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Muckraker  Posts: 286 Joined: 3 Jan 2008     | |
BANNED  Posts: 317 Joined: 30 Jan 2008    | Time, they were the right thing in the right place at the right time this can be said for anything that gains monumental popularity seemingly instantly and somewhat against reason, be it Halo or Beatles. Then again, i love both the beatles and halo, so i could be wrong. |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 457 Joined: 31 Jan 2008     | They were the first band to do what they did. There was nothing else like it at the time and their influence was (appart from the who imo) the biggest in rock history. |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 78 Joined: 7 Mar 2008 | Why are they great? That IS a good question. And the answer may be different for different people. For me, it's the fact that they didn't stick to one sound, George and John were amazing song writers. Many of their songs are about how beautiful the world can be if you look at it the right way. They inspired hope, and comfort during dark times. That is what made them great for me. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1608 Joined: 13 Dec 2007     | They make high-quality catchy music. I don't care very much for their lyrics, but the melodies are fantastic. They had a great synchronicity and charisma as well as generally cheerful songs. I'm more of a rocker than a mod, but I still sing 'Revolution' when I get the slightest inclination. Although I find myself liking their songs less and less as time passes (and I'm overwhelmed by 'Across The Universe' fangirls). |
Beat Writer Posts: 147 Joined: 5 Mar 2008 | First, I only like a few Beatles songs. I think they're popular because they did it first, and, more importantly, are recognized as being the first. Something with them just clicked for people all over the world. I'd also say that they were the first Boy-band decades before we even knew we were supposed to hate Boy-bands (c'mon, four guys with the same haircut singing "I wanna hold your hand"? Even N'sync didn't do that). When a band full of guys is loved by ever girl on the planet, that band tends to do well. Finally, I think it's because their music is generally inoffensive. It's not too loud or hard core, not too quiet or soft. It's that middle-ground that so many people love and it's easy to understand. Personally I think the greatest band of all time is Pink Floyd. It's complete aural majesty, but it's also not pop-like or "easy." Sometimes it's down-right weird, it doesn't lend itself to the mass popularity of The Beatles. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1585 Joined: 4 Nov 2007  | There's no arguing over taste. |
Paperboy Posts: 32 Joined: 25 Feb 2008 | I don't know why other people like them, but I can assume it's either because A. it is appealing to them, or B. everyone else likes it and they just want to fit in. I think the Beatles sound nice, so I like them. That's it. |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 95 Joined: 27 Mar 2008 | The Beatles had the amazing talent of staying with the times, not only with their sound, but with their lyrics. In their early years, their songs were slightly shallow in their meaning, but sounded good and thats all that mattered to the teenage pop fan base. But as the Beatles and their fans grew older so did their songs. Without their ability to invent and stay current, the Beatles would have barely made a ripple in their time, let alone the current generation. Either that, or it could be simply be that a good deal of their music is wicked catchy... |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3361 Joined: 26 Feb 2008 |
I agree with you. I have tried multiple times to enjoy their music, and all I can say is, "Eh, not my style..." When I am not listening to my West Coast Rap, I prefer Foreigner (And some times Even when I am...) Of course, I think Foreigner is the best band ever! |
Muckraker  Posts: 343 Joined: 12 Sep 2007  | "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" era Beatles =\= "Revolver" era Beatles. |
BANNED  Posts: 371 Joined: 13 Mar 2008 | The Beatles were like Elvis. They grabbed people's attention and became a phenomenon. It is hard to deny that they had catchy tunes, great musical talent, and had a different sound in every album. Try listening to "All The Lonely People" vs. SGT Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band or "I Am the Walrus" In comparison to "Hello." (Not sure if those are the actual song names, but you get the idea.) Every song the Beatles wrote had a nice style to it, but was also strikingly However, to answer to your question about other bands: The Beatles were new, revolutionary and hip during their time, but most of all, they lacked much of the competition bands face today. Many of the greatest bands of recent times had numerous rivals, and were often slagged as being generic or sellouts if they went mainstream, and never gained very much popularity if they went the underground route. (Bands some people are crazy for, but nobody else knows about, once other people start listening, the old people begin to leave the bandwagon!) The Beatles were mainstream, they had a "hip" new sound, and most of all: they didn't really have a lot of competition. (At least in comparison to bands like Van Halen etc) Although modern bands can be looked on by some as being the greatest of all time, not everybody is going to like them due to all the options out there, and the specific taste people have grown for their music. The Beatles arrived when that "taste" was just newly growing, and so they skyrocketed to fame, and are often looked upon as being one of the greatest bands of all time. (Which undoubtedly they are) So if you look at your question historically, the Beatles were: 1) The "new sensation that was gripping the nation" (cliche but true) 2) Not a whole lot of competition, which lead to their massive popularity 3) Music was incredibly catchy and stood at a nice middle ground in their sound that a lot of people of different ages and walks of life could listen to. 4) They had nobody to be previously compared to, and therefore seemed like THE GREATEST ROCK BAND that had ever existed up until that time, seeing as rock was a growing art form for the mainstream of music 5) The Beatles had fantastic musical talent. 