Yes. I know. I know it’s probably been done to death that most people here (me included) think that The Beatles are the best pop/rock band of all time.
In this thread it is proposed that The Kinks are better.
As I said in that thread, personal tastes are personal, and at least The Kinks are in the same ballpark as The Beatles. But, it got me thinking.
What bands are really in the same ballpark as The Beatles. I think some criteria would be that they started out popular and continued to grow and evolve both musically and emotionally as a band.
I think the Rolling Stones are in the same ballpark as the Beatles, but they stuck more closely to their roots. They could’ve successfully branched out more if they’d wanted to.
Of a lot depends on your criteria for judging, not to mention personal preference, but I could nominate Van Halen. Within their genre they explored a lot musically, the songwriting was passable and they had influence. Granted not a ton of no. 1 hits and DLR’s singing left a lot to be desired.
As far as hits, songwriting and great vocals the Beach Boys come to mind. As far as influence they came to define surf music, imho.
The only original song I know from The Faces is “Stay With Me.” They are not even in the same state as The Beatles, let alone in the same ballpark. And I did ask for reasons in the OP. Putting “The Faces” in the same ballpark as The Beatles is absolutely ridiculous.
To me, The Beach Boys never really seemed to evolve either. They were stuck in California beach music for their entire career. I finally bought “Pet Sounds” about 2 or or three years ago and yawned at it. I didn’t see much of a change from their normal stuff (which I do quite enjoy!) Again, personal tastes are personal.
I agree with The Who and The Stones, but you failed to articulate anything.
I like Van Halen, but they are not anything like The Beatles. All I can say is that Eddie tried keyboards, and they kicked out a couple of singers to change things up.
If you only know one song, then, no, you don’t really have enough information to judge. “Senses Working Overtime,” “Generals and Majors,” “Respectable Street,” “Life Begins at the Hop,” “Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead,” “Making Plans for Nigel,” I could go on for awhile. For me, their pop songwriting is absolutely up there with the Beatles.
The Beach Boys absolutely deserve to be mentioned here. The Beatles themselves considered them (up through “Good Vibrations” and Pet Sounds) to be major competitors/influences. And in an alternate universe in which Brian didn’t have his nervous breakdown and released Smile in a timely fashion and then kept on breaking new ground, they would have remained so.
Yeah, to me, the Beach Boys absolutely should be considered, although, it’s mostly the Pet Sounds stuff to me. The orchestration of the record, how all the sounds melt together to form new sounds, the arrangements and, of course, the trademark harmonies are all amazing and make it my favorite album of all time. I seriously am in awe of how Brian Wilson pulled off the sound of that record, much less the actual quality of the songwriting both musically and lyrically. It’s just so dense and makes me quiver inside when I hear it. Few albums emote to me the way that album does. It is one of the most sonically beautiful albums I’ve heard. The fact that it also contains great songs is a bonus.
For all the great songs the Beatles put out, they also had quite a share of clunkers or “filler” material. They also only toured as a major act for about 2 years. Its hard to believe the Beatles were only around for 10 years.
I think U2 is a great if not popular choice. Sound evolved without it never not sounding like U2, same original members, have toured endlessly for over 30 years, with a lead singer who is a cultural icon they really don’t get the credit they deserve from younger fans who might not appreciate how groundbreaking they were in the 1980s.
I think Queen deserves a mention for their musical diversity and stunning live performances, a band never afraid to try different genres and with some of the greatest hits of all time.
The Who and the Stones certainly deserve to be in the same pantheon, I just have a hard time comparing them to the Beatles, maybe because they changed lineups so often, and the Whop came back too many times and the Stones are notorious for rolling out some clunker live shows.
Id love to consider Led Zeppelin, but they just don’t have the longevity or extensive body of work to make it quite just there.
As for the Beach Boys, I think a lot of readers put them in there because some critics consider Smile and Pet Sounds to be "Sgt Pepper-esque"in terms of their sonic quality.