Question about The Beatles?

Question

Is there anyone else out there that felt The Beatles were overrated? I personally liked a band name The Kinks better which was around back then. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they sucked or anything. I think that The Beatles consisted of four extremely talented men but some of their songs were not really what they were hyped-up to be. Some of it was very corny & too simple. I liked John Lennon a lot in his solo career, I love the songs, Imagine, Whatever gets you through the night, #9 Dream, Instant Karma, & a lot of them, but as for the Beatles, the only album I really liked was, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart's Club Band, I liked a few songs off Abby Road, & honestly only one or two off the White Album. Anyone agree or disagree & care to share why?

I guess I am musically retarded because I don't get it. What about Buddy Holly for Pete's sake he came out before the Beatles & then he had to go off & die. I agree that maybe it was just the time that they came out they made it what it was & I agree that their drugged-out sound was cool, but far from "brilliant" I am not comparing anything to today's music because I don't even listen to it, today's music is just an utter disgrace.

Answer 1

Were they overrated as musicians? Yes. However, I don't think you could find a band with such a diverse sound. None of the albums sound anything alike (besides their early stuff). They invented the "Beatles sound." It's hard to believe the early stuff '62-'65 are by the same band from the albums they released in the late sixties. They had great lyrics by John Lennon and McCartney could write such memorable melodies. They were such prolific songwriters. They had written so many songs in those 9 years.
If you don't "get it" they just may not speak to you. It's possible. But they were so innovators to the album covers, having all good songs on their album and not just "filler" songs, lyrical content and more. The point it, besides Elvis, it could be argued, no musical influenced music or culture more. But Elvis didn't write his own songs.

Answer 2

No, I don't believe the Beatles were overrated. It has often been said but I don't buy it. Why I think The Beatles are deserving of a high rating is that they were really the first super group with extraordinary international appeal. Yes, there were some great earlier acts: Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley to name a few, and some great contemporaries like The Stones, The Who and The Kinks. But none made such a widespread impact so quickly.

The Beatles were talented and very creative, especially Lennon. They all played their instruments well, all had poise and all could be either brash or choirboy like. That's because they were all musicians as well as entertainers. If they hadn't come along another band likely would have. But they were good and they were the first to do so much internationally. They started out doing covers and ended having written and recorded some of the most memorable songs in all musical history. Is there another person or group that would have, even today, so many songs recognized in so many places in the world. I doubt it. Also, they are intergenerational in their appeal. My older brother listens to them (he's 66), I listen to them (I'm 49), my students listen to them (mostly 12 and 13 year olds) and my own kids listen to them and recognize talent (16, 20 and 22).

One thing that is often forgotten about The Beatles is that they were not a live touring act after 1967. They had a few great years of concerts and touring but after Sgt. Pepper they became a studio band. That in itself, I think, is a testament to their appeal: they made several more great albums and still had tremendous influence and a huge fan base years after their public appearances together stopped.

Answer 3

I don't agree that the Beatles are or were an overrated band, and here's why:

The Beatles came at a time when rock/pop music was still developing and evolving, and created work that was brilliant and would have a huge impact on music. The Beatles wrote songs about anything and everything, from songs that were complete nonsense like I Am The Walrus, to songs that were truly beautiful and moving, such as Something and Eleanor Rigby. The corny, nonsense, and simple songs are one of the things that made them unique - how many bands could write songs about Yellow Submarines and Rocky Racoon and not be laughed at? At the same time how many could write songs as simple as Blackbird that was actually a metaphor for something so turbulent as the Civil Rights movement in America? The White Album is probably my favorite album of theirs, and the entirety of the first disc is pure genius, IMO, and the second disc also has a handful of brilliant songs. To sum it up, the Beatles were extremely important to popular music, and music as we know it today would be very different had there been no Beatles.

