O/T - The Beatles

[albion68]

The Beatles at the time were a breath of fresh air..only people around at that moment in time can appreciate and connect to, all we had was American American and American music .they were English and ours .as a previous poster pointed out 62/69 the amount of music they wrote in 7/8years was phenomenal and the diversity of there music.the yanks didn’t know what hit them,

[WBA1955]

The Beatles are like marmite, you either love them or hate them. I love them. Some people who prefer the Stones don't like them but that's being petty. I like both and the Beatles gave the Stones their first hit.
At the time guitar groups were said to be on the way out. Thanks to them we had the British invasion of other groups they inspired.
Their hit's and achievements in eight short years are unparalleled and we will probably never see their like again. They changed not only popular music but pop culture and fashion.
That three multi talented friends who also happened to appeal to young people should form a group is a phenomenon.
Today agents try to get groups with an appeal and they last about two years.
Nobody has ever come close to them, the last number one the Stones had was when I was still at school.
Oasis are big fan's and entitled one of their albums On The Shoulders of Giants.
That's about right.

[Barrera]

Love the Beatles … always have done .. and always will do. One of the mainstays in my life … like the Albion. It’s been charted that the quality and quantity of fantastic songs in their back catalogue dwarf any other pop/rock bands … the only comparison is with classic composers like Mozart. Music is personal taste of course and one man’s heaven is another man’s hell. But some of my favourites include Elenor Rigby, Hey Bull Dog, Here Comes the Sun, all of Revolver, Rubber Soul … even most on Hard Day’s Night and Help are great. …just too many to list.

They probably came to an end at the right time … preserved their immortality. Watched the film Get Back many times … yes all three episodes … and what shines through even in those darker final days is their spirit and personality. One of the best concerts I ever saw was McCartney live at Battersea Power station at a charity gig with about 300 people there. Watching and hearing him play Beatles classics standing about 10 feet away was just incredible.

Greatest band ever for … although understand it’s personal taste

[baggieal]

My daughter who is now 9 has over the last year been completely obsessed by the Beatles

I like most people like the Beatles but I certainly am not the biggest fan or ever pushed her to be a fan in any way

I’m amazed that a 8/9year old can be so appreciative of music that was written 50+ years ago

But with their her appreciation of tracks that I’d never even heard of I have been watching documentaries and listening to a lot of Beatles stuff and just can’t believe how amazing these young lads who lasted less than a decade were

Some of their lyrics and songs are just way beyond their years and I can’t believe they last so long and are still Incredibly relevant and so different from other music of the time

I am finding a whole new appreciation for the Beatles

Anyone else had similar?

Didn’t like them! Hollies had more talent!

Paul McCartney should have gracefully retired years ago!

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

A Sales Rep was in Liverpool for one night and rather than stop in the hotel he decided a night in the nearest pub where there was a quiz would be a better option. Unfortunately when he got there the quiz was all about local knowledge. There were lots of teams so thought no one would notice how little he knew. He simply answered The Beatles or Jurgen Klopp to every question. Came second.

[mickd1961]

Didn’t like them! Hollies had more talent!

Paul McCartney should have gracefully retired years ago!

Harmony wise The Hollies were far superior in my opinion when Graham Nash was still in the band.

As far as harmony goes though it’s hard to think of anyone better than The Beach Boys.

[Omegstrat6]

I don't really think that anyone can really argue that McCartney is not one of the most innately talented musicians in the history of popular music. May not have studied music theory as such but had a natural gift as well as an inquisitive mind that saw him explore and use a range of different musical styles. A multi-instrumentalist, his melodic bass playing is sometimes under estimated whilst he was no slouch on guitar either-it was he who provided the incisive lead guitar parts on Drive My Car and Taxman.

Not as acerbic as Lennon, his one failing to me is that if left unchecked he could fall too easily into being over-"twee" -something he was more guilty of in his post-Beatle career. (He is often better with a stronger collaborator-such as his stuff with Elvis Costello).

Watch any you tube live performances from the noughties or even 2010s and he is still good but whilst he can still play well enough, his voice has now gone so agree it's time to perhaps retire from big live tours now.

My own favourite Beatle is George Harrison. Sure he produced some rubbish amongst the good stuff but to me he is the more interesting of the Fab Four. Maybe not as musically talented as Lennon or McCartney but always a very good, if understated, guitar player whose guitar lines fitted the songs perfectly and who later developed his own distinct slide sound.

[Omegstrat6]

Harmony wise The Hollies were far superior in my opinion when Graham Nash was still in the band.

As far as harmony goes though it’s hard to think of anyone better than The Beach Boys.

The Beatles certainly studied and learnt from Black American groups that informed their vocal arrangements and such harmonisation and counter-melodies are a big part of their sound but agree that no-one can really touch the vocal harmonies of the Beach Boys. That of CSN(Y) were good too but still not on the same level either.

[kettering_baggie]

The Beatles were innovative and their back catalogue is truly amazing, even if you don’t like all of it. They were also ‘packaged’ very well, the suits, the haircuts, brilliant, quite a change from the leather jacketed scruffy look they had when playing in Hamburg. The media presented the Beatles as the lads that you wouldn’t mind your daughter going out with, whereas the Stones, they were demonised as the scruffy miscreants that you wouldn’t let your daughter anywhere near! Actually, the Stones weren’t particularly scruffy anyway, especially when compared to some rock bands that emerged in later years.

As for producing amazing harmonies, difficult to better CSNY, which contained two of the very best harmony singers in Graham Nash and David Crosby.

[Leicesterbaggie]

I thought that the Beatles were great but it’s interesting that many of the favourite tracks quoted on here did not correspond with mine but that’s because we all have different tastes. I also agree that the Hollies were fantastic and their harmonies were second to none.I also liked the Rolling Stones, especially their early R and B stuff. In fact, I enjoyed listening to many of the 60’s groups because I was a ****ager in that era
and the majority of the music that I listen to now is of that ilk. That’s just how it is.