6) Sounded excitingly different with every song they wrote 7) Arrived as a premium form of "revolution" for teens and young adults, (the largest age group no less, BABY BOOMERS) and even people of an older age could listen to them 8) Lot of kids/young adults today have listened to the Beatles at one time or another, due to their popularity with the older demographics (Baby Boom Echo, or the kids of the BABY BOOMERS being the second largest demographic as of late) 9) Had a strange kind of international charm, being from overseas, causing them to be massively popular in the two richest continents of the world Europe and North America It's hard to deny the popularity of the Beatles that exists today, which is only growing with their coveted title of being a "classic band," you should just roll with it! The Beatles may not be: TEH GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME OMG! But they are pretty damn good, and you can at least respect that, and just stick with your own preference of who deserves that title. I do get where you're coming from though, Beatles fans are incredibly outspoken on how "great" the Beatles are. I'll admit that they are good, and I like listening to some of their songs, but the Greatest Band of All Time? Never. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1412 Joined: 14 Sep 2007  | If your list of favoured bands includes Led Zeppelin, it might be a taste thing. Don't bother your head about it. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1312 Joined: 7 Mar 2008 |
that is correct, they were like hulk hogan was to wrasslin (as opposed to real wrestling) he just had the charisma and was there at a good time now as for the beatles appeal it's because their tunes were catchy, very simple chords and simple lyrics at the beginning and then they evolved and modified their sound without totally changing it a lot of bands with staying power have that, there's a certain set of chords that people really pick up on and really enjoy. they were also hyped up a lot and a bit rebellious, their "long" hair was something not seen, much like Elvis and his hip swinging when he became popular. there are many other bands like that thru the years, but however we've been so inundated by bands and "pop" music that it's hard to keep one at the top. in the 60s there wasn't that, sure they had their share of one hit wonders but for the most part there wasn't as many bands trying for their share of the pie or as many genres of music there's a lot of reasons for them to be popular and keep that popularity over the years. tho the right place at the right time with the right sound really applies to them nirvana would be like that if they stuck around, smells like teen spirit is still in the top 10 list of greatest alternative songs ever tool is another that will be like the beatles in the years to come pearl jam would possibly be too if they hadn't snubbed making videos and such |
Muckraker  Posts: 328 Joined: 4 Jan 2008 | Music is just one of those things where everybody's opinions will always differ. I love the Beatles, personally. I love a lot of different genres, but I absolutely hate R&B, most rap, hip hop, and I'm on a love-hate relationship with country music. Some country songs are among my favourites, while you couldn't pay me to listen to others. Some people spend hundreds of dollars on a stereo system for their car so they can blast hip hop songs that I consider a form of torture. I'm not a racist until I watch hip hop videos and want to kill everybody on the screen. I like the Beatles. I also like some punk music, but hate some punk music, too. How popular is Green Day, and I can only think of maybe one or two songs of theirs that don't make my eyes implode. Not everybody is going to enjoy the Beatles, and not everybody is going to think they're the greatest band of all time. However, you look at certain bands/artists/groups and see how much they can impact the music scene, or even define an entire generation, and that tends to be how we come closest to objectively identifying what a "great band" is. I have some friends who HATE Nirvana, and they're probably my favourite band. Another one of my favourites is Flogging Molly, but it's rare I even encounter anybody who has heard of them. Another one of my favourites is Hole, and my friends have decided that they hate them, even though they haven't even heard one of their songs. Why are the Beatles so popular? Because they appeal to a large number of people. It might not appeal to you, so how are we supposed to explain it? |
Beat Writer  Posts: 129 Joined: 6 Feb 2008 | I don't care what any of you say Elvis was better and more influential |
Muckraker  Posts: 318 Joined: 27 Mar 2008 | the Beatles had amazing concepts and harmonies and were genius at putting songs together. They had a technical song writing talent you have to admire. They put amazing stuff into a pop palatable format. Personally the bands OP listen are not that good to listen to IMO but i do respect the musicianship of Led Zep, The Doors and Van Halen. This is something people should learn. Fine don't like what you hear but respect technical talent and influence. |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 124 Joined: 22 Sep 2007 | I don't really know. As band's go they're pretty good. But it's not like they were Frank Sinatra cloned into 4 beings. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1504 Joined: 5 Dec 2007  | Many of the above reasons are true, but you forgot that their manager was a genious, much more then any individual band members musical skill did he influence their popularity. |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 442 Joined: 9 Oct 2007 | Beach Boys are superior. That's right, I said it. |
Paperboy  Posts: 45 Joined: 18 Jan 2008 | you and me both OP, dont get me wrong i like some of there songs, im just not in love them like everyone else seems to be, although i guess people have asked me why i think The Doors are the greatest of all time to me, and sadly i can never think of a good answer other than "i just do" |
