Are The Beatles the greatest band of all time?

[The Modfather]

Yes.

A staggering body of work for lads that were only 29 when the band split.

This

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Not a fan of Yellow Submarine though. Found it a bit WEAK.

There, I said it.

Or when they recorded a song called 'No Pakistanis'.... hmmmm.

 

[Mellotron]

Buddy Holly and the Crickets run them close imo. The fact that he died aged 23 with a seriously impressive repertoire of self penned songs suggest that he could have been even bigger than the Beatles, if he'd lived. The Beatles spent years together before writing their own stuff and were no more innovative than Holly given his background and the music he had to draw on.

The Beatles were massively influenced by and also influenced so many Bands - Beach Boys, Stones and the Byrds to name just a few. They all fed off one another.

What about the 2nd half of the Beatles career - psychadelia, heavy rock, dance music - they were ahead of all the bands you mention in those fields (in my opinion).

 

[Icy Gull]

What about the 2nd half of the Beatles career - psychadelia, heavy rock, dance music - they were ahead of all the bands you mention in those fields (in my opinion).

Strangely I lost interest in them after the truly awe inspiring and ground breaking (at the time) Sgt Peppers and I actually hated Let it Be from the first moment I heard it, and still do. I am still a big fan of Revolver and Rubber Soul though. I think West Coast Bands like Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company, Love and The Doors as well as Hendrix and Cream did the psychedelic time much better than the Beatles

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

I voted yes, but would not have put in the "you idiot" bit.

Remembering back to the 1960's, people who are younger may not realise the effect they had by blowing the music world apart. Before then, my memory is the charts were full of things like Susan Maughan, "I want to be Bobby's Girl", Bobby Vee - "Like a rubber ball, I come bouncing back to you.", Matt Monro and the like, with the occasional ray of light from Ray Charles and Sam Cooke - I was only 10 when the Beatles emerged in 1963.

I think George martin had a lot to do with it as well, mind, although he had to have the quality of the songs they wrote to work with as well. My wife and I were driving down to Italy a couple of years ago and listened to Sgt Pepper on the way. We were staggered by the all round quality. you probably had to "be there", but it was so far, far ahead of just about anything else that had been done, it was mind-blowing.

 

[Mellotron]

Strangely I lost interest in them after the truly awe inspiring and ground breaking (at the time) Sgt Peppers and I actually hated Let it Be from the first moment I heard it, and still do. I am still a big fan of Revolver and Rubber Soul though.

Revolver is their perfect album for me - right in the middle of the simple, classic songwriting of their earlier stuff and hints of the darker, more unusual stuff to come.

 

[gripper stebson]

What about the 2nd half of the Beatles career - psychadelia, heavy rock, dance music - they were ahead of all the bands you mention in those fields (in my opinion).

They recorded this in 1966 aged 24. 1966!!! Chemical Brothers anyone?

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[Psychobilly freakout]

Most people here - me included - are too young to know the impact they had on music, the number of songs they wrote, the number recorded and covered by other people, at a time when there was much less music available, and very few singer/songwriters.

For their contribution to music, I would say, yes. Do I like to listen to them - not very often.

Oh Richard..... lets not fall out, however I hate the beatles with a passion....

The number of songs they wrote is not a good example of how good they are and no one, no one can tell me that songs like "please, please" or "Love me do" or "Michelle" are lyrical or musical masterpieces. When I was at school during music classes every song we did was a Beatles number and I asked the teacher why are doing them do you like the Beatles Sir..... "No I hate them" came the reply...... "eeerrrr well why are playing them all the time then Sir ?"..... "because they are so bloody simple" came his response..... Amen to that.

The Beatles killed Rock'n'Roll and were the first Boy Band as such, they jumped on the back of every craze that was going first they were Rock'n'Roll and covered Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and the like, right through to jumping on the hippy band wagon that they did not start.

Hate the Beatles

 

[theonesmith]

I don't think there is ever a 'greatest' in music. But the Beatles are in the top bracket, whatever that should be defined as. I would place them with a few select others, such as David Bowie, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, perhaps contentiously Guns 'n' Roses, Jimi Hendrix.. These are the big guns, and I don't think I could place one above the other

* This isn't a definitive list, just off the top of my head. All music is subjective, and in turn please don't subject me to any music snobbery of 'this sound is better than that sound'!

 

[Mellotron]

Oh Richard..... lets not fall out, however I hate the beatles with a passion....

The number of songs they wrote is not a good example of how good they are and no one, no one can tell me that songs like "please, please" or "Love me do" or "Michelle" are lyrical or musical masterpieces. When I was at school during music classes every song we did was a Beatles number and I asked the teacher why are doing them do you like the Beatles Sir..... "No I hate them" came the reply...... "eeerrrr well why are playing them all the time then Sir ?"..... "because they are so bloody simple" came his response..... Amen to that.

