All you need is The Beatles

What is the greatest band of all time? There are many contenders, but one stands out from the rest: The Beatles.The Beatles hailed from Liverpool, England, and consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

There may be little sense in arguing over musical tastes. I have never heard of anyone learning to like a band after seeing a 17-step proof of that band?s greatness. Nevertheless, there are certain qualities in a band that have wide appeal, and if a band can be shown to have those qualities, most people would say that it means that the band is good.

Of all The Beatles? strong points, their most impressive is the sheer number of truly good songs to their credit. In 2000, The Beatles? record label released the equivalent of ?The greatest hits of The Beatles? in the album ?1.? 1 contained 27 tracks and nearly all of the group?s No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom and the United States. And yet, there are still plenty of great songs missing from the album. ?Here Comes the Sun,? ?Revolution? and ?Across the Universe? are nowhere to be found. Neither ?Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da? nor ?Octopus?s Garden? made the cut. The album even left out ?When I Saw Her Standing There.?

I have no complaints against 1. It is a great album, and I agree that the 27 numbers could very well be The Beatles? 27 best songs. I call attention to the album to show that even The Beatles? 28

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, 29

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and 30

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best songs are still genuine hits, and were not recorded simply to take up space on a record.

Think for a moment about how many bands have recorded enough quality songs to justify a ?greatest hits? album. Of those, how many have at least 27 songs? Of those, how many leave off several of their well-known hits? Can you think of any groups that fit this description besides The Beatles?

Apart from the band?s prolificacy, its other major strong point is its variety. The Beatles began their careers singing and playing a kind of Rock ?N? Roll similar to other bands of that era such as The Dave Clark Five. The Beatles enjoyed tremendous success in that genre. On April 4, 1964, The Beatles occupied the top five slots on the Billboard Hot 100 list with ?Can?t Buy Me Love,? ?Twist and Shout,? ?She Loves You,? ?I Want to Hold Your Hand,? and ?Please Please Me.?

No sooner had The Beatles conquered Rock ?N? Roll than they began experimenting with other styles of music. After ?A Hard Day?s Night? and ?Help!,? the band transitioned into folk music in its 1965 album ?Rubber Soul,? which included the soulful hits ?Nowhere Man,? ?In My Life? and ?Michelle.? The Beatles continued to drift from traditional pop rock with their 1966 album ?Revolver? which included the somber ?Eleanor Rigby? and the whimsical ?Yellow Submarine.?

The release of ?Sgt. Pepper?s Lonely Hearts Club Band? in 1967 marked a radical departure from the group that appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show three years prior. The Beatles were writing songs that were unlike anything anyone had ever heard. Sgt. Pepper?s was decades ahead of its time. The album featured the classic tunes, ?With a Little Help from My Friends? and ?Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.?

The band released ?Magical Mystery Tour? later that year, which was every bit as innovative as Sgt. Pepper?s. It is my favorite album and includes the tracks ?Magical Mystery Tour,? ?I Am the Walrus,? ?Strawberry Fields Forever,? ?All You Need Is Love,? ?Hello, Goodbye,? and who could forget ?Penny Lane.?

The Beatles continued to make great music until their break-up in 1970. They continue to influence popular culture to this day. In the last few years, I can name several Beatles? songs that have appeared in movies and television commercials. My friends are often surprised to learn that these are Beatles? songs. Sometimes, so am I. The song ?Getting Better? sounds too modern to have been sung in the 1960s. The song ?Got to Get You Into My Life? is more in the style of ?Earth, Wind and Fire,? than in the Fab Four?s. I was shocked to learn that Sarah McLachlan?s rendition of ?Blackbird? was not her own song but a cover of the 1968 number by John, Paul, George and Ringo.