The Beatles were more than a band; they influenced society as a whole. Not even Elvis Presley influenced the younger generation like they did. I remember somebody describing them as 'other worldy' which I thought was quite apt. They were right for that moment in time. I agree, that it seems in vogue to knock them now which to my mind is totally unfair. Of course, I didn't rate all of their music but they produced a lot more good stuff than they did bad. I preferred the music prior to Sgt. Pepper and am surprised that so many people rated that as their best album. Latterly, there was the odd good number but there was a lot of dross as well. However, it's all down to taste and I'm sure that many will disagree with me.