What does it take to be a die hard Beatles fan?

Speaking of the non-Beatles songs they play in the studio rehearsals for the rooftop performance:

In his YouTube review of the movie, Rick Beato (whom I really like) marvels at how many songs The Beatles know (referring to the "oldies" they attempt to play). Well, they sort of remember those non-Beatle songs, but they certainly don’t perform them very well in those studio recordings. I know they were just "fooling around", but still. Their performances of those songs imo provide ample evidence that my assertion The Beatles were not a very good band---strictly in terms of being "a band"---is plainly obvious. You may disagree.

It was their songs that made them great, not their abilities as a band. IMO, of course. Most Rock bands are better at being a band than they are at songwriting. With The Beatles (no pun intended ;-) the opposite is true.

@bdp24 “That damn sitar ruined George as a guitarist”

What could possibly support such a statement?

“John & Paul increasingly wrote apart not together (they really needed each other, the whole being vastly greater than the sum of it's parts)”

- P.S. I Love You (Paul)
- Please Please Me (John)
- All My Loving (Paul)
- All I’ve Got to Do (John)
- This Boy (John)
- Things We Said Today (Paul)
- I Should Have Known Better (John)
- She’s a Woman (Paul)
- I Feel Fine (John)
- I’ll Follow the Sun (Paul)
- I’m a Loser (John)
- Yes it Is (John)
- The Night Before (Paul)
- It’s Only Love (John)
- I’ve Just Seen a Face (Paul)
- You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (John)
- Yesterday (Paul)
- Day Tripper (John)
- You Won’t See Me (Paul)
- Nowhere Man (John)
- I’m Looking Through You (Paul)
- Girl (John)
- Paperback Writer (Paul)
- I’m Only Sleeping (John)
- Here, There and Everywhere (Paul)
- She Said, She Said (John)
- For No One (Paul)
- Got to Get You Into My Life (Paul)
- Strawberry Fields Forever (John)
- Penny Lane (Paul)
- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (John)
- Fixing a Hole (Paul)
- All You Need is Love (John)
- Hello, Goodbye (Paul)
- I am the Walrus (John)
- Your Mother Should Know (Paul)
- The Fool on the Hill (Paul)
- Across the Universe (John)
- Lady Madonna (Paul)
- Dear Prudence (John)
- Martha My Dear (Paul)
- Glass Onion (John)
- Blackbird (Paul)
- Happiness is a Warm Gun (John)
- I Will (Paul)
- Julia (John)
- Mother Nature’s Son (Paul)
- Sexy Sadie (John)
- Honey Pie (Paul)
- Cry Baby Cry (John)
- Hey Jude (Paul)
- Dig a Pony (John)
- Let it Be (Paul)
- Because (John)
- You Never Give Me Your Money (Paul)
- Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (John)
- Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul)
- Mother (John)
- Junk (Paul)
- Isolation (John)
- Too Many People (Paul)
- Remember (John)
- Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (Paul)
- Love (John)
- Backseat of My Car (Paul)
- Look at Me (John)
- Band on the Run (Paul)
- Imagine (John)
- Let ‘Em In (Paul)
- Jealous Guy (John)
- Arrow Through Me (Paul)
- Oh My Love (John)
- Woman is the N***** of the World (John)  
- #9 Dream (John)
- Beautiful Boy (John)
- Free as a Bird (John)
- Grow Old with Me (John)

I think either John or Paul, whether it was early days, middle days, later days, or solo days, did okay on their own.

 

Nothing from the Hard Days Night era?  IMO, some of the best Lennon stuff ever.

So, you watched them bake a cake without Julia Child's doing the dialog.  Sorry it was boring.  Although the cake was really good. 

To take them as peaking at a point or whatever, I can't go there.  To me they were always evolving.  Their ability at convergence was second to none.  They layered solo's better than anyone.  Their vocals, unbelievable.  Individual ability, I don't think any of them could read music but they all contributed beyond so many others.  Look at some of Ringo's solos (microphone is a suitcase), Paul's bass on Sun King, George was as good or better than any lead guitar, I loved the sitar and the desire to go beyond a standard western beat and John's poetry was on par with Morrison, Keats, Byrne or Lewis Carroll (Jabberwocky a personal favorite). 

At the end there was divergence.  That divergence was its own and I love it.  Everyone wanted them back together.  That could only happen as their evolution allowed.  Free as a bird, to me was like watching grand great elephants coming in to mourn the loss of one of their great ones.  We had some convergence, it was nice. 

Now, lets talk about some "other" bands.  Did their sound evolve?  The Beach Boys, perhaps.  The Stones, nope.  Bruce, nope.  Name another band that evolved as much.  I have to go to Dave Brubeck and his differing time signatures. 

In summary I am thankful for the Beatles and all they did.  They had an alien probe up them 24/7.  This was a picture into their daily in a bakery making bread.  It's okay.  I would love to see this for Beethoven, but I guess that's not possible. 

Me, I would prefer to just enjoy and not worry too much about an extra added whatever.  Be happy, peace and love. 

Q: What could possible support such a statement?

A: A listen to Dave Edmunds, Albert Lee, Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson, and dozens of other better guitarists. Prior to Sgt. Pepper Harrison was a favorite of mine, his solo in "Nowhere Man" is in my all-time top 10 (even though it is very similar to James Burton’s in Ricky Nelson’s "Young World", another favorite of mine). He was never again that good, and in numerous interviews talked about not even picking up a guitar for years.

Unlike some, I don’t mind others having an opinion divergent from mine. It’s all about what we listen for in music. Why should we expect to agree on everything? For some reason I admit to not understanding, people become very defensive when it comes to The damn Beatles.

And with that final comment (made in violation of my vow to rpeluso), I bid you all adieu. I have obviously overstayed my welcome. ;-)