Quote Originally Posted by Auricauricle
I realise that the element attracted to the Beatles was and is different than those die-hard fans of "deep" music.
That's just nonsense. I can't think of any kind way to describe it. They weren't just pop or just deep, they had both aspects and every level in between. It's a rare combination you don't see too often - The Police had it and, to a lesser extent, Steely Dan and Supertramp, maybe a few others. The Beatles attracted plenty of heavy musos in the 60's, tons of 'em. Every prog rock act in the U.K. flourished under their wings. It's a fact. Right from the Beatles first recording years they were doing something new and radical. Dylan talked about hearing them the first time on a car radio with his buddies. They were laughing at the lyrics ("She Loves You") and he laughed with them but he listened to the chords they were playing and inside he knew these guys were damned good.

There are a lot of people on this forum who would agree with you but, as far as I'm concerned, anyone who thinks The Beatles (or The Police for that matter) weren't "deep" can get a clue. And please people, stop with this "I appreciate how significant they were" crap. If you don't understand how good they were as just four guys with musical instruments then you won't really understand why they were influential.

So, today the Best Album In Rock History is Rubber Soul.