Are the Beatles Dead

Moogmodule · Jul 09, 2021, 08:29 PM

Quote from: Normandie on Jul 09, 2021, 04:28 PM

This one guy named Jason in Canada drew a brilliant comparison between the Beatles and Hemingway, it was so great.

That sounds an interesting take. Can you remember the gist of his argument?

Normandie · Jul 10, 2021, 01:04 PM

Quote from: Moogmodule on Jul 09, 2021, 08:29 PM
That sounds an interesting take. Can you remember the gist of his argument?

Yes; let me see if I can convey properly what he said. He noted that both the Beatles and Hemingway were noted for their beautifully simplistic take on their craft and observed that, as the band's and Hemingway's tenure progressed both took on more of a complicated, and not-altogeher-happy, trajectory. Both also ended in rather acrimonious circumstances. (Well, the Beatles ended on an acrimonious note, and Hemingway of course died by his own hand.)

I hope that makes sense.

Moogmodule · Jul 11, 2021, 09:04 PM

Just saw today that a group made up of members of well known Australian bands (well known here at least) are touring a show based around the Let it Be album. This is after a sell-out season of them doing Abbey Road in 2019.

Normandie · Jul 12, 2021, 04:11 AM

^^^^

That sounds appealing. I Googled it and found this nice quote from one of the group members: "We're not trying to be a tribute band. We just love playing these songs." Nice! icon_good

(I drove my daughters to see Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer in Minneapolis–St. Paul a few years ago. It was such a nightmare trip! We still laugh about it. But that's a story for a different thread.)

Moogmodule · Jul 12, 2021, 05:58 PM

I had to google that 5 Seconds band. I have never heard of them but they've sold over 10 million records worldwide.

nimrod · Jul 13, 2021, 06:45 AM

Quote from: Moogmodule on Jul 11, 2021, 09:04 PM
Just saw today that a group made up of members of well known Australian bands (well known here at least) are touring a show based around the Let it Be album. This is after a sell-out season of them doing Abbey Road in 2019.

Are these the same guys who did the White album a few years ago?

Moogmodule · Jul 13, 2021, 04:32 PM

Quote from: nimrod on Jul 13, 2021, 06:45 AM
Are these the same guys who did the White album a few years ago?

This is a different mob. Must be a bit of money in "supergroup" Beatles concerts.

nimrod · Jul 14, 2021, 06:31 AM

Quote from: Moogmodule on Jul 13, 2021, 04:32 PM
This is a different mob. Must be a bit of money in "supergroup" Beatles concerts.

I went to the White album one, at Lyric theater Brisbane.
Very good actually, sold out for a week.

There's money in those Beatles

Loco Mo · Jul 20, 2021, 05:11 PM

Yes, the Beatles are dead. Without John and George, they only exist in recordings and film. They basically have had a technological afterlife. Are they still popular? It seems that way but I'm not sure because they are hyped a lot to this day with reissues and remixes of their work. Their contemporaries, the Boomers, are all dying off (that includes me). We were the ones close enough in time to actually worship them and look forward to new music by them. Everyone else has had to settle for their past. I don't really know how succeeding generations perceive them. When they profess to love them, are they really just playing along with the belief in their greatness that many fans espouse? There's so much music out there today, so many artists, and so many genres. The Beatles are a part of the mix of a vast musical planet but they are only a part of its history now.

Normandie · Jul 20, 2021, 06:08 PM

^^^

I don't know, Loco; as long as people are still enjoying the Beatles' music -- and even discovering it for the first time -- are they really dead?

Moogmodule · Jul 20, 2021, 06:29 PM

I think what you say is pretty right Loco. Although I wouldn't characterise your description as meaning they're dead. Undoubtedly the hyper fans will diminish. But the Beatles being a prominent part of the broader landscape 50 years after their demise is impressive and suggests they'll be around in some form for the foreseeable future. Of course not at the same level. While they have very high streaming numbers (and the majority is among post boomer generations) they're way behind the Beyoncé's and Taylor Swifts. Which is to be expected. Each generation will have their own favourites. The indications to date though is that each generation discovers them anew and generates new fans. Their longevity itself has drawn, and I suspect will continue to draw, academic interest in their music at a technical level.

Separately they're also a cultural emblem. Like Elvis or Mozart. They continue to be used as a symbol of their time but also of music groups in general. Who knows how long that will last. I suspect my great grandchildren will still be able to buy t shirts with Beatle motifs even if their knowledge of the actual music is reduced to a few songs.

Loco Mo · Jul 21, 2021, 01:03 PM

Normandie: My parents are technically dead but they live on in my memories of them. I compare the Beatles' existence to theirs in that sense.

Moogmodule: I think that Togger's initial post should be interpreted as asking if they're still popular. So, if I say they still are, then they're not "dead." I think Togger hasn't been seeing as many posts about them and as a result, the question could more accurately be worded as "Are the Beatles still popular - or is their popularity noticeably waning?" The later part of the question is not so easy to answer. Is their popularity waning? By way of attrition over the years, it probably is waning. However, if you're a fan, your judgment of their continuing popularity is probably biased. I actually don't believe there are as many Beatles fans out there as we tend to think there are. Simply consider yourself several generations removed in order to develop a perspective on that question.

Can we compare the Beatles' legacy to Elvis and Mozart? Well, I would guess yes! So, the category of "dead" needs further definition in order for anyone to answer questions re: a "dead" status.

Moogmodule · Jul 21, 2021, 08:38 PM

^^^
Depends what the definition of "fan" is

The Beatles undoubtedly still are popular by any definition. They are currently ranked 45 in total streams on Spotify with over 10 billion streams, most of which is by listeners under 30 years of age. The Beatles have around 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify, keeping them in the top 100 on that platform.

"Waning" doesn't seem to be quite the right word to describe their popularity when they continue to pick up listeners in the younger generations to this extent. It's waning in the sense that they are obviously no longer the worlds number one act and that dedicated fans, ones like us who like to discuss them on forums, will probably keep decreasing. Although I prefer to think of it as a more exclusive fan base

It's hard to know what will be the case in the future but certainly I'd agree that each generation removed from the Beatle era their popularity relative to current acts will likely decline. I'd imagine attention on them will wax and wane. I can see a time when a handful of standards remain well known by everyone but only a dedicated clique go much further into their canon. For musicians who play pop/rock I think they will remain an influence like seminal artists in all genres.

Depending on what the popular music styles are at the time might dictate what type of further resurgences they have. The most popular song on streaming services of the Beatles by a long way is Here Comes the Sun. I imagine its breezy acoustic style fits in with what a lot of the younger crowd like nowadays. If streaming had existed in the mid-90s during the height of Brit pop, the top Beatle song might have been a Revolver-era Lennon song. If pop/rock disappears then so will the Beatles, until then I can't see them ever dying off completely.