I hate the Beatles

[Bean Bag]

But my main problem with the Beatles is that it is representative of what I call the baby-boomer narrative.  The whole generation has this sickening (as I think some have already mentioned in this thread) air of self-importance about it. 

Honestly though, I don't think that we will get a true appraisal of popular music in the twentieth century until the boomer generation has passed on. 

End rant.   

Well ranted!  The bloated self-importance, yes...absolutely.  That's what the Beatles embody to me.  Boomers displaying this attitude that everything they did was so important and had never been done before.  Ever hear of the Jazz age?  But...Woodstock was the greatest thing in the world.     I bought into it when I was younger...but now Woodstock looks like just a bunch stupid kids, on drugs, dancing naked in the mud.  Wow...you guys were so important.     -- now get off my property!   

I'm glad Brian was inspired to be more creative by the Beatles' work...but it's like trying to impress Murray or outdo Spector...it wasn't a contest -- he smoked them, I believe.  He was the real deal.

The Beatles were good, and I give them credit.  But they weren't that good.  A little weak on soul.


But what you said that rang true to me the most was -- "I don't think that we will get a true appraisal of popular music in the twentieth century until the boomer generation has passed on."  That's so true.  The boomers had this disdain for all things, I don't know, middle-class American perhaps?  Groups like the Four Freshman were squares to them.  Thankfully Brian followed what interested him, regardless.  I love the jazz and dance orchestras from the 20s and 30s -- big bands from the 40s and 50s.  There's so much culture, professionalism and passion in that music.  Maybe that was their "parent's music" to them...but it's been buried as a result.  I never judged music based on what was cool and important or what music was the soundtrack to a political movement or what freaked out my parents the most.  I want passion, soul and inspiration.  Period.  I don't care if it came from Zimbabwe or a garage in Duluth, or a massive church pipe organ, or the Wilson's family-room organ.

[the captain]

Most complaints here have more to do with people's understanding or the media's presentation of the Beatles than the Beatles themselves. And Woodstock? Fucking irrelevant. May as well use it to criticize the Beach Boys. The authenticity and soul people choose to find here or there, too ... I don't believe you.

[lance]

I hate the boomers but I love the Beatles.

[Bean Bag]

Most complaints here have more to do with people's understanding or the media's presentation of the Beatles than the Beatles themselves. And Woodstock? friggin' irrelevant. May as well use it to criticize the Beach Boys. The authenticity and soul people choose to find here or there, too ... I don't believe you.

The boomer/Woodstock thing is a satellite-topic, sure.  My (and others) dissatisfaction with the Beatles is real and there seems to be a common thread.  That's what we're trying to understand.  I think the Beatles were decent and at times interesting, but overall I find them weak on soul, passion and believability.  That's just my opinion.  I very quickly tire of them.  It's like candy.  Pure sugar.  No sustenance.  Now do you believe me?   

With that understanding...a natural question arises as to their high regard within the boomer-world.  Which, I noticed, is how I was always told to look at Woodstock -- as some important social thing.  That's what I don't believe.  Kids breaking ranks with their parents, expressing themselves is nothing new.  They just took themselves too seriously perhaps.


My complaints with the Beatles can probably be applied to a lot of pop music.  Most of it is usually a little light on substance.  My collection leans heavily on jazz, Brian Wilson and classical with odds like Syd Barrett etc filling in the pop-ranks.  I do love pop music, very very much.  It's able to express so much, perhaps more than other genres, if done right.  But there's a lot of posturing in pop, a lot of manufactured attitudes, phony teen-angst, style over substance...etc.  There's little wonder in my mind why the music industry's in trouble.  They put all the eggs in that basket and don't know what else to do.  It's been that way since...dare I say....Beatlemania??

[lance]

I guess I feel that, like nearly anyone else, the Beatles just did the best with what they could do. (IN my opinion, pretty well.)

The rest is all hype and circumstance. You like 'em or you don't, like anyone else.

