[JerryM]

There's no right or wrong answer.

What do you think of The Beatles?

[figcon]

None of the above. They are more than what you have allowed here.

[jarcher]

None of the above. They are more than what you have allowed here.

So basically you're answering : "None of the above; I'll comment below."

But yeah - I can see where the title might be misleading. 

Gone through a love, then hate, now ambivalent feeling about the Beatles.  In some respects I'm looking forward to "re-setting" my feelings about them and listening to them with new ears some day in the not too distant future.  With so much great music I've yet to hear even from my own collection, it's not really priority #1 for me personally.

[Elizabeth]

Early Beatles were just another Brit Band. Then they became  REALLY famous. Yeah all hogwash. But once they released Rubber Soul i got interested. and liked Rubber Soul, The White Album and Abby Road.
They were famous. Like Elvis.
So what is the beef?
Plenty of reasons to consider them Fab!
If you do not like them, then who cares? Ditto if you DO like them.
For many years the Beatles topped the all time greatest chart. Now some of those put Pink Floyd 'Dark Side of the Moon' at #1 of all time.
Maybe time to hate Pink Floyd instead?

[Devil Doc]

I'm a Stones' Fan. Nuff said.

Doc

[wharfrat]

The Beatles get their due from people in the 50 and above age group.
Like all pop music I think they are a "you had to be there" band.
For me, just turned 56, they are the best.
I never tire of listening to them.

[FullRangeMan]

Seems this pool is shaped to the negative result.
The options are unbalanced:
Just 1 Like
Just 1 neutral
And 3 dislike.
I like Beatles, in those times its songs had tremendous impact in the fans and in any musician, in the 60/70 all people were Beatles fans, including adults persons.
Someone can name a bad song from Lennon/MacCartney??

[FullRangeMan]

Early Beatles were just another Brit Band. Then they became  REALLY famous. Yeah all hogwash. But once they released Rubber Soul i got interested. and liked Rubber Soul, The White Album and Abby Road.
They were famous. Like Elvis.
So what is the beef?
Plenty of reasons to consider them Fab!
If you do not like them, then who cares? Ditto if you DO like them.
For many years the Beatles topped the all time greatest chart. Now some of those put Pink Floyd 'Dark Side of the Moon' at #1 of all time.
Maybe time to hate Pink Floyd instead?

The current rock audience was educated listening punk rock, hardcore, heavy metal and others satanic styles.
So this kind of people never will like Beatles and far less PF.
Due this low grade audience the Rock will decrease in musical quality, it will be just tribal music for gangs.

[dflee]

All of The Above. I can honestly say I have felt every one of categories at one time or another. And believe because of that they were truly unique and worth every minute I have spent listening to them as a whole and individually.

[JerryM]

I love 'em and I' hate 'em. I think they are wildly overrated, yet they have cutting-edge songs for the time period they recorded together.

Blue Jay Way; Boys: Within You Without You; Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!; Across the Universe... Wow, way ahead of their time.

What the radio stations always play? Hate 'em.

I voted "I could take 'em or leave em."

[PDR]

I'm 53, I can take or leave the Beatles......I was more a fan of Zep and the Stones, a bit hard around the edges.

But, one only has to start here.... http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/bg_hits/bg_hits_60.html
and go through to 1969 to realize the impact they had on the world and its music.

My kids dont get it, and some of the younger people I know dont either.
You just have to compare what else was being produced at the same time as their stuff to
see how far ahead and different and how things changed because of them.

[smilach]

They were incredibly popular over the globe and I do really enjoy some of their music.  But great?  That would take musicians, not pop icons.

[MaxCast]

All of The Above. I can honestly say I have felt every one of categories at one time or another. And believe because of that they were truly unique and worth every minute I have spent listening to them as a whole and individually.

