25 Reasons the Beatles are the Greatest Band Ever
Every once in a while, I meet someone who doesn’t believe that the Beatles were the greatest band of all time.
I try to keep an open mind about this, since there are some groups that I simply don’t get, either. David Bowie? Yeah, I can understand that; his Ziggy Stardust days leave people scratching their heads. Bob Dylan? Sure. His voice itself can turn some people away. But the Beatles? Come on.
The Beatles — The Best Band in History
The Beatles are simply the greatest band ever. Why? I’ll give you 25 accomplishments, achievements and innovations that may change your mind:
- During the week of April 4, 1964, The Beatles occupied the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (12 in the Hot 100), the top two positions on the albums chart, the no. 1 position in the U.K. singles chart, the first two positions in the U.K. albums chart and the no. 1 position in the U.K. EP chart — the most complete domination of the British and American charts in history.
- To date, the Beatles have sold over 1 billion records. That’s billion, with a B.
- They have the most no. 1 albums in the British album charts (15), and 17 No. 1 hits.
- They hold the record for the group with the longest span between no. 1 albums in the Billboard albums chart (36 years and 51 weeks, 1964 to 2001). In 2000, 20 years after John Lennon was killed and 30 years after they broke up, their second major greatest hits compilation, 1, spent eight weeks at no. 1 and sold 13 million copies in its first month of release.
- They boast 20 No. 1 hits in the United States, (19 No. 1 albums), with 24 consecutive Top 10 hits from 1964 to 1976 (six years after they broke up), a record for a group. They also have 12 no. 1 hits in Germany, 23 in Australia, 21 in the Netherlands, 22 in Canada, and 13 in Malaysia.
- According to the United World Chart, the Beatles have 16 of the 100 most successful tracks of all time, and also seven of the 100 most successful albums in history.
- Nine of the Beatles’ 12 studio albums are in Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
- They were ground-breaking pioneers almost from the beginning, being the first group ever to employ feedback in 1964’s “I Feel Fine.” One of their first hits, “A Hard Day’s Night,” features an opening chord so revolutionary that it took almost 45 years for someone to figure out how they played it. 1964’s “I Feel Fine” featured the first use of guitar feedback in a song.
- 1965’s Rubber Soul and the follow-up, Revolver, saw more innovation, from the use of a sitar in “Norwegian Wood” to tape loops in “Tomorrow Never Knows.” Then there are the backward vocals in “Rain” (a first) and a Moog synthesizer on several songs on 1969’s Abbey Road.
- Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band is arguably the greatest album ever made (indeed, it topped Rolling Stone‘s list). While it doesn’t have the strongest material, the album was a landmark in recording. It popularized the concept album — something that would serve as an inspiration to The Who and Pink Floyd.
- “A Day in the Life” from Sgt. Pepper may have been the crowning achievement of the group: a five-and-a half-minute song composed of two suites — one by Lennon, one by Paul McCartney — that are totally different in sound and texture, yet complement each other perfectly. The song features two cacophonous crescendos from an orchestra, the final one climaxing in a single E major piano chord that lasts 42 seconds.
- One may not like songs such as “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude,” but they are unrivaled in their popularity, and the melodies are unforgettable.
- McCartney actually dreamed the tune to “Yesterday.”
- “Helter Skelter” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” are considered two of the first heavy metal songs.
- They have 12 of the Top 500 songs of all time, again according to Rolling Stone — the most of any artist by far.
- Their third-best songwriter — George Harrison — wrote a song, “Something,” that Frank Sinatra called his favorite Lennon & McCartney song. After recording that gem, he then went on to create a memorable triple album as his first solo release.
- According to stacker.com, 21 of the top 50 most covered songs of all time are Beatles songs.
- Their iconic No. 1 singles notwithstanding, some of their best songs weren’t even on any singles or B-sides: “I Should Have Known Better,” “You Won’t See Me,” “For No One,” “Across the Universe,” “Two of Us,” “Dear Prudence,” and “Because” are all just album filler.
- They revolutionized the science of recording, using multiple tracks instead of playing live. Producer George Martin used varying tape speeds to make Lennon’s voice sound high (“Tomorrow Never Knows”) and slow (“Strawberry Fields Forever”); he also brought in string musicians to accompany certain songs (“Yesterday”). In another session, McCartney utilized bass drums halfway down a corridor to achieve a staccato sound in “Mother Nature’s Son.”
- In an age where other people wrote songs for the flavor of the day — think the Brill Building songwriters doing all the work for the Shangri-Las and the Dixie Cups — The Beatles surprised everyone by penning their own hits from the beginning. As a result, they helped usher the singer-songwriter movement that popularized the late 1960s.
- The medley on Side B of Abbey Road.
- Their ability to cross over from media and teen idols to musical innovators is one-of-a-kind. Their chart success and initial popularity are unparalleled; but despite their initial fame, they managed to continue to improve throughout their career.
- The group’s song “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” has been christened the “perfect pop song,” according to scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany.
- Their place in popular culture is unrivaled. Their movies, their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show (in which they played to 74 million people), the “bigger than Jesus” comment, the refusal to play in concert after 1966, the Maharishi, the painstaking production work, the beginnings of the drug culture and LSD fad, “Helter Skelter” and Charles Manson, the “Paul is Dead” phenomenon, Yoko Ono, the rooftop concert, the cover of Abbey Road, the subsequent solo years, and the hit singles created from rough demos of the late Lennon.
- They accomplished all this in just seven years.
Beat that, Oasis.
Bionic
“In an age where other people wrote songs for the flavor of the day – think the Brill Building songwriters doing all the work for the Shangri-Las and the Dixie Cups”.
Early Beatles songs were absolutely no less ‘flavor of the day’ just because they wrote and performed them. In songwriting terms none of their early hits are more valid than anything by Barry & Greenwich or Goffin & King, who made pop music good in the first place. It was more the Beatles’ unique sound that set them apart at this point.
????
Dude, I think that you used way too many numbers on charts. NUMBERS don’t really matter. Sure, all their songs were great, but bad songs have topped charts before as well (Soulja Boy anyone?). It’s not about the numbers, it’s about the actual music. That’s why the word underrated can exist. Take Queen for example. They were innovative, they had complex harmonies, and musicianship, but they never made it to number one that often.
