles Story Museum at Albert Dock. They should also take the Magical Mystery Tour of Liverpool so they can see where the boys were born, lived, and went to school. They can visit Penny Lane, and Strawberry Field. Most of us, however, will not be so devoted. (I was a little too young. I grew up on David Bowie and Roxy Music, and I thought the Beatles were old-fashioned and dull.) But what we should all do is visit the Cavern Walks.
The point is that this area is still about music. The cavern has been re-opened (I believe opposite the original site). The pubs in Mathew Street also offer live music. On the wall a statue of Lady Madonna cradles the 'Four Lads Who Shook the World'. A statue of John leans nonchalantly against the wall of the Cavern Pub. And on the wall of the pub, one per brick, are the names of all the bands who have played there. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Queen, Stevie Wonder, and of course those other Liverpool heroes, Gerry and the Pacemakers. Just about all of rock 'n' roll is here, or at least was here at one point in time. It works too. New bands such as Oasis have asked to play here simply because of where it is. This whole area is a shrine, not just to four charming mop-tops, but to music.