how can the beatles be considered the greatest rock band in history?

Question

I mean all their songs sound like folksy acoustic indie band not exactly a rock band.

Answer 1

I don't know what songs you have been listening to, but you are limiting yourself.

Answer 2

That is a Great Question! By today's standards they do seem folksy and not a rock and roll band. so how would you describe great? Most rock and roll bands today think the Beatles were the greatest ever. They changed music (rock and roll forever)...They went to a 100% eelectric sound. True they had some fantastic acoustical sounds but they were 100% eelectric. They were the first to use distortion and feed back. (the real birth of Heavy metal) they used a whole range of other instruments as well. They took music in a direction it had not gone before. They had theme albums and by that not just hit singles all on a LP. (Rubber Soul was the first and Sgt. Pepper was their best) They used several tracks of live and studio recordings. They wrote their own music.
(Buddy Holly had he lived may have been as great in music anyway) Sold more albums then anyone in Rock. There is a lot they started that paved the way for the types of music you listen to today.

Listen to some old Beatle records and try to see the patterns of today's songs. Better yet listen to some old Hank Williams or Muddy Waters or Howlin Wolf and many of the old Blues and Country writers and see where Rock and Roll really came from. You might shock yourself. But still a real good question.

Answer 3

It's arguable whether The Beatles are the greatest rock group in history. "The greatest" comes down to personal taste, which is highly variable. It's not arguable, however, that they are the most influential rock group in history.

Before The Beatles, all mainstream music was essentially about one person, with a bunch of support musicians behind them. Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, etc. were all featured whilst their musical group supporting them were mere nameless footnotes. The Beatles changed that.

They certainly didn't invent it, but they popularized the format. Everyone had their own favorite Beatle: John, Paul, George, and yes, even poor Ringo had fans. They were mainly seen as a single entity; a unit where no single part was greater than the sum of the whole. They set out the blueprint for the modern rock group that remains virtually unchanged to this day.

The greatness of their music is debatable, but a testament to their group formula is realized anytime a group of 4 or 5 guys get together in a garage to form a rock band. They owe a little something to The Beatles.

Answer 4

It doesn't matter if the Beatles are considered the greatest rock band in history. Maybe they are overrated. So what? A good number of people, including me, like them very much. The Beatles still sell which pretty much shows their place in history. Paul McCartney still sells out concerts 40 years later, I mean he sells out the whole tour at once. That is also a testament to their place in history. You still hear their influence in music and cultural today--and not many groups come close to their success. In 1964, the Beatles had the top ten records on the top 40 music chart--I mean the whole top ten for one week. No one has ever done that. Still, that is meaningless. But those are some of the reasons people say that the Beatles are the greatest rock band in history. You may disagree with it and maybe you are right. Maybe they are overrated. Maybe the Beatles cannot be considered a rock band. It is everyone's opinion when you get right down to it, though. What you think is your reality.

Answer 5

The Beatles, along with Elvis Presley, are amongst the earliest creators of rock. You listen to them today and they sound "folksy acoustic indie" because the definition of rock has somewhat changed and you compare them to today's "rock". But, at their time, the music was not rock at all. I guess much of it was jazz and country (though I'm not sure). So, they started what I'd like to call the rock revolution. and since then rock has evolved into what ti is today. But they are considered to be the creators of rock.
They wrote their own lyrics and music. Lennon and McCartney are the most successful song writing duo in the history of music. Their song "Yesterday" is the most-covered song according to Guinness World Records. The Beatles have had countless hits. And the are still so big today. The Beatles, especially John Lennon and George Harrison, were also great advocates of world peace.
Have you noticed how most of their songs are so catchy that they get into your head and refuse to get out? Their lyrics are catchy but there is always a story behind it. For example, Drive My Car is actually about a girl becoming famous by offering sexual favours to an influential guy. Ticket to Ride is about a girl who has been declared "clean" and is now free to prostitute herself (given a "ticket to ride"). I Need You is about George Harrison asking his wife to come back to him. Hey Jude is for John Lennon's son Julian who is being affected by his parents' divorce. And the music is GOOD. You have to listen to all of the different types of their songs to know that most of it is not necessarily folksy or acoustic.

Answer 6

They were on the cutting edge for their time. Their music still holds up well and sells well. The Beatles songs have been covered by so many different bands. Mark my word...20 years from now people will still be listening to The Beatles. I think your critique is a little narrow minded. Their music was very diverse and ran the gamut of rock and roll. Maybe you should revisit The Beatles music catalog with more of an open mind. Try listening to the Abbey Road or Magical Mystery Tour albums. They are pretty darn good.

Answer 7

So they say they are. They did not start rock and roll, Jerry Lee Louis, Elvis, and Johnny Cash were about five years ahead of the Beatles. The Beatles just took it to the next level. You cant exclude the Rolling Stones, they are considered the leader of rock, they have been around a long time, made more songs than any other band, andare still doing concerts.

Answer 8

This may be a bit hard for anyone who wasn't there to understand the enormous lasting impact the Beatles had, not just to music fans, but in all aspects of popular culture. Although those of us who were kids in this most prolific era of music history had MANY great artists to choose from, you must understand that the Beatles DOMINATED the music scene, worldwide!

Although SOME of their songs could be considered somewhat "folksy acoustic" (although NOT "indie"!) - MOST of their music is nothing of the sort! If you listen to albums of theirs in CHRONOLOGICAL order, you will hear (and see, from the pictures) how they evolved. Each new LP was a departure from their previous work. Other artists took their cue from the Beatles; they were THE standard of excellence to which all others could only strive for. No other band or artist could come even CLOSE to their level of success and popularity, in their day. And evidence of this will probably still be around, generations from now. The extent of their influence cannot be overstated. It ain't called "classic" for nothing......they were the real deal!!!

Answer 9

The Beatles came into play during the 60's when everything started changing. They were very influential at the right time. Rock n' Roll wasn't acceptable but some how they got it to be. They started the Rock n Roll Revolution. They had the power to make a huge change in the world which, they did. Music is very powerful and does influence people.
The 1970 came....and so did The Rolling Stones.

Answer 10

I think the question is that they totally changed what it meant to play rock music. They came to America playing simple little rock ditties like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and were a phenomenon. Then they kept changing. Each album was different, but they were all huge commercial successes with multiple #1 hits. At one point, John Lennon set of a firestorm by joking that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus." But, at the time, I think he was probably right . . .

There are only two other rock artists that I can think of that have had a similar kind of influence: Elvis and Led Zeppelin

They may not be your favorite (they're not mine), but "greatness" is measured by legacy. And the Beatles have a huge legacy.

Answer 11

Oh young naive one. They sound "indie" to you?? They were the BIGGEST rock band in history!! "Rock" itself is a broad term just like Hip Hop, Jazz, Classical, etc. Now over time, many divisions of rock have surfaced. However, when the Beatles came out there was only one.

Look at any decade of music. "Rock" in the 1960's was different from the 70's which was vastly different from the hair-metal 1980's which was also different from the grunge sound from the early 1990's. Rock itself encompasses a lot of different sounds....not just the standard power-chord bands of today.

To help you understand why the Beatles are (in some opinions) the greatest rock band in history you have to look at their numbers: 40 different singles, EPs, and albums that made it to #1 in the US charts. They have 12 studio albums and have sold well over ONE BILLION cd's, records and tapes in total.

They paved the road for both the riff-rocking 1960's and also for pop music!

Greatest ever?? Depends who you ask...but anyone with musical taste and knowledge will definitely rank them in the top 5!!