The better Beatle: John Lennon or Paul McCartney?

[Hitman]

Alright, I'm one of the biggest fan of the Beatles, always have been always will be. And John Lennon has always been my hero.

The songwriting collaboration of Lennon and McCartney was a collaboration of 2 geniuses. I've often wondered who was the better Beatles between them.

Would be fun knowing the opinion of other posters here.


P.S. A hell lot of musicians picked their choice in 2014. The votes went 282 for Lennon, 196 for McCartney. Here's the link to the article -

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment...rtney-musicians-weigh-in-20141223-12cniq.html

 

[TahirFan]

Paul McCartney but my favourite song of those greats is Jon Lennons's 'imagaine'

 

[Hitman]

Watch the documentary of whose link I posted about, I mean the article that speaks of the documentary -

 

[TM Riddle]

Beatles are so overrated.Sure a couple of their songs are okayish and makes for a good listening when you are bored and want to try something different but overall as a complete package they never appealed to me.Won't even feature in my top 5 bands to come out of Britain.
Re the question,Paul McCartney would be my choice.He was better in almost every aspect from Lennon.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Beatles are so overrated.Sure a couple of their songs are okayish and makes for a good listening when you are bored and want to try something different but overall as a complete package they never appealed to me.Won't even feature in my top 5 bands to come out of Britain.
Re the question,Paul McCartney would be my choice.He was better in almost every aspect from Lennon.

I agree. Pink Floyd is much superior.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Lennon. Absolutely love Imagine.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

McCartney. Incredible songwriter/composer. He's also the only one to really have a successful career outside of the Beatles. He was that damn good. George and Ringo are my personal favourites though.

 

[TM Riddle]

I agree. Pink Floyd is much superior.

Pink Floyd are GOAT.
My top 5 from Britain
1.Floyd
2.Led Zeppelin
3.The Smiths
4.The Who
5 Joy Divison
Note: I have intentionally not added punk bands in the list as they deserve their rating of own.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Pink Floyd are GOAT.
My top 5 from Britain
1.Floyd
2.Led Zeppelin
3.The Smiths
4.The Who
5 Joy Divison
Note: I have intentionally not added punk bands in the list as they deserve their rating of own.

My top two are exactly the same as yours. Pink Floyd is easily the greatest band of all time. The only reason Beatles are more famous is because Pink Floyd were artists and remained low key. Pink Floyd has a huge fan following and always has had one but never had the controversies and the Hollywood fame Beatles had.
I think a person of great knowledge about Music would place Pink Floyd above the Beatles.

As for Led Zeppelin, I think they never got the recognition they deserved. Perhaps because most of their songs were heavy metal and the British (along with the rest of the world) were getting more inclined to pop and rock. I think Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin are easily the greatest bands of all time, all over the world. Apart from the musical geniuses that they possessed, the lyrics were absolutely killer. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin has a real shot at being the greatest song of all time.

 

[TM Riddle]

My top two are exactly the same as yours. Pink Floyd is easily the greatest band of all time. The only reason Beatles are more famous is because Pink Floyd were artists and remained low key. Pink Floyd has a huge fan following and always has had one but never had the controversies and the Hollywood fame Beatles had.
I think a person of great knowledge about Music would place Pink Floyd above the Beatles.

As for Led Zeppelin, I think they never got the recognition they deserved. Perhaps because most of their songs were heavy metal and the British (along with the rest of the world) were getting more inclined to pop and rock. I think Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin are easily the greatest bands of all time, all over the world. Apart from the musical geniuses that they possessed, the lyrics were absolutely killer. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin has a real shot at being the greatest song of all time.

Led Zeppelin were pure genius.Artists like them are born once a century.Duo of Plant and Page has to be the most majestic out of all rock bands to come out in last 50 years.My favorite piece from them is Ramble on followed by Kashmir.Pure ecstasy!
Pink Floyd were well pink Floyd.Just out of this world really.Comfortably numb has to be the song of century.Mind blowing music.David Gilmour was better than Lennon and those other two Beatles no one cared about combined.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Led Zeppelin were pure genius.Artists like them are born once a century.Duo of Plant and Page has to be the most majestic out of all rock bands to come out in last 50 years.My favorite piece from them is Ramble on followed by Kashmir.Pure ecstasy!
Pink Floyd were well pink Floyd.Just out of this world really.Comfortably numb has to be the song of century.Mind blowing music.David Gilmour was better than Lennon and those other two Beatles no one cared about combined.

I love Kashmir. The intro is absolutely the greatest ever in rock history.

Man, luckily, I've seen Gilmour play Comfortably Numb live and trust me - the feeling is out of this world.

 

[TM Riddle]

I love Kashmir. The intro is absolutely the greatest ever in rock history.

Man, luckily, I've seen Gilmour play Comfortably Numb live and trust me - the feeling is out of this world.

Man you are so lucky.
Only artist I ever saw live was Yo Yo honey Singh when he came to Jaipur and I seriously contemplated killing myself later on that night for subjecