SlackBob wrote:
@abrett76:
These may not be "good" reasons, or much more than personal opinions, but they are mine. I'll go from least personal to most personal.
1. I feel they are overrated and amount to little more than commercialism wrapped in the trappings of "revolutionary" nostalgia.
2. Though the politics and religious beliefs of the members and their resulting actions did influence the mood of the day, the music itself was still rather bubblegum. Which leads to number
3. It seems that people confuse the members beliefs and actions with the music. Yes they themselves were a HUGE influence, I still don't see it or like it in the music.
4. I feel there are better artists who are often overlooked, or relegated to a lesser role as far as their musical influence goes, examples being MC5, the Stones, and even Dylan, and a bit later, the Doors. These bands, to me, had far more of a musical impact on the evolution of rock than the Beatles.
5. And now, the most personal reason of all. In my first, and rather short-lived marriage, I was involved with an absolute Beatle maniac. I came to the relationship knowing the Beatles as only some band with a guy named John in it. For the next three years that we lived together and one year of marriage, I learned everything I could about them in an attempt to understand her obsession (it was to the point where she named our apartment "Pepperland"), but I just didn't get it. This was probably not helped (no pun intended) by the numerous movies, rockographies, etc she made me watch, along with the fact that she wouldn't allow any other music in the apartment. If I wanted to listen to anything else, I had to use headphones, and then she drowned it out with the Beatles. Her only exceptions were the Monkees, whom I also loathe, and Creedence Clearwater Revival which was the only breath of fresh air I got.
Again, let me reiterate that as far as a SOCIETAL impact, I think the Beatles were huge, but as MUSICAL impact, I think they are overrated.
Will start running now as I hear the shotguns being cocked and the magazines clicking into place.
I don't know about shotguns cocking...I'm laughing my ass off because I started this on accident
I agree there are other bands that need recognition and don't get it...Love(Jim Morrison wanted to be as big as Love), Kraftwerk, MC5, Gram Parsons, etc. I can understand someone not liking the Beatles espescially with the super fan wife.
There are many bands that I personally dislike, but I am still able to respect their talent, creativity, and influence such as Led Zeppelin. Maybe that is the musician in me. I like music. I don't care for Beatles movies, hype, or paraphenalia. I love their later music and how they gave up the bubblegum music that made them popular to create new music. Like them or not I don't see how someone can intelligently say they had no influence on music. Their impacts to modern and classic rock are evident and enormous. The Doors, MC5 and the Rolling Stones were influenced by the beatles. The Stones almost ruined their career because of it. I don't think Bob Dylan was influenced by them, but he like them.
