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The Beatles are overrated, enough said

 
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The Beatles suck.

How can a band who stopped playing live shows in 1966 and started making just studio albums be ‘the greatest band ever’?

Nothing is more annoying than somebody trying to convince me The Beatles revolutionized music and, without them, we would not have (insert band here).

That argument is weak and false.

I wish this statement was true because, if it was, we wouldn’t have pop sensations Britney Spears, T-Pain or American Idol.

The Backstreet Boys were revolutionary. But they sucked, too.

And don’t even attempt to sell me on fact The Beatles were about love and world peace.

John Lennon and the rest of the band preached love and tolerance, yet hatred and jealousy among band members tore them apart.

The Beatles supposedly quit playing live shows because crowds were getting out of control?

Unruly concertgoers never made The Who, The Clash or AC/DC hang up what they did best.

But you know what bothers me the most? The fifth Beatle no one talks about.

Wait, there is a fifth Beatle?

Yes, George Martin.

Who’s George Martin?

He is the greatest Beatle (if there is such a thing) and he is to The Beatles what Rick Ruben is to Metallica, The Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Weezer and every other band he has had his hands on. But you know so much about music, you probably already knew that.

Martin is responsible for the making of every Beatles album except for one. Without him, The Beatles would still be in a basement doing drugs and trying to make albums.

The George Martin Band would have been a better fitting name than The Beatles.

But someone will still argue George Harrison was the best Beatle because he was an amazing guitarist or Lennon was the best because of his lyrics. The problem is they may be the best Beatles to some, but they aren’t the best at what they did.

Take, for example, my favorite Beatles song, ‘Hey Jude,’ and compare it to Wilson Pickett’s version. Listen to how much more emotion and energy comes through in the lyrics and guitar.

It should also be noted guitarist Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band sat in on the studio session of this song. He also is ranked second on Rolling Stones list of 100 great guitarist of all time. George Harrison is ranked 21st.

Sure, they made some good music, but it was not because they were the best at what they do.

Jimi Hendrix had more talent in his left hand than the Fab Four combined.

Apparently none of this matters though. For some reason, people still buy into the hype of Beatlemania.

 

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  • Adam

    Mr. Stephens poses an interesting argument but doesn’t really see it through. Also, his point about Rick “Ruben” (it’s Rubin) doesn’t really hold water, because he had very little to do with the success of Metallica, Jay-Z or Weezer. Better luck next time.

  • Tim

    “anyone who likes the beatles is an idiot.. period.. Put any rolling stones song to the beatles and the stones would win, They are the greatest band of all time.”

    Actually, anyone who makes this kind of comment is an idiot. Period. But I’ve come to expect this from whiney Rolling Stones fans- they simply can’t mention the merit of the Stones without first cutting down the Beatles.

    Simple fact: if we listed the twenty best songs by both the Beatles and the Stones, the latter would have MAYBE one or two songs on that list. HTFH.

  • gusterlover

    Everyone keeps talking about the article…let’s point out the article title. “The Beatles are overrated, enough said…” this would imply that the author actually said something of value…enough said.

  • http://yahoo.com Jason

    This is very funny. In the area I live everyone thinks they are the greatest band ever. And I constantly tell EVERYONE who likes them that they are overrated and don’t even sound very good. I only like a few of their songs but I just thought it was funny that I came across this article extremely irrelevantly. But what he is saying is true. The Beatles are EXTREMELY overrated. I guess people just like jumping on bandwagons (no pun intended) they probably do not know half of the stuff they are singing about, but they like it because of ‘the message it sends’ and the ‘true meaning behind the lyrics’. What the hell does ‘strawberry fields forever even mean?!?!?!

  • Ben LaMothe

    It’s hard to argue with someone when their thesis — that The Beatles are overrated — is fundamentally false.

  • Kirst

    I’m inclined to agree with Ben here.

    No, the Beatles did not revolutionize ALL types of music. But so many bands these days (even the smaller/local ones) list the Beatles as an influence (either lyrically, harmonically, or melodically) that it is impossible to ignore the impact they’ve had on music. No, not all of their works are strokes of genius, but with the hundreds of songs they wrote and released, cut them a little slack.

    The main problem with your comparison between the Beatles’ fan problem and AC/DC etc.’s fans is completely bogus: they were in DIFFERENT TIMES. The Beatles were the first incredibly major international group to tour, and no one was really sure of how to deal with these crowds yet. The only thing that maybe came close was Elvis and his crowds. You cannot compare groups from different times that have different social codes applying to them.

    And don’t pull this elitist crap on us with the “oh I’ll bet you didn’t know about George Martin” business. Some of us didn’t just jump on the Beatlewagon, some of us do know something about the Beatles.

    And OH NO the Beatles were somewhat hypocritical in their messages versus their lives just like EVERYONE ELSE. You’re in no way being profound.

    The Beatles are huge because of what they mean to people, not because they were the best musicians to ever exist. I’m not saying that.

    It is one thing to say that they are sometimes overrated and you just don’t care for them. But to downright say they suck is insulting. But clearly you weren’t looking for agreement here. You’re one of those writers who just likes to tick people off. If my assumption is indeed correct, then congratulations. You just offended the vast majority of the population of CMU.

  • Jack

    You’re adorable.

    You’re not breaking any new ground with your opinion, and what’s more your argument is so vague I can’t help but think the only reason you wrote is was to tick people off.

    You certainly have a right to your opinion, and I can totally see your point of view (my mother is right there with ya, and she’s been explaining it to me for as long as I can remember), but this entire article sounds like you slapped it together within 10 minutes of the deadline.

    Your opinion has been noted, but your argument is incredibly weak. I was kind of hoping for an engaging article, but I guess this is what CM Life has been reduced to.

  • zissi

    The Beatles are by far the greatest ever..They recorded the best albums ever: Revolver , Sgt Peppers, Rubber Soul, The white Album, Revolver..The rolling stones , the who, U2 etc have not recorded an album that would have gone further then the studio bin where the Beatles are concerned. They wrote songs in every style one can think of: Jazz, soul, Rock, Ballroom, Ballad, Classical, yet all these songs were integrated into their own unmistakable sound. They sold more records than anyone else, their songs have been covered more than anyone elses..John Lennon was a great Rhythm guitarist and a master lyricist, George Harrison a great Lead guitarist and Paul McCartney was superb on many instruments from Drums to bass and noone could write a catchier tune then him….
    Anyone who came on here to post anything negative about the Beatles is obvioiusly deaf and stupid…..Beatles , only second to Mozart!

  • zissi

    The Beatles are by far the greatest ever..They recorded the best albums ever: Revolver , Sgt Peppers, Rubber Soul, The white Album, Abbey Road..The rolling stones , the who, U2 etc have not recorded an album that would have gone further then the studio bin where the Beatles are concerned. Bono and Mick Jagger are technically poor singers. John and Paul are superb singers! The Beatles wrote songs in every style one can think of: Jazz, soul, Rock, Ballroom, Ballad, Classical, yet all these songs were integrated into their own unmistakable sound. They sold more records than anyone else, their songs have been covered more than anyone elses..John Lennon was a great Rhythm guitarist and a master lyricist, George Harrison a great Lead guitarist and Paul McCartney was superb on many instruments from Drums to bass and noone could write a catchier tune then him….
    Anyone who came on here to post anything negative about the Beatles is obvioiusly deaf and stupid…..Beatles , only second to Mozart!

