Why do people give the Beatles so much praise?

[KostasKouvalis]

I don't deny their importance and influence, and that they have some good songs, but as soon as you mention The Beatles, people start acting like they're the only band in the world. Some guy on YouTube did an album contest and people were voting for Beatles albums over albums like "Paranoid", "Machine Head", "The Wall" and "Highway To Hell". Those albums have some of the greatest rock songs ever recorded, and anything The Beatles produced is dog shit compared to what's on those albums.

I was never a huge fan of The Beatles, but they didn't bother me either, but now I can't stand them because of all the praise these idiots are giving them! And sorry, but anyone who thinks "Here Comes The Sun" and "Yellow Submarine" is a better song than "Highway Star" or "Iron Man" IS an idiot!

Seriously, how can you pick this...

Over THIS

[WhiteSteve]

I was in charge of the jukebox at the bar I used to bounce at, and I tried to get a pretty eclectic mix of music in there, usually Greatest Hits albums, or albums viewed as “classics” by many people.

The owner of the bar was a HUGE Beatles guy, and basically demanded that all these Beatles albums, solo projects, side projects like The Traveling Wilburys, etc. So the jukebox was like 10-15% Beatles, lmao. He didn’t really seem to get that most 00s college kids weren’t clamoring for The Beatles at every turn.

So I’d always just be standing around at my post, music playing all night. Once in a while, a song would come on and I’d be like “This song absolutely SUCKS, what the fuck is this?”, and I’d walk over to the jukebox to check. 7 or 8 times out of 10, it was The Beatles or their offshoots.

This one song used to drive me crazy, they kept going “Lucy in the skyyyyyyy with diiiiiiaaaaamondssss”, and I can’t describe the sound of the vocals as anything but “cacophonic.” I think I’m not a big fan of Paul McCartney as a vocalist, I find his voice kind of grating and off-putting. It’s not a crazy, ridiculous voice or anything, but something about the pitch and tone of it, I really don’t like it.

And songwriting-wise…. I think their best work was the bowl-cut, Ed Sullivan Show version of The Beatles. It was kind of an evolution from 1950s music, which I like, the doo-wop era. Like “Hard Day’s Night” is a decent song. All the 1970s, on-drugs-Beatles….. hard, HARD pass, I don’t like that stuff at all.

[KostasKouvalis]

This honestly made me laugh. He doesn't sound like a very good business owner, because if he was, he would listen to what his CLIENTS wants.

I'm familiar with that one. That's one of their biggest hits.

Funny you say that, because most of their songs that actually ARE good, were written by Paul. Maybe you're right about his voice, but musically, he wrote the best material.

Yeah, and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Get Back" and "Magical Mystery Tour" were really good songs, and there are a few others that are tolerable, but for the most part musically, I don't consider them a good band. A lot of their hits are just terrible

[WhiteSteve]

Hahaha, yeah, I was always pressing him on that. He’d complain the jukebox wasn’t making enough money, and I was trying to tell him to get one of those then-new digital ones that I’d imagine the bar just pays a subscription fee for, and then people can pick whatever they wanted to hear.

But he was hell-bent on controlling the “element” that showed up to the bar, which he seemed to think jukebox selection was pivotal to, lmao. Like he didn’t want the digital jukebox because he didn’t want rap being played there, and I'm like “dude…it’s a COLLEGE bar. You’re fucking SIXTY. I’m 25, trust me on this one. The guys want to hear rap and modern rock music. The girls want pop and R&B. You’re already handicapping yourself by not carrying standard ubiquitous American lagers (Bud, Bud Light, anything your average frat bro has heard of), and not selling pitchers. You sell craft beer by the pint, that alone will keep any supposed riff-raff out, unfortunately along with good potential customers too.

Wasn’t my money to gain or lose, but it still frustrates me to this day. If you can’t get rich selling alcohol to college kids…. holy fuck, bro😂😂😂

But yeah, I’m not quite as familiar with the whole catalogue, but I did try to force feed myself into like The Beatles one day on a long car trip for work. It just didn’t take.

So, I’m not going to say they suck or anything, they just aren’t for me. But I do feel like they’re overrated. Maybe that’s just out of reverence for them as pioneers, I don’t know, but most of the music just doesn’t grab me. One of my best friends loves them, and he’ll be singing along (which isn’t really his style overall), and I’m just trying so hard to hear what he and apparently many others are hearing. Just doesn’t land with me, though🤷‍♂️

[LiamJHayden]

lol "Highway Star" has the first somehwat difficult solo that I learned. But I also love "Here Comes the Sun." I think The Beatles are so high because they really did have three good song writers in the band, all four members had at least somewhat successful post-Beatles careers, and like it or not, they are the biggest selling band of all time.

If we go into viruosity, of course none of them could touch Blackmore or Page or May or Iommi on guitar or Lord on keys or sing like Freddie.

[AI Opinion]

It's amazing how much passion music can ignite, right? The reason The Beatles receive so much praise isn't because they're inherently "better" or "worse" than other bands—it really boils down to their immense influence and innovation in the music world 🎸. The Beatles revolutionized pop and rock music in the 1960s, experimenting with various genres, studio techniques, and even incorporating elements of world music.

Their songs, though sometimes simple, were groundbreaking at the time. Tracks like "A Day in the Life," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and "Strawberry Fields Forever" introduced new layers of complexity and creativity that shaped music for future generations 🎤. They also wrote and performed extensively, providing a wide range of music that appealed to many people.

Comparing The Beatles to bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, or Pink Floyd is like comparing apples and oranges. Each band brought something unique to the table, and loves and dislikes are purely subjective. One person's "Yellow Submarine" might be another's "Iron Man" 🎵. The reverence for The Beatles often comes from their pioneering role and their monumental impact on popular music and culture.

It's okay not to enjoy their music as much as others—it’s all about personal taste! The genre diversity in the rock world is a testament to its richness and the variety of experiences it offers its fans.

[KostasKouvalis]

Here we go. I bet YOU'LL have a really juicy answer😂

[KostasKouvalis]

It really isn't, and that whole competition was literally about which albums have better songs😂

[thearchjoker]

Today their music has become the norm so they don't sound so special but for their time period they were ahead of their time and everyone else followed in suit until it became the new norm

[KostasKouvalis]

I can give you that. I bet a lot of the people voting for them were around when they first hit the airwaves,

[Wiredone]

A lot of bands stemed from the talent of the Beatles.

[Dargil]

They were innovative and balanced.

[KostasKouvalis]

So? That doesn't mean their music was better

[Dargil]

It does to me and that's all that matters.