Does the Beatles’ music sound ‘dated?’

Off topic...

are you ever confused, The Band was/is the sound of the late 60s & 1970s rock to those of us old enough to have been there, regardless the obvious influences...

All it was was yet another progression in rocks long history.Period.

 

I guess during the disco era The Beatles’ music sounded dated. That new and fresh kidney stone makes a diamond seem dated.

 

One of the great things about the Beatles' and others music is that it is so redolent of its era, but timeless.

 

6o years on and the Beatles don't get old.

 

Very much agree

 

The White Album and Abbey Road will stand the test of time. I’m not sure about the other albums because they were intended to be heard in mono which is an outdated format. The White Album and Abbey Road were intended to be heard in stereo which gives them a big advantage.

 

I wouldn't say they are different from any other band from the 60s on terms of being dated. You can easily pinpoint the era due to lyrics and production style.

 

Yes I think it sounded most dated during the disco / synth pop era. But then come the 90's and Oasis and the Chemical Brothers using "Tomorrow Never Knows" as a template and the Beatles were hip again and still are. Remember modern pop/rock is not just top 40 it's also Tame Impala

 

Superior music can sometimes sound less “with the times” than inferior music.

I used disco as an example of how trends can shift in a generally bad direction. And then the “old” and “dated” can thankfully be out of step. And clearly of higher quality, even if not recognized by some who are caught up in a given trend. Classic suits possibly looked dated, at the time, compared to leisure suits.

I paired kidney stones with disco for a reason.

 

Modern music always sounds much more tired than old music to me, because I get bombarded with it and it wears thin very quickly. Give it 20 years and only the cream of the crop of anything current will still be heard.

 

Today’s music, overall, is produced full of hyper-reverb and is generally mono. Not that different from early Beatles. Even though the Beatles also had stereo from the very beginning. Along with mono. Reverb was present with early Capitol Beatles. Today’s music may be produced with more compression and may be louder. Just maybe. Beatles music, except toward the end, had more variable dynamics. That’s one of the elements that thankfully make them sound different than much of today’s music. The Beatles had better overall instrumentation, melodies, and harmonies. I like the reverbed synths and vocals used in today’s music. Fortunately, The Beatles knew how to utilize the Moog, even if they didn’t have today’s synths. And they certainly knew how to create strange, creative, and interesting musical/vocal/instrumental effects. I do think, in 75 years, The Beatles will be remembered much more than any other band or musician that started in the Sixties or who has emerged up until this point.

 

Abbey Road and The White Album were recorded in stereo and intended to be heard in stereo. This is what keeps them fresh and timeless. The vocals are in the middle which is crucial. Please Please Me to Magical Mystery Tour were intended to be heard in mono and that is why those albums sound old and won’t hold up as well.

 

To my ears, the term "dated" has absolutely nothing to do with how good or bad it is. So with that being said, In my opinion all music sounds dated and none of it is timeless including The Beatles.

By the way, the fact that it sounds dated is what I love about it. The music captures a time period and I love that.

 

Do the recordings date/ Yes. Do The Songs date / Not so much. Beatles sound much as they do due to the recording technology of the time. On the earlier albums the crude stereo sees to that. Later the Psych period is rather rooted in time but some of the songs are perennial classics. Abbey Road is the most modern and close to 70s sound. Partly why it's my favourite. Modern music is different though I don't think better. Mostly worse as it's propped up by technology and in many cases the technology is used inappropriately to spoil the music. The Beatles were much more the pure music that had to stand up on it's own merits because of limited recording technology and unavailability of audio trickery tools.

 

But most new music is much more mono than stereo. Everything in the middle and highly reverbed to give it “life” and a sense of “movement”. And loud to get your attention. Try as some may to argue otherwise, The Beatles remain the best ever. From the beginning to the end, Their growth from beginning to end, their diversity, and their quality outshines those who want to promote the “dated” narrative.

 

I’d say maybe only the 1967 material. And I absolutely love it!

 

I see where you're coming from even though I love disco. You could say the same about The Smiths in the 80's even though again I love the 80's sound/synth pop

 

It is nothing about mono or stereo but how the songs make you feel.
It is the same reason we still read Shakespeare and listen to Mozart.
It’s just great art. There is an emotional element that seems to transcend time.

 

"Dated" sounds like a bad word. What if I like the sound of music from that particular time period? What if I like something in part because of it's date?

(That being said... I agree there are many Beatles tracks that are timeless. e.g., Here Comes the Sun -- perfect song with no timeline required.)

 

All the albums prior to the White Album sound old and dated to me. The White Album, Let It Be and Abbey Road sound current because they were intended to be heard in stereo.

 

Maybe that's why I prefer Genesis records, they sound more modern.

 

I don't see how The White Album was intended to be heard in stereo any more than Help!, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, MMT or Rubber Soul as stereo mixes were made of those albums alongside the mono mixes. If you prefer the stereo mixes of WA, LIB and AR that's great..but your reasoning is a little "inaccurate"

 

It's an old and dated that sounds attractive to my ears. I don't want the Beatles to sound like the 80s or 2010. It was the 1960s so it should sound like it.

 

Some of the solo releases sound dated (imo)...especially the Wings stuff from 76-78.

Bern

 

yeah the Beatles are a little dated... almost everything from that era is... but not as much as a lot of the flower power groups of the late 60s.