The Beatles - the most overrated band of all time

If I may draw a comparison, a lot of people (some of whom have probably never read a crime novel) believe that Agatha Christie is one of the best and most influential writers in the genre. I acknowledge her influence, but I think a great many authors have done what she did, and they did it a whole lot better. I find her plots too contrived, her characters annoying (Miss Marple is a nosy old cow and Hercule Poirot is a pompous pain in the arse) and her writing dull, but just because she's a "big name" and Mr. and Mrs. Average have watched a few BBC adaptations of her books on telly, she gets hailed as a genius.

This, I think, is how Ceydn sees the Beatles' critical reputation and musical legacy. He's wrong of course, but I might be onto something here ;).

W
 
Agreed :). Blind Guardian and Peter Jackson are the only things that make Tolkein almost bearable for me, and I didn't even think the films were all that wonderful. I'm glad I saw them, but I wouldnae join the fan club.

W
 
I have to say The Eagles are the most over rated IMO. Every time I say I hate them in public I get jumped by main stream music lovers. Try it sometime its fun to go to a party and say you hate the Eagles.
 
I hate The Eagles too. Everything they've done apart from Hotel California makes me stomach-crampingly ill.

I can't stand The Beach Boys either. Yes they had their moments and Brian Wilson might have been a genius, but their surf boards and their however-many part harmonies can fuck right off as far as I'm concerned. Do they have to sound so bloody cheerful all the time?

W
 
Yeah a lot of people like 'em, so they must have something going for them! My ears just reject them, that's all....
 
At least some else hates the eagles they make me want to puke when i hear them. One band I truley cant stand and well I hate the beach boys also maybe its that whole surfer thing come to think about it. I just get sick of hearing how there great musicians BLAHHHHHH.
 
Hehe good to hear. A band I hate more than The Eagles though is (the?) Violent Femmes. I despise that piece of shit of a band.
 
ceydn said:
Okay, while I'm intoxicated, I'll post this thread. Believe me, I'm happy to be proven wrong, but as I see it right now, they are so overrated it isn't funny.

Before I start this discussion, I just want to put out that I'm a big fan of The Beatles... they have a lot of great songs.. but gee it pisses me off when people label them as "the greatest band of all time". Reputation pisses me off a lot really, unless it is founded. The reason I feel The Beatles got the reputation they did is because they were the 'first', not necessarily the 'best'.

They started off as a band that wrote generic as fuck 12 bar blues style songs... but very up-beat and poppy and catchy, before anyone other group sort of caught on to that style. In between every 10 songs was a 'hit'... a song that so darn infectious you couldn't help but get it stuck in your head. There grew their popularity. They became the biggest band in the world.

They kept doing that until other groups started to spring up, like The Zombies, The Who, The Yardbirds and The Moody Blues. These bands were starting to change the way Rock & Roll was. Suddenly it wasn't formulaic anymore. Almost every song had to be good, you couldn't just keep churning out shit and hope for a hit in the mess of what you wrote. So The Beatles suddenly seemed to try with their songwriting.

Honestly, McCartney and Lennon are two of the greatest songwriters there have ever been... but if they hadn't done their gay poppy early shit before they got into their greatness, they wouldn't have been near as successful as they were. Because their songs don't surpass the best songs of other bands of that era. Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues is a better song than The Beatles has ever written, as is Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones.

Their reputation kept people interested in the band though, and therefore their songs remained at the top, above all the quality that was starting to come through. Which is why they're seen as so influential I suppose. Popularity can create a beast in the hearts and minds of everyone..

The thing is, when The Beatles did end it... what happened to the songwriters? These were the songwriters in the "greatest band of all time" don't forget. They had moderate success. Lennon had some great songs and some hits, McCartney did his Wings songs with some great songs and some hits... but nothing compared to the Beatles. Why? Because they didn't have the name. Led Zeppelin were the biggest band of the 70s and deservedly so - they changed the face of Rock & Roll. They innovated with songwriting more than any band previous to them (Pink Floyd can also be said to have done the same.. I'm more a LZ fan that PF though, so ima just mention them :p). If Lennon/McCartney were such great songwriter and all they were talked up to be, how come they couldn't dominate in such a way as LZ did? LZ are the only band to have 4 albums selling over 10 million copies each in the US. They also have for all their studio albums, an average of over 10 million copies sold.

So why are The Beatles still held in high regard? I really can't see anything other than the fact that they became insanely popular. Because their songs, while being absolutely brilliant at times, weren't strides ahead of any other band at the time at all.

I've been having this discussion with a couple of people over the last couple of days and the only response I have gotten so far is: "Ask any music expert..." and that bores me. Again, I must reiterate that I do love The Beatles, but it pisses me off when people blindly say that they're "the greatest band of all time", when I really don't think they're deserving of that title.

Another point I would like to make is; why hasn't Paul McCartney had any hits for a long ass time? He wrote most of the better songs of The Beatles catalogue, so he was the stronger songwriter for "the greatest band of all time", but he hasn't been able to write a hit for a shitty ass long time? Why? The Rolling Stones came back and did "Don't Stop" which is an awesome rock n roll song that did pretty damn well... I haven't heard shit from PM.

So yeah, discuss or something.
Click to expand...
I dunno about the Beatles but its great how you wrote all that when you were drunk! :loco:
 
Drunkenness! :headbang:

On The Beatles again, I saw a guestbook at a photo exhibition in Sheffield the other day that was signed by all of them.

Also, I'm now in their home city. Woohoo!
 
I did a Beatles walk yesterday, from Tottenham Court Road to Abbey Road. It was great. Saw Paul's offices, saw the building where Yellow Submarine was made, saw the toilet entrace where John filmed a sketch for Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's show, saw the building where they did their rooftop gig, saw the building where John and Yoko met, and saw Abbey Road Studios. And yes, I did get my photo taken crossing the road - a bloke on the tour offered, and to my surprise he stood in the middle of the road (it's quite busy) while I did it. There isn't a traffic island or anything to stand on, so he just stood between the cars and trucks and buses going by. Awesome.
 
Hey that's cool indeed! Was the tour expensive? Any photos to share?

I went past the Cavern Club this evening (well, the rebuilt one) on Mathew Street. Wenny had her picture taken with John Lennon's statue etc. There's a pub on that street that they all used to drink at after Cavern Club shows. Will have to go there at some stage....
 
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