Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>It kills me that on the current American Idol there are contestants that had never heard the Beatles.<<< OMG no? I have been a fan for about 30 odd years (not bad since I am a few years older than that). Schmitty - you are bang on. there are other bands I prefer to listen to at times (Led Zepplin, Pink floyd, the Foo Fighters, Aerosmith, Guns and Roses etc.), but the Beatles were an international phenomonon that was as important, if not more so, than huge political events.
Originally Posted By Mr X The Beatles were incredible. I can't believe anyone actually voted "no". I'd definitely like to hear why??
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Songs like "In my Life"; Blackbird; Here, there and everywhere; If I fell in Love; Because; Yesterday; Julia; She's Leaving Home; all beautiful melodies and meaning filled lyrics are but a small sample of the greatness that was the Beatles. Even some of their novelty songs like Maxwell's Silver Hammer and When I'm Sixty Four, are very memorable. Side note...I guess that Paul found out that she wouldn't need him, wouldn't feed him when he was 64!
Originally Posted By alexbook Yes, of course, and I've got the record collection to prove it. (Anybody else have to switch channels any time the Target ads with "Hello Goodbye" come on?)
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!<< It took 44 posts before somebody said this? Sheesh! Anyway, yes, absolutely, what, are you kiddin'? ------- Please don't bring your banjo back I know where it's been I wasn't hardly gone a day When it became the scene Banjos banjos all the time I can't forget that tune And if I ever see another banjo I'm going out to buy a big balloon. And if I ever see another banjo I'm going out to buy a big balloon. And if I ever see another banjo I'm going out to buy a big balloon. And if I ever see another banjo I'm going out to buy a big balloon. I'm going out to buy a big balloon. I'm going out to buy a big balloon. - The Beatles 1968 Fan Club Christmas Record
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Absolutely yes. When I hear one of their songs, it brings subtle memories of my growing up years.
Originally Posted By alexbook I'm going to go out on a limb a respectfully suggest that the banjo song may have been from the 1966 Christmas record ("Everywhere It's Christmas") and not the 1968.
Originally Posted By mawnck Wooops. You are keerect. '68 was the one with Tiny Tim singing Nowhere Man, right?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Ok, for those of you that think they are overrated, can you think of a more influencial band?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Ok, for those of you that think they are overrated, can you think of a more influencial band?>> There are no more influential bands. Even though I'm a big Stones fan, the Beatles are so far ahead in overall significance of their work that there is no comparison. It all came so suddenly. The Beatles had started with some light-weight stuff that really wasn't much different from a lot of other stuff out there. Let's face it... "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is not exactly groundbreaking material. I enjoyed listening to the Beatles, but probably no more than I enjoyed listening to many other groups of the time. The first time I really took additional notice of the Beatles was when "Strawberry Fields Forever" started playing on the radio. I strongly suspected that the Beatles had truly lost it until I heard "I am a Walrus". Then I KNEW they had totally lost it. But then the "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album came out and I was just blown away. If I could only own one album put out between 1960 and today that would be it. It was so absolutely groundbreaking that there is no way to understand it unless you were there. That was soon followed up with the "White Album". The classic Beatles stoner album. Not that I ever did pot or anything. Certainly not in High School, right? That album blew my mind then. It blows my mind today. I'm not at all sure that it is their best album, but it certainly represented a total shift in where rock music was going. Then they came out with the "Abbey Road" album. Whoa!! It was so totally different. It was probably the most purely pleasurable Beatles Album there ever was. Not at all challenging to listen to, but totally blissful. “Here Comes the Sun†is probably my all time favorite Beatles Tune. As I listened to "Abbey Road" I was just totally excited about where The Beatles were heading now. And then they did it. They put out their most totally insignificant album in their entire history. "Let it Be" was complete garbage. Sure, the title tune was rather popular, as was "Long and Winding Road" and Across the Universe". But let's face it. The entire album had degraded into George Harrison mumbo jumbo. He barfed out four records of the same stuff in "All Things Must Pass" and then left the scene forever. You knew something bad had to be coming and it certainly did. Shortly after the release of "Let it Be" The Beatles announced they were breaking up. I couldn't believe it. That probably hit me with at least as much shock and sorrow as the assignation of John F. Kennedy. I never really forgave them for that. How DARE they take our Music away? Well... so much for RoadTrip's history of The Beatles.
Originally Posted By wendebird <<Ok, for those of you that think they are overrated, can you think of a more influencial band?>> I simply don't like their music. I've never quite "gotten" them or the Stones.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost It was my understanding that "let it be" was recorded before Abbey Road, but for all the reasons you mentioned was not released until after the success of Abbey Road and the single of "let it be". Abbey Road came out just before I headed for Vietnam. It stayed strong for the entire time I was there. I listened to "Because" over and over on my flight to sunny southeast Asia. Almost a year later while riding a tour bus in Osaka, Japan it was cranked up to earth shaking volumes to a slightly less then sober group of G.I.'s on R&R. Singing along until we couldn't speak anymore. Good times! Even today, in my car, I put it on, turn the base all the way up along with the volume and deport myself back to my early 20's. It is more than that, however, it is a quality that never gets old.
Originally Posted By threeundertwo Big yes. I wore out the vinyl on my albums growing up. My kids are well-versed in the Beatles.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>Wooops. You are keerect. '68 was the one with Tiny Tim singing Nowhere Man, right?<< Yes. >>It was my understanding that "let it be" was recorded before Abbey Road, but for all the reasons you mentioned was not released until after the success of Abbey Road and the single of "let it be".<< Potted history of "Let It Be," as I remember it: Early 1969: "Let It Be" was recorded, mixed, sent out to radio stations, and then cancelled before it hit the stores. (At the time, the album was called "Get Back.") Summer 1969: "Abbey Road" was recorded and released. Late 1969/Early 1970: The group decided to split up, but didn't announce it. Since there was no chance they'd be recording anything new, they decided to hire Phil Spector to see if he could mix a new album out of the stacks of old tapes they had lying around. "Let It Be" was the result. Mid 1970: The news that Paul was leaving the group slipped out about a week before "Let It Be" hit the stores. It was only later in the year that the others admitted publicly that the group really didn't exist any more. (I remember one published rumor that there would be a "New Beatles" group consisting of John, George, Ringo, Klaus Voormann, and Billy Preston. That line-up actually recorded one song, "I'm the Greatest.")
