The Beatles vs. The Beach Boys

[andgar923]

As someone who was born and raised in California, the Beatles and it aint an argument.

For starters, The Beach Boys used studio musicians for most of their work. Outside of Animal Sounds and perhaps one more, the Beach Boys don't have the discog to even be in the same breath. Some of their most popular sounds sound alike, while the Beatles' range is consistently wider.

And at the end of the day, The Beatles simply have the most/best songs. Strip away the albums, the innovation, the influence, the pioneering, etc.etc. if you go down the line of every song recorded, The Beatles win out.

[Nick Young]

As someone who was born and raised in California, the Beatles and it aint an argument.

For starters, The Beach Boys used studio musicians for most of their work. Outside of Animal Sounds and perhaps one more, the Beach Boys don't have the discog to even be in the same breath. Some of their most popular sounds sound alike, while the Beatles' range is consistently wider.

And at the end of the day, The Beatles simply have the most/best songs. Strip away the albums, the innovation, the influence, the pioneering, etc.etc. if you go down the line of every song recorded, The Beatles win out.

The beach boys weren't about being instrumental virtuosos. Their strength is in their harmonies and compositions. They are miles ahead of the beatles in terms of pure musical innovation.

The Beatles are better at creating catchy mainstream pop songs and being more marketable people. The Beatles were One Direction level heartthrobs and wrote more catchy pop melodies with immediate mass appeal, and great at the "Call Me Maybe" instantly catchy hook. The Beach Boys were lame looking dudes in contrast, and Brian Wilson, as big a genius as he was, was nowhere near as marketable as the dudes in the Beatles. That's the only reason the main stream recognizes the Beatles ahead of the Beach Boys. That's it. Image.

In terms of pure music, the Beach Boys are miles ahead of the beatles and about 40 years ahead of their time, compared to the Beatles who sound awesome but are beginning to sound very dated. Pet Sounds sounds like it could have come out a month ago.

In terms of being rock stars, the Beatles are better.

In terms of music, the Beach Boys are miles ahead and it isn't close.

The Beatles are pretty much on par with the Kinks musically-which isn't a bad thing-the Kinks are great.
Just not Beach Boys great.

This is some next level songwriting. The Beatles never made it to this level musically. Again note how these songs sound like they could have come out yesterday. That is the sign of truly innovative musicianship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp_8...Xkc1FbpSGog30P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyOY...Xkc1FbpSGog30P

[andgar923]

So what? The beach boys aren't about being virtuosos. Their strength is in their harmonies and compositions. They are miles ahead of the beatles in that regard.

The Beatles are better at creating catchy mainstream pop songs and being more marketable people. That's it.

In terms of pure music, the Beach Boys are miles ahead of the beatles and about 40 years ahead of their time, compared to the Beatles who sound awesome but are beginning to sound very dated. Pet Sounds sounds like it could have come out a month ago.

wtf you mean "so what?"

Not only were they studio musicians, they CREATED the music. It wasn't like all the studio musicians do was play sheet music that was given to them.

That means they didn't create the music, thus eliminating them from the convo.

As far as melodies are concerned, they sound the same. I can play Beach Boys music and most won't be able to tell the songs apart because they sound very much alike.

This idiot talking about outdated when the Beatles were no.1 just a few years ago when they re-released their catalog. Not only were they no.1 music sales, they were no.1 in streaming as well.

Shit, why is this even an argument.

The Beatles have tons of songs that are ageless. Im not talking about 'I wanna hold your hand' Im referring to 'In My Life', 'Yesterday', 'Hey Jude', 'Yesterday', 'Let it Be', 'Something' etc.etc. etc. those songs SHIT all over the Beach Boys, and that's just getting started.

Hell, those are just the more accessible mainstream songs, very few Beach Boys songs can come close to their more brilliant experimental stuff such as 'I Am the Walrus', 'Strawberry Fields', 'I Want You', etc.etc.etc.

Don't even try to reply, you have no argument.

LOL @ Beach Boys being better

I lived in Cali all my life and I heard more Beatles than Beach Boys, shittt I came from Mexico this February and you saw Beatles everywhere. And not a gawd damn thing from Beach Boys.