[kookadams]

I don't hate  the Beatles but I can never understand for the life of me why people regard them as the greatest band ever; I would say they're "one" of the greatest bands ever but not "the" greatest band ever. I think the Beach Boys were just as good in every aspect. As far as the Beatles' music goes though, I prefer everything up to Revolver, after that they still made great music but their earlier sh*t was more rock n' roll. I think the Beach Boys were consistent with making great music from the beginning all the way through Holland. Then they had that 3 year gap til 15 Big Ones came out, and although a lot of people dismiss that album because half of it was covers it was still a good album and sold enough to be their biggest studio album of that decade. I dig a lot of Love You and some of MIU too, after that it's really hit&miss. But as a whole the entire body of music the Beach Boys made will forever be engraved in my heart and soul. I don't think anyone will ever top Brian Wilson... 

[sofonanm]

The Beatles are so ingrained in our collective mind that it's hard not to love them -
their story probably means more to the average person than Jesus' story.
The breakup of the Beatles carries more weight than the crucifixion of Jesus.
People stand over the Lennon memorial thing in Central Park like it's Jesus' tomb.
When you go there - the atmosphere is religious.
"Imagine" is played everywhere and unquestioned, taken as a prophetic message of truth.
People get somber when it comes on, they get introverted and contemplative, they repeat the lyrics like ancient wisdom.

When George Harrison died, I was in school still, and they announced it over the intercom and we had a few minutes of silence.

Personally I think it's mass hysteria.
The results of a massively successful marketing scheme.
If the Beatles were a religion, most of the world would probably be Beatle.

[lance]

The Beatles are regarded as 'the greatest' mainly because they didn't make any duff albums and rarely made a duff single. Most of all, they had a reliable group of talented craftsman writing their songs, rather than an off-his-rocker genius.

They may have soared no higher than the Beach Boys in quality--maybe not as high as Brian Wilson's highest points--, but they also never plumbed the Depths like the Beach Boys did...I mean, come on.

We all know the Beach boys have enough crap to fill one of Sheriff John Stones 74 minute compilations.

The Beatles have only a few songs that are as bad as 'Surfin' 92.' Actually, I don't think they have any songs that bad.

[punkinhead]

Isn't Mr. Moonlight regarded as the 3rd season of Star Trek?   

[lance]

Yeah. But I actually kinda like it. Like that guitar riff or whatever, the percussion, and LOVE that organ solo. Funny.

For me, the lowest point of the Beatles is I only want to dance with you. Hate that lame song. Still it does have good rhythm guitar and drums.

[sofonanm]

I should note, though, I do know a guy who is unwilling even to listen to the Beatles. I don't know why. He used to play bass for me in a band. Very awkward when I'd make a reference I thought was universal (do it like the bass part in [famous Beatles song]." And I'd get a blank stare...

You should've left Beatles albums in his guitar bag or his coat. I once played with a bassist who was fat and never wore deodorant and his B.O was not pleasant... we bought him some deodorant and left it in his bag. God, how cruel. Yet effective!

On a side note somewhat now relevant - my B.O always smells awesome and others have agreed. It has moods of its own, you can't say that for cologne! Changes with the time and place and activity, chameleon body smell. Did you know that the devotees and followers of the Prophet Muhammad used to bottle his sweat because it smelled so good? Yep, I'm like him. Sadly, my bassist was not. It's all down to diet, I think, and maybe genetics. He ate a lot of McDonalds...

[hypehat]

The problem with the beatles (in my eyes, at least) is that they're too influential. By the time i'd heard Sgt Pepper, i'd already heard most of the ideas recycled by other bands, so it didn't hit as hard (and i first heard it when i was 14). I think that's just the main problem - most bands (british ones especially) have grown up musically with the beatles, so it all shows up in their music. That's my poorly worded contribution 

And of course they wrote crap - Let It Be? Maxwell's Silver Hammer? The Ballad of John & Yoko? The good/bad ratio is immensely on the side of good though

[punkinhead]

the way I look at the Ballad of John and Yoko is that it's a really good jam session, i love the drums and bass on it...the lyrics themselves, eh; but think of how popular John/Yoko (as a couple) was....As for Maxwell Silver Hammer, I've like quirky songs by the Beach Boys, so of course I like this quirky tune as well, prolly not the best for the last album though.

