Beatles Bashing

[dp39]

There is always a ton of Beatles bashing on these sorts of sites. And fair enough, not everyone will agree that they are great. However, I think we should list some reasons why they are so great for once instead of bringing them down.
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[joannajewsom]

[Detroit Rock Citizen]

[quote="joannajewsom]
I do see the appeal, so I'm not at all surprised by their popularity, even though there are just so many better, ground-breaking bands of the 60s.

[/quote]ground-breaking ?
yes
better?
no
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[joannajewsom]

[AleJohnMari]

[Midas]

Hey my fellow King Crimson fan.

Bill Bruford on the Beatles

MD: What sparked that original creative spark that became prog rock?

Bill: The Beatles. They broke down every barrier that ever existed. Suddenly you could do anything after The Beatles. You could write your own music, make it ninety yards long, put it in 7/4, whatever you wanted.

Robert Fripp on hearing the Beatles Sgt Pepper

Robert Fripp- When I was 20, I worked at a hotel in a dance orchestra, playing weddings, bar-mitzvahs, dancing, cabaret. I drove home and I was also at college at the time. Then I put on the radio (Radio Luxemburg) and I heard this music. It was terrifying. I had no idea what it was. Then it kept going. Then there was this enormous whine note of strings. Then there was this colossal piano chord. I discovered later that I'd come in half-way through Sgt. Pepper, played continuously. My life was never the same again.

The Beatles wrote the master class in using non rock sources whether it was Greek Folk music "Girl", avant styled tape loops "Tomorrow Never Knows" or the avant orchestration on "A Day in the Life" with pop/rock music. Making strange sounds does not always equal great music. Some people swear by the Red Crayola but to me it's all noise. The Beatles were redefining modern pop music and influenced basically every early progressive rock artists.

Basically every modern electronic artist owes something to "Tomorrow Never Knows". The Beatles did more artistically in this one song than currents bands have done (and will do) in their entire careers. It blows my mind that Revolver was done on a 4 track mono soundboard. I'm a musician myself and have some understanding of recording equipment but they did this with 4 track technology. Tomorrow Never Knows they began experimenting with tape loops effects, musique-concrète, backward music, repetition drum & bass sound, and all in one song which influenced modern electronica.

In the television program Howard Goodall's 20th-Century Greats, Goodall says that in mixing pop and classical techniques, and cross-fertilising them with Indian and electronic music, The Beatles refreshed and revitalised western harmony. They also transformed the recording studio from a dull box where you recaptured your live sound, into a musical laboratory, of exciting and completely new sounds.

The Beatles (Revolver) 1966 Revolutionary in early preoccupation with "psychedelic" effects as a studio instrument, including electronic/tape effects, sound distortion, influence of Indian music, and avant-garde. New recording technique inclued Automatic Double Tracking, layered tape looped effects, many kinds of reserve tape effects, and vocals through leslie amps.

Compare the Velvet Underground to the Monks or the Sonics who arguably really are the pioneers of proto-punk. Comparing the Beatles to the Velvet Underground does not make sense because they are different types of music.

[Detroit Rock Citizen]

[JohnnyRocketFingers]

The Beatles are an excellent band. But are they overhyped? Yes. From Please Please Me up to and including Help! they wrote little more than pop songs with only a few keepers yet all these albums get hailed as some of the best albums ever. Bottom line, they are not. But from Rubber Soul on, they wrote some of the best albums ever. Revolver, Sgt Peppers, and Abbey Road are all fantastic. Rubber Soul is also very good. So i would have to disagree with you Joanna because you obviously are missing something when listening to Sgt Peppers or Revolver to say they are not very good. But i also have to disagree with the other extreme that every album they made was fantastic and pure genius. Trust me, it wasn't.

To sum it all up. There are few bands on par with The Beatles from not only the 60s but of all time but they still are overhyped.
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[joannajewsom]

I agree with you about their discography from Rubber Soul on. I never said that Sgt. Pepper's and Revolver weren't good, I just don't think they are masterpieces. When discussing the Beatles with people who worship them (not you, Johnny), it's hard to not seem extreme. Here are my rankings on the Beatles albums I've heard:

Please Please Me (1963)- D+
A Hard Day's Night (1964)- C
Help! (1965)- C
Rubber Soul (1965)- B
Revolver (1966)- B
Sgt. Pepper's (1967)- B+
Magical Mystery Tour (1967)- A-
The Beatles (1968)- C+ (I appreciate the effort, but it didn't work for me)
Yellow Submarine (1969)- D
Abbey Road (1969)- B+
Let It Be (1970)- C-

I'm sure some of these, I think, favorable ratings may cause some people to scream blasphemy. Sorry. I will have to respectfully disagree that there are very few bands on par with them. I think that in regard to pop/rock, there are very few on par with them. But talking about the very broad and diverse realm of rock, there are many better bands. That's just my personal opinion. I think you have great taste in music, so I respect your opinion on the matter.

[RFNAPLES]

I like your schoolgirl ratings. Here are my ratings of The Beatles:

Revolver: A+
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: A
The Beatles ("White Album"): A
Abbey Road: A
Rubber Soul: A
A Hard Day's Night: B+
With the Beatles/Meet the Beatles!: C+
Please Please Me/Introducing…The Beatles: C
Let It Be: C-
Help!: C-
Beatles for Sale/Beatles '65: D+
Magical Mystery Tour: D+
Yellow Submarine: D
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