BANNED Posts: 22 Joined: 17 Aug 2007 | Revolution Those are all reasons why The Beatles are a classic band. Can anyone say they've heard any of those songs, and not liked them? User was banned for: Zero Punctuation: Mailbag Showdown. (Permanent) |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1715 Joined: 1 Feb 2008   | I think it also has to do with the fact that they were kind of the last to get through the door of greatness before Rock'n'Roll seriously split into sub-genres to the degree that you could no longer have any band that was THE Band. Of course, rock was already starting to split at that point, but the radio stations had not been screwed down into genre-based formats quite yet. Now you can have The Punk Band and The Metal Band and The Alternative Band and The Prog-Rock Band, etc. but they are going to run into their own genre barriers and that's where their historical greatness will most likely stop. I remember Joe Sacco once putting forward the idea that (for people of a certain generation) you were either a Beatles person or a Rolling Stones person. When the Stones come up on the playlist, I turn it up. With the Beatles, I don't. I guess that makes me a Stones girl. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1608 Joined: 13 Dec 2007 | I don't like Let It Be... I'm ashamed, but it's true. Also, I believe The Beatles are better than both The Beach Boys and Elvis combined. But I like The Arcade Fire better than The Beatles, so draw whatever conclusion you will. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1755 Joined: 14 Nov 2007 | Meh, I've always thought Beatles songs sound awfully twee. I know there's references to LSD and stuff in there songs, but whenever I listen, I just think 'boyband'. The thing that really gets me though isn't the band (I don't in anyway think they're bad). It's the constant media attention that gets thrown on them, decades after they disbanded. For instance, last year, every music magazine in Blighty seemed to go nuts about the fact it was 40 years since Sgt Pepper's was released. Now, to my mind, yes it's not a bad album (though not amazing, and certainly not the Beatles' best), but the amount of praise heaped on the bloody thing was unbelievable, even sickening. One chap wrote for instance that Ringo's drumming on the album was 'exquisite' 'sublime' and all sorts of other fancy words. Now, I've always thought of Ringo as a fairly standard drummer- he did the job, and did it without drawing attention to himself. Then I read this article and the jouranlist's trying to convince everyone he was better than Bonham. That's what I don't like- this mainstream idea that you have to accept the Beatles as the greatest, most influential band ever, no questions asked. And on top of this, I didn't read any article in the mainstream music press last year commemorating the fact that it was also 40 years since Hendrix (one of the most influential musicians of all time) released his debut album. Arguably the greatest guitarist of all time, and everyone's too busy pontificating about a cartoon boyband and its album to give him a mention. |
Muckraker  Posts: 227 Joined: 14 Jan 2008 |
I like the King as much as the next guy, but Elvis didn't invent hard rock (listen to Helter Skelter if you don't believe me). |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1585 Joined: 4 Nov 2007 |
You know, the Beatles had similar views on their fanfare from what I can tell. One of the funniest things I've heard in years was a quote in a Beatles documentary. A rather well-known high-art kind of musical reviewer praised Sgt Pepper's to the high heavens, making references to all kinds of musicians. The response of one of the Beatles while reading the article was "Who the fuck's Shostakovich?" |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1037 Joined: 9 Dec 2007 |
Nothing but truth. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1312 Joined: 7 Mar 2008 | one thing i forgot to mention was the fact the beatles all played their songs in a certain key, there is a specific key in music that when played has a certain effect on people, doesn't matter the genre the beatles are one of the bands to use that key |
Paperboy  Posts: 34 Joined: 29 Dec 2007 | Its because of the way they changed the face of music. You'd be suprised as to how much of an influance they have on todays music, it wasnt simply a case of them being in "the right place at the right time", it was because they did what no one else had thought of. Music would have evolved far slower and todays music would be a lot differnt had it not been for the Beatles. |
Paperboy Posts: 23 Joined: 4 Jan 2008 | because they did it first: anyone else add to this? |
Paperboy  Posts: 15 Joined: 28 Nov 2007 | The Beatles are not a boy band. Boy bands don't write their own music, play instruments, or really do anything except look good to preteen girls and dance in unison. The Beatles wrote music that's still being copied 40 years later, and even their solo careers had incredible hits. Imagine? Live and Let Die? http://youtube.com/watch?v=A4wc8Fq7bEU&feature=related THAT'S why they're so famous. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 728 Joined: 9 Jan 2008 | Because they had little time to be anything else. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3361 Joined: 26 Feb 2008 |
Me. I dislike every single one of them. |
One thing that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me is why the Beatles band is one of the best if not, THE best. I'm serious, I can't figure it out. I listened to it at a friend's house and didn't see any reason to like it. Before you all burn my house down, I had the same feeling Yahtzee had when he played Halo 3. It wasn't bad but I felt that it wasn't incredible either. I saw no remarkable features or any reason to place it anywhere near the great ranks of those such as: Led Zeppelin, The Doors or Van Halen. What makes the Beatles so great?
For the love of God, don't give me the same old rhetoric: "Because they're the greatest band of all time" or "because everyone else likes them(everyone else says the same thing)." Upon further questioning of everyone else I asked, none of these people have any reason for enjoying it. I question whether or not most people just say they enjoy it because everyone else does. Since it sold allot of albums and gets allot of praise, there has to be at least one reason. Why are they so popular?