  • THEBEATLESWEREBRILLIANTCOOL&VERYGOODMUSICIANS!

    zissi,

    *YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!!!!*

  • Eric

    Pathetic pseudo-argument. People who have chosen to believe the overrated narrative (and I can partly understand why they would; it’s annoying when tons of people go on and on about stuff I don’t get or care about) are hard to refute, because A. most of their argument rests on subjective–thereby irrefutable–statements (ex. Song A is not that great) and cherry-picked supposed counter-examples that are actually used as hasty-generalization or knights and knaves fallacies (ex. Duane Allman played on a song, therefore all of the music came from people other than the Beatles; George Martin innovated parts of the Beatles’ sound, therefore the Beatles are responsible for none of their sound).

    Learn about music, Matthew (ooh…he found out about George Martin! The big secret is out! Oh no!). Actually listen to what happens on Beatles albums (especially after Rubber Soul). Your “argument” is, quite simply, wrong.

  • KayleL

    If the Beatles are being used to teach in very reputable sound and music schools, I would say they are not overrated.

  • Chris Walczak

    That was a terrible argument. stay in school

  • Bertram

    You’re an idiot, enough said.

  • Mr. Morozov

    *sigh* While all people are entitled to their opinions, I disagree with you on so many levels. I personally grew up with The Beatles, and I can listen to their music until the day I die. How can you not like them? I dare you to listen to “Octopus’s Garden” and not crack a smile.

    Another thing, The Beatles wrote 292 songs. If you can’t find 10 or more that you like, then you just don’t like music.

    So, by your logic, those millions of people who went to their concerts and bought their albums are idiots, too.

    Also, like many have said before me, you don’t really seem to give very many valid reasons why The Beatles are overrated. I mean, the first line of the article: “The Beatles suck”. Ok then, why? “Jimi Hendrix has more talent in his left hand.” Umm… you seem to not understand how to make a valid debate, my friend.

  • hater

    2010: A Space Odyssey

    A Proposal.

    Beatlehaters are considering establishing a Tribunal similar to the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. The purpose of which is to establish a raft of sweeping draconian laws, backward bureaucracies and legal biases in order to stamp out “Beatleness” wherever it is found, lest it should ever happen again.

    Secondly, to put on trial before the court, all “Beatles” and their “Fans” who are accused (dead or alive) of crimes against music as determined by the Tribunal.
    Thirdly, to publicly defame and summarily strip “The Beatles” of all merit and/or accolades and punish accordingly.

    Four mop-top heads are going to roll.

    Upon determining The Beatles crimes against music and subsequent guilt:

    The Beatles Summary Offences Act shall be legislated and proclaimed.

    -NASA Space exploration program will be cancelled due to funding redirection.

    -Any surviving Beatles members and their family members will be whisked away to a remote windswept field in Northern England and unceremoniously bludgeoned to death with a blunt instrument.
    Their remains burned and sent into the centre of the sun.

    -George Martin will be killed, if he isn’t already dead.

    -Mark Chapman will be pardoned.

    -Phil Spector will be left right where he is, as a living memorial and deterrent.

    -Expired Beatles remains shall be exhumed, symbolically executed, and then launched into the centre of the sun.

    -The “Beatles” entire audio back-catalogue; including but not limited to; master tapes, reference acetates, press plates, out-takes etc. shall be summarily deleted and/or destroyed.

    -Any material alluding to the prior existence of the aforementioned back-catalogue shall be summarily deleted and/or destroyed.

    -Any existing “Beatles” merchandise and/or warehouse stock will be crushed, burned and launched into the centre of the sun.

    -Musical instruments (ab)used by “The Beatles” and any subsequent reissues, signature series or any other musical instrument that may remind any unsuspecting innocent bystander of “The Beatles” will be burned, jettisoned into the sun.
    -This means all hofner violin basses, epiphone casinos, Ludwig drums, vox amplifiers etc, etc.

    -Anyone found to be in possession of material(s) pertaining to; performing, acting out, impersonating, miming, humming, whistling, thinking, interpretive dancing, or other act deemed being either directly, indirectly, pertaining to, or unreasonably about “The Beatles” back-catalogue will be killed.

    -Any existing “Beatles” tribute bands, cover acts, stage shows, cabaret acts, licensed franchisees, pretenders, troubadours, buskers or other persistent nostalgic impersonators and/or their immediate next of kin will be killed.

    -Remastering, reissuing, remixing, rehashing, rehearsing and generally regurgitating any “Beatles” material or part thereof will be punishable by death.

    -Persons involved with audio/video production, post-production, recording, engineering and/or producing found to be engaging in sonic misconduct not entirely unlike “The Beatles” will be deemed “Beatlesque” and killed.
    This means you Jeff Lynne. Todd Rundgren etc, etc.

    -Fire-on-site orders will be issued to roving death-squads equipped with flame-throwers for use on anyone who speaks of the back-catalogue. Ever.

    -An intercontinental nuclear ballistic missile will be armed, targeted at Abbey road studios and subsequently launched.
    (Nuclear winter party at pedestrian-crossing-crater everyone! Get your happy snaps of that one.)

    -Rockets, missiles, satellites and/or terrestrial bodies previously launched into space containing materials relating to “The Beatles” represent a threat to the entire universe and will be self-destructed or redirected into the path of the nearest oncoming astrological threat.

    -A large Electromagnetic Pulse weapon will be designed, built and fired in order to destroy all “Beatles” radio emissions previously broadcast from the Earth.

    -Internet, government and private databases will be hacked, cracked, sifted, trolled for every last solitary 0 or 1 of digital “Beatles” material, or the word ‘beatle’ and summarily deleted and/or destroyed. Permanently.

    -All subsequent operating systems and versions of windows to crash upon use of word ’beatle’.

    -All existing documentary evidence pertaining to “Beatles” rounded up and burned. Ashes collected, launched into centre of the sun.

    -Roving death-squads to be given draconian powers to kick in doors, search and seize all previous storage and retrieval formats from wax cylinders to BLU-RAY and everything in between. Collected material to be launched into the centre of the sun.

    (-Paraphernalia fanatics are particularly dangerous to the community at large and are to be singled out for special treatment. The criminal-music justice system must send a strong message and needs to set an example.)

    -If found in possession of more than 2 articles relating to “The Beatles”, fanatics can be deemed “Beatophiles” and strapped alive to the missile cone as we jettison the back-catalogue material into the centre of the sun.

    -Science will be funded with all the money we have saved at the NASA space program by jettisoning everything into the sun. New research will identify genetic predisposition towards “liking the Beatles” and we will have the scourge promptly isolated and engineered out of the human genome.

    -Anti-Beatle Intelligence organizations will be given not-very-special powers to detain without charge indefinitely, interrogate and torture with impunity (render), and kill anyone suspected of ever having been a “Beatles” fan. Anyone deemed potentially “at risk” of ever becoming a “Beatles” fan will be shot on site.

    The Tribunal hasn’t forgotten you snivelling lifelong faithful devotees who will be flushed out of the woodwork in their masses to line up like lemmings for a public love-in with their little round glasses, Chinese vox amps and crappy reissue guitars to get shot in the head as “Beatle martyrs”. I think I’ll draft in Chapman for that job.

    When I see an old “Beatles” record, I buy it, no matter what cost, take it home and destroy it. Gone.
    I would encourage other BeatleHaters to do the same. Original pressings are a finite resource and can be eradicated, just like original Beatles fans… This is a war of attrition. This fight we can win.
    Destruction of Re-issue vinyl just makes money for BeatleMart. They can punch the shit out faster than we can burn it.

