# Quick question. \[regarding musical artists\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044 "2016-08-17T02:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![onething](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/df788c/32.png) [@onething](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onething)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/1 "2016-08-17T02:52:46Z")
Am I the only one who thinks the question “Beatles or Stones” should be " The Who or Dylan" ? Just shoving it out there. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/2 "2016-08-17T02:55:26Z")
The Who-no. Dylan-yes for lyrics. A drowning moose sounds better than his “singing”. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/3 "2016-08-17T06:26:49Z")
Yes, you might be the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/4 "2016-08-17T06:43:34Z")
The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were both British bands that started out playing covers of American songs before writing their own material. And both bands were defined by the relationship between their two most famous members. The Who and Bob Dylan don’t have that kind of connection. One’s a British rock band and the other is an American folk singer. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/5 "2016-08-17T12:11:09Z")
Dylan is so far ahead of the Who that asking the question is pointless. I _like_ the Who better, but it’s clear that Dylan is the greater influence and songwriter. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/6 "2016-08-17T12:32:10Z")
Beatles vs. Dylan might be a sensible question, or likewise Beatles vs. The Who. But leaving the Beatles off entirely doesn’t make sense. And the title of this thread is completely useless-- I’ve reported it so a moderator can fix it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/7 "2016-08-17T13:22:07Z")
I edited the title to make it more descriptive. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/8 "2016-08-17T13:26:22Z")
Dylan is a good song writer and one of the best poets America has ever produced. AND he did it all by himself, whereas the Who, Stones and Beatles ere all a collaborative effort. As far as his singing goes, let’s just say he’s lucky he started in the 1960’s, when anyone could sing on stage. As good as any other group is, they ain’t no Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/9 "2016-08-17T14:38:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were both British bands that started out playing covers of American songs before writing their own material. And both bands were defined by the relationship between their two most famous members. The Beatles and Stones both started off with cross-gender appeal. The Who was a guy’s band, and Pete and Roger were never particularly cuddly, with Pete being downright weird (brilliant, brilliant songwriter, guitarist, synthesizer innovator and producer, but have you read his memoir??). And, although we don’t see it from our perspective looking back, but The Who were “second wave” coming a couple of years after the Beatles and Stones had locked down their reputations and popularity. Dylan, whom I deeply love and respect, was more…notorious and influential than popular himself (?). I recall watching something about his son, Jakob, when the Wallflowers had their hit single One Headlight. I want to say that the interviewer noted that the Wallflowers record had outsold any of Dylan’s records (maybe even combined)? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-regarding-musical-artists/763044/10 "2016-08-18T01:53:23Z")
I can see that. “The Who?” is my go-to answer to “Beatles or Stones?” anyway. “Stones or Kinks” might be a fair question, or are they too similar?