I think one of the reasons you should put on their is that they were so creative…besides being innovative they wrote HUNDREDS of songs and that’s because they didn’t just stick to pop. They wrote rock, they wrote psychadelic songs, they sang vaudeville, country, music hall, etc… That’s the reason they could write so many songs…they had more material to work with.
That and the fact that they went from three chord, two minute pop songs to harmonically, chordally, innovatively sophisticated four minute soundscapes. Oh, and by the way, they did this all by the time they were in their late twenties…just a thought or two.
peter
@????, the sheer numbers are staggering. Nobody even comes close to this domination. Sure, popularity is not a true mark of greatness. If Soulja Boy has 20 No. 1 hits, sells 1 billion records and has the top 5 songs in the Hot 100, we may have to place him up among the greats. Given the fact that he has one no. 1 hit after two years, I don’t think he’s going to come close to what the Beatles did in seven years.
If he does (God forbid), then the Beatles still have him beat via their innovation, creativity, etc.
Dr. Winston
To the layman, nobody ever considers all the hard work and dues the Beatles put in between 1960-62. From at home in Liverpool to Hamburg in Germany where they really cut their teeth and honed their chops before returning back home to THEN
conquering America and the world.
They didn’t just change rock, they changed music-period.
Also art, fashion, attitudes and basically pop culture
as we know it.
Noddy
Rain was the flip side of Paperback Writer, not on an album.
roxetteyambao
yahh
we all know the beatles are number one
Oropher
Yeah man, you are so right, i mean all those Oasis fanatics just don’t get it, just like the stones fanatics, the beatles were the best, are the best and will be the best forever.
Slarty Bartfast
Just as classical music peaked (arguably with Mozart), the theatre peaked (with Shakespeare), just as every art form reaches an apogee in the natural order of events, so the Beatles are just … THERE. You can adopt a sneer or a shrug as a response to show how hip and independent you are, but they’re still THERE. They are the Everest of pop music. Yes, there are other great mountains, ranges of them, each peak wonderful in its own way, but history has already shown that the Beatles not only made the greatest cultural impact of any group, but there music has a power to last that surprises us all. Nobody – least of all the Beatles – thought that their songs and recordings would be remembered into the next century. They made pop music – the most ephemeral (least phemeral?) of all art forms, born of talent and greed, nurtured by technology, with no pretensions to cultural importance. Yet somehow they set the standards for everyone else (no musicians at the time denied their position as the greatest, not a single band member anywhere in the world – they all ooked up to the Beatles and tried their best because of the standards the Beatles set.
Not only are they the greatest and will forever remain the greatest, but the back of the Sgt. Pepper sleeve is the reddest thing you’ll ever see.
Terry
Yes, the Beatles were the greatest Rock & Roll band. There have been other important and innovative Rock & Roll individuals (Chuck Berry & Buddy Holly having the highest visibility). But I dispute some points.
#07 Rolling Stone lost all of it’s integrity by the mid Eighties. They are forever doing Top 100 lists in an attempts to sell magazines. The management and , for a long time, most of their readers, came from Beatlemania. They haven’t gotten over their childhood crush. In more current polls, the Beatles are beginning to drop. They really only deserve to have Rubber Soul and Sgt Pepper in the Top 10, and I’d argue that Abbey Road is a better album than Pepper.
#08 I don’t believe that was the 1st song with feedback but I can’t prove it. The Hard Day’s Night chord was so unique because George Martin built it from several sources. Until very recently, none of the Beatles knew how it was created, and it cannot be exactly duplicated live.
#12 Many songs come from dreams
#13 Early yes, two of the first no. Helter Skelter really doesn’t have the chord structures to be Heavy Metal although it was definitely harder rock than most. When Helter Skelter came out, Cream’s work was closer to Metal. So was Hendrix. I Want You is more of a genesis song for the Metal style but at least a year too late to be one of the first.
#15 Some of those songs have been voted among the 25 worst Beatles songs in magazine polls. Two Of Us (which I love) and Yellow Submarine are definitely on that list.
#18 The same could be said of Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys for starters.
#20 George joined the Quarrymen in 1958. They did it all in 13 years, not 7. It took time to develop that songwriting and musical innovation.
Too many numerical statistics that can’t be accurately proven. The RIAA would be the first to tell you that they really have no idea how many records were sold before 1990. Accounting was built more on retailer’s impressions than actual numbers. And every country had their own method. Michael Jackson may have sold 750 million albums or maybe only 200 million. Nobody knows. The Beatles sold a ton of records. Several tons. In total, they are almost certainly in the top five in album sales. But Elvis had a headstart and nobody was checking worldwide charts in 1957. But many more albums are sold now than in the 1950s or 1960s, and nobody can prove that Garth Brooks isn’t challenging the Elvis & the Fab Four. Europe and Japan love country music.
Yes, I share your enthusiasm for The Beatles, but I think you had too much caffeine when you made this list.
peter
#7: My point here is that 40 years later, they continue to be relevant. Four albums in Time’s Top 100, four in the top 10 Mojo Readers’ Poll and four in NME’s Top 20 as well.
#12: Many people write songs based on a dream – maybe a concept, or a storyline – but I haven’t seen evidence of people who actually dream a melody, then go quickly over to a piano and jot it down – especially one so big as “Yesterday.”
#15: This is all a matter of taste. Regardless of whether you like those songs, many people recognize the tunes. You can’t say that about album fillers by many other bands.
#18: Beach Boys – yes, for one album (Pet Sounds). But I don’t buy Frank Sinatra being a musical innovator.
#20: They honed their craft from 1958 to 1962, and Ringo wasn’t even a part of the group until 1962. And the Lennon/McCartney songwriting juggernaut (and the ensuing chart success) didn’t really kick in until 1963. They did most of their damage on the charts in seven years.
rvanyush
I’ve noticed people who like The Beatles are usually not jerks or assholes, they
Are generally cool peolple who like the Beatles and get money
West Archer
This list, as stated before, is all numbers. You’re trying to use numerical evidence to say why The Beatles are the greatest; that does not provide anything substantial. Fact is, The Beatles are not that great of a band (dubious at best) and you fans are scared of their demise.
Peter
@West Archer: Well, it’s not ALL numbers; regardless, as I noted earlier, numbers show the dominance they had during the 60s. Those numbers are, in itself, pretty substantial. Everybody, all over the world, was listening to this group.
Your opinion is welcome here, but don’t just tell us they’re not that great. Who’s better? Why are they dubious at best?