    Phil Spector, the most tragic Beatles fan of all, and other nutcases like him are the only reason that I regrettably cannot put my name to my beloved work.
    Do not doubt the purity and strength of my hatred for all things “Beatles”. The fight goes on.
    Anonymous.

  • http://LOL LOL

    ATTENTION WHORE. enough said.

  • zissi

    2010 Space Oddysey. (Anonymous)

    Thanks for that!!!! You are Officially proclaimed RETARD OF THE CENTURY!!!

    By the way, wishing death on people sums a deadbeat lardbutt like yourself very well..

    MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORON!!!!!!!

  • zissi

    Mr Cross has put the argument to rest good and proper.
    THE BEATLES ARE THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

    The Beatles are the Most Creative Band of All Time
    BACKGROUND HISTORY: The first musical bands originated in New Orleans among black musicians who have traditionally been the innovators. The first jazz record ever recorded was by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917, and of course they were white because racism always rears its ugly head to hold black people back. But during the Roaring 20′s, young white people couldn’t resist the dance beat laid down by the black jazz bands. Fletcher Henderson, a black man, became the first band leader to achieve national fame possibly because he featured Louis Armstrong on trumpet. Duke Ellington, a classically trained musician, brought a level of style and sophistication to jazz that hadn’t been seen before. But it wasn’t until 1935 that jazz bands with a “swing beat” achieved national attention due to Benny Goodman who I think was the best clarinet player ever to blow air into that instrument. Benny also had the good sense and taste to bring the first great drummer, Gene Krupa, into his band.
    When rock and roll exploded into human consciousness during the early 1950′s, black musicians like Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Smokey Robinson pioneered the way, but a white DJ named Alan Freed is believed to have coined the term “rock and roll”. The first real rock and roll record was “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, written by Jesse Stone who was black and recorded by Big Joe Turner who was also black but it wasn’t a hit. The first big hit rock and roll record was “Rock Around the Clock” written by James Meyers and Max Freeman of obvious ancestry, and that one catapulted Bill Haley and his Caucasian Comets to stardom. During the 1950′s and early 60′s, there were countless “do wop” groups, rock groups, singers and songwriters but until The the charts, there had been very few bands which contained talented songwriters. The vast majority of jazz and rock bands recorded songs written by songwriters who were not performers, with occasional exceptions like Duke Ellington and Buddy Holly. As time goes on, it’s increasingly clear that Lennon/McCartney songs are brilliant classics which will never be forgotten. Now here’s why The Beatles are the most creative band of all time:
    1. BEST EXAMPLE OF FORM = ConTENT
    As I sit here writing this at the keyboard of my computer facing the unique and colorful Beatles poster in my bedroom, I’m aware that I have been directly and indirectly inspired by John Lennon’s music as well as by the way he lived his life offstage. Squarely in front of me is a full color poster of all four Beatles standing in a heavenly-like flower garden at about the time of the Abbey Road album. Paul is angelic in his pink suit with a white laced shirt. John is enigmatic peering out from the background. George is charismatic staring directly into the camera from the lower right. Ringo is on the left with a stylish blue suit and his pink ruffled shirt. I always wished I could dress like those guys but obviously there’s a bit of a problem with a money differential there. Surrounding this gorgeous poster which I have never seen elsewhere are my 45 speed original records, including I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me, Twist and Shout, Can’t Buy Me Love, She’s A Woman, Yesterday, and of course, Hey Jude. And surrounding all that is a chain of 1-1/2″ long orange flicker flame lights which are the most beautiful and unique Christmas lights I’ve ever seen. I chose to decorate the wall directly in front of my work station this way because, as I’ve written elsewhere on this site several times, The Beatles were my major musical influence and having them on the wall in front of me inspires me to write web pages like this one. I was also among the millions of people who were inspired by how The Beatles were actually living their off stage lives. The Beatles’ music creatively stimulated millions of people to change the way they were living, and The Beatles behavior encouraged people to have fun by trying new life style experiences. That’s what I call a perfect example of FORM = ConTENT. In this case it means that the creatively and masterfully varied music The Beatles were producing (form) embodied the real life styles which each of the four Beatles were living (content), together as a band as well as separately as unique individuals.
    2. BEST SonGWRITERS
    This should be self-evident, but just because Paul McCartney has the title of the most popular songwriter in history doesn’t necessarily make him the best songwriter in history. The qualities which do make both Paul and John the best songwriters in history go beyond writing the greatest number of catchy classic songs. “Catchy” means that their melodies and lyrics are instantly memorable. “Classic” means that they stand the test of time. But both Paul and John wrote very sophisticated melodies that moved beyond the simple groups of 2, 4 and 8 patterned phrases used by almost all other songwriters. John and Paul’s melodies soared, floated, cascaded, dived and peaked with true dynamics, naturally following the syllabic lyric patterns – but not always. Sometimes the melodic and lyric patterns were independent of each other, almost counterpoint in nature, and as a songwriter, they never ceased to astonish me with their brilliance and originality. In the beginning, their lyrics were simple and their songs were simple love songs. But they soon began exploring new territory by writing about subjects that hadn’t been covered before. Inspired by Bob Dylan, they wrote true poetry with feeling and depth, using evocative and unusual words. Rubber Soul marked the beginning of their evolution as mature songwriters, Revolver was a break-out album, and Sergeant Pepper was an historic landmark album in terms of new and innovative songwriting as well as production. Every song they wrote was significantly different from the last one even though each song had their unmistakable sound.
    Most songwriters are only average players on their instruments, but John and Paul are both sophisticated guitarists who were able to integrate their playing into their songs and even into their song structure so that the “licks” they played became as catchy a part of their songs as the choruses and verses. Blackbird and Dear Prudence are only two examples of songs which couldn’t possibly be written by any other songwriter because of the guitar playing which forms an integral part of the song structure. In similar fashion, Lady Madonna is the best example of a great song which derives from the unique and beautiful bass part which only Paul could possibly have created.
    Average songwriters achieve the catchy quality by repeating a phrase endlessly or by beating a chorus to death. John and Paul found countless ways to be memorable without ever overly repeating something. The only time they repeated something over and over again for a long time was in Hey Jude, and what they chose to repeat is so gorgeous that one can only wish they had never ended the song. The Beatles were my biggest musical influence and I used to think, “If I could write just one song that’s as good as John and Paul’s worst song, I’d be happy.” People tell me I accomplished that goal and they say one good example is John is Alive, which is my sincere tribute to Sir Lennon.
    3. BEST SINGERS
    Even Ringo could sing when he got a little help from his friends who lived in the yellow submarine. But to say that Paul and John are two of the best singers in rock and roll is to state the obvious. Combining John, Paul and George created the best harmony vocals the world has ever experienced. Even their two part harmonies were unusual, catching us all by surprise on their first hit record with the fast harmony melisma in the chorus of I Want to Hold Your Hand. John had a knack of placing a unique low harmony line underneath Paul’s high melody line so as to form a second melody which created unusual harmony effects. He did that right from the beginning in the verses of She Loves You. Both Paul and John could blast out screaming rock and roll (i.e. Long Tall Sally and Twist and Shout), and both could break our hearts with touching, deep feeling ballads (i.e. Yesterday and Julia). There seems to be no end to their emotional vocal range, and John even explored the heights of vocal psychedelia in songs like She Said (Revolver) and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
    4. MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS
    Paul brought a new style of melodic playing to the bass guitar, reaching a new high of creativity on Sergeant Pepper with a level of sophistication never heard before. Many other musicians besides me recognize Paul as being one of the best bass guitar players ever. George is underrated as a lead guitarist by people with average or below average musical knowledge or ability, but most guitarists (including Eric Clapton) know better. George’s strength is in melody, pure and simple. It would be difficult to find a George Harrison lead which is not melodic, and each of his leads has a strong beginning, a stronger middle and a well defined ending. In fact, that’s Eric’s definition of what makes a good guitar lead. George continually developed new guitar sounds for each Beatles song. John and Paul are also excellent guitarists and both recorded great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks. All three of the Beatles guitarists may lack showy technical fireworks but they make that definition of guitar mastery irrelevant by overwhelming the senses with creativity, style, and pure melody. The exact same thing can be said about John and Paul’s keyboard playing. Ringo may be underrated as a drummer by the public but he is not underrated by other professional drummers. Ringo mastered the art of drum sounds. No drummer has ever recorded so many different sounds on so many different sounding records. Ringo invented a new style of slow drum playing, epitomized on A Day in the Life and Strawberry Fields Forever. John said many times, “Ringo has the best back beat in the business” and the successful studio drummers understand why John was correct.
    5. TOTAL CHARISMA
    A good definition of charisma needs to include “an unusual ability to influence people and arouse devotion” and “a personal attractiveness which enables a person to influence others”. No musical group prior to or after The Beatles features true charisma emanating strongly from the entire group as well as separately from each member. The Beatles stunned the world with their photogenic quality, their charm, their bubbling and lovable personalities, their cuteness and their unique style. Even before The Beatles achieved fame, people in Liverpool were imitating their haircuts, the way they dressed, the way they behaved, and the way they lived. Such a simple subliminal message about smoking marijuana got communicated to all the hippies who were waiting to happen without actual words ever being spoken. The Beatles had a lot to lose by being explicit on that subject, but they successfully avoided trouble by keeping it very subtle while at the same time clear enough so that we all got it. The Fab Four kept changing their styles rapidly, almost with each album cover, and soon the message became one of explicit spiritualism. After visiting India, The Beatles introduced eastern mysticism and meditation to the Western world for the first time through the mass media. John’s long saga with internal angst, drugs, spiritualism, politics, personal battles, and ultimately his marriage to Yoko played out like a movie the whole world got to watch in fascination. Paul’s happy life with Linda, George’s great focus on meditation, and Ringo’s equanimity throughout were all perfect examples of the power, the truth, and the effectiveness of true charisma.
    6. SEXUAL AURA
    Need I say it? Ask the millions of girls who were screaming and fainting at the very sight of them. “The Boys” didn’t move like Elvis or dance like Mick, they just stood there shaking their “mop top” heads around, smiling, laughing, and looking gorgeous as they performed great music and that was it. on their first visit to America, some enterprising weirdo from New York City managed to cut up the hotel bed sheets The Beatles had slept on into 1″ square pieces, and these things were actually sold to girls over the public airwaves by adult DJ’s on the AM radio stations who should have known better. The Beatles phenomenon went way beyond the rock and roll sex star status that had been seen before. Teenage girls in uncountable numbers fell in love, their hearts to be trapped, their heart strings to be continually plucked, and ultimately, their hearts to be broken by the unobtainable object of their love. Worshiping a star from afar? Infatuation? Obsession? Not real love? For many of them, it was their first experience feeling love for a man/boy. Whatever it was, it was very real to all of them, and we all soon understood that The Beatles were The Real Thing.
    That’s why I call The Beatles the Most Creative Band of All Time. They were The Real Thing. The Creative Zenith. The high point on the bell curve of musical history.
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    Web page design copyright 1996 © , text copyright 2005 © Peter Cross

