Four upstarts from Liverpool, England launched a tsunami of sound in the 1960s that pervaded every aspect of Western society.

From faith to fashion, posh to politics, sexuality to altruistic love, the Beatles entertained, enlightened and inspired the whole baby boomer generation — and beyond.

In “A Hard Day’s Write,” Steve Turner wrote, “Though the Beatles’ partnership ended in 1970 amid lawsuits and acrimony, their recordings ensure that they will live forever.”

As Turner surmised, the wonders of technology ensure perpetual access to the Beatles’ massive musical catalog, but what keeps their handiwork from fading like childhood photographs or languishing in a ’60s time warp?

“The Beatles had something magical, but good singing is good singing, and good music is good music—no matter when it was written. The Beatles still sound good on the radio,” said Marty Scott, who plays George Harrison in the Liverpool Legends, a Branson, Mo., tribute band.

Throughout the ’60s, the Beatles’ lyrical messages evolved just as dramatically as their music. The lighthearted frolickers of the early Mop-top era graduated from songs about girls and good times and emerged on the cover of Rubber Soul with somber faces and a lyrical tone to match.

In “The Word,” John Lennon gave voice to the group’s new cultural role.

“Now that I know what I feel must be right, I’m here to show everybody the light,” he sang. “It’s the word, love.”

This notion of a universal, altruistic love became the exclamation point on the Beatles’ entire body of work — “All you need is love.”

Clearly, the Beatles’ magical mystery tour had turned more mystical than magical.

“We didn’t come into the world with a book of instructions, but a number of people throughout the course of history came to teach humanity about being kind to each other, about love and caring, and that you should treat each other the way you’d like to be treated,” said Louise Harrison, elder sister of Beatle George and sponsor of the Liverpool Legends. “Several philosophers told me that it’s as though the Beatles were the 20th century repackaging of that message.”

Harrison said the Beatles’ music and message attracted a number of contemporary personalities, including Larry King, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

She mused about meeting an up-and-coming politician in southern Illinois.

“A few years ago, I was speaking at this function, and the mayor of the town came over and said, ‘Here’s somebody who wants to meet you.’ That’s the first time I had my picture taken with a Beatles fan who turned out to be president of the United States.”

Scott said the Beatles’ musical quality and topical relevance strike a chord with younger audiences, too.

“Whatever you see of the Beatles is documented really well,” Scott said. “Kids these days watch the Beatles’ ‘Anthology’ or a ‘Hard Day’s Night’ and think, ‘These are the coolest guys I’ve ever seen in my life! I want to be like that.’ That’s why they’re the only group that has transferred down to kids of other generations. What the Beatles did will never happen again.”

“It’s been two generations since the Beatles,” Harrison said. “These generations have taken to them just the same.”

For Harrison and Scott, perpetuating the Beatles’ legacy has become a personal mission.

Harrison is putting together an educational curriculum to teach children about the Beatles’ music and cultural impact.

In addition, the Liverpool Legends and Starlite Theatre host student groups, such as the Garden City, Kan., High School show choir.

“Branson Onstage Live set up two pre-show performances for us,” said choir director Jane Vanderhoff.

Sylvia Shomshor’s freshman English class from Licking, Mo., High School visited the Liverpool Legends as part of research assignment.

Shomshor built a study of poetry and music around the 2007 jukebox musical, “Across the Universe.” The film’s storyline is linked by more than 30 Beatles tunes.

We studied the history [of the 1960s] and the movie’s characters,” Shomshor said. “Then, we analyzed poetry from yesteryear and worked our way into song lyrics, which is a form of poetry. The Liverpool Legends are pretty cool. Our students got a true representation of what they would have heard with the Beatles and learned to appreciate what their grandparents experienced.”

“I enjoyed studying the lyrics to the Beatles’ songs, because they related to life events,” said Licking High freshman Stetson Stevens. “The trip to Branson was awesome!”

“A few students already selected Ringo Starr and George Harrison as their favorite songwriters,” Shomshor said.

In “The Gospel according to the Beatles,” Steve Turner wrote, “The Beatles, it seemed, went through things on behalf of their followers and then sent back their findings. … [They] wrote their reports up in the form of songs.”

“My brother, George, climbed to the top of the material world, looked over, and saw there was so much more,” said Lou Harrison.

Now, that’s a message every generation needs to hear.

For more information about the Liverpool Legends, call 417-337-9333 or visit www.liverpoollegends.com.