As for us fans being scared of their demise, nah. Just look at the news coverage of the release of The Beatles: Rock Band. Or look at the sales for the remastered box set of their recordings, which is number 13 on Amazon’s sales chart today, and it’s still more than a month away from release. They’re still HUGE.
Oops, I used another number. Sorry.
Sam
And they say The Rolling Stones are the best, NOT TRUE AT ALL!
Did you know that one of Americas greatest bands Creed shares a record with The Beatles? Their 3rd album “Weathered” stayed #1 on the charts for 8 weeks!
Dr. Guzman
Excellent. I completely agree that the Beatles completely dismantled the music establishment and built a cathedral of amazing melodies. They are the Gods of Pop. There is no group since or now that has achieved the level of output and quality. The Stones needed 13 more years to catch up to the number of albums that the Beatles created and the quality of the Stones did not improve. Essentially the Beatles had over 210 songs in 7 years, hmm.. that is 21 albums worth of material in 7 years..Let’s see, an average of 3 albums per year. No one has ever achieved this volume, ever… and keep in mind, the memorable quality of songwriting…Ok, I’ll stop. I am sounding too much like a fan…
Dr. Guzman
Excellent. I completely agree that the Beatles dismantled the music establishment and built a cathedral of amazing melodies. They are the Gods of Pop. There is no group since or now that has achieved the level of output and quality. The Stones needed 13 more years to catch up to the number of albums that the Beatles created and the quality of the Stones did not improve. Essentially the Beatles had over 210 songs in 7 years, hmm.. that is 21 albums worth of material in 7 years..Let’s see, an average of 3 albums per year. No one has ever achieved this volume, ever… and keep in mind, the memorable quality of songwriting…Ok, I’ll stop. I am sounding too much like a fan…
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
On Last FM. The Rolling Stones only had 80 members of their fan group in 2007, The Beatles had over 2,000 which is now over 4,000 and the average age of fans is 22 more guys than girls and they are from all over the world! The Beatles were the most listened to artists on Last.FM in 2006,2007 and 2008.
The Beatles are still rightfully regarded by most people,most rock critics,and many other music and rock artists as The most creative,innovative,and prolific rock band ever!
As many people even some Rolling Stones fans have said, The Rolling Stones haven’t made a great record in at least 25 years or more.
And they copied The Beatles in many ways including trying to rip off sgt.Pepper with their Satanic Majesties Request album.And it was John &Paul who wrote one of their first hits,I Wanna Be You’re Man in early 1964 and they wrote it right in front of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards who were blown away and said how can you just write a song just like that?! And it inspired them to start writing their own songs.
The Beatles wrote *plenty* of great rock songs including hard rock on The White Album and Abbey Road and as many have rightfully pointed out Paul invented heavy metal with his 1968 song Helter Skelter and people have also said John’s I Want You She’s So Heavy on Abbey road was also one of the first heavy metal songs.
Even in their early days they wrote some great rockers that were very rocky for the times, as The All Music Guide said,in their very good review of Past Masters Volume 1 that they proved they could rock really really hard,with John’s I Feel Fine from late 1964 which featured the very recorded feedback guitar on a rock song,and Paul’s great blues rocker,She’s A Woman also from late 1964,and what they called the peerless I’m Down which is Paul’s screaming rocker from mid 1965 which they performed even harder rocking, and screaming in August 1965 at Shea Stadium.
Also John’s You Can’t Do That from early 1964,is a great rock song, so is Day Dripper,Paperback Writer, And You’re Bird Can Sing, She Said She Said,Taxman, etc!
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
As this guy Sal66 who has also posted on sites debunking ignorant crap about The Beatles has rightfully pointed out, The Beatles wrote,played and recorded I Feel Fine in the Fall of 1964 which was the first use of feedback guitar on a pop rock record and it also had a prominent guitar riff throughout this very good song almost a year *before* The Rolling Stones’s Satisfaction came out.
And on John’s great Norwegian Wood recorded in the Fall of 1965,George Harrison was the first to play a sitar on a pop rock song and it was released on their great album Rubber Soul in December and then in May 1966 The Rolling Stones song Paint It Black came out with Brian Jones playing a sitar!
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
The Rolling Stone Album Guide said, not liking The Beatles is as perverse as not liking the sun. And Ozzy Osbourne said not loving The Beatles is like not loving oxogen. And a guy who runs Keno’s Classic Rock n Roll Site and who runs a Rolling Stones and John Lennon fan site says damn The Beatles were one great group and he said in his great review of The Beatles 1962-1966 Red album, that if you don’t love or at least like The Beatles and their music then you are not a true rock fan and more than likely will never get it.
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
And all of The Beatles albums deserve to be in the top 10 starting with the first great Beatles album A Hard Day’s Night which is a great pop rock album which was recorded over a year before I was even born.
Only The Yelow Submarine shouldn’t be in the top 10 the only great song on it is John’s great rocker Hey Bulldog and George’s It’s All Too Much is good too.
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
Bob Dylan ,Roger McGuinn of The Byrds and music critic William Mann of The London Times as early as 1963 and 1964 pointed out that even in early Beatles songs like She Loves You and I Want To Hold Your Hand had unusual and interesting chords and they arranged them.
And as early as late 1963 a music critic Richard Buckle in The London Times called John and Paul the two of the most briliant composers since Beethoven after John and Paul composed the music for a ballet Mods and Rockers.
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
Also,
on a fan site for the rock group Yes, called, Yesfans.com ( who are also big Beatles fans themselves and they recorded and played live several Beatles songs and member Rick Wakeman did a whole Beatles tribute album in 2000) they had a topic called exactly this, from 2004-2008 and over 70% of the Yes fans voted the first choice, No Of Course Not They Were Not Overrated How Can You Even Ask This Question.
And one of the Yes fans posted in early 2008,” The Greatest Band of all time overrated? Phuck no!”
And another Yes fan quoted him and said I second what he said! Another Yes fan quoted his own post from a year before when he had said he thought The Beatles were overrated and he now quoted his old post with an I’m stupid emoticon and he said how could I have been so stupid,of course The Beatles are not overrated.
Also, guitarist Frank Marino of the hard rock group Mahogany Rush said in several online interviews that he hates The Rolling Stones but he likes The Beatles,Jimi Hendrix,and The Doors etc. And Dave Navarro of the rock group Jane’s Addiction said in Guitar World in 1991 and 1996 that he has always hated The Rolling Stones and he will never play one of their records.