  • zissi

    The Beatles are the Most Creative Band of All Time
    BACKGROUND HISTORY: The first musical bands originated in New Orleans among black musicians who have traditionally been the innovators. The first jazz record ever recorded was by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917, and of course they were white because racism always rears its ugly head to hold black people back. But during the Roaring 20′s, young white people couldn’t resist the dance beat laid down by the black jazz bands. Fletcher Henderson, a black man, became the first band leader to achieve national fame possibly because he featured Louis Armstrong on trumpet. Duke Ellington, a classically trained musician, brought a level of style and sophistication to jazz that hadn’t been seen before. But it wasn’t until 1935 that jazz bands with a “swing beat” achieved national attention due to Benny Goodman who I think was the best clarinet player ever to blow air into that instrument. Benny also had the good sense and taste to bring the first great drummer, Gene Krupa, into his band.
    When rock and roll exploded into human consciousness during the early 1950′s, black musicians like Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Smokey Robinson pioneered the way, but a white DJ named Alan Freed is believed to have coined the term “rock and roll”. The first real rock and roll record was “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, written by Jesse Stone who was black and recorded by Big Joe Turner who was also black but it wasn’t a hit. The first big hit rock and roll record was “Rock Around the Clock” written by James Meyers and Max Freeman of obvious ancestry, and that one catapulted Bill Haley and his Caucasian Comets to stardom. During the 1950′s and early 60′s, there were countless “do wop” groups, rock groups, singers and songwriters but until The the charts, there had been very few bands which contained talented songwriters. The vast majority of jazz and rock bands recorded songs written by songwriters who were not performers, with occasional exceptions like Duke Ellington and Buddy Holly. As time goes on, it’s increasingly clear that Lennon/McCartney songs are brilliant classics which will never be forgotten. Now here’s why The Beatles are the most creative band of all time:
    1. BEST EXAMPLE OF FORM = ConTENT
    As I sit here writing this at the keyboard of my computer facing the unique and colorful Beatles poster in my bedroom, I’m aware that I have been directly and indirectly inspired by John Lennon’s music as well as by the way he lived his life offstage. Squarely in front of me is a full color poster of all four Beatles standing in a heavenly-like flower garden at about the time of the Abbey Road album. Paul is angelic in his pink suit with a white laced shirt. John is enigmatic peering out from the background. George is charismatic staring directly into the camera from the lower right. Ringo is on the left with a stylish blue suit and his pink ruffled shirt. I always wished I could dress like those guys but obviously there’s a bit of a problem with a money differential there. Surrounding this gorgeous poster which I have never seen elsewhere are my 45 speed original records, including I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Please Please Me, Twist and Shout, Can’t Buy Me Love, She’s A Woman, Yesterday, and of course, Hey Jude. And surrounding all that is a chain of 1-1/2″ long orange flicker flame lights which are the most beautiful and unique Christmas lights I’ve ever seen. I chose to decorate the wall directly in front of my work station this way because, as I’ve written elsewhere on this site several times, The Beatles were my major musical influence and having them on the wall in front of me inspires me to write web pages like this one. I was also among the millions of people who were inspired by how The Beatles were actually living their off stage lives. The Beatles’ music creatively stimulated millions of people to change the way they were living, and The Beatles behavior encouraged people to have fun by trying new life style experiences. That’s what I call a perfect example of FORM = ConTENT. In this case it means that the creatively and masterfully varied music The Beatles were producing (form) embodied the real life styles which each of the four Beatles were living (content), together as a band as well as separately as unique individuals.
    2. BEST SonGWRITERS
    This should be self-evident, but just because Paul McCartney has the title of the most popular songwriter in history doesn’t necessarily make him the best songwriter in history. The qualities which do make both Paul and John the best songwriters in history go beyond writing the greatest number of catchy classic songs. “Catchy” means that their melodies and lyrics are instantly memorable. “Classic” means that they stand the test of time. But both Paul and John wrote very sophisticated melodies that moved beyond the simple groups of 2, 4 and 8 patterned phrases used by almost all other songwriters. John and Paul’s melodies soared, floated, cascaded, dived and peaked with true dynamics, naturally following the syllabic lyric patterns – but not always. Sometimes the melodic and lyric patterns were independent of each other, almost counterpoint in nature, and as a songwriter, they never ceased to astonish me with their brilliance and originality. In the beginning, their lyrics were simple and their songs were simple love songs. But they soon began exploring new territory by writing about subjects that hadn’t been covered before. Inspired by Bob Dylan, they wrote true poetry with feeling and depth, using evocative and unusual words. Rubber Soul marked the beginning of their evolution as mature songwriters, Revolver was a break-out album, and Sergeant Pepper was an historic landmark album in terms of new and innovative songwriting as well as production. Every song they wrote was significantly different from the last one even though each song had their unmistakable sound.
    Most songwriters are only average players on their instruments, but John and Paul are both sophisticated guitarists who were able to integrate their playing into their songs and even into their song structure so that the “licks” they played became as catchy a part of their songs as the choruses and verses. Blackbird and Dear Prudence are only two examples of songs which couldn’t possibly be written by any other songwriter because of the guitar playing which forms an integral part of the song structure. In similar fashion, Lady Madonna is the best example of a great song which derives from the unique and beautiful bass part which only Paul could possibly have created.
    Average songwriters achieve the catchy quality by repeating a phrase endlessly or by beating a chorus to death. John and Paul found countless ways to be memorable without ever overly repeating something. The only time they repeated something over and over again for a long time was in Hey Jude, and what they chose to repeat is so gorgeous that one can only wish they had never ended the song. The Beatles were my biggest musical influence and I used to think, “If I could write just one song that’s as good as John and Paul’s worst song, I’d be happy.” People tell me I accomplished that goal and they say one good example is John is Alive, which is my sincere tribute to Sir Lennon.