The Beatles killed Rock'n'Roll and were the first Boy Band as such, they jumped on the back of every craze that was going first they were Rock'n'Roll and covered Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and the like, right through to jumping on the hippy band wagon that they did not start.

Hate the Beatles

I don't think I've EVER disagreed with a statement more than the bit in bold.

Sounds like you only knew about the first few years of The Beatles...

 

[Mellotron]

They recorded this in 1966 aged 24. 1966!!! Chemical Brothers anyone?

[yt]spjcPS4ekOA[/yt]

Genuinely unbelievable.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I think the Kinks rival them in a musical sense.

The Kinks beat them to the punch on quite a few of the styles they seem to get credit for.

What the beatles were able to do is take other bands inovations and make them well know to listeners.

Norwegian Wood is often put up there as the song which introduced an eastern sound sitar like sounds to songs. However the Kinks beat them there with the eastern sounding See My Friends.

Added Ray Davies was a superior song writer as a story teller and he did it by himself.

The Kinks music was the catalyst for genres, punk, britpop etc.

The Beatles music didn't define genres.

 

[Icy Gull]

I think the Kinks rival them in a musical sense.

The Kinks beat them to the punch on quite a few of the styles they seem to get credit for.

What the beatles were able to do is take other bands inovations and make them well know to listeners.

Norwegian Wood is often put up there as the song which introduced an eastern sound sitar like sounds to songs. However the Kinks beat them there with the eastern sounding See My Friends.

Added Ray Davies was a superior song writer as a story teller and he did it by himself.

Dave Davies claims You Really Got me was the first ever punk song. The band also used to beat the shit out of each other on stage on occasions too so appeared to have the attitude as well Although if it's variety and some truly brilliant insights into the sixties and the mood of the time the lyrics and songs of the Kinks do take some beating

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Sounds like you only knew about the first few years of The Beatles...

Not at all Mr Mellotron, I just do not buy into the greatest living band hype. People I think look through rose coloured goggles when it comes to the Beatles and forget the dross they put out, maybe it is the John Lennon death and peoples recalling their youth.

It is a matter of taste and I like stuff people would absolutely detest that is life.

 

[The Large One]

Oh Richard..... lets not fall out, however I hate the beatles with a passion....

The number of songs they wrote is not a good example of how good they are and no one, no one can tell me that songs like "please, please" or "Love me do" or "Michelle" are lyrical or musical masterpieces. When I was at school during music classes every song we did was a Beatles number and I asked the teacher why are doing them do you like the Beatles Sir..... "No I hate them" came the reply...... "eeerrrr well why are playing them all the time then Sir ?"..... "because they are so bloody simple" came his response..... Amen to that.

The Beatles killed Rock'n'Roll and were the first Boy Band as such, they jumped on the back of every craze that was going first they were Rock'n'Roll and covered Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and the like, right through to jumping on the hippy band wagon that they did not start.

Hate the Beatles

I'm sure you have other reasons to hate them, because those ones sound daft.

 

[Mellotron]

Not at all Mr Mellotron, I just do not buy into the greatest living band hype. People I think look through rose coloured goggles when it comes to the Beatles and forget the dross they put out, maybe it is the John Lennon death and peoples recalling their youth.

It is a matter of taste and I like stuff people would absolutely detest that is life.

I can easily list 30 STUNNING Beatles songs within a SEVEN year timeframe. I can't do that with any other band.

 

[Triggaaar]

For what they achieved in terms of pure songwriting, and the diverse styles of music they attempted and succeeded with, are The Beatles the greatest band of all time?

It seems the only thing everyone can agree on, is that you're an idiot

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Not at all Mr Mellotron, I just do not buy into the greatest living band hype. People I think look through rose coloured goggles when it comes to the Beatles and forget the dross they put out, maybe it is the John Lennon death and peoples recalling their youth.

It is a matter of taste and I like stuff people would absolutely detest that is life.

Well said.

 

[Mellotron]

It seems the only thing everyone can agree on, is that you're an idiot

I knew I'd get called all sorts for putting my head above the parapet, so might as well beat them to it!

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Dave Davies claims You Really Got me was the first ever punk song. The band also used to beat the shit out of each other on stage on occasions too. If it's variety and some truly brilliant insights into the sixties the lyrics and songs of the Kinks do take some beating

Their influence is probably one of the most understated aspects of the 60's british explosion moving forward into other eras.

The other song credited with being a forerunner to Punk was My Generation by The Who, it came out over a year after You Really Got me however.

The bands who the Kinks directly influenced like The Jam and Blur of which you can hear the Kinks influence shining through ended up being the top of the bands of their generations.