Answer 4

The Beatles started the whole 'British Invasion'. They took rock'n'roll to a whole new level. They started fashion trends, and a whole new scene back then. You mentioned the Kinks? Well if you were to ask any member of that great band, they'd tell you they owe a lot to the Fab Four. Ray and Dave Davies really admired the song writting skills of Lennon & McCartney, and it really shows in the Kinks most creative period of 66-69. Check out 'Waterloo Sunset'.
All the bands from the 60's including The Mamas and the Papas, Lovin' Spoonfull, Hermans Hermits, The Who, The Monkees, The (Little) Rascals, Vanilla Fudge, and hundreds more (seriously) were hugely influenced by the Beatles. I'd know, because I grew up in the 60's and remember quite clearly the impact they had on society with their music and there charm. Just about every band to come out after 1964/5 or so tried to look like them, sound like them, and act like them.
Two of their albums that changed the world of pop, and took it from 'She Love You... Yeah Yeah Yeah' to a new dimension not yet heard before were 'Revolver' and 'Rubber Soul'.
No offense, but your age really does show on this one pal!
Even the mighty 'Rolling Stones' were influenced by the Beatles. Where do you think they got their 1st hit song?
The Beatles gave it to them! 'I Wanna Be Your Man'!
Lennon and McCartney inspired Jagger and Richards, Townshend and Daltrey, and hoards of other musicians to start writing their own original music.
So no, I don't think they were overrated at all. Take a look at some of the bands today with their retro clothing, haircuts, vintage Rickenbacker guitars etc. Anyone who doesn't see the correlation there, is either blind, or too young to know any better.
I think that many young people today have been subjected to so much crap (rap, emo, retro punk) that when they hear some really good music from the 60's, they don't know how to interpret it. If you could go back in time, and erase all the **** you've been listening to, you might appreciate it a little more.
I love all kinds of music, and in my opinion The Beatles are right up there with the great composers of the last century. Their music has been interpreted by world renowned orchestras, and jazz bands etc for for decades now.
You can't say that about too many other bands, and I seriously doubt that you'll ever hear the LSO performing a Greenday tune!
We all know The Beatles weren't the greatest musicians around, and when people like Hendrix hit the scene, I'm sure George Harrison and countless other guitarists of that era felt a tad ill-equipped. Oh, and by the way, Jimi was a huge Beatles fan too!

Oh yeah, and remember, the Fab Four were really only a world wide phenomenon for 6 or 7 years or so. Unlike The Who or the Stones or a dozen other great 60's bands that don't know when to call it quits. So the fact that we're still talking about them nearly 40 years after they split up, says something!
In that 7 years their music morphed and went through so many changes of style musically. I can't think of any other band in the last 50 years that was only around for 6 or 7
years, that underwent that sort of transition during such a
short career.

Answer 5

I think you might be judging the Beatles and their songs from the perspective of today's more "sophisticated" recordings.

Those of us who are old enough to remember "Beatlemania" will never forget the impact the "Fab Four" had. In early 1964, when the Beatles landed in America, the nation was still mourning the assassination of President Kennedy. Rock and roll music was arguably in a static period.(although Motown and soul music were beginning to emerge in the late 50's and early 60's)

The Beatles and their mostly upbeat music helped us feel good again. No other group or solo artist has generated such an overwhelming reaction from the general public since. And, unlike many other "flash in the pans", the Beatles lived up to the hype.

Beatles' music did nor remain stagnant, it matured and continues to influence music today. The fact that the Beatles (mostly Lennon and McCartney) wrote a lot of their own songs made them remarkedly different from other artists of that era. The Beatles' success motivated many others to form bands and write their own music.

So, no I don't think the Beatles are overrated.

Answer 6

No.

The Beatles influenced many, many great musicians, even the ones that you hear today. They are one of the many great cornerstone bands of rock and roll. In the beginning, they sounded like "cookie cutter" rock because the songs were written for them, by "the man", who made them popular with songs like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and cheesy songs like that.

Eventually, they developed their own personal style of music and went with it. Of course there were drugs involved, but who didn't do drugs in the 60's & 70's?

Answer 7

I think the beatles early songs are overrated. I mean really, there isn't much depth to I wanna hold your hand, but they're catchy. Thats what made them popular, then dylan got them on drugs and they started to make the good stuff: revolver, sgt. pepper, etc. If you don't think their later albums are brilliant you're just ******* retarded when it comes to music. Thats all there is to it.

Answer 8

there are people that play already established music well, like eric clapton. then there are those that completely change the face of music, like jimi hendrix and the beatles. even if they werent the best in practice, they were nevertheless among the greatest pioneers of rock and roll. that is where their greatness lies.