Does the Beatles’ music sound ‘dated?’

No way

 

The Beatles are a bit of a hybrid. They definitely belong to a past era, perhaps even a major contributor to the creation of a single era but they certainly are still current and relavent. Which if you think about it.....all past great musicians are still influencing today’s music.

 

To your ears, exactly. Everyone has their own subjective sense of what sounds dated. It's a pretty slippery concept.

 

Even when I was a teenager, the early albums and singles were relegated to Oldies stations, while everything from SPLHCB forward was played on Rock and occasionally Top 40.

 

Yeah, I think everything pre-white album sounds very locked into it's era. The white album in particular to me seems to have longer legs -- it's self-referential, fragmented kind of construction and variety of particular styles still sound more contemporary than anything else I think of the Beatles' material. Like, an indie rock band today could have made the white album and it wouldn't so much sound like a period piece that references the styles and modes of 50 years before. But, if that band made the music and the sounds and the production techniques of Rubber Soul or Revolver or Sgt. Pepper or, especially, "Love Me Do" or "I Want to Hold Your Hand," it would sound today like a quaint and deliberate attempt to evoke the retro sounds of a bygone era.

But, you know, Corelli's trio sonatas also sound today like they're of Italy and the 1680 and 1690s but they're still great to hear.

 

I think Mr. Moonlight is the only track that doesn't sound dated. It's like they are channeling Post Malone.

 

Depending on when you grew up and your taste in music. It is nostalgic and timeless. The music during the mid and late period defied the typical standards due to their exploration in the studio with sounds and types of music exploration. They were definitely not just a rock band and for that reason much of that period of music escapes "time period" constraints, therefore not dated in my opinion.

 

The fact that none of it are played on the radio today, should give you a clue. Of course it’s dated. It sounds fresh to people on this forum, because the majority of posters are closer to the era of it to being released and because of the diehards claiming it’s the only worthy music released. Ask the youngsters and you will get an honest answer. Not the people on an oldies forum without perspective.

 

And I would argue that there are a number of songs on Revolver that sound less dated than a number of songs on the White Album. But it's all subjective.

 

'The radio'...which radio?

 

Some of it does sound dated but the vast majority is produced so well and was so well excluded and recorded, it's timeless and singular.

 

I think the early albums sound dated. But when I do listen to them, I still think, wow, these are great; Why don't I listen to the early albums more? I find myself listening to TWA, LIB,AR the most because they are timeless.

 

"What" "do" "you" "mean" "by" "dated"?

 

So our answers are dishonest?

They are still being played on the radio. The local classic rock station plays them and the AC stations play their more wimpy pop tunes.

 

most of it does. and why shouldn't it?

 

no

 

Do I think that Beatles sounds dated?

Yes, of course.

I think that all music sounds dated. It's all pegged to its unique place in time, its cultural niche, etc.

I don't think that this is at all a bad thing. Just the opposite, really. A large part of the charm of artworks in general is that they can transport you to somewhere else, sometime else. It gives you an opportunity to see things from another point of view. Historical points of view are important.

This in no way diminishes something's present value.

 

Some of it does to me and some of it doesn't.

 

I’m guessing production styles may have something to do with whether music may sound dated.

Then again compositions may sound dated because the songwriting is of a certain time.

The Beatles’ earlier sound may sound dated because some songs may include a little bit of both.

Yet, radio stations still play The Beatles as twenty-minute packages or hourlong specials which still sounds fresh to my ears.

 

Yes, for me it's the production techniques that sound dated. The stripped-down versions of the songs sound the most timeless. If I wanted to turn a young person onto the Beatles, I'd start with the stripped-down versions, like the Esher demos.

 

Yes, most of the music of the Beatles sounds dated now. The only record that has stood the test of time is the White Album, which still sounds fresh today, especially the 2018 remix.

I think Kraftwerk is an exception to that rule. Their music was decades ahead of it's time and they invented techno/dance music. Most of Kraftwerks records are timeless.

 

Yes. It sounds dated.

With that, it also sounds distinctive and its own specific brand/genre that defies time in a way. Such as Motown or Sinatra.

 

Ask your kids. Or grandkids.

You'll get a more objective answer from a fresh set of ears than our own. Of course you may not like the answer....especially when it comes to the remixes.

 

Bingo. If you grew up listening to radio in the 70's and early 80's, nothing prior to Rubber Soul was played anywhere but Oldies stations, and the later stuff was a staple of rock radio.

We never owned anything but RS, Revolver, the White Album, AR, LIB, and maybe the Blue Album until the stereo and mono boxes were released.