Back in May 2017, the Music Industry celebrated the 50 year anniversary of what has been widely considered as the most influential music album of all-time, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band:

And recently SiriusXM satellite radio just launched a channel dedicated to all things them, (channel 18 - was originally going to be channel 9 because of Revolution #9, but that channel is dedicated to 90s music). And finally I recently saw two documentaries: Imagine: John Lennon and Living in the Material World, the George Harrison documentary. So, I'm in quite the mood. Even more so than usual, so I figured now would be a good time to try strike up a conversation on, undoubtedly, the most influential band of all-time, and in my opinion, the greatest of all-time, The Beatles!

Left to Right:
Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon.

We can talk about a wide range of things, when we were first introduced to the Beatles, our first memories, favorite albums, favorite songs, favorite Beatle. Thoughts on their careers together, what they accomplished, the impact they made, how they broke up and since then, each of them individually, etc. etc.

My very earliest memories of the Beatles date back to when I was a little kid, maybe 5 years old, sitting in the backseat of my Dad's car. Now, my Dad was born in 1954, he was a kid growing up in the 1960s, and when you're a kid growing up in the '60s listening to music, who else could it be? So of course, my Dad is a HUGE Beatles fan and he just brainwashed me and my brothers with their music. We would listen to the cassette tapes (feel old yet?) of their music, and I remember us owning multiple discs of "1" and listening to it on repeat during long roadtrips. My taste and exposure to music started with the Beatles, and even today, as I've been introduced to so many other artists and bands, I always find myself coming back to John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

My personal favorite album from them is Rubber Soul

It's my favorite because it marks the beginning of when they truly started to branch out, challenge the conventions of music at that point in time, and begin laying the groundworks to all of what was to come that would change the landscape forever. Some songs that are on here, you would never see on a record before that year, 1965, even from them, such as Norwegian Wood, Girl, The Word, In My Life, If I Needed Someone, and my favorite track from the album, Nowhere Man. This record was them saying, "Enough of that happy-go-lucky, Beatlemania, fun songs! It's time to get serious!" It was this record that launched them from being just a hype fad, to legitimate icons! This album planted the seeds that would eventually sprout with Revolver, and then completely blossom into a full-blown garden with Sgt. Pepper's. Love Rubber Soul! My favorite Beatles album!

Now as for my favorite song, off the White Album

It's a George Harrison song, I think you all know which one it is at this point. But what some of you might not know is a funny story about how it was recorded. Originally, the first recording sessions for this song were not good. At all. John, Paul, and Ringo just did not give a shit. They weren't putting effort into it and they weren't taking it seriously. So George, as way to show them up and make them take it seriously, decided to bring in his good buddy, the one and only, Eric Clapton to record the song with them, knowing that the other 3 would change their attitudes quickly, as to not offend their guest. And that solo that plays at the end of the song, that's Clapton playing it! The song is called: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

While that may be my favorite Beatles song, it's not my favorite George Harrison song (My Sweet Lord, I've Got My Mind Set On You, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), All Things Must Pass, and Isn't It A Pity have them beat for me). Let that be a testament to just how truly underrated George was as a songwriter, being overshadowed by the greatest songwriting duo of all-time. While My Guitar Gently Weeps, along with Something and Here Comes the Sun are 3 of the absolute best songs to come post-Pepper, and 3 of their best songs period! And it's because of that why George has become my favorite Beatle.

So those are my brief memories and thoughts that I thought I would share for the purpose of starting a thread about the band known as the Fab Four. The four, the only. The Beatles.

I like one or two songs. That's about it.

More of an 80's / country person.

They were great - my favorite song of theirs is actually on your favorite album, but you didn't mention it - I'm looking through you. I love Paul's growl in it.

Amazing how much quality output they had in, what, 9 years?

Ah yes. I'm Looking Though You is a really great song as well.

And it's funny because John, Paul, and George were together for longer than that, when they used to be the Quarrymen in the late 50s when they were teenagers, that was when John and Paul started writing together. But yeah, they were just cranking out album after album, two in one year. Most bands nowadays only get 2 in 4 years.

I listened my dads original LPs of them back in the day. They were great and one of the most influencial bands in history and THE most in rock history. That said many groups I enjoy more from the era.

Arguably the most important band in all of Western Music. They created genres, revolutionized studio recording, created the music video, and each individual member went on to be a vital part of music, even Ringo. Many people new to The Beatles don't understand that the band had a few phases, and few people enjoy both phases equally. Personally I enjoy the later music after they abandoned the 50s doo wop for their more trippy drug/Indian influenced music. I oftentimes think John is my favorite, but more often than not I'm surprised to find that it's the Paul songs I love to sing to the most.

My favorite albums are Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper. I'm also always really amazed how much music they created in such a short span of time. In barely 10 years they accomplished what most bands will never be able to produce and what takes other bands 30-40 years to produce...and it was all quality.

I do not think they are over rated. I do not think that is possible. I understand that many people may not like their music, but that's not a reason to call the band over rated; that just means you have different taste, which is cool. Regardless, most bands you listen to today have somehow been influenced by these pioneers no matter the genre.

The most innovative and influential band of the 20th century.

Not the biggest of Beatles fans but I grew up with their greatest hits on cassette and some of my all time favs are Twist And Shout, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Ticket To Ride, Daytripper, Penny Lane, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Eleanor Rigby, and their best song ever Hey Jude.

I give them a ton of credit for in the span of about 5 years going from a typical poppy boy band of the era to writing some of the most iconic rock / experimental albums ever that influenced countless bands. That's be like The Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC writing the next White Album in the early 2000s after making it big in the late 90s..

My dad used to have them on all the time. Sgt Peppers was my favorite. A friend of mine was obsessed with the Beatles and bought every CD as soon as they were being remastered, plus the movies on vhs. We watched magical mystery tour and yellow submarine quite a few times.

I haven't heard them in a long time, I've never bought their music myself. I'm more into techno trance when I'm in the car by myself, at home my wife selects the music. We hardly ever listen to music though, video killed the radio star in our house. Aren't there any games with music from the Beatles?