Beatles are universal... Beach Boys not so much.

[andgar923]

The beach boys weren't about being instrumental virtuosos. Their strength is in their harmonies and compositions. They are miles ahead of the beatles in terms of pure musical innovation.

The Beatles are better at creating catchy mainstream pop songs and being more marketable people. The Beatles were One Direction level heartthrobs and wrote more catchy pop melodies with immediate mass appeal, and great at the "Call Me Maybe" instantly catchy hook. The Beach Boys were lame looking dudes in contrast, and Brian Wilson, as big a genius as he was, was nowhere near as marketable as the dudes in the Beatles. That's the only reason the main stream recognizes the Beatles ahead of the Beach Boys. That's it. Image.

In terms of pure music, the Beach Boys are miles ahead of the beatles and about 40 years ahead of their time, compared to the Beatles who sound awesome but are beginning to sound very dated. Pet Sounds sounds like it could have come out a month ago.

In terms of being rock stars, the Beatles are better.

In terms of music, the Beach Boys are miles ahead and it isn't close.

The Beatles are pretty much on par with the Kinks musically-which isn't a bad thing-the Kinks are great.
Just not Beach Boys great.

This is some next level songwriting. The Beatles never made it to this level musically. Again note how these songs sound like they could have come out yesterday. That is the sign of truly innovative musicianship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp_8...Xkc1FbpSGog30P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyOY...Xkc1FbpSGog30P

Ironic you post those songs, since they sound like The Beatles.

[Nick Young]

Ironic you post those songs, since they sound like The Beatles.

The Beatles have nothing that sounds like this.

These sound nothing like Beatles songs.

You strike me as someone who has never heard any music the Beach Boys made past 1967.

Check it out. They went places with music the Beach Boys couldn't even imagine.

[Overdrive]

That song isn't that complex or unique. It's just two songs mashed together and some druggy production.

Any song that changes its theme will sound like two songs mashed together. Prog band thrived on that the linked together more than two themes, but kept repeating them throughout the song/album.

Pet Sounds kickstarted something for the Beatles, but they put up the blue print for several genres.

Wilson himself was a great songerwriter during their period, but even the more serious, post "we copy Chuck Berry licks on twangy strats" - Surf & Fun, Beach Boys still sounded like themselves and part of that is the employing of vocal harmonies the just explored more "complex" chord progressions, but the "Pet Sounds" Beach Boys at the core still sound like the "Surfer Girl" Beach Boys. The Sgt through Abbey Road Beatles didn't even closely sound to the "Hard Day's Night" Beatles.

I agree though, I don't think "A Day In The Life" is that special. Abbey Road starting from "I Want You(She's So Heavy)" on the other hand is.

Good Vibrations is a top 10 track OAT aswell.

Carol Kaye and Macca changed the way a certain instrument, the one I play, forever. So much respect for both bands in that regard.

[Nick Young]

wtf you mean "so what?"

Not only were they studio musicians, they CREATED the music. It wasn't like all the studio musicians do was play sheet music that was given to them.

That means they didn't create the music, thus eliminating them from the convo.

As far as melodies are concerned, they sound the same. I can play Beach Boys music and most won't be able to tell the songs apart because they sound very much alike.

This idiot talking about outdated when the Beatles were no.1 just a few years ago when they re-released their catalog. Not only were they no.1 music sales, they were no.1 in streaming as well.

Shit, why is this even an argument.

The Beatles have tons of songs that are ageless. Im not talking about 'I wanna hold your hand' Im referring to 'In My Life', 'Yesterday', 'Hey Jude', 'Yesterday', 'Let it Be', 'Something' etc.etc. etc. those songs SHIT all over the Beach Boys, and that's just getting started.

Hell, those are just the more accessible mainstream songs, very few Beach Boys songs can come close to their more brilliant experimental stuff such as 'I Am the Walrus', 'Strawberry Fields', 'I Want You', etc.etc.etc.

Don't even try to reply, you have no argument.

LOL @ Beach Boys being better

I lived in Cali all my life and I heard more Beatles than Beach Boys, shittt I came from Mexico this February and you saw Beatles everywhere. And not a gawd damn thing from Beach Boys.

