Do you think The Beatles would be as popular as they are now if they would've broke up as soon as they stopped touring?

[FunkyMonkee]

In other words, shortly after they recorded, "Revolver".

[WindAtMyBack]

No, because some of their best stuff came after Revolver. Their early stuff was really good and popular. They were a total sensation at that time. But their middle years weren't nearly as good as their early and late years. If they quit after Revolver, they would have quit during a down cycle instead of going out with a bang like they did.

That's not to say the middle years were all bad. They had some good stuff. But Abbey Road and Let It Be took them to a whole new level. It took them from popular pop band to a band with some serious substance.

Eleanor Rigby was a great song. But I don't think it was all that popular at the time. I think it was years later that people really realized how good it was. It's actually one of my favorite Beatles songs, but I didn't think that until within the last 15 years or so.

Rubber Soul was much like Revolver in that it had some good stuff, but very little over the top. Norwegian Wood is very popular. Many people list it as one of their favorite songs ever. But it doesn't carry the album, and I think the album is no match for some of their later stuff.

I think you also have to consider after they broke up. Their solo career continued to add to their name. What would have happened to them solo if they had broken up so much sooner? Would they have put out some of the same material? The timing would have been wrong for Maybe I'm Amazed, Imagine, Isn't it a Pity, or Beware of Darkness. They just weren't at that point yet.

We wouldn't have any of these. How could we not?
(Sorry, couldn't find a good original of some of them)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dcv1EFoaX-8https://www.youtube.com/embed/90M60PzmxEEhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/YFDg-pgE0Hkhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/hL0tnrl2L_U

Paul at Red Square
Trivia - Vladimir Putin (who was at this concert) used to illegally have Beatles albums when they were contraband in the USSR.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CD-TnBx-Kng

[FunkyMonkee]

i would hardly call having the top 5 slots on the charts at the same time a down cycle!
Let It Be was by NO means, a bang!! It's the worst album they ever did.
"Rubber Soul" was kinda like, "Help!" part 2 and "Revolver" part 1.
Well, you have to consider that, from about the `65/`66 period onward, even John said they weren't a band anymore it was a bunch of solo musoes that used the other three as their back-up band. So, if they HAD broken up after "Revolver", chances are pretty good that they'd have still written most of those other Beatles songs but recorded them in very different ways and possibly with very different background musoes. The question is, WOULD that output have been better or worse for it?

[Guy13]

I guess they ended up with a fully loaded gun rather than one full of blanks from Sales…No way of knowing

[AngryCarl2]

Are the Beatles still popular? I feel like a lot of people remember them for later albums like The White Album or Abbey Road. I still prefer the Stones.

[FunkyMonkee]

There's LOTS more people discussing, studying, talking about and listening to The Beatles than there are the Stones. The Beatles have had 5 albums released as remasters and boxed sets in just the past year or less and a new movie made about their last album, as well as a fantasy movie made about them in the past 5 years. I just bought two new books about then 3 days ago. How many remastered box sets have been done of any of the Stones' albums? How many movies have been made about them? How many books have been written about them? How many bands have tried to sound like them? How many YouTubers have video channels devoted strictly to them? Historically and, especially musically, they pale compared to The Beatles.

[AngryCarl2]

Maybe but I'd rather listen to the Stones any day.

[FunkyMonkee]

My ex-fiance loved Cliff Richard more than either of them. Even though I've been collecting records since I was 2, I'd never heard of him until I was at least 15!

[AngryCarl2]

Yeah, I don't know if Cliff was ever popular outside the UK.

[FunkyMonkee]

Obviously, he was big in India, that's where she grew up.

[AngryCarl2]

Technically then wasn't he small in India?

[FunkyMonkee]

No idea, I just know that she was nuts over him and kept asking me if I had any of his records and, at that time, I only had 2 singles, one from the `70's when he made his comeback and another from the early `80's that turned out to be a religious record. She wasn't interested in either of those, only his older stuff from the `50's and early `60's.

[Sixgunsound]

Even Ozzy and the Stones and The Beach Boys and The Eagles and Led Zeppelin had a mass popularity expiration date.

[AngryCarl2]

Never! The Stones and Led Zep are timeless!

[Sixgunsound]

@AngryCarl2 mass popularity not redeeming value

[humanearth]

Yes I do believe that

Just like Elvis, if he didn't die when he did, Elvis would have just fade away like the rest

[exitseven]

Probably not. They evolved after and produced Sgt Pepper and Abby Road.

[LiamJHayden]

Hard to say. It was long before my time and I am partial to George's contributions, but I am an oddity.

[Iron_Man]

They came around at the right time. Music is not very good nowadays, but they probably would be a big hit.