They basically carried popular music for most of the 1960s. That's more than enough to ask of anyone.
I don't understand the point you're trying to make. I expect that nothing is supposed to sound like anything. Yes, we have genres and there's plenty of music that seemingly doesn't fit into any specific category but I think you were clutching at straws for calling Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da a reggae track and for calling Helter Skelter a metal track.
I know this may seem petty but many forum members know all about The Kinks and See My Friends predating Norwegian Wood. Also, I think The Yardbirds have similar claims. Whilst it may be true, that a couple of acts started to introduce an Indian flavour to their music, it still doesn't alter the fact, that The Beatles were the first to actually use a sitar. They were probably also the first to use a lot of other Indian instruments in Western pop music. It's a bit like when they were the first to deliberately record feedback. Plenty of acts had been doing this in a live setting before this, but it doesn't alter the fact The Beatles were the first to use it intentionally on a record.
I thought it was well known that those songs were considered those sorts of songs (as done by four lads from Liverpool)). If they aren't, what are they? They don't sound like Mersey Beat to me. Did the Beatles Record the First Heavy Metal Song? | Exclaim! . Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - Wikipedia
Well I guess it wasn't well known by me. McCartney wrote the song when reggae was becoming popular in Britain; author Ian MacDonald describes it as "McCartney's rather approximate tribute to the Jamaican ska idiom" - Wikipedia Hardly 'reggae' - perhaps influenced by reggae/ska/rocksteady to some degree Regarding the first article the sensationalist headline put me off straight away. And it answers it's own question in the article: In 2018, McCartney told NME that he's never claimed credit for having recorded the first heavy metal song, reiterating that he was just trying to be like the Who. - Exclaim We might have to agree to disagree on this one I think...
The Beatles could have possibly branched out into expansive space rock. But in reality they were too grounded in English tradition and American roots music. It took the Byrds and Jimi Hendrix to really soar into space rock territory. The Beatles psychedelic music was SO good...and very diverse. But America was where the Space Age really took off. They're still the best band ever.
I never thought of Ob-La-di as Reggae either; but interestingly, I used to work with a Jamaican fellow who basically knew nothing about The Beatles. One day, a Jamaican based radio station he was listening to played the song; he said to me a bit later how cool The Beatles were and that he didn’t know they did Reggae. It took me quite by surprise; if anything, the outtake version has hints of Reggae it but it never occurred to me with the originally released version.
The question is if they could have also carried popular music into the 1970s as well, say if they had not lost their manager.
70s: Some Early Pink Floyd, early Tangerine Dream, Hawkwind (first 5), Klaus Schulze, kosmische music of krautrock as opposed to motorik, Hearts of Space label, etc., I assume you were born after the Apollo missions and the moon landing?
After they invented heavy metal, the next logical step was EDM. We can only imagine the possibilities.
Upon is release, I just enjoyed the song. Nowadays it kinda sounds Eastern European to my ears (dare I say Polka?). Whatever the case, I’ve always loved this bouncing gem.