    3. BEST SINGERS
    Even Ringo could sing when he got a little help from his friends who lived in the yellow submarine. But to say that Paul and John are two of the best singers in rock and roll is to state the obvious. Combining John, Paul and George created the best harmony vocals the world has ever experienced. Even their two part harmonies were unusual, catching us all by surprise on their first hit record with the fast harmony melisma in the chorus of I Want to Hold Your Hand. John had a knack of placing a unique low harmony line underneath Paul’s high melody line so as to form a second melody which created unusual harmony effects. He did that right from the beginning in the verses of She Loves You. Both Paul and John could blast out screaming rock and roll (i.e. Long Tall Sally and Twist and Shout), and both could break our hearts with touching, deep feeling ballads (i.e. Yesterday and Julia). There seems to be no end to their emotional vocal range, and John even explored the heights of vocal psychedelia in songs like She Said (Revolver) and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
    4. MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS
    Paul brought a new style of melodic playing to the bass guitar, reaching a new high of creativity on Sergeant Pepper with a level of sophistication never heard before. Many other musicians besides me recognize Paul as being one of the best bass guitar players ever. George is underrated as a lead guitarist by people with average or below average musical knowledge or ability, but most guitarists (including Eric Clapton) know better. George’s strength is in melody, pure and simple. It would be difficult to find a George Harrison lead which is not melodic, and each of his leads has a strong beginning, a stronger middle and a well defined ending. In fact, that’s Eric’s definition of what makes a good guitar lead. George continually developed new guitar sounds for each Beatles song. John and Paul are also excellent guitarists and both recorded great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks. All three of the Beatles guitarists may lack showy technical fireworks but they make that definition of guitar mastery irrelevant by overwhelming the senses with creativity, style, and pure melody. The exact same thing can be said about John and Paul’s keyboard playing. Ringo may be underrated as a drummer by the public but he is not underrated by other professional drummers. Ringo mastered the art of drum sounds. No drummer has ever recorded so many different sounds on so many different sounding records. Ringo invented a new style of slow drum playing, epitomized on A Day in the Life and Strawberry Fields Forever. John said many times, “Ringo has the best back beat in the business” and the successful studio drummers understand why John was correct.
    5. TOTAL CHARISMA
    A good definition of charisma needs to include “an unusual ability to influence people and arouse devotion” and “a personal attractiveness which enables a person to influence others”. No musical group prior to or after The Beatles features true charisma emanating strongly from the entire group as well as separately from each member. The Beatles stunned the world with their photogenic quality, their charm, their bubbling and lovable personalities, their cuteness and their unique style. Even before The Beatles achieved fame, people in Liverpool were imitating their haircuts, the way they dressed, the way they behaved, and the way they lived. Such a simple subliminal message about smoking marijuana got communicated to all the hippies who were waiting to happen without actual words ever being spoken. The Beatles had a lot to lose by being explicit on that subject, but they successfully avoided trouble by keeping it very subtle while at the same time clear enough so that we all got it. The Fab Four kept changing their styles rapidly, almost with each album cover, and soon the message became one of explicit spiritualism. After visiting India, The Beatles introduced eastern mysticism and meditation to the Western world for the first time through the mass media. John’s long saga with internal angst, drugs, spiritualism, politics, personal battles, and ultimately his marriage to Yoko played out like a movie the whole world got to watch in fascination. Paul’s happy life with Linda, George’s great focus on meditation, and Ringo’s equanimity throughout were all perfect examples of the power, the truth, and the effectiveness of true charisma.
    6. SEXUAL AURA
    Need I say it? Ask the millions of girls who were screaming and fainting at the very sight of them. “The Boys” didn’t move like Elvis or dance like Mick, they just stood there shaking their “mop top” heads around, smiling, laughing, and looking gorgeous as they performed great music and that was it. on their first visit to America, some enterprising weirdo from New York City managed to cut up the hotel bed sheets The Beatles had slept on into 1″ square pieces, and these things were actually sold to girls over the public airwaves by adult DJ’s on the AM radio stations who should have known better. The Beatles phenomenon went way beyond the rock and roll sex star status that had been seen before. Teenage girls in uncountable numbers fell in love, their hearts to be trapped, their heart strings to be continually plucked, and ultimately, their hearts to be broken by the unobtainable object of their love. Worshiping a star from afar? Infatuation? Obsession? Not real love? For many of them, it was their first experience feeling love for a man/boy. Whatever it was, it was very real to all of them, and we all soon understood that The Beatles were The Real Thing.
    That’s why I call The Beatles the Most Creative Band of All Time. They were The Real Thing. The Creative Zenith. The high point on the bell curve of musical history.
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    Web page design copyright 1996 © , text copyright 2005 © Peter Cross

  • Zach

    Uh, the Beatles DID revolutionize music. Rubber Soul. Sgt. Pepper’s. Revolver. Each was a revolutionary album – not just in terms of musical style (which they were), but also technologically. Remember “Rain”? The crazy guitar sounds there? Nobody else tried it before.

    But this says nothing of the most obvious point – their music was awesome. How can this guy say with a straight face that it wasn’t? Were the Beatles the most talented musicians? Was Paul the best bassist, George the best guitarist, Ringo the best drummer, and John the best songwriter of all time? Perhaps not, but they are most definitely NOT overrated.

  • jojo

    No, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard revolutionized music! Beatles wouldn’t even make the top 10!

  • sean

    i like how he said they suck, yet then admits they have good songs and even calls hey jude his “favorite” which implies that he likes more than one beatles song. hypocritical to say the least

  • Andrew

    I agree(with the author).

    I don’t have a problem when people say their music is good. I don’t even have a problem when people say they’re the greatest band ever(something I wouldn’t be caught dead saying).