Beatles are universal... Beach Boys not so much.

Brian Wilson wrote and composed all of his arrangements. The session musicians played what he wrote.


He was the Beethoven of pop music, and one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century, if not THE greatest (I'd put Aretha Franklin ahead of him)

The songwriting of Brian Wilson, co-founder and multi-tasking leader of the Beach Boys, is widely considered one of the most innovative and significant of the late 20th century, and his work is credited as a major innovation in the field of music production. Through his band, "[Brian] pretty much single-handedly raised the craft of pop songwriting from the awkwardly sub-lunar to the gracefully sublime," writes Jeff Miers of The Buffalo News, while Adam Webb of The Guardian wrote: "Brian proved pop music could be high art with limitless imagination."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musici...f_Brian_Wilson
Educate yourself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musici...f_Brian_Wilson

40 years ahead of its time at least.

[andgar923]

The Beatles have nothing that sounds like this.

These sound nothing like Beatles songs.

You strike me as someone who has never heard any music the Beach Boys made past 1967.

Check it out. They went places with music the Beach Boys couldn't even imagine.

Dude, the chord progressions ARE The Beatles. It's obvious as hell, listen to the keys, everything else from the sound is lifted from the Beatles.

[Nick Young]

Dude, the chord progressions ARE The Beatles. It's obvious as hell, listen to the keys, everything else from the sound is lifted from the Beatles.

The Beatles don't own "chord progressions" and they didn't invent any that were used in Surf's Up and Feel Flows Stop pretending like you understand musical terms when you don't.


Brian Wilson wrote and composed all of his arrangements. The session musicians played what he wrote.


He was the Beethoven of pop music, and one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century, if not THE greatest (I'd put Aretha Franklin ahead of him)

In contrast, George Martin and Phil Spector WROTE AND ARRANGED much of the background music used in Beatles songs, especially on the White Album, Let it Be, Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt Pepper.

If you call Justin Bieber "manufactured", you also have to call the Beatles "manufactured" considering how much the Beatles music was written by their producers.

The Beatles were great lyricists and great at catchy hooks and had a great image.


Musically they are miles behind the Beach Boys.

The Beatles have NOTHING on the level of these songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w7ZeSIC6K0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPy18xW1j8


George Martin wrote the music in Day in the Life.

Do you know that A Day in the Life was just two seperate songs written by Lennon and McCartney that they didn't know what to do with. George Martin is entirely responsible for taking those two vocal tracks, mashing them up in to one song, and then orchestrating and arranging all of the music in that song. George Martin composed and arranged and conducted the backing music in the Sgt Peppers album, as well as Beatles tracks on subsequent albums.

Lennon and McCartney are only responsible for the lyrics and vocal melody. The instrumentals, musical arrangement and mashup was entirely written by George Martin.

[andgar923]

Brian Wilson wrote and composed all of his arrangements. The session musicians played what he wrote.


He was the Beethoven of pop music, and one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century, if not THE greatest (I'd put Aretha Franklin ahead of him)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musici...f_Brian_Wilson
Educate yourself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musici...f_Brian_Wilson

40 years ahead of its time at least.

Brian Wilson didn't write everything stop the bullshit. You can't make up lies and think they won't be exposed. Overdrive just mentioned one studio musician that did some of the composing.

You can post all the quotes you want, I can post a million more, it don't change a thing.

What is it with you Kobe stans always preferring the lesser one over the real thing?

Probably even think the generic Food 4Less brands are better than the real thing.

[Overdrive]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musici...f_Brian_Wilson
Educate yourself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musici...f_Brian_Wilson

40 years ahead of its time at least.

You'll have ten thousands of critics, journalists, etc praising Lennon/McCartney, Wilson or any songwriting legend.

There's no definitive answer, but when somebody says he has to prefer the Beach Boys, because they're from California and calls "Hey Jude" the Beatles' best song I don't take that seriously - I know 9er wrote that, not you.

George Martin wrote the music in Day in the Life.

