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Is it so wrong to not like The Beatles?


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I've really tried I promise. They are back in the public glare again so I gave it another shot to no avail. My problem is.....I just can't get excited about The Beatles. Am I the only one? Is there something wrong with me? They do nothing for me. I'm in my mid-thirties and I love The Stones, Dylan, Neil Young and all the other legendary artists. Are there others like me out there? If so I'd love to hear from you. If I am the only one, don't think any less of me.

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I had a boss once who thought Elton John was better than The Beatles.

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There's nothing wrong with not liking The Beatles, of course, there's nothing right with it either :D.

 

 

All kidding aside, there's nothing wrong with not liking something as widely loved as the Beatles. They don't click with you, and that's okay.

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I had a girlfriend once that didn't like the Beatles.

 

She did like Concrete Blonde, though. :dontgetit

you may have hit the nail on the head. How can one NOT like the Beatles??!??!?!? They are the greatest rock group of all time, now and forever....

 

Perhaps as a mild defense of wild Frank, maybe you had to be there?? I donno. I guess I would ask?? Who else was ever better?

 

LouieB

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Thanks for your re-assurances guys!!!!!. There has to be someone else out there who feels the same!!!Its not that I don't think they're any good. I really do. When people say they are the best/most influencing band ever etc I have no arguement with it at all. Its just when I actually listen to the music 95% doesn't get me going at all.

 

Right, I'll get back in my padded cell and put on some Tom Waits!!

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Do you know the tune to Yesterday? Of course you do. Think about that. Hum it. See if you can find a person who can't hum the melody.

I would wager that the melody to Yesterday is in the top 5 worldwide recognizable tunes - up there with happy birthday and twinkle twinkle little star.

That takes it out of the "is it good?" question, and puts it into another universe entirely - it's something so natural and primal and universal that there have been tests to see if monkeys could recognize the tune.

 

I recently read a quote by David Crosby talking about all the cover songs the Byrds used to do. Dylan songs were an easy choice for them because there was plenty of room ro pretty them up with harmonies and 12-string guitars. Beatles songs were pointless to cover because you just couldn't improve upon the original. But, there was no other band they wanted to sound like more.

 

Next time you're on a road trip with a passenger - take the time to learn sing a two-part If I Fell. The two-part harmony is so perfectly simple and beautiful. If you have 3 in the car - see if you can nail the three-voice harmonies to I Feel Fine.

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Thanks for your re-assurances guys. There has to be someone else out there who feels the same!!!Its not that I don't think they're any good. I really do. When people say they are the best/most influencing band ever etc I have no arguement with it at all. Its just when I actually listen to the music 95% doesn't get me going at all.

 

Right, I'll get back in my padded cell and put on some Tom Waits!!

 

I can understand your feelings. I feel like that about a couple of bands; but at least you recognize their importance and the quality of what they did.

 

 

You should still go to a doctor, though.

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I recently read a quote by David Crosby talking about all the cover songs the Byrds used to do.

Without the Beatles there would be no Byrds as great as they are (or Wilco for that matter...)

 

LouieB

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i work with two dipshits who claim the beatles were not that influential & in fact suck. i refuse to talk to them unless it's about work. i can understand (sort of!) not liking the music but not recognizing their importance is flat out stupid.

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Do you know the tune to Yesterday? Of course you do. Think about that. Hum it. See if you can find a person who can't hum the melody.

I would wager that the melody to Yesterday is in the top 5 worldwide recognizable tunes - up there with happy birthday and twinkle twinkle little star.

That takes it out of the "is it good?" question, and puts it into another universe entirely - it's something so natural and primal and universal that there have been tests to see if monkeys could recognize the tune.

 

I agree with all of the above. The thing is, I can't say I ever really thought "I'd love to listen to 'Yesterday' now" no matter how instantly recognisable it is. If its on the radio I wouldn't turn it off. Its true, the Beatles are on another level as far as influence and worldwide appeal. But if I'm in my cellar listening to music the Beatles aren't a band I would ever think of putting on.

 

I imagine how you are all responding is similar to how I would reply to someone saying they can't see what the fuss is about with Bob Dylan, who is probably the only other contemporary artist whose genius is so totally recognised and accepted. When people say they don't like Dylan I think they're crazy!!

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Honestly, I think the Beatles are incredibly overrated.

 

Terrific band, who made many important albums. But overrated. When I was a kid, I loved them. But then I moved on, and don't really find myself wanting to listen to them at all.

 

I think there were better bands/songwriters in that era. Not to knock the Beatles at all. Those songs are classics for a reason. But the notion that they are the be all and end all of rock music is too much, in my opinion.

 

So, to answer Wild Frank's question, no...it isn't wrong to not like the Beatles.

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I think there were better bands/songwriters in that era.

OK, I'll bite. Name one better band.

 

The Rolling Stones get my nod at the very end of the decade, but from '63 to '67 or so, who was better?

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I think my indifference specialy relates to albums. Now I realise I might be on dodgy ground here but albums like Sgt Pepper and Revolver, whilst obviously being very good, just don't seem as consistantly appealing as say 'Blonde on Blonde', 'Highway 61 Revisisted' or 'Astral Weeks'. Feel free to shoot me down on this point but when my old man puts on Sgt Pepper songs like 'For The Benefit of Mr. Kite' and 'When I'm 64' just don't do it (That said...'A Day In The Life' is very good!)

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OK, I'll bite. Name one better band.

 

The Rolling Stones get my nod at the very end of the decade, but from '63 to '67 or so, who was better?

Well, I know you said band, but I think Dylan was consistently at a level above the Beatles.

 

As for bands, I think the Kinks and the Who were better bands during that span. Obviously this is just my personal preference, but I think Davies and Townshend were writing better songs than Lennon and McCartney.

 

To me, the Beatles were something of a gateway band. Once my interest in them faded, I discovered the wealth of other great 60's music. I guess this is why I put Dylan/Kinks/Who above the Beatles. But I've had a much more enduring interest in them than the Beatles.

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OK, I'll bite. Name one better band.

 

The Rolling Stones get my nod at the very end of the decade, but from '63 to '67 or so, who was better?

I'm with you. There was no band better....Just not to my taste. I'd still put Dylan above them as a better artist between those years. (Times They Are A-Changin, Another Side Of Bob Dyaln, Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61, Blonde On Blonde and John Wesley Harding). No one has ever done a run of albums that good in the rock Genre.

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I think my indifference specialy relates to albums. Now I realise I might be on dodgy ground here but albums like Sgt Pepper and Revolver, whilst obviously being very good, just don't seem as consistantly appealing as say 'Blonde on Blonde', 'Highway 61 Revisisted' or 'Astral Weeks'. Feel free to shoot me down on this point but when my old man puts on Sgt Pepper songs like 'For The Benefit of Mr. Kite' and 'When I'm 64' just don't do it (That said...'A Day In The Life' is very good!)

Maybe you're a lyrics guy rather that a music guy.

 

For music, Dylan doesn't do much for me - his songs (musically) are very boring to me, especially compared to the Beatles. Lyrically he's at the top.

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Well, I know you said band, but I think Dylan was consistently at a level above the Beatles.

 

Honestly, if you asked Lennon (RIP), McCartney, Harrison (RIP) and Starr they would agree with that statement. I think Lennon especially was a bit intimatated by Dylan.

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