Quote:
Originally Posted by Neapolitan
I don't know when The Beatles surpassed any of their influences when it comes to playing guitar or singing. The Beatles never surpassed Elvis as vocalist. And they didn't surpass many of the guitar players that influenced them. Only when it comes to their songwriting ablity. None of those songs would be the finished products as we know them if it wasn't for the talents of George Martin and the musicians of the studio orchestra that played on their recrodings.
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Those songs were composed by the Beatles and the idea for the orchestra was McCartney's. From I have read Lennon even produced the mono version of "I Am the Walrus" even though I am not downplaying George Martin. What about the people who played on Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley records?
Compared to Elvis and their mentors they had the whole package. Elvis was just a vocalist not a songwriter or musician in the caliber of any of the Beatles. The Beatles songs in terms of melodic and chordal content goes way further than someone like Chuck Berry and 50's rock and roll in general. The Beatles not only had classic singles but a album run of Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, White Album and Abbey Road that none of their mentors could approach.
Rubber Soul and Revolver combined Eastern, country-western, soul, and classical motifs with trend-setting covers, breaking any mold that seemed to contain "rock and roll." In both albums, balladry, classical instrumentation, and new structure resulted in brilliant new concepts just hinted at in earlier works like "Yesterday" and "Rain." Songs such as "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Eleanor Rigby," and the lyrically surreal "Norwegian Wood" made use of sophisticated recording techniques. .