Also there used to be an online interview with Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts from a 1973 Magazine called Zig Zag,and the interview was called,The Drinking Man’s Rolling Stone. He says in this interview that The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were a lot alike as people and were friends. He also said what made The Beatles so great is that they made one great single and great album after the next!
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
As this guy Sal66 who has also posted on sites debunking ignorant crap about The Beatles has rightfully pointed out, The Beatles wrote, played and recorded the hit song I Feel Fine in the Fall of 1964 which was the first use of feedback guitar on a pop rock record and it also had a prominent rock guitar riff throughout this very good song, almost a year *before* The Rolling Stones’s Satisfaction came out.
And on John’s great Norwegian Wood recorded in the Fall of 1965, George Harrison was the first to play a sitar on a pop rock song and it was released on their great album Rubber Soul in December and then in May 1966 The Rolling Stones song Paint It Black came out with Brian Jones playing a sitar!
Also The Rolling Stones wrote quite a few soft sentimental songs like Lady Jane,Ruby Tuesday, As Tears Go By, Angie, Waiting On A Friend none of which are rock songs and the two dreadful disco imitations Emotinal Rescue and Miss You. At least when Paul McCartney did a disco like a disco like song Good Night Tonight it had very good and interesting sounding music!
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
Also,
I have never heard The Beach Boys played on any classic rock stations only oldies stations but my classic rock station plays a lot of Beatles. Infact a 48 year old DJ who is a huge Beatles fan has hosted a 2 hour Sunday morning radio show,Breakfast With The Beatles for 7 years now.
Even The Beatles early music had a much harder electric guitar sound than The Beach Boys and all of The Beach Boys radio hits were beach surfing music.
And on a Bob Dylan fan site Expecting Rain posted last year nobody on there liked The Beach Boys except 1 person,and most said they never liked The Rolling Stones that much either,but many said they think The Beatles were the most,innovative,creative,and prolific band ever and that it is amazing how much great music of all different styles they wrote and played,and recorded in just an 8 year recording career.
THE_BEATLES_WERE_BRILLIANT_COOL_&VERY_GOOD_MUSICIANS!
Stars on the Beatles: Musicians Share Reflections on the Fab FourPosted by Spinner Staff
Comment (1)
That the Beatles mean so much to so many people who make music in so many genres goes without saying. What doesn’t go without saying is what John, Paul, George and Ringo mean to these musicians, who share in their own words the important role the Fab Four have played in their songs and in their lives.
“The three of us [in Nirvana] grew up listening to the Beatles, then classic rock and punk. Somehow, it all came together.” –Dave Grohl
“I don’t think I could write with John Lennon. He’s too genius … All you [could] do is mess it up.” –Miley Cyrus
“In Dublin we think the Beatles are Irish. There’s a revenge against [the] class system that’s a very Irish preoccupation… Here were the Fab Four spitting out a new vocabulary, that comes from that kind of revenge against the old idea of England that wasn’t inclusive of the working class.” –Bono
“I love the Beatles. What more can I say? I’m not gonna lie to you. I love ’em. They make me happy. And I think they were the best, and still are.” –Liam Gallagher
I don’t think anybody comes close to the Beatles, including Oasis.” –Brian May of Queen
“I heard ‘Rubber Soul’ one night in my house here in LA, and I was so blown out that I said, ‘I have to record an album as good or better than ‘Rubber Soul.’ If I ever do anything in my life, I’m going to make that good an album.'” –Brian Wilson
“You can’t beat the Beatles. You join ’em.” –Peggy Lee
“The first [record] I can remember buying was ‘Meet the Beatles!’ at a garage sale for five cents.” –Billy Corgan
“The Beatles really synthesized what I wanted to do. The single biggest moment that I can remember being galvanized into wanting to be a musican for life was seeing the Beatles on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.'” –Billy Joel
“I bought [John Lennon’s] ‘Plastic Ono Band,’ and I listened to it over and over for months. It’s a monumental work of genius… The attitude and emotion of that album are harder than any punk rock I’ve ever heard.” –Lenny Kravitz
“The Beatles were why we turned from a jug band into a rock ‘n’ roll band. What we saw them doing was impossibly attractive.” –Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead
“To be in the same room as the four of them caused me to not sleep for, like, three days.” –Jeff Lynne
“The Beatles defined their own sense of values and honor. They took stances without ever being politically correct. And they did it all with incredible humor… I honestly think that there are certain things in life that help people understand themselves. I think the Beatles are one of those things. They resonate the journey of true selfhood, really.” –Sophie B. Hawkins
“I’m probably the biggest Beatles fan on the planet.” –Robin Zander of Cheap Trick
“A lot of that Beatles influence comes from Steven [Tyler]’s collaboration with Mark Hudson, both of whom are absolute Beatle freaks… I guess the goal is to try and emulate probably some of the best music of the last 50 years, which has to be the Beatles.” –Brad Whitford of Aerosmith
“We looked deep down inside the very core of our souls and there was a little Ringo sitting there. Sure, we like telling people it’s John Lennon or George Harrison, but when you really look deep inside of Soundgarden, there’s a little Ringo wanting to get out.” — Kim Thayil of Soundgarden
“[The Beatles were] the start of the reason why we’re doing a band.” –Vicki Peterson of the Bangles
“How could you not be influenced by the Beatles if you write songs?” –Sean Lennon
Which Beatle Are You? QuizFiled under: The Hit List Share & Bookmark : Print | Email More
Reader Comments(1 of 1)
Neutral4165
at 9-15-2009I’m really surprised that you didn’t include quotes from Ozzy Osbourne who was interviewed I think in your very own magazine in 2002 where he calls The Beatles The Greatest Band To Ever Walk The Earth and said that he loved them since he was a teenager and called Paul McCartney a musical genuis.
Also Bob Dylan praised John,Paul and George last year in Rolling Stone.And Roger McGuinn is also a big fan and The Rolling Stones were fans and friends with them too.Also,
Artist Main:
The Beatles
The Beatles
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready Praises The ‘Phenomenal’ Beatles
But he might not be so good at the just-released ‘Beatles: Rock Band’: ‘I need to work on my skills.’
by Kyle Anderson
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready (MTV News)
Pearl Jam already have several links to “Rock Band,” as they have made their classic debut Ten available in its entirety as a playable download and will be dropping their forthcoming album
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Backspacer in the same fashion once it’s released September 20. And though founding guitarist Mike McCready has played the game and is excited for the Wednesday (September 9) release of “The Beatles: Rock Band,” he has a confession to make.