    It just ticks me off when people(especially younger people) treat them like gods and put them on this pedestal like they deserved to be worshiped. There is not a person alive that makes millions of dollars doing something, that continues to do whatever they do for the sake of doing. Money makes the world go ’round and they’re is nothing godly about it. It’s not a bad thing, by any means, but it’s nothing to be worshiped for.

    As far as their music, most of the stuff they made, was influenced by drugs. Still, not necessarily a problem. Try making dozens of number 1 songs while sober. That’s true talent.

  • Andrew

    As far as Mr. Cross’ article….

    A friend psychologist once told me, “Fanaticism is one step below, and often a symptom of, schizophrenia.”

  • TheCorrectAnswer

    The author is correct. While I’m sure many of the “Beatles Cult” here would like to tear him a new one for even uttering this blasphemy, citing things such as his “flawed argument”. The fact that the Beatles are overrated doesn’t require argument, it should be apparent. I am incredibly familiar with the entire Beatles Catalog. I’ve heard their stuff, I’ve heard dry recordings, I’ve heard friends preach aimlessly and constantly about how brilliant they are… I’m sorry, but in no way were the Beatles artists. While their music was sometimes honest, it was honest in an aimless and meandering way. “Whimsical” describes it best. In my experience, people who worship the Beatles use this as a lure to ward others off the scent of their woefully inadequate understanding of the musical artform, of which they are only sometimes aware of.

  • Bromancer of the stone

    Lol, I bet this writer listens to Nickelback.

    SICK BURN.

  • Eric Hargrove

    You say that The Beatles are overrated… yet you use Jimi Hendrix as an example.

    How ironic.

    If there was a prime example of “talking out of your ass”, this article is it.

  • boudiccea

    I am 44 years old and I am so tired of hearing the Beatles that I feel like I should collect a royalty every time I have to hear one of their songs. It is terrible the way older people try to brainwash youth into believing that the music from their era was the best. The baby boomers tried to do it to us and I am stopping the cycle of abuse in my own lifetime; my daughter is three and I am just going to tell her that punk is something that only we understand and she shouldn’t listen to.

  • nathan

    You know what, I use to think The Beatles were overrated, but now after reading this article I no longer agree, because I would never ever want to be on the same side as someone as stupid as you are.

    Congratulations on writing the most pointless article ever.

  • green

    u know what. all of you ppl are like soooo wrong. what is your deal? the beatles did nothing wrong. just enjoy their music. if u dont like their music, then just dont listen to it! stop critising(did i spell dat rite?)them and listen to sum thing else. i personaly think the beatles are great. STICK THAT IN UR JUICE BOX

  • Matthew Ward

    Before I start. The comment on Jimi Hendrix was bull because he didn’t. His lyrics were shit. He was a good guitarist thats it. He couldn’t sing. He was less popular. He had less hits. Has less money. He was a hippy not the Beatles. And your comment on George Martin saving them and they’d be still in a basement! No they wouldn’t becasue the Beatles split up becasue of Yoko Ono. So they wouldn’t still be in a basement. People like Paul McCartney have so much money. You are a nothing. He is superior to everybody below him. Everyone who doesn’t like them have probably never listened to them. And even if you don’t like the Beatles. More people like them than dislike them.

    Now for some facts that will tell you why they are good and not overated (also don’t reply and say “we don’t need that much detail” because you wanted an arguement so you had better look at the facts, and see how great the Beatles are;

    Even, Ozzy Osbourne said in an online 2002 Bender Magazine interview that The Beatles Are The Greatest Band To Ever Walk The Earth! He’s been a huge fan since he’s been a teenager and he says not loving The Beatles is like not loving oxogen! The Rolling Stones were very good friends and fans of The Beatles and Mick Jagger was at 4 Beatles recording sessions and Keith Richards was at 2 of them with them!

    Also,The Beatles even wrote one of The Rolling Stones first hits with the song,I Wanna Be You’re Man in late 1963. As for the other inaccurate comments that some people say The Beatles didn’t even stay together for 2 decades,well they didn’t have to because they did about 50 years worth of innovative,creative,diverse,prolific great critically acclaimed popular songs and albums in just a remarkable 8 year recording career!

    The Beatles are in The Song Writing Hall Of Fame &The Vocal Hall of Fame,and As The All Music Guide says in their excellent Beatles biography,”So much has been said and written about The Beatles and their story is so mythic in it’s sweep that it’s difficult to summarize their career without restating cliche’s that have already been digested by tens of millions of rock fans ,to start with the obvious,they were the greatest and most influential act of the rock era ,and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century.” “As vovalists John Lennon &Paul McCartney were among the best and most expressive in rock and the groups harmonies were intricate and exhillirating.”

    And music critics as well as brilliant classical composer Leonard Bernstein called John & Paul the most brilliant song writers of the 20th century when they were still a band . As for The Beatles playing live,they sounded pretty good playing live considering that when they were playing in 1963,1964,1965,and 1966 the sound systems back then were very limited and primitive,they only had 100 watt amplifiers,no feedback monitors so they couldn’t even hear themselves play and sing,yet they amazingly played in tune and in sync anyway,and at the August 1965 Shea Stadium concert which was the first big outdoor rock concert with over 55,000 fans,they were plugged into the PA system that they announce baseball games with plus the screaming crowds drowing out their great music! Can you imagine The Rolling Stones and The Who playing on these very limited primitive sound systems? They wouldn’t have sounded much better!

    Thats why they gave up touring,because they were serious music artists,composers,and musicians and they wanted their great music to be heard and valued. It would be like Beethoven playing on these limited primitive sound systems and screaming crowds! Also they were now writing music that was too complex to reproduce on stage at that time.

    On the roof top concert in The Let It Be Film,they sounded great,because by January 1969 the sound systems had improved somewhat(although not anywhere near the 1970’s,1980’s,1990’s and especially today’s!) and they had changed and people had changed so there were no more screaming crowds so they could be heard.When I was a teenager I met 3 people who saw The Beatles in concert two of them were teachers who saw them in 1966 and he and she told me they were great,and my cousin saw them at age 16 at The Baltimore Colsieum in 1964 the year before I was born,and she said they were great.

    Former Kiss guitarist and grammy winning producer Bob Kulick who made the heavy metal Beatles tribute album Butchering The Beatles last year,says in an online interview,that he saw The Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1966 and that he could only make out pieces of the songs because of the screaming,but he could make out the songs Baby’s In Black and Paperback Writer and he said they sounded amazing!

    He also calls The Beatles The Greatest Rock Band Ever! George Harrison at only age 14 would stay up playing his guitar until he got all of the chords exactly right and his fingers were bleeding! And One of The Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick says that in early 1966 when The Beatles were recording John’s song I’m Only Sleeping,George Harrison played backwards guitar the most difficult way possible even though he could have taken an easy way,and it took him 6 hours just to do the guitar overdubs! He then made it doubly difficult by adding even more distorted gitars and Geoff says this was all George’s idea and that he did all of the playing!

    Eric Clapton said in a 1992 interview when he and George were asked what they admired about each other during their Japan tour,that George is a fantastic slide guitar player. He and George were very good friends and they obviously admired and respected each others guitar playing and George played guitar on Cream’s song Badge.

    Roger McGuinn of The Byrds says The Beatles used unusual folk rock chords in their early music and that they invented folf rock without even knowing it! He started to play a 12 string guitar after he saw and heard George Harrison playing one in The Beatles great film A Hard Day’s Night in early 1964. In an online Eric Clapton interview called,Eric Clapton In His Own Words he says that John Lennon was a pretty good guitar player and he would have known since he played live in concert with John as a member of John’s 1969 Plastic Ono Band!

