you and me both OP, dont get me wrong i like some of there songs, im just not in love them like everyone else seems to be, although i guess people have asked me why i think The Doors are the greatest of all time to me, and sadly i can never think of a good answer other than "i just do"
Why are the Beatles so Popular?
- Thread starter defcon 1
- Start date
I think it also has to do with the fact that they were kind of the last to get through the door of greatness before Rock'n'Roll seriously split into sub-genres to the degree that you could no longer have any band that was THE Band. Of course, rock was already starting to split at that point, but the radio stations had not been screwed down into genre-based formats quite yet. Now you can have The Punk Band and The Metal Band and The Alternative Band and The Prog-Rock Band, etc. but they are going to run into their own genre barriers and that's where their historical greatness will most likely stop.
I remember Joe Sacco once putting forward the idea that (for people of a certain generation) you were either a Beatles person or a Rolling Stones person. When the Stones come up on the playlist, I turn it up. With the Beatles, I don't. I guess that makes me a Stones girl.
I remember Joe Sacco once putting forward the idea that (for people of a certain generation) you were either a Beatles person or a Rolling Stones person. When the Stones come up on the playlist, I turn it up. With the Beatles, I don't. I guess that makes me a Stones girl.
You know, the Beatles had similar views on their fanfare from what I can tell. One of the funniest things I've heard in years was a quote in a Beatles documentary. A rather well-known high-art kind of musical reviewer praised Sgt Pepper's to the high heavens, making references to all kinds of musicians. The response of one of the Beatles while reading the article was "Who the fuck's Shostakovich?"j-e-f-f-e-r-s said:
one thing i forgot to mention was the fact the beatles all played their songs in a certain key, there is a specific key in music that when played has a certain effect on people, doesn't matter the genre
the beatles are one of the bands to use that key
the beatles are one of the bands to use that key
Its because of the way they changed the face of music. You'd be suprised as to how much of an influance they have on todays music, it wasnt simply a case of them being in "the right place at the right time", it was because they did what no one else had thought of.
Music would have evolved far slower and todays music would be a lot differnt had it not been for the Beatles.
Music would have evolved far slower and todays music would be a lot differnt had it not been for the Beatles.
because they did it first:
-tape delay effects
-reversed audio in final takes
-album that couldn't be duplicated live (sgt pepper)
----album tour (k, they kind of copied elvis and his "touring car" that he used to promote his music over, say, performing at shows)
-eastern influence in western sound (thanks to george, continued by the tea pary)
anyone else add to this?
-tape delay effects
-reversed audio in final takes
-album that couldn't be duplicated live (sgt pepper)
----album tour (k, they kind of copied elvis and his "touring car" that he used to promote his music over, say, performing at shows)
-eastern influence in western sound (thanks to george, continued by the tea pary)
anyone else add to this?
The Beatles are not a boy band. Boy bands don't write their own music, play instruments, or really do anything except look good to preteen girls and dance in unison. The Beatles wrote music that's still being copied 40 years later, and even their solo careers had incredible hits. Imagine? Live and Let Die?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=A4wc8Fq7bEU&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QShSmpI0r9k
THAT'S why they're so famous.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=A4wc8Fq7bEU&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QShSmpI0r9k
THAT'S why they're so famous.
The Beatles really "gelled" it all, encompassing sounds and styles that would define future genres.
The roots of everything from punk to rock to metal to reggae to alternative (and all that those wide categories can cover) can be found in their sounds.
They were the first... and by that I don't mean necessarily the first bands to do any of those things, or even the firsts to do them well, but the first to really be popular while doing them. Their ever-evolving sounds created offshoots that would seed their own genres when rock music broke up into said genres.
FWIW, I'm not a humungous fan of them, but I like some of their songs and, as a musician myself, owe a large amount of the material that I write and play to their influence.
The roots of everything from punk to rock to metal to reggae to alternative (and all that those wide categories can cover) can be found in their sounds.
They were the first... and by that I don't mean necessarily the first bands to do any of those things, or even the firsts to do them well, but the first to really be popular while doing them. Their ever-evolving sounds created offshoots that would seed their own genres when rock music broke up into said genres.
FWIW, I'm not a humungous fan of them, but I like some of their songs and, as a musician myself, owe a large amount of the material that I write and play to their influence.
Um... they used all manner of keys... "Day Tripper" is in E major, "Something" is in A minor, etc... What is this "Secret Key" you speak of? I would like to know so I can use it... but I'm reasonably certain that no such thing exists.cleverlymadeup said:
However, certain intervals and melodies when used strategically over certain chord changes can produce an emotional reaction... but we've known that since well before the Baroque period.
To answer the original question: The Beatles are so popular because of several different factors.
A) The music they made initially was extremely well liked by the people who listened to it.
B) They were in the right place at the right time. Had the Beatles released music during a different era, there's no telling how different it would be, but it most likely wouldn't have been as popular. Music was at the forefront of entertainment and the new movement they were apart of was almost universally liked by younger people at that time.