“I honestly grew up listening to the Stones more,” McCready told MTV News at the Outside Lands Festival. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t love the Beatles.”
McCready cited the band’s harmonies as a musical development that really inspired him, and he also gave a nod to a classic piece of video. “The concert footage on the roof was probably something that was integral in my growing up.”
The footage in question is the surprise show the Beatles gave in January 1969 that marked the end of the recording of Let It Be and ended up being the band’s final public appearance together. McCready did learn one profound thing from the Beatles. “My manager says you never want to release anything against the Beatles, because they’ll always win,” he joked. “And they should, because they were phenomenal.”
As for “Rock Band,” McCready admitted he needs practice. “I play ‘Rock Band’ with my friends’ kids, and they completely beat me senseless with it,” he admitted. “I feel like I’m holding them back. I try to play the drums, and I just can’t play the drums. I think I need to work on my skills.”
But when Backspacer becomes available as a playable full-album download, McCready said players will be able to develop their skills on a few of his favorite tracks. “I would say try the solo on ‘Amongst the Waves.’ And just rock out to ‘Gonna See My Friend.’ That’ll be fun to jump around to and play. Stomp as much as you possibly can. That’s rock!”
For more on “The Beatles: Rock Band” check out Multiplayer.MTV.com.
This report is from MTV News.
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Matt
omg. u know so much. cool. The beatles are awesome! =)
20 Razões Para os Beatles Serem os Melhores « Rockylização Universal
[…] Fonte: My Hmphs […]
Arjun Sajip
I totally agree with everything Slarty Bartfast said, and would also like to add that “Tomorrow Never Knows” is actually from Revolver; you make it sound like it’s from Rubber Soul. Great comments people. It’s testament to how GREAT the Beatles are that a webpage this long can exist.
OK, some people may not like them, but anyone who says they weren’t great or influential clearly knows nothing about music.
glorious basterd
haha!beat that oasis!
Dr Robert
I’m surprised so many people have questioned your article’s use of ‘numbers’. Music is ultimately subjective, so using numbers to illustrate The Beatles’ dominance seems perfectly justifiable.
Were they as good or as important as Beethoven – probably not. But they were the most influential musicians of the the 20th century and anyone who doesn’t recognise this or dismisses them as ‘not that good’ is musically illiterate.
Dorothy
The Beatles have made women scream worldwide……..so much that George Harrison said….”The world used us as an excuse to go mad”………….mere mediocrity could never be attached to the Beatles.
Ted
Yes THE BEATLES is hands-down the best band in the Planet Earth. Songs are heard by generations upon generations and they are still selling records. I dont think Guns and Roses can beat that! just kidding! hehe!
Dr.Jonathan Gomes
beatles are beyond doubt and illusion the best band ever. specially george harrison for his beautiful songs like MY SWEET LORD and the HARE KRSNA maha mantra.
Dennis
People who bash The Beatles are just jealous because the band or act that they like are not mentioned. Fact is The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd would’nt be around if The Beatles wern’t here first. Plain and Simple!
I like those bands! The Beatles had many musical styles.
The were a Rock Band first! You have to put yourself back to what was playing in the early 60’s. Hard Days Night, I Feel Fine,Ticket to Ride, Rain, Taxman, Tomorrow Never Knows. Just to name a few. These songs were considered heavy songs compared to what was current at that time. Rock got heavier and progressed through-out the years. Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd continued what Beatles started and invented. Elvis was good. But during Beatles years he hid in the movies. He music was considered old fashion. Anyway he was a great singer but a not anything more then that. 100 years from now The Beatles will be remembered and all other acts will not. Oh by the way George Harrison help write one of Creams most famous songs. Shut-Up already!
"Wolfie" Wolfgang
I would like to thank everybody who contibuted to this post, it is heartening to see that the Beatles still live in our hearts. I was a teanager when the Beatles started recording, and I was a fan right from the start, even to the extent that it spured me to learn to play guitar. I wasn´t happy to play the easy chords, I had to learn the ones that George Harrison played, and still do to this day. I stumbled across this article, as I was looking for some insiration, on how I could write an article about the beatles that fitted into the content of my website, and still I will find it difficult, but reading this article has given me some ideas, as really the beatles played every type of music from country to blues rock and even heavy metal, so it will fit in.
Once again thank you all.
“Wolfie”
trevor
the beatles are the greatest band of all time. period.
they have influenced every great musician since them
cameron
pink floyd=worst band ever!
Ryan
15. isn’t completely correct. Rain was released on a single. It was the B-side to Paperback Writer. Still, I love this post. Great ending, too. Oasis sucks.
Matt S.
I know someone touched on this a year ago, but most of these reasons are purely number based. Just because you have a ridiculous amount of numerical statistics doesn’t mean you are the greatest band in the world. I will give the Beatles the fact that they were innovative and extremely influential, but musically and lyrically, they are not even close to the best band ever. When it comes down to pure mechanics and even pure emotion they still aren’t close. The Beatles will always probably be regarded as the best band ever but in my opinion that is simply not true.
Deneen Correira
It is cruel, you know, that music should be so stunning. It has the elegance of loneliness of tenderness: of vigor and liberty. The elegance of disappointment and never-satisfied love. The cruel beauty of nature and perpetual beauty of uniformity.
Thursday Rock Report | B104
[…] CHECK IT OUT: 20 reasons why the Beatles are the greatest band ever http://www.myhmphs.com/?p=173 […]
Hm
First intentional use of feedback. Was used before but on accident.
Zoon
I’m sorry but I don’t care how many albums the Beatles sold or how many hits they had, they’re still crap.
Karman
I LOVE THE BEATLES!!!!!!! I’ve loved them ever since i was a baby. Whenever my dad was having trouble changing my diaper, he would put on the song “Yellow Submarine” and I would stop wiggling and just listen to the music as still as air. My room is Beatle themed and has the Beatles almost everywhere you look, AND I have a notebook that i call my Beatle song book because i wrote all the lyrics to all their songs in that notebook. My mom actualy sent my to a therepist because she thought i had an “Unhealthy obsession with them” which i agree with completely!!!!!!!!!
