But what ground did they actually break?
They weren't the first Merseybeat band.
They weren't the first psychedelic band.
They certainly weren't the first blues band.
Granted, they probably helped to make these styles more popular with more mainstream audiences, but does that really make them groundbreaking?
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:04, 2 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I'd say it does

( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:05, Reply)

Suit yourself.

(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:06, Reply)

I'm not a huge fan of the beatles either
I really rate a few of their songs, Come Together for instance, but I would have to say that popularising a style of music to an insanely massive audience is pretty ground breaking
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:07, Reply)

Maybe I'm just splitting hairs
But I would have said the very first Merseybeat bands, the very first psychedelic bands, etc., were the people who broke that ground in that they invented that style. Kudos to a band that can pick up those styles and point out their existence to a wider audience, but I don't think the Beatles deserve as much credit as they seem to get for that. (I think I'm probably just irked, though, by the people who are convinced that the Beatles invented those styles.)
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:11, Reply)

I see where you are coming from
and I don't think they deserve quite as much credit as they get.

I'm not totally disagreeing with you here.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:19, Reply)

The Beatles
Were, and are, overrated. So there.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:08, Reply)

Agreed.
Their music is bland and they are twee.

Look, let's face it people - MY FAV BAND IS BETTER THAN YOURS, NYAH.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:19, Reply)

Yes!
And my wife's better than yours, etc.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:21, Reply)

Well that is true

( Bazongaloid, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:22, Reply)

Bunch of bandwaggoners
with an ear for a good pop song. The end.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:10, Reply)

It's easy to say
they had an "ear for a good pop song" but you really are forgetting just what a unique partnership lennon and Mcartney had, they wrote so many good catchy songs they were practically an industry unto themselves. It's incredibly difficult to write good songs, you can't just dismiss it that easily.
( Bazongaloid, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:14, Reply)

Yes you can
And Paul Mcartney's output of the last 20+ plus years has been nothing short of abominably turgid shite. In fact, I've produced shites that made a better sound on their way out.

Their songs were catchy but that doesn't make them good. Most advertising jingles are catchy; that doesn't make them a contender for an Ivor Novello award. Take That are catchy. But they're still shite.

I don't think the Beatles are shite, btw. just massively overrated.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:20, Reply)

"Washing machines live longer with Calgon!"
(That's just to back up your point, DG.)
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 8 Oct 2009, 14:22, Reply)