Do you know that A Day in the Life was just two seperate songs written by Lennon and McCartney that they didn't know what to do with. George Martin is entirely responsible for taking those two vocal tracks, mashing them up in to one song, and then orchestrating and arranging all of the music in that song. George Martin composed and arranged and conducted the backing music in the Sgt Peppers album, as well as Beatles tracks on subsequent albums.

Lennon and McCartney are only responsible for the lyrics and vocal melody. The instrumentals, musical arrangement and mashup was entirely written by George Martin.
Source? Martin had a hand in some songwriting and arranging of some songs, but I'm pretty sure those were only a few.

The Beatles have NOTHING on the level of these songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w7ZeSIC6K0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPy18xW1j8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvypQtn4bVc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge9Y5EQNpL8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQmznZFi8Ho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKnLEVEf9Sk

Somehow I can't find most Beatles originals anymore on youtube. Those & "Norwegian Wood", "Because", "Helter Skelter", "Happyness Is A Warm Gun", "Fool On The Hill" and "I'm The Walrus" are other songs I wanted to suggest among others. They're not even close to catchy pop songs.

[Nick Young]

Brian Wilson didn't write everything stop the bullshit. You can't make up lies and think they won't be exposed. Overdrive just mentioned one studio musician that did some of the composing.

You can post all the quotes you want, I can post a million more, it don't change a thing.

What is it with you Kobe stans always preferring the lesser one over the real thing?

Probably even think the generic Food 4Less brands are better than the real thing.

Brian Wilson did write and arrange all of the Beach Boys songs that are credited to Brian Wilson. That is why he is universally hailed as a genius.

The Beatles are One Direction.

The Beach Boys are Beethoven.

One has more mass appeal.
The other is better musically.



Beach Boys are 40 years head of their time at least.


The Beatles are dated and their musically "innovative" arrangements they get so much credit for were written by their producers.

The Beatles write better lyrics and catchier hooks than the Beach Boys but that's it.

And early pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys had hooks easily on par with the Beatles best hooks. Brian Wilson could easily write that kind of catchy pop if he wanted to. Instead, he moved beyond it.


The only reason you think the Beatles are better than the Beach Boys in terms of musical innovation is because mainstream music and media critics told you to think that, and you're a sheepy type of dude.

[Overdrive]

Brian Wilson did write and arrange all of the Beach Boys songs that are credited to Brian Wilson. That is why he is universally hailed as a genius.

The Beatles are One Direction.

The Beach Boys are Beethoven.

One has more mass appeal.
The other is better musically.



Beach Boys are 40 years head of their time at least.


The Beatles are dated and their musically "innovative" arrangements they get so much credit for were written by their producers.

Can you give me a source on George Martin writing all their songs? A producer/engineer having a hand in songwriting isn't that rare and he only did it in a couple of songs.

Saying the Beatles are dated/One Direction of their era when most people still recognize alot of their more mature work(said Sgt to Abbey Road era) whereas only enthusiasts really know the Beach Boys gems and most people link them to surf music and "Kokomo".

[Heilige]

Brian Wilson did write and arrange all of the Beach Boys songs that are credited to Brian Wilson. That is why he is universally hailed as a genius.

The Beatles are One Direction.

The Beach Boys are Beethoven.

One has more mass appeal.
The other is better musically.



Beach Boys are 40 years head of their time at least.


The Beatles are dated and their musically "innovative" arrangements they get so much credit for were written by their producers.

The Beatles write better lyrics and catchier hooks than the Beach Boys but that's it.

And early pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys had hooks easily on par with the Beatles best hooks. Brian Wilson could easily write that kind of catchy pop if he wanted to. Instead, he moved beyond it.


The only reason you think the Beatles are better than the Beach Boys in terms of musical innovation is because mainstream music and media critics told you to think that, and you're a sheepy type of dude.

Who do you feel are the top 10 greatest vocalists? you mentioned aretha franklin and brian wilson as your top two spots.

[Nick Young]

Who do you feel are the top 10 greatest vocalists? you mentioned aretha franklin and brian wilson as your top two spots.

I dunno, I'd have to think about it. my list would be pretty subjective. I'll post it when I think of it. Brian Wilson and Aretha are definitely top 2 for me. I also really like Stevie Nicks but I dunno where exactly she'd be in the top 10.