Re: Where Is It ?
To appreciate the Beatles, you have to hear out entire albums, not just the singles radio hits. With Sgt, Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, Lennon and McCartney redefined art and concept of music album that would never be the same riff-raff random collection of songs again. Creatively imaginative and innovative songs like Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and A Day In The Life, nobody else could have composed and performed. John Lennon probably invented heavy metal with Yer Blues (The Beatles "white album") and I Want You (She's So Heavy) (Abbey Road album) that inspired and rocketed Led Zeppelin.
The Beatles were the greatest because by some quirk of fate, they had the world's top two singer-songwriters in the same band, John and Paul. George and Ringo were first rate too and could have led their own bands successfully but they were in the Beatles too. How not be the best band in world like that? Other bands in the same league but lower rungs were Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Eagles and Fleetwood Mac.
I wouldn't say the rest were lower rungs, the Beatles are in a class of their own, even as solo artist, except Ringo Starr aka Richard Starkey. I won't delve into this too lenghtly. I have listened to evey Beatles album, plus all the compilation and so forth,over n over again. The only album that I listened oftern would be "Abbey Road", my favourite. It took me years to understand "Let It Be" the album, not until recent years when Paul reissued Let It Be, without the "wall of sound", then I could appreciate "Let It Be" album.
Rolling Stones, are in a universe of their own, can't compare, Led Zepplin, another planet, I know every single one of their albums by heart, Pin Flyod, Progressive rock, another class of their own, Fleetwood Mac, I followed them when Peter Green and later Danny Kirwan was with them, the only album I like was "Bare Trees" and their instrumental from that album, "Sunny Side Of Heaven". Only when they became commercial, I stopped following Fleetwood Mac.
As for the Eagles they weren't the first Southern Rock or Country Rock Group, others were before them, Lynyard Skynard, Firefall, International Southern Band, and so forth. I won't describe them as lower rungs than the Beatles either. From their first album, came, "Take It Easy", "Witchy Woman" , "Peaceful Easy Feeling" to their concept LP " Desperado", to their mega hit "Hotel California" to their last, "the Long Run" that yielded , "I Cant Tell You Why" (timothy B Schmdt), "Heartache Tonight" I have been following their music.
The Beatles, were innovators, daring, & talented, a class of their own, but the rest, are not second rund either.