    On an excellent site called,The Evolution Of Rock Bass Playing McCartney Style by Dennis Alstrand Stanley Clarke,Will Lee,Billy Sheehan,Sting,George Martin,and John Lennon are all quoted saying what a great,melodic,influential bass guitar player Paul McCartney has always been! The 1992 Rolling Stone Album Guide calls Paul a remarkable bass player and rightfully calls John &Paul the 2 greatest song writers in rock history! Both Phil Collins and Max Weinberg both Beatles fans and both praise Ringo’s drumming and Phil Collins says that Ringo’s great drumming on A Day In The Life can’t even be repeated even by him!

    Also on Rankopedia The Beatles are # 1 Greatest Rock Band,# 1 Greatest Most Innovative Rock Band,John &Paul are # 1 Greatest Rock Song Writers,John &Paul are on The Greatest Rock Male Vocalist list,and Paul McCartney is # 2 after John Enwistle as Greatest Rock Bass Players,John Paul Jones is # 6,and Bill Wynman is # 20! And on Digitaldreamdoor where many musicians post,The Beatles are # 1 Greatest Rock Artists,John &Paul are # 1 Greatest Rock Song Writers,they are both on The Greatest Rock Male Vocalists list,and Paul McCartney is # 8 out of 100 Greatest Rock Bass Players,John Paul Jones is # 21,and Bill Wynman is # 95! George Harrison is # 54 On The Greatest Rock Guitarists out of over 100.

    And there are many music professors teaching music courses at good universities on the brilliance of The Beatles especially of John &Paul,including by award winning music professor and composer Dr.Glen Gass,who has been teaching a course on The Beatles and rock music at Indiana University since 1982.

    On his web site for his course it says the main purpose of this course is to get students to have a better appreciation of this extraordinary group and their remarkable recordings. Dr.Gary Kendal’s Beatles course is the most requested course at North Western University. And a music professor by the last name of Heinonen teaches a Beatles course at JYVASKYLA University in Finland,and the university of California also teaches a Beatles course etc.

    Also check out Keno’s Classic Rock n Roll Site he also runs a Rolling Stones &John Lennon fan site. And he made a Top 10 List and voted and the fans voted. He voted John &Paul # 2 after Bob Dylan as Greatest Rock Song Writers,the fans voted them # 1! He voted Paul McCartney # 2 after John Entwistle as Greatest Rock Bass Player,the fans voted Paul # 3. He voted John Lennon # 2 after Keith Richards as Greatest Rock Rhythm Guitarist,and the fans voted John in a tie with Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones at # 4 ! He voted John Lennon # 1 in a tie with Elvis as Greatest Male Rock Vocalist and the fans voted John # 1,he voted Paul # 6 and the fans voted him # 7.

    Ken says Darn The Beatles were one great group in his review of The Beatles album 1967-1970,and he also says that John on Get Back showed why he should have played lead guitar more often because he did such a good job! He also said that John on their hard rocking great 1968 single Revolution,played one of the first and best acid guitar parts.And he also said that John played a pretty good slide guitar on George’s For Your Blue. And he says in his review of The Beatles 1962-1966,that if you don’t love or at least like The Beatles and their music than you are not a true rock fan and more than likely will never get it.

    And Brian Wilson said on a 1995 Nightline TV Beatles tribute show,that Sgt.Pepper is the single greatest album he ever heard,and he played With A Little Help From Friends on the piano and he said I just love this song. He also said he thinks John Lennon & Paul McCartney were the 2 greatest song writers of the 20th century! He also said when he first heard The Beatles great 1965 album Rubber Soul,that he was blown away by it,he said all of the songs flowed together and it was pop music but folk rock at the same time,and this is what he couldn’t believe. He said this inspired him to make Pet Sounds. Elton John said in a 1991 CBS morning news show,when he was asked who he musically admires,he said You can talk about your Rogers &Hammerstein but for the quality of quanity songs that Lennon &McCartney did in that short period of time,they were the 2 greatest song writers of the 20th century!

    Most music artists want to believe and want the public to believe that *their* the greatest so when they say other music artists are the greatest it really means a lot! The Beatles are also the most covered music artists of all time with everyone from Motown,jazz,classical,and even heavy metal music recording their great diverse music!

    And in 2001 VH1 had a panel of well known musicans and music critcs,that voted The Beatles The Greatest Rock Band Ever,and in 2004 Rolling Stone did the same thing and several people said on message boards that Rolling Stone had a recent panel poll like this and The Beatles were voted # 1 again and for darn great reasons too! Nobody created as much innovative,creative,quality,critically acclaimed,popular diverse songs and albums in such a short amazing period of time as The Beatles and thats why most people know that The Beatles Are The Greatest Rock Band That Ever Was Or Will Be!!!! Oh and A Day’s Night is a great pop rock album!!!!

    And even Bob Dylan said decades ago about The Beatles early music,that their chords were outrageous,and the harmonies were wonderful and they were doing things in music that nobody had done before,and music critics of The London Times were praising their interesting and unusual chords that they used even in early songs like She Loves You & I Want To Hold Your Hand. Which were not as simple as they seemed and had clever subtleties in them.Infact Bob Dylan said in a Rolling Stone interview this Spring that he’s in awe of Paul McCartney and he said he’s the only one he’s in awe of. He said that Paul has the melody,he has the rhthym and he can sing the ballad very good,and he can play any instrument.

    He also said there were no better singers than John Lennon &Paul McCartney and he said if George wasn’t stuck in the shadow behind John &Paul and he said who wouldn’t get stuck,he would have emerged as a great song writer in his own right anyway.

    And by the way I have read some people saying on message boards that they don’t think The Rolling Stones were the best technical musicians,and many even some fans have said they haven’t done anything good in 35 years, and that their overrated and I have also found many people saying they hate or don’t like The Rolling Stones and many people say the only Rolling Stones song they like is Paint It Black! Oh and by the way,in every major poll of The Beatles vs The Rolling Stones,The Beatles always win as # 1 even on sites and message boards that are not Beatles fan sites!

    And when we look at the solo career comparison of Mick Jagger’s and Keith Richards solo careers with John,Paul &George’s,the facts are John Lennon’s first brilliant solo album,and his second great album Imagine are rightfully critically acclaimed, and I love John’s Walls & Bridges album and Paul McCartney’s first solo album McCartney is very good,and he played every instrument all by himself at age 27,and he played so many different instruments great! Wings 1975 Venus & Mars is a great rock album too!

    And he and Denny Laine are the only musicians on Paul’s great 1973 Band On The Run album,which is critically acclaimed and popular,and he played every instrument by himself again on McCartney 2 in 1979,and most of the instruments on his 1997 Flaming Pie album,and his 2 recent acclaimed popular albums,Chaos And Creation In The Backyard,and Memory Almost Full.And John Paul Jones,David Gilmore,John Bonham &Pete Townsend all played on 2 songs with Paul and Wings on the last Wings album Back To The Egg, in 1979,and they played in the last Wings concert too in December 1979.

    You know I have found over 50 former Beatles haters on many message boards and web sites that are no HUGE Beatles fans and many say they are now their favorite band and that they were the Greatest Band Ever! I didn’t communicate with these people but they said in their posts that they had a lot of inaccurate misperceptions of The Beatles and they hadn’t even heard most of The Beatles great songs and albums!