The Unbearable Idiocy of Pop Music Elitism - Music Banter
[…] elitists upon alleged Beatles fanboys? Do people overstate the case for the Beatles? Hell yes. __________________ Two men enter, one man […]
Brandon
The people who don’t like the Beatles are simply people who aren’t familiar with their work. They are people most of whose knowledge of the Beatles comes from bits of their songs being used in television advertisements. Unfortunately, when your knowledge of their work comes from little odds and ends you hear around, you only learn about a few novelty songs which have nothing to do with the main body of their work. These are people who have mostly just heard “Yellow Submarine,” “All You Need is Love,” “Lady Madonna,” and the part of “Drive My Car” where they go “beep beep.” The main body of their great works is never played in TV ads. I’d like these people to listen to their real rock’n roll and then tell me that they weren’t geniuses. Their good stuff includes “All I’ve Got to Do,” “No Reply,” “And I Love Her,” “It Won’t Be Long,” “From Me to You,” “All My Loving,” “I’ll Get You,” “I Should Have Known Better,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “I Need You,” “This Boy,” “Do You Want to Know a Secret,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “I’m Looking Through You,” “If I Fell,” etc.
da bishop
Wow. You’re right.
But it’s not 20 reasons, what’s impressing me here is the *epic* comments. Read it?! Whoa. I just had a scroll and that’s enough for me.
Charts baby, charts.
Jude
I think everyone knows the Beatles were the greatest band of all time. They actually had good music. Way better than the music of today.
Lennon Lajoie
It’s a huge shame at the amount of people who choose to ignore the fact that they are the greatest musical act in history, like for instant a user by the name of ‘Zoon’, whose only reason for his dislike is “They’re crap.”
Crawl back to you’re cave and listen to whatever awfulness you find pleasure in…(which of course wouldn’t exist without the four!)
Whatever doesn’t kill a Beatles fan makes it stronger.
Jaffrey
What got me to this page was listening to “1”, which for some reason reminded me of a comment made years ago, by someone whose name I;ve forogtten. He said something like, “The Beatles were a rock band for about ten minutes. Then they became something else entirely, something that had never existed before”. Anyone know who it was? And Zoon, I feel sorry for you.
Theresa
One word: EPIC!!!
Rolling Stones
I’m with Zoon. And you don’t need to feel sorry for me as there’s a huge amount of incredible music out there that isn’t the Beatles.
Using the majority of the above reasons as a yardstick we can deduce that Madonna is OFFICIALLY the 4th best artist EVER because she’s sold the 4th highest amount of records and Celine Dion is the 9th – which I’m sure you can agree is undeniable.
This is a revealing fact too:
“Westlife hold the record for most number one singles in a row on the UK charts ever – seven. They had a total of 12 number one singles during Brian’s time in the group, plus four number one albums, selling in excess of 30 million albums.”
The American Idol/ Pop Idol/ Search for a Star finalist always gets to number one. The general public are a discerning bunch.
The Beatles Forever
Beatles is and was the world’s biggest bands, I do not understand that people nowadays do not understand what good music is! The Beatles made all these things and still do not all like The Beatles. People who do not like the Beatles can not be with their fulll five
Andrew lennon
Commenter “RollingStones” is another one of those who chooses to hate something simply because it gains more praise than an object of his favour.
Please don’t get all red faced because of the Beatles large fanbase and high praise from critics, and please don’t belittle a band because you don’t like them.
Oh and by the way, the Beatles are greatest band in history, they were then as they are now so get over it.
Rolling Stones
Andrew Lennon needs to read emails and understand them before commenting. You need to reply to my words, not something you invented.
“Commenter “RollingStones” is another one of those who chooses to hate something simply because it gains more praise than an object of his favour.”
You can quite clearly see I said nothing of the sort. Especially not “hate”. I don’t hate The Beatles. Paul McCartney’s a very nice bloke.
“Please don’t get all red faced because of the Beatles large fanbase and high praise from critics, and please don’t belittle a band because you don’t like them.”
No red faces here and I didn’t belittle the band, just the above top 20. In a light-hearted way I think.
“Oh and by the way, the Beatles are greatest band in history, they were then as they are now so get over it.”
Ahhhhh… I see. You’re just a child.
Try again and this time respond to the point I made.
Thomas
No matter what you do, they are the gods of music, it is basic fact, and anybody that does not agree is disbelieving fact.
Their music, their albums, their story, the members (all of which have their own unique, memorable personality), the culture, the controversy, the innovative lyrics, the events, the friendship, the music videos, the people associated with them, the live shows, the their incredibly sense of humour… it’s bigger than anything that has ever happened.
They are the best. They represent good music. What they did will never be done, ever again. It is impossible to recreate The Beatles.
Rolling Stones
I’ve always had a problem believing in gods.
Nemo
Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t like the Beatles and honestly I’m feeling bad about it, cause they were a cult in the 60s (and not only), so I’m trying to keep an open mind (like you said) and get why people like them so much. And your list? It gave me no reason as to “why are they the greatest band ever”. Ok, you enumerate the sold albums, the chards they topped… they were popular everybody knows that already. It still doesn’t explain why. I can’t agree with your assumption, that just because someone’s on the top of the charts it’s unacceptable not to like them. I was expecting to read something about their music and why it spoke to so many people, not the records they broke.
John
I quite like The Beatles … but i’m not a massive fan or anything … but when i was coming round from a large dose of general anesthetic from my hernia operation … i started singing “We all live in a yellow submarine” … can’t really explain that one!!!
bb
they now were,but they are the best,tell me who will be remember Lady Gaga,or Bieber 50 years after??
Bryan Hunter
I don’t care who you are, The Beatles changed the world we live in today. You may not like The Beatles’ music, and I’m okay with that, but they’re not “crap”, they were people just like us, they weren’t doing it for money, or fame, as said by George Harrison- “I wanted to be successful, not famous.” ——— Many bands that you may think are good, were probably inspired by The Beatles’, it may not be obvious, but it is likely, ex.- The Beatles’ “Yesterday” is the most recorded song in history, with over 25,000 different artists creating their own versions. Most modern bands talk about getting laid, drunk, high, etc. Strangely enough, they were influenced by The Beatles one way or another, even if they don’t know it.
This concludes my perfect response.
Noam
I still think there can’t be an “official” best musician. I can accept they are the most influential or innovative band. But not the best or the most “important”. It’s really a matter of taste.