I vote for this answer 

My life with The Beatles.  Born in 66 and never owned any album or CD.  Around the mid 80's I think, I bought Peppers and Magic Mystery Tour on CD.  Listened to them once a year.  If I heard them on the radio I change the channel. Not that I hated them it was more like I just didn't want to hear them.  I grow older, have kids and buy a turntable.  My boys are fascinated with this rotating machine that makes music from a diamond.  The oldest (10 at the time) wants Beatles albums.  Fine with me.  So we start accumulating Beatles albums and listening to them.  I enjoy the Beatles and wonder at the popular song after popular song on each album.  Most are like a greatest hits album from other bands.  As I reply to this thread CJ comes in and puts on MMT  how weird is that?
With all the albums, all the hits and popular after all these years I think they are just as good as any band to ever grace the earth, like them or not.

[Mudslide]

I was 19 years old when the Beatles hit the Ed Sullivan show in 1964.  I remember exactly where I was when that show aired.  So I grew up with that kind of music, British Invasion and all.  I don't exactly hate the band, but they certainly are/were highly overrated.  There is no doubting their popularity, especially with the teenage girls.  Like Beiber, they were a cultural phenomen with youth and wildly popular.  But they couldn't hold a candle to dozens of other bands when it came to musicianship or impact upon future musicians, bands, and songwriters.

[Daedalus Audio]

I see these comments about how "good or bad" famous musicians are in these threads and wonder what are the qualifications of those making these judgements?  we can like or not like who we want, but when we start trashing someones musicianship etc I'd like to know what the critics latest work was?  Ok, enough on the rant...

the Beatles have stood the test of time, young people who have not been socialized with peer pressure to like the Beatles and were born long after the band disbanded, love their music. Undeniably they were pioneers, and their musicianship and songwriting is still very respected by professional musicians around the world.

I was never a huge Beatles fan though I'm old enough to recall the release of each album from "A hard day's night" on. I was much more interested in John Lee Hooker but it was always obvious that the Beatles were very very special, and it was poiintless trying to pick the music apart just as picking the band apart... you could say in all respects, the whole was much greater than the sum of the parts.

[pumpkinman]

Geez not again 

[jarcher]

The current rock audience was educated listening punk rock, hardcore, heavy metal and others satanic styles.
So this kind of people never will like Beatles and far less PF.
Due this low grade audience the Rock will decrease in musical quality, it will be just tribal music for gangs.

It could be argued that the Beatle's "Helter Skelter" had some influence on the bands & songs you describe.  It certainly was one of the earliest mass releases to explore those themes.  And as a fan of the music you mention, I can say that this is not the reason for changing affinity for the Beatles over time.  I think it's more the usual shift in tastes that occur over time + sometimes tiring of things that are overplayed.  I think even the Beatles would agree with that seeing how their music changed over time.

[jarcher]

I see these comments about how "good or bad" famous musicians are in these threads and wonder what are the qualifications of those making these judgements?  we can like or not like who we want, but when we start trashing someones musicianship etc I'd like to know what the critics latest work was?  Ok, enough on the rant...

the Beatles have stood the test of time, young people who have not been socialized with peer pressure to like the Beatles and were born long after the band disbanded, love their music. Undeniably they were pioneers, and their musicianship and songwriting is still very respected by professional musicians around the world.

I was never a huge Beatles fan though I'm old enough to recall the release of each album from "A hard day's night" on. I was much more interested in John Lee Hooker but it was always obvious that the Beatles were very very special, and it was poiintless trying to pick the music apart just as picking the band apart... you could say in all respects, the whole was much greater than the sum of the parts.

By that standard would we not also for example have to be politicians to have valid criticisms of politicians?  Wow - I hope not. 

[Woodsea]

I am 48 and still enjoy them.  My children 8-14 years of age enjoy the fab 4's lyrics and music.  Their music has touched everyone who has ever listened to them, depending on my mood, I may choose to listen to them over the Stones, GNR, Metallica, Bruno Mars, and Skynard 'Dude'.  How can anyone possibly state as a fact when music is visceral, one as a the greatest or overrated?
Similar questions like Ali, greatest or overrated.  He was the greatest of his time.
O.J.? greatest or a killer, at one time he was and the other, he always will be

[decal]