    Most people don’t hate The Beatles in the first place, most people of all ages all around the world love or at least like their music.

  • Hank

    Cool story, bro.

  • Khalia

    How could you not like the beatles??? they where amazing and had touching songs with amazing lyrics and tunes! They may be kinda old now, but the will never NEVER be someone who, even though they deny it themselves, does not ike at least one of their spirit lifting songs.

  • Eric

    George Martin was a producer, not a musician, therefore not an official member of the band. The Beatles can from an age when people actually wrote and performed their songs where they were considered the artist, not some unknown producer/lyricist like today’s crop of “popular musicians.” Crap like Beyonce and whoever Lady Gaga is makes me sick.

  • Speechless

    Alright. I respect your opinion and I give you credit for having the guts to write this article when it is absolutely guarunteed that most people will disagree with you. However, your argument is extremely weak and this looks like it took you maybe 5 minutes to write. Surprisingly, the thing that got me wasn’t even Beatles related. Rick Rubin only helped produce Metallica’s most recent album, Death Magnetic, and has not had much of an impact on the band as Bob Rock did. This leads me to believe your lacking facts and didn’t take much time at all to support your argument.

  • Matt

    The Beatles aren’t my favorite band, but they are up there, and this argument partially erroneous. The Beatles brought rock(ish) music to the masses and kicked in the door for the stones and the who (whom I prefer) in a big way. While a agree that George Martin doesn’t get enough credit, does the fact that he is often called “the fifth beatle” show that his accomplishments were also the band’s? Also, are you really using Rolling Stone lists AGAINST the Beatles? They hold 2 of the top 20 singer slots, 11 of the top 500 albums, and 10 of the top 100 songs on those respective lists by Rolling Stone. Without the Beatles, Monterey Pop never happens because Brian Jones doesn’t bring over hendrix and the who because he’s not famous because little red rooster is to bluesy for the british public because please please me was never made.

  • Mark

    1964: Beatles begin touring in America, ushering in the ‘British Invasion’ therefore making popularity of the Rolling Stones etc possible.

    1966: Beatles stop performing in public.

    1970: Beatles break up

    1980: John Lennon assassinated.

    2001: George Harrison loses his battle against lung cancer.

    2007: Beatles LOVE wins Grammy award

    2009: Beatles entire catalogue remastered, Beatles Rock Band video game revolutionizes the music game genre.

    What other band has won a grammy more than thirty years after they disband and twenty years after a quarter of the original performers die?

  • Boltizar

    I was born in 1990 and I recognize the impact the Beatles had on the music industry.

    First, I want to say George Martin wasn’t the fifth Beatle.
    If anything it was seventh; Starkey replaced Pete Best and the Fab Four even acknowledged Epstein would’ve been the fifth.

    Second, the Beatles brought forth the British Invasion. That means that if groups like the Stones wanted to be big in America, they would’ve had to change their style.
    With all of your talk of your favorite bands, you fail to realize that they themselves were inspired by the Beatles.

    And Hendrix had to respect the band. I mean he took the time to learn and play live (with two Beatles in the audience) the title song for Sgt. Pepper.

  • ManOf Reason

    Please understand this, your arguments make very little sense and are not grounded in substance but rather opinion. Also, to say this one is not the greatest guitarist and that one is not the greatest lyricist does not matter. The Beatles are the sum of their parts, and that sum added up to the greatest selling band of all time. Check album sales son and you may find the Beatles still outsell the vast majority of bands. Of course, using your logic all those people buying Beatles albums are idiots.

  • Ann

    Beatles sound like Disney or Brady Bunch music to me. I don’t understand the hype. Then again I don’t really rock music besides 50′s black rock n’ roll.

  • Lillian

    Everyone else here have made a lot of great points, so I’m just going to add one thing.

    Starting the article with, “The Beatles suck,” and later on admitting, “Sure, they made some good music,” shows that you’re only writing this article to stir up attention and make people mad.

    I’m not disagreeing with the notion that they are overrated by some (my dad only half-jokingly remarks that it is a sin to switch the channel in the middle of a Beatles song), it is still my personal opinion that they were the greatest band ever.

  • Henry

    Whoever wrote this is an absolute ignorant tard.

    George Martin did the mixing sure, but the Beatles wrote the stuff.

    Jimi Hendrix had more talent? No. His lyrics were in no way in line with the writing talents Of Lennon/Mccartney. Jimi Hendrix loved the Beatles so much that he played The “Sgt Peppers” album live before the Beatles released it.

    “The Backstreet Boys were revolutionary. But they sucked, too.” They didn’t write alot of their shit or play any instruments. You cannot make a comparison.

    The person who wrote this is obviously a retard. Go and Worship Slipknot Mathew Stephens.

  • Will

    We can’t be to hard on Matthew, he looks like a kid, I’m guessing born in the late 80′s, so he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If he had more knowledge of music history he’d get it. I mean, he actually thinks The Backstreet Boys are revolutionary. Seriously?

    For anyone else who doesn’t understand the impact of the beatles, please DO NOT ask a random fan and DO NOT listen to Matthew. Do your research and see just how many firsts came from this band. As far as influence, again seek out the many artists who site The Beatles as their influence.

    You could also just listen to The Beatles catalogue. Your local library could likely provide a free listen or two. They were prolific and ground breaking, all with out computers:)

    Anyway, not everyone can love everything and some people have to hate anything that’s deemed as too big. However, there’s a reason The Beatles got as big as they did and it requires a person to do their homework.

    Oh and George is an important part of The Beatles. This is true. However, even he admits that most of the ideas came from the boys in the band. He was simply their to help put ideas to record, again in most cases.

  • Kevin

    A few things. You spelled Rubin wrong, and Chris Martin was the PRODUCER. He did not write any of the songs, and he only played keyboards a few times. Listen to the Escher tapes, it’s all of their demos, the songs are just as good. By the way, Hendrix didn’t produce his own music, nor did he know the members of the Experience before their first rehearsal. Who is your favorite band? My guess is that they don’t produce their stuff either. In Rainbows wasn’t produced by anyone in the band. Most people don’t produce themselves, and its a completely different art. Movies have a screenwriter and director. It’s the same thing. Listen to a few records, and tell me who was doing the things they were before them. NOBODY.

  • Carol Ann H.

    Poor dude hates the fact that he missed out on the Golden Age of Rock ‘n Roll, and is stuck with today’s garbage as his generation’s legacy. hehehe….

  • John

    I can at least say that the Beatles possibly wrote “good” rock music, but no rock will compare to that of a Tchaikovsky symphony, or even a small Schubert lied.

  • John

    Also, anyone who thinks that the Beatles were revolutionary needs to go and listen to the Rite of Spring by Stravinsky, and then put it in its historical context. Then see how revolutionary the Beatles seem.

  • TAYLOR

    Live and let live. This argument is inconsequential to life. The Beatles are great/The Beatles suck, everyone has different opinions and at no time will everyone see eye to eye. Why keep causing problems and more hatred between people because youre wrapped up in unimportant things? Go do something meaningful with your life.

  • Dan

    I know how I'll get attention! I'll write an article on how the greatest rock band of all time sucks! Yeah, that's the ticket!

    “Jimi Hendrix had more talent in his left hand than the Fab Four combined.” What does this even mean? Of course he was a great guitarist. Does that mean he made better music? Hell to the no. And somehow ceasing to play live shows made them less of a great band? Good Lord. And I forgot how George Martin wrote all the Beatles songs. Oh, he didn't? Crazy.

    This article is just too ignorant to waste my time on. Major fail. EPIC fail.