[the captain]

The Ballad of John and Yoko is among my half dozen favorite Beatles songs. Like with many things, my favorites change daily, but I just named it as my favorite Beatles song the other day. I think it's a great song.

[sofonanm]

Any fans of the being that is known as YOKO ONO here?

Check this out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9kgu71d81U

If you don't love her yet, you will after seeing that video.

I don't really understand the Yoko hate. Seems to be rooted in some not-so-subtle racism and ignorance. I don't understand the general feeling that she is or was ugly - I think she's beautiful and was quite sexy a few decades ago.

[mikeyj]

Check this out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9kgu71d81U

If you don't love her yet, you will after seeing that video.

You ARE joking right?

[sofonanm]

Check this out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9kgu71d81U

If you don't love her yet, you will after seeing that video.

You ARE joking right?

heavens no!

if you don't like Yoko, you are playing the game of existence wrong

she's

[mikeyj]

if you don't like Yoko, you are playing the game of existence wrong

Heh, that's a good one. I don't hate Yoko, it's more that I just don't care much about her, but when I hear her doing her wailing or whatever you want to call it, I can't help but shudder.

[Menace Wilson]

Any fans of the being that is known as YOKO ONO here?

Check this out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9kgu71d81U

If you don't love her yet, you will after seeing that video.

I don't really understand the Yoko hate. Seems to be rooted in some not-so-subtle racism and ignorance. I don't understand the general feeling that she is or was ugly - I think she's beautiful and was quite sexy a few decades ago.

If John had chosen a screeching, pretentious white woman over the Beatles, the story would have been the same, imo.

[the captain]

If John had chosen a screeching, pretentious white woman over the Beatles, the story would have been the same, imo.

I agree. I have no doubt whatsoever that Yoko (and John, by proxy) experienced a lot of racism and unwarranted abuse. But being a victim in one regard doesn't require people who are "above all that" to like what you do. Just because she is or has been a legitimate victim of racism and sexism, my not liking her art doesn't make me a racist or a sexist.

[Amy B.]

I thought that by "Yoko hate," sofonanm was referring to people who hate her as a person, not people who hate her art, or music, or whatever it is. There are plenty of people who just can't stand her as a person, and I don't understand that except to say that it _is_ rooted in sexism and racism. It was jarring in the 60s for people to see a white Englishman with a Japanese woman-- and for her to be participating in everything he did when she "should have been" in the background, well, that was jarring too. And now I don't know if that's what people are thinking when they call her an ugly b**** and all that, but there's something behind it more than not caring for her "art." Yoko fascinates me. I don't like her art either, but she is one tough woman, and she's been through a hell of a lot.

[Amy B.]

Here's an interesting interview with John's Aunt Mimi from 1981.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRqU2teFtw8

[the captain]

I thought that by "Yoko hate," sofonanm was referring to people who hate her as a person, not people who hate her art, or music, or whatever it is. There are plenty of people who just can't stand her as a person, and I don't understand that except to say that it _is_ rooted in sexism and racism.

In that case, fair enough. Obviously, that's pathetic and ridiculous.

[Mr. Cohen]

I started listening to the Beach Boys and the Beatles at the same time. It was when I finally just stopped listening to the crap top 40 radio feeds to you. I stopped listening to the Beatles a couple of years ago (I listened to them a lot for awhile) but I still listen to the Beach Boys. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I felt like saying it. By the way Luther, I think you've got the world figured out. I wouldn't dare question you.

[lance]

I like Yoko Ono. Music and person (insofar as I know her...which is not at all)

Fun fact: John and Paul only musisians on BOJAY.

For me the song is a bit too long, but I agree that the sound of it is awesome.