C) They continued to evolve their music in a way that stayed consistent with their listeners increased maturity and overall age. The Beatles music was simple and really, not very deep, when they first gained popularity. This is consistent with the immature musical taste that baby boomers had in their early teen years. As the baby boomers musical taste matured, the Beatles music matured along with it, becoming more complex and intellectually stimulating. This is why they remained at the forefront of popular music for many years.
D) They were well marketed so that they were heard by millions of people worldwide.
This is why they were so popular. I suppose you could make the argument that The Beatles were very musically talented, but many musically talented individuals often go unnoticed due to various circumstances. Not to mention, musical quality is very subjective and often changes from generation to generation.
The bands that you had listed as better than the Beatles really created much deeper and technically challenging music than the Beatles did, especially in their early years. And while you may be right that they are better than the Beatles, you have to remember that they stood on the shoulders of those that came before them. They adopted their style to match the increasingly technical and mature music that the Beatles had previously pioneered.
Ultimately, your confusion for the Beatles success lies mostly in that you weren't around to experience the Beatles music during that era. I've heard many new fans of video games question the quality of older video games that are often considered to beto be the greatest works in video game history. Sure, Doom certainly isn't as good as Call of Duty 4, but Call of Duty 4's quality is partially due to the work and significance that Doom had on the FPS genre in the early days.
;tldr You have to consider the context in which music, video games, or any form of art is released. Since you aren't considering the era in which the Beatles music was released, this is causing you to think that their music is of a lesser quality.
A) The music they made initially was extremely well liked by the people who listened to it.
B) They were in the right place at the right time. Had the Beatles released music during a different era, there's no telling how different it would be, but it most likely wouldn't have been as popular. Music was at the forefront of entertainment and the new movement they were apart of was almost universally liked by younger people at that time.
C) They continued to evolve their music in a way that stayed consistent with their listeners increased maturity and overall age. The Beatles music was simple and really, not very deep, when they first gained popularity. This is consistent with the immature musical taste that baby boomers had in their early teen years. As the baby boomers musical taste matured, the Beatles music matured along with it, becoming more complex and intellectually stimulating. This is why they remained at the forefront of popular music for many years.
D) They were well marketed so that they were heard by millions of people worldwide.
This is why they were so popular. I suppose you could make the argument that The Beatles were very musically talented, but many musically talented individuals often go unnoticed due to various circumstances. Not to mention, musical quality is very subjective and often changes from generation to generation.
The bands that you had listed as better than the Beatles really created much deeper and technically challenging music than the Beatles did, especially in their early years. And while you may be right that they are better than the Beatles, you have to remember that they stood on the shoulders of those that came before them. They adopted their style to match the increasingly technical and mature music that the Beatles had previously pioneered.
Ultimately, your confusion for the Beatles success lies mostly in that you weren't around to experience the Beatles music during that era. I've heard many new fans of video games question the quality of older video games that are often considered to beto be the greatest works in video game history. Sure, Doom certainly isn't as good as Call of Duty 4, but Call of Duty 4's quality is partially due to the work and significance that Doom had on the FPS genre in the early days.
;tldr You have to consider the context in which music, video games, or any form of art is released. Since you aren't considering the era in which the Beatles music was released, this is causing you to think that their music is of a lesser quality.
You need to study your Rock n Roll history a bit to figure out why the Beatles were what they were.
In the 1950's Rock n Roll first came out and you had a flood of music released by a relatively small amount of musicians. Chuck Berry, Elvis, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis were pretty much the lineup.
Chuck was arrested and tossed in jail in for the early 60's.
Elvis enlisted in the Army for that period.
Valens, Bopper and Holly all died in the same plane crash.
Jerry Lee Lewis was tossed out of society for marrying his 13 year old cousin.
This left virtually no one in the popular Rock scene. So they introduced a bunch of clean cut "crooners" and easier-listening bands to the airwaves, hooping to appease the masses. Along come a few rebellious long-haired Brits from Liverpool and Rock and Roll was able to rediscover itself.
I agree, I don't necessarily "like" the Beatles. They just leave me with that same kind of "meh" feeling you were describing. You can't deny what they did for the genre though. They paved the way for future bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and opened doors that were otherwise shut.
In the 1950's Rock n Roll first came out and you had a flood of music released by a relatively small amount of musicians. Chuck Berry, Elvis, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis were pretty much the lineup.
Chuck was arrested and tossed in jail in for the early 60's.
Elvis enlisted in the Army for that period.
Valens, Bopper and Holly all died in the same plane crash.
Jerry Lee Lewis was tossed out of society for marrying his 13 year old cousin.
This left virtually no one in the popular Rock scene. So they introduced a bunch of clean cut "crooners" and easier-listening bands to the airwaves, hooping to appease the masses. Along come a few rebellious long-haired Brits from Liverpool and Rock and Roll was able to rediscover itself.
I agree, I don't necessarily "like" the Beatles. They just leave me with that same kind of "meh" feeling you were describing. You can't deny what they did for the genre though. They paved the way for future bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and opened doors that were otherwise shut.
actually there is, sorry i can't recall off the top of my head but there is a few keys that work really well, and frankly i'm not going to spend my time looking it up, but suggest you go do it on your own, it's been discussed many a timeTemjinStrife said:
and btw you do contradict yourself in your own argument
