When I was first a Beatles fan, in my early teens, I liked the early era. The Beatles were (at least they seemed) more innocent, they were clean-cut, friendly with each other and the public, witty, charming, and drug-free (relatively speaking). Then they.... changed. Their hair got long and they all sported beards -- John became unrecognizable. John dumped his nice English wife for a strange Japanese woman. George became a Hindu. Paul started getting real bossy. They didn't like each other anymore.
When I got older, and lost some of my own innocence, I accepted the Beatles' evolution as something that was meant to happen. If they'd remained the moptops forever, their story would have gone nowhere. Musically, I listen to the second half of the Beatles' catalogue (approximately from Rubber Soul onwards) more than the first.
To me, an era encompasses seven years -- about the amount of time between Love Me Do and Abbey Road. It's all one era, and I love it all.
