The Beatles biographer Hunter Davies said: "It doesn't sound like Cliff Richard. He's usually banal in his comments. ...
"The Beatles looked totally different. They sang in Liverpool accents, whereas Cliff affected a mid-Atlantic accent. They wrote their own songs, while he sang other people's."
I love Hunter Davies! He's someone who's earned his right to an opinion, in my book. *pets him*
Yes, that bit stumped me too. I know some people achieve it by having a very strong regional accent, but it's very difficult to not sound American when you sing.
I agree the Beatles sound
more American when they sing, but their accent does come through. They sound a bit odd, different, hard to place -- which I'm sure was one of the "stand up and take notice" things about them. In some songs, you can hear the accent quite clearly: "Hur" and "Thur" (for hair and there), particularly when George is singing. I just happened to play the
Live at the BBC CD after reading this post, and you can really hear their accents on "I'll Be on My Way" and "Young Blood". Any other Americans notice this?
Banglalink did a tribute to George Harrison for his work on Bangladesh. I think it's adorable that the Indian singer who plays WMGGW in the second half mimics George's accent, down to "the love thur that's sleeping..."