David Magnus/REX/Shutterstock
In June 1967, The Beatles invited British photographer David Magnus -- then only 22 years old -- to take pictures of them at Abbey Road Studios (known at the time as EMI Studios).
David Magnus/REX/Shutterstock
It was the weekend they recorded "All You Need is Love" for the BBC's "Our World," the world's first live, international satellite production.
David Magnus/REX/Shutterstock
This was also the first time the band performed the song in public. It would be released as a single the following month.
DAVID MAGNUS/REX/Shutterstock
The band invited celebrity friends like Mick Jagger (pictured here with John Lennon) and Marianne Faithful to attend the taping.
DAVID MAGNUS/REX/Shutterstock
Magnus was given the freedom to photograph whatever he wanted behind the scenes.
DAVID MAGNUS/REX/Shutterstock
He captured the rehearsals and the performance, as well as candid moments when the band was relaxing.
DAVID MAGNUS/REX/Shutterstock
Magnus first photographed the band at a concert at a Buckinghamshire private school when he was 19.
DAVID MAGNUS/REX/Shutterstock
"Looking back at that weekend and the time I spent through the years with The Beatles, I now realize how incredibly fortunate I was to spend so much time with them," said Magnus, now 72.

Program note: Explore the music tied to iconic moments in history: CNN Original Series “Soundtracks” premieres Thursday, April 20, at 10 p.m. ET.

CNN  — 

At 19, British photographer David Magnus was invited to shoot a still relatively unknown pop group called The Beatles during a concert at a Buckinghamshire private school.

Needless to say, they didn’t stay unknown for much longer. The Fab Four would go on to be one of history’s most influential and critically acclaimed musical acts – and Magnus, who became a friend of the band, would be there to capture their career milestones.

“Nobody expected that these four talented lads from Liverpool would go on for what is now 54 years,” Magnus, now 72, told CNN in an email.

“Looking back at that weekend and the time I spent through the years with The Beatles, I now realize how incredibly fortunate I was to spend so much time with them.”

In June 1967, the band invited him to Abbey Road Studios (then known as EMI Studios) the weekend they recorded “All You Need is Love” for the BBC’s “Our World,” the world’s first live, international satellite production, and the first time they’d performed the song in public.

Fifty years later, the public can see Magnus’ behind-the-scenes photos from that weekend at his new exhibition, “The Beatles Unseen: Photographs by David Magnus,” at London’s Proud Chelsea gallery.

Transcending generations

While rehearsals were professional and productive, Magnus describes the recording itself as a party, with the band having decorated the space with balloons and streamers, and invited celebrities like Mick Jagger, The Who’s Keith Moon and Marianne Faithfull to attend.

DAVID MAGNUS/REX/Shutterstock
Paul McCartney and John Lennon at rehearsal.

Magnus was given free rein to shoot what he saw fit, from tea breaks at the canteen to Paul McCartney painting a sign for his Aunt Milly, who was visiting family in Australia, to see during the broadcast. (It read “COME BACK MILLY!”)

“It was reportage with The Beatles, and I was able to achieve this style of photography with them, having built up over the years a bond of trust between us,” he said.

Two weeks ago, Magnus brought a group of American friends to the famed zebra crossing outside of Abbey Road Studios, made famous by the cover of the band’s 1969 album of the same name.

He was struck to see a large crowd already gathered, “the majority of whom were not even born when The Beatles were making their music.”

“Their music is just as popular today as it was,” he said. “It has transcended the generations.”

“The Beatles Unseen: Photographs by David Magnus” is on at Proud Chelsea in London until May 14, 2017.