Ronnie
I don’t know who this Zoon character is but there has never ever been an act even remotely resembling the Beatles. I am old enough to remember when they weren’t around. They completely changed popular music. Completely. There is something quite different about their music and melodies. Everything the writer pointed out was the truth, especially when it came to recording sessions. I remember 1964 when they owned the charts it was incredible to see. I think the naysayers are younger people who were not around to see the phenomenon as it
unfolded and cannot fathom their greatness. Now, I love other groups just as much but I really have to give The Beatles their props, they were the best. Everything that you listen to now, is because of them.
Abbey
I have yet to meet a person who states they do not like the Beatles and then not convert them. In general it is because as stated in an earlier post they have heard very little of their work.
I personally am a fan of the whole back catalogue and each album goes in and out of favour. Indeed I can go through very very long periods of not listening to them and then you hear it again and just smile, shake your head in admiration and realise why you keep going back.
As far as I am aware, and stand to be correcterd, they are the only Rock,Pop,Jazz,Blues,Heavey Rock,Childrens Songs,Easylistening……………………..the genres go on and on, band there ever was, wheras other great bands stayed within their genre; Rolling stones RB, Zeppelin, Puple, Heap Heavy rock, Cream Tull (different) but Jazz Rock and could list bands artists up to the present day but do see my point? The most diverse you will find of a long standing act is Bowie. Everyone else pretty much in the main stuck to what they did best and made them great and some the greatest in their Genre.
The beatles at the worst were very good in all genres and touched greatness in in most and trail blazed. (Is argued they pioneered heavy rock)
Zoon & Rolling Stone. May I suggest some torture for you. Sit or lie down in a comfy place, put on some headphones, stick on Abbey Road, The Beatles (white), Sgt.Pepers, Rubber Soul or Revolver and just listen. Do it properly, listen from start to finish because the albums were crafted to flow (no longer done in a world where a press of a button lets you jump from track to track). If one of those albums does not make you go ‘wow’ stick on one of the other eight they recorded in their 7 year recording history.
If after that you still do not like or rate them then at least you can say you listened properly to it all. Then when you listen to some other band or artiste that you do like there is a good chance that one of there beest tracks is a beatles composition.
JILL
I JUST WANT TO THANK THE CREATER OF “THE 20”..YOU TOTALLY COVERED IT FOR ME AND THEN SOME..THIS WAS, IS, AND WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE (AND I CANT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH) THEEEE, BEST BAND THAT WILL EVER BE…
mark
i think if the beatles started out today , the,d be a fish in very large pond , they were just in the right era at the right time , listen to music very bland and dull
myself
Beatles is the greatest band ever ,
And for people who say they’re not a rockband , I agree
Because beatles are the only legendary band that made rock music , pop music , and mixed their pieces of art with country music ,
Plus they are a legendary band , just like rolling stones and led zeppelin so if you don’t enjoy their music just don’t listen to them , you don’t have bash them or say that they “suck” .
I dont like queen but I know they are very talented , and I don’t spam their fans………so shut up beatles haters
J
yeah if you think their crap your an idiot. What the hell do you like? white snake? Keep your opinion to yourself and maybe learn what music is. And it is by many peoples definition The beatles.
J
That was to Zoon btw. And Nemo the reason they were and are the greatest band ever is because they were innovators, they were extremely talented with music and lyrics, they have more good songs then any band i can think of, they were constantly evolving, they didnt want to do the same thing twice, and well some of their stuff is a work of genius. Listen to a day in the life, that to me is their high point and it can really make you think. Try to imagine any popular band nowadays making such a crossover.
James
the beatles will always reign supreme cause without them we would not have as much music face it the Beatles are loved by almost any old timer i may be young but the beatles always will be number 1
kt
ahh every1 has different taste of music alright….
wats the point of arguing about all this -_-
btwi agree with Nemo..the list only tells us about how successful they are..not about why the beatles are the greatest band ever..
Tim
Nemo, their music spoke to so many people, that’s why they broke so many records. It goes hand in hand silly.
The Beatles are the greatest.
Russell
The Beatles are 1 of my favorite groups of all time but being 33 Nirvana would go down as my favorite all time band and I would say is the best band of all time.Kurt Cobain always said John Lennon was a huge influence on him and his music.People that can listen to their whole catalog of songs and say they are crap must not know what good music is.I would love to hear what their idea of good music is if they consider 1 of the greatest bands of all time crap.
spidpower
Bands, superstars, and pop artists will come and go…
but the Beatles will forever be remembered as the single greatest band in the history of popular music. It’s not about the numbers,
because demographics expand exponentially. It’s all about the music, the message, and the feeling behind it.
Mike Pabello
Johnpaulgeorgeringo… 3 great songwriters, all 4 can sing the lead, they covered all genre of music, you grew up with their music and now our children loved them too… and they broke up while they’re still on top. And their music still sell up to now and probably forever.
Beckie Johnson
I live and die for the Beatles..I was 13 when they formed and lived in Beirut, Lebanon…They were big there before the U.S. I absolutely loved these guys. My husband can’t stand them(he is 62) and don’t get it. How can anyone not love the Beatles? Beats me.
Beckie Johnson
Did any of you Beatles fans hear about the Beatles cruise leaving out of Tampa, Florida on 2/4/12…it marks the 47th anniversary of them appearing on Ed Sullivan show. it is a 7 day cruise..God, I would love it..wouldn’t you?
Alex
I don’t care about the amount of records sold, that is not a criteria.
I would like to add another very important reason, and one that I hope will encourage people that know their most played songs (Help / Yesterday / Hey Jude etc.) to listen to all their songs:
– their lesser known material is just as good, if not better, than those well known songs!!! Personally, I find it a LOT harder to name songs I don’t like than the ones I do. Serious.
That and the fact that some of their solo work is great too (especially that of Lennon imo). But the four together was pure magical and sadly just a ones in a lifetime event. *sniff*
Summer
Musicians nowadays took EVERYTHING THEY HAVE from The Beatles.
Hence, Making them the best band EVAR!!
Ben
Just remember that there are people who hate Shakespeare, Bach and Duke Ellington, too. They’re called “dumbasses.”
Helmut83
I think what defines the Beatles greatness is very related to point Nº 15 of this chart.
Yes, there are many bands of whom you can pick 5, 8 or even 12 great songs -usually the well know ones-, but when you get to know all of their material you find that almost all of the rest is crap. What is amazing about the Beatles is that the “album fillers” or their majorly unknown songs are as great as (or sometimes better than) their greatest hits.
