h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When I decided to check this entry out, I didn't think anyone would be able to give a reasonable answer to why they think the Beatles are the best. So I'll give my answer and my reasons: The Beatles reek. People always say the Beatles are the best ever because of how popular they were and how many records they sold. I got news for them; Britney Spears is the most popular singer on the planet and her first album has sold more copies than all but one Beatles album so far. Give Britney thirty years (like the Beatles have had) and I'm sure she'll break every record the Beatles ever set. So is Britney the best? No way. Popularity doesn't mean anything. The Beatles reek for several reasons: 1) When they started off, they sang thin, teenage tunes (like N-Snyc today) 2) When they "matured," they stole and did pale imitations of other bands. Their Rubber Soul is a poor rip-off of the Byrds' Mr. Tambourine Man, and their Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band are poor imitations of Pet Sounds, which is the greatest album of all time. The Beatles were popular because their images were splashed on things like hair products, toys, and other items that had nothing to do with music whatsoever. My father gave me a copy of Sgt. Pepper's a couple months ago (in respone to my giving him a copy of Pet Sounds) and I listened to it a couple of times and then a couple more to build a taste for it, but it has none. I can't listen to it again. Every song has pathetic lyrics and music. What idiot would like garbage like "When I'm 64," and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which has the worst lead vocal I've ever heard. "With a Little Help From My Friends" totally ripped off the music of "God Only Knows" (by the Beach Boys). The rest of Sgt. Pepper isn't even worth mentioning. The Beatles, with their fluff, poisoned the minds of a generation. Wake up! They reeked!

OK. I don't care who you are, or if you even post here anymore, but I'm going to write this anyway cos I'm so mad!

The Beatles are the best band of all time, and that's not just my view, it's the view of millions of people around the world, and that's the point. Although Britney Spears outsold most of the Beatles albums, how many lives can you say she's touched or enhanced (and not by dancing around dressed like a schoolgirl). And how long did she last? Not long. The Beatles were loved for who they were, not just the songs they wrote. The Beatles were more than just a band - the fans felt like they knew them because they had such firm held beliefs (George's religious beliefs, John's pacifism). They were tangible figures with depth, not just a commercial front. The incident with John and Yoko in the hotel bed in Amsterdam was splashed on the news not just because of who they were, but because the protest was so unusual. Even though they protested for peace, they let people into their room and threw a party.

And they did mature. And even though their first singles had a new twist about them that was different from the norm (like the Everly Brothers or Elvis), you can hear a noticable change around 'Paperback Writer', and if you ever heard the B-side to that, 'Rain', that change is even more audible. The new sound IS unlike any that precided it, and this sound is what keeps the Beatles alive today. Even after 30 odd years, they could still top the charts. Will Britney Spears be able to do that? The answer is no, because people in thirty years time won't know who the hell she is.

Celebrities come and go, but Stars live on forever.

Peace.

What is best is of course subjective, a matter of opinion, so it's not really worth getting your knickers in too much of a twist about this. Anyway, for what it's worth here's my opinion:

Pet Sounds is a masterpiece, and possibly the only album that I would want to mention in the same breath as any Beatles album. Brian Wilson cites Rubber Soul as the inspiration for Pet Sounds and says he was knocked out by it. I think they are both amazing albums with sublime melodies, harmonies and lyrics. Every track on Pet Sounds is brilliant as is the case with Rubber Soul. Even as a lifelong fan of the Beatles' music, I can't quite say the same for Rubber Soul (Run For Your Life is a bit mediocre by Beatle's standards).

The big difference is that the Beatles recorded six albums that I would rate on the same scale as Pet Sounds;

Beatles For Sale;
Rubber Soul;
Revolver;
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band;
The Beatles (White Album);
Abbey Road;

Many (in fact most) of the tracks on earlier Beatle's albums, and on Let It Be, are also superb. If I Fell, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away Yesterday and Across the Universe to name just a few. These songs are just plain beautiful.

The Beach Boys ie. Brian Wilson, by contrast, made no other album of the same calibre as Pet Sounds, although SMiLE,started in 1966, abandoned and finally released by Brian Wilson in 2004 would certainly have been up there. I don't think Brian got the support and encouragement he needed to continue progressing his music. There were too many record company assholes who just wanted moire surf music (although some of that was good too). I believe his frustration at this was at the route of his mental health problems, and the world has missed out on some first class music as a result.

The Beatles may well have been influenced or inspired by the Byrds (who's music I also rate very highly) amongst others, but to say they ripped them off is ridiculous. Incidentally, Mr Tambourine Man is Bob Dylan's song, so I'm not sure how the Beatles could have ripped that off from the Byrds!

Any comparison of the Beatles music to Britney Spears' in any way whatsoever can't be taken seriously.

The Beatle's music captured the hearts of millions, spanned generations. They occupied the top five places in the American charts - long before the advent of today's mass marketing (which is capable of convincing kids that any manufactured bimbo is worth listening to.) Beatles music is timeless and commands great respect from serious musicians of all ages. I'd be willing to bet that millions will still be listening to the Beatles in 100 years time, unfortunately I won't be around to collect the winnings.

I know several pro musitions.... non of whom rate the Beatles anwhere.... Mainly because they lacked musical ability/skill.... Sure I'll recognize that they wrote a few good songs, but thats still never been able to explain to me alone why they've managed to get such an exaulted place in musical history They have though as I said, done a couple of songs I like... But tnothing in my view (and that of many people i know), to have reached their exaulted heighs