I have question for yall music lovers out there. What is so great about the Beatles. I have a CD of their's (Number 1's) and the songs are good, but what make them so great. Every Top Artist list always has them at number 1 and every Top Album list always has about 10 of their LP's in the top 20.

Why is their never a debate on the top Artist. Other subjects like sports, their is always one or the other. The Greatest Basketball Player, is it Jordan or Chamberlain, Bird or Magic. Never in music is Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Marvin Gaye or Elvis, it is always the Beatles.

Let me try to answer to this in a short way. "The Beatles" started out as just another english boy group but quickly began to break new ground. Not only were Lennon/McCartney great songwriters, their music was revolutionary for their time. First, it was not common for a young band to insist in playing their own material at the time. Most bands played songs written for them by others or cover-versions.
Then, the Beatles were very experimental for their time. They tried something new for every record, used and invented new recording techniques (backwards-recording, new instruments like the sitar) and they changed their image with every record (something Madonna, Prince etc. do nowadays).
They were the first band to play a big stadion rock-concert and most of all they were the heros of a whole generation.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Because tons of senile fifty-somethings love their music as they haven't really heard much else in their lifetimes.

Oh, and they wrote decent songs too.
[Edited 1/3/05 2:34am]

Novabreaker said:

Great songs actually. Some of the greatest in rock 'n' roll history.

the beatles ,.. neva heard o them

no elvis beatles or the rollings stones , joe strummer 1977

They even influenced Prince ,after hearing The Beatles and Led Zep he wrote ATWIAD he never heard there music growing up and Wendy got him into 60's music ,i like there later stuff the early songs were crap ,but then John met a mad Japanese lady in 68 and went a bit loopy and the Beatles split up in 1970,she did break them up no matter what she says lol

Anniechristian2 said:

don't believe a word of it, kids. the beatles were done with each other by a certain point, and most fans would rather believe an evil "dragon lady" broke them up than to believe that their precious beatles were sick of each other.

Anxiety said:

She did play a big part of it ,they did not let anyone else in the recording studio with them ,then Yoko came along and used to sit there telling them what she thought of there music !! you have to admit John changed a lot when he met her .I used to be into there music more ,my parents had all there original albums ! i saw a documentary about John and Yoko and Yoko was whispering to John because his guitar player was not playing tight enough ! i cant remember who the guitar player was but he was famous and very good so John said come on guys tighten it up !these were professional players she was an artist ,can u imagine how these guys felt, the looks they gave her it was so funny

LittleBLUECorvette said:

For me it's the fact that they're not Janet Jackson.

AsianBoi777 said:

I see we've found a new obsession.
[Edited 1/3/05 7:06am]

VoicesCarry said:

thehehe

I figure I"m going to get crucified for this, so what the hell?

AsianBoi777 said:

No - if you'd picked Madonna, it would have been a different story. She has some interesting fans on this board.

What is so great about The Beatles?

A Hard Day's Night
Help!
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles (White Album)
Abbey Road

And then of course there's all the great singles that didn't make it on to the albums.

That's what is so great about The Beatles.

Shakespeare?

What's so great about Shakespeare?

it's not something anyone's going to convince you of. you have to discover it for yourself. i recommend going beyond the single-disc Number 1's compilation (though it's pretty damn great) if you're interested in discovering what's so wonderful about them. Revolver, Rubber Soul, A Hard Day's Night, and Abbey Road are good places to start if you're new.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

"The timing of the Beatles was perfect. 1964 marked the emergence of the Baby Boomers as a social force—and the Beatles were the vehicle for their ascendance as a cultural force. What records were the No. 1 hits on the pop charts before the Beatles took over the slot and stayed there for years to come? Bobby Vinton's "There! I've Said It Again," the Singing Nun's "Dominique," and Dale & Grace's "I'm Leaving It Up to You." The Beatles changed the charts forever. You can draw a line in the historical sands of popular culture at 1964."
http://slate.msn.com/id/2095079/

Part of The Beatles popularity was based on the fact that they were able to capitalize on a cultural sea change occurring in the States that involved the largest demographic group of the day.



Ever heard of Bill Russell the center for the Boston Celtics for 13 seasons ('56-'69)

~ 11 NBA Championships in 13 seasons. 8 in a row ('59 - '66)
~ 12-time NBA All-Star
~ 5 time NBA MVP
~ Career Avg. of 22.5 rebounds a game.

There's your winner.

tA

Tribal Disorder

Cloudbuster said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Some bands do have something magic..... Beacause they're special..different than others.... That is why !

listen to Abbey Road from front to back, you'll see.... at least i did

The Beatles are overrated somewhat. BUT they are also perhaps the greatest most influential band in the history of rock n roll at the same time. I know this may sound like a contradiction on my part but I think they just aren't AS MUCH greater than everybody else as they're said to be. However, nearly every rock n roll act since them was impacted by what they did, their songs are covered more than just about anyone else's, their albums were nearly all both great and groundbreaking and overall they just elevated the standard of craftsmanship and artistry in rock n roll more than anyone else ever had or has since. Each album from Rubber Soul to Abbey Road expanded the songwriting and production vocabularly of rock and nearly every song they recorded became an all but undisputed classic. There are hardly any other acts that have had quite that impact.