The Beatles are so over-rated

I'm no Beatle expert, but I grew up with Rock and Roll so I'll give yenz my opinion.


I was born in '51, so I grew up listening to older neighbors and siblings' 45 rpms of early rock. We would listen to that on old mono record players with cheezy tinny speakers, it was all we had. The AM radio would play popular songs, Tennesee Ernie Ford, Patty Page, Frank Sinetra, Doris day, stuff like that. Sometimes Elvis would sneak in with "Hound Dog" or something.

Rock an Roll was generally considered to be a bad influence on kids. Eventually we got one or maybe two AM stations to play rock. This would be doo wop, Motown, Chuck Berry, and so on.

The religious right was busy burning rock an roll 45's.

Around 64' the British Invasion hit, the Beach Boys and so on. Rock was getting a cleaner image as those nice boys like Hermin's Hermits form England showed up. Old style Do wop and Eddie Cochran were going out. Motown was doing well as it was sanitized also.

Then we began to hear of The Beatles. They had hit it big in Europe and were prepared to storm the U.S. They had a new sound. It was raw for its time. You must listen to the top 40 hits at that time to put somethng like "Hold Your Hand" in perspective. In had tremendous energy and a driving beat. All built on early rock and blues.

Now, its true at this time the Beatles were mostly a girl band. They had a cute safe look while still pushing raw sexual energy. Parent's trusted them. No pulsating Elvis hips, no black singers, no sexual inuendos...they just wanna hold your hand. Their hair was VERY long and strange for the time, but Moe of the Three Stooges looked the same, so what the hey, let the kids have some fun.

I listened to them, but was more into Eric Burton.

Then Sgt. Pepper hit. There has never been an album that shook the world like that one did. And I mean the World. This album was everywhere, everyone had a copy.

Bam, Bam, Bam..more albums followed, they had popularized the concept album, the use of new instruments, longer play times, and social commentary.
They were at the top of their game. But something was happening to them. They shed their good guys persona and became "longhairs". The darlings of "gownups" everywhere had turned into radicals. They grew beards, took drugs, vowed to not cut their hair until the war stopped and began investigateing eastern religions.

They took over the semi popular (with the world) Dylan's place as the leaders of the "movement".

The Beatles were the most vocal, world famous, respected, and talented freaks in the entire world. There were better musicians but the beatles as a group formed a band that transended every known concept of rock up until that time, and all at once.

Can you name a musical group that is as well known around the entire world across all age groups and musical styles?

They have been around for over 40 years people!
Hold your hand is 40 years old. In 1964 did anyone listen to 40 year old songs beside Swanee River?