If you search in the Beatles discography, you can find dozens of hidden masterpieces to which nobody pays much attention, not even the Beatles did: “I’ll follow the sun”, “It’s only love”, “Piggies”, “I’ve just seen a face”, “Rocky Raccoon”, “Baby’s in black”, “Good day sunshine”, “I will”, “Mean Mr. Mustard”, “For no one”, “Fool on the hill”, “You never give me your money”, “Happiness is a warm gun”, “If I needed someone”, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”, “Run for your life”, “I don’t want to spoil the party”, “Little child”, “Tell me what you see”, “Two of us”, etc…
These are “the other part” of the Beatles discography. Can you tell me of any other band whose “other part” of their discography can be compared to this one?
Many people don’t realize how big the Beatles are because they stay with “she loves you” and “I want to hold your hand” but don’t know the songs I mentioned before.
JGGott_87
Denying The Beatles as being the greatest band of all time is to be musically uneducated. I mean, it’s hard to believe some people still try to do it. Buddies, The Beatles are not just the greatest band ever, they are the GREATEST ARTISTS OF THE XX CENTURY. They compete only with Beethoven to the title of greatest music artists of all time. Get that in your heads, OK?
One thing is to have your personal preferences, everyone is entitled and should have their own tastes. Another complete different thing is to overlook facts in favor of solely what you think, as if you lived alone in the world.
NO ONE can argue with The Beatles being number 1. You wouldn’t even be able to make a point, to start with. They don’t leave room for it: widely regarded as the best band, with the best songwriting team ever, most important, influential and “impactful” music artists of the Century, as well as the most successful EVER, both in the charts and commercially.
Give up acting passionately for some minutes and start to REASON.
JGGott_87
The Beatles are the only band you could say that literally changed the world we live in. They shaped Western culture and society and I assure you I’m not the only person to say that.
Steve P
I think people also need to realize that the Beatles achieved everything they did while only in their twenties. Think about that. What significant and lasting contribution have any of you made during that decade of your life? The oeuvre of most great artists — with few exceptions — are judged and based upon an entire lifetime of work. The extent of their influence was, and is, profound.
None, if any artists, have accomplished as much in such a short span so early in life.
I think the naysayers here need to study history in context to the present to understand why and how we got here. Either that or they need to get very expensive psychotherapy to deal with with their inferiority complexes and deep feelings of inadequacy.
Loco
You always have to take into account the time and place of certain artists. I was born after the Beatles but grew up listening to all their records (from my parents). Now I don’t listen to them, and to be fair you very rarely even hear them on the radio. But I still appreciate their place in history. Anyone who dismisses the Beatles is too stupid to understand their historical significance.
Chayan_Beatles4Ever
Well.. well.. I’m pleased to see fanss.. who are just like me.. !!
the thing is.. Beatles are just like drugs..
If you get caught by them.. It is next to impossible to get rid of it..!! Forever..!!
To the people, who don’t like them..
Get well soon .. and ask your music teacher .. If you both could spell the word..!!
To me.. They mean everything to me.. my day is incomplete without them..
People sometimes tease me.. coz of my huge obsession to them.. but it simply doesn’t matter .. Love What You Want..!! :D
but basically, choices varies from person to person.. and to the people just like me.. Yoo.. Beatles ..!! :D :D
alcavman
I think the Beatles are the best band ever, but will concede that this is a subjective viewpoint.
They may not even be my favorite band, which is a more affective and personal standard.
However, the view that they are the greatest band of all time seems objective to me. I refuse to even enter into a discussion that there is a band that brought together the following different facets in such a complete package: popular success, popularity, influence, originality, being pathbreaking, writing their own music, being larger than life, having sustained popularity to this very day, versatility = successfully changing their style several times, consistency (even most album filler is excellent stuff).
What other band can you choose the song from their catalog which you like 40th-best, and claim “this would be the best song of the year if it were released today” or “most bands would be happy if they wrote one song this good in their entire career?” Sure Dylan had a big impact, but do people really still love to reminisce about him or sing his songs or listen to his songs all the time? No. There is noone who is in the same league as the FabFour.
Granted, bands these days have it much more difficult since there is such a body of music and performers in the past making it impossible to be ‘original’ to the extent that bands 40 years ago could be. However, since most bands today are pretty weak, I am not crying any tears for them.
Alex
Listen to “while my guitar gently weeps” and you’ll understand just how good they are. Or you could listen to “revolution,” a song with an incredible message suggesting that “we all want to change the world” but played out in stylish, uplifting and catchy manner and you’ll see the beauty of the Beatles, and why you don’t have to over complicate music to make it sound incredible.
matt
Zoon
January 14, 2011 • 12:07 am .I’m sorry but I don’t care how many albums the Beatles sold or how many hits they had, they’re still crap
Then why did u come here??
Iriemon
The Beatles were the musical phenonemon of the 20th century because they excelled in so many different ways. Not only were the Beatles were popular stage performers, they were also acclaimed songwriters and excellent musicians. McCartney was a virtuoso bass player, one of the best ever; Harrison was in the early part of the Beatles career one of the best guitarists in the game (though he was overshadowed a bit by later maestros like Clapton and Hendrix), and Lennon wasn’t a maestro but was a solid guitarist as well. Ringo was a fine drummer. Their excellent musicianship combined with great vocals to embellish superb craftsamanship at songwriting.
Not being merely performers of other’s music, and probably in large part because they were accomplished musicians and songwriters, they were not only popular performers but exponentially advanced their sound and style into a wide range of different types of music, and fundamentally changed the landscape of popular music.
Not only did they excel in both pop and rock, but also expanded into a wide panolopy of music and sounds, including ballads, psychedelic, blues, heavy metal, country, even dabbing into for them alien categories like folk (Rocky Racoon) raggae (Obladi-Oblada) and ragtime (Honey Pie), and others, writing and performing memorable songs in those categories. If you listen to the White Album and don’t like anything on it, you have a very limited range of musical appreciation. I can’t think of another piece of work that showcased show much talent in so many different areas.
They truly expanded the boundries of popular music in ways no other musical act did in the 20th century. Finally, the Beatles were not simply a popular music group, but a cultural phenonemon as well, influencing many in areas as diverse as hair styles, drugs, and politics.
I did I mention they wrote great songs?
Long after many other groups and performers have faded into obscurity, the Beatles will be remembered and played.
Oliver Jade
I don’t think even the Beatles knew how good they were,it was a sublime combination of talents at the right time in the right place.