‘A few’ as in ‘many’, or was it a tribute band? I’ve worked some ABBA tribute nights, they’re always popular and usually very entertaining.
Of course, there are enduring Beatles tribute bands (and the Rutles…and Oasis…I’ll concede they’ve influenced more musicians than ABBA). I don’t doubt they can also make a roomful of Beatles fans dance and go home happy.
Mother Jones’s ‘PartyBen’ agrees with me. I’ll let him list his top 5 ABBA tracks, skipping (as he says) the big ballads and the disco stompers. You know, those tracks you know all the words to but wouldn’t admit it
It’s perhaps worth noting that he does point out he’s a gay man in his opening paragraph…like he was excusing acknowledging the consumate skill of A, B, B and A. Hmmm. JPGR scores low on that metric…
Are ABBA even a band at all, in the strict sense of the word? Do they play all the instruments?
I’m willing to grant that ABBA are the best at what they do—the specific genre or niche they fill—but that niche is not one in which they’re competing against the Beatles or other bands mentioned in this thread.
The best at what they do? Thank you, that was my case. B&B are multi-instrumentalists, I think A&A occasionally play, but voice is their true instrument. They compete against the Beatles because women and gay men don’t have a musical ghetto. Music is music. I’d hope we could acknowledge the merit of music from outside the niche of ‘appealling to me (and, perhaps, those of my gender and orientation)’.
Well played. Honourable mention, certainly, but my brother had a lot of their stuff and it was pretty dreary, really. No? He is a legend, though, and rightly so.
Hmm. Benny did release an album of Swedish birdsongs but there’s not technically any music on it and none of the birds were ever officially members of ABBA.
Nope. Neither is it ‘violence’ or ‘seeking refuge in an alcoholic stupor’ Though that last may be the answer to The Smiths. Johnny Marr plays a mean guitar though.
As in the album “Minus Plus”? That teddy-bear song intro is acid-burned into my brain - possibly literally. Those were interesting times.
One of the odd things with Tull is how many times they (and Ian) have been rediscovered by very different generations and very different backgrounds. The only group I can think of that comes close is maybe “Kraftwerk”. Both were “reborn” in the early 80s when I was teaching in a mostly African-American school and both now seem to have floated down to farm country. I heard Tulls “Fat Man” and Kraftwerks “Man Machine” in very rural Indiana on the radio just this past summer. Had it been “Bungle in the Jungle” or “Autobahn” I would have written it off as a oldies or “BOB” station but those two? Gotta be something else.
Actually, I think Glenn Miller’s Army Air Force Band was the greatest band ever. It pretty much killed the “Big Band”, because no one could top it. Sort of like would you want to be the act that came on after Jimi Hendrix or Jerry Lee Lewis (at his prime)?
Best Band cannot be objectively known, as there is too much variation in musical tastes and styles. That one band did not accumulate the sales like another doesn’t really mean they are lesser.
The Beatles are head and shoulders above above all others in terms of record sales and are always mentioned, but everything in their catalog has been issued, compiled, then reissued, the reissued again and again in whatever the new format is.
Essentially, everyone has bought the all same Beatles albums 4 or 5 times.
Now you could argue that this is testament to how great they were. And clearly, all intelligent folk appreciate their greatness. BUT, artists that are actually still recording in the digital age will not have to opportunity to keep re-releasing their catalogs.
Being the band with the most units moved should surely suggest that grannies are more likely to recognise them, the fanbase is more likely to be bigger, etc. as well. And I dare anyone to find a group of women in their 70s, play them “She Loves You” and “Waterloo” and see if they can guess the two bands. At best, it’ll be neck-and-neck for recognition, and most likely the Beatles will edge out ABBA with a large enough group. You’re not seriously suggesting that “grannies” will recognise ABBA ahead of the Beatles, are you?
I get it: you’re saying ABBA may not top every criterion, but across the entire set of criteria, they outperform the Beatles, the Stones, etc.
Influence? ABBA can’t touch the Beatles here. Indeed, their influence is minimal at best.
Sales? Again, not even near the Beatles.
Cultural impact? A tie at best.
Musicianship and songwriting? Beatles, hands down.
Recognition? Again, a tie at best.
Danceability? This is about the only thing ABBA are better at.
Sustained solo careers? The Beatles clearly win here, even given Lennon’s death.
The big picture looks pretty clear to me. I get the feeling this thread is contrarian for its own sake.
I have to admit to being one of those who never quite got the Beatles. I like a lot of their stuff and Lennon and Harrison were both incredible talents. But the group, as a group, just always seemed like more of a marketing thing than musical sensation. But maybe its just me.
(And I always loved the joke about the dog with wings just a little too much)
Well, you’re trying to establish your music cred, and you refer to the band Jethro Tull as “he”? Not helping your case.
You are welcome to love ABBA and consider them the best. But so far, nothing you have stated dismissing the Beatles or Stones comes across as anything more than having a bit of snarky fun on the interwebs.
Enjoy yourself. But I am not seeing a credible discussion here.
You are new to the SDMB. You might consider searching on previous threads discussing this type of stuff, or just hanging out for a bit. There’s a lot of great music folks here - who knows, you might learn something.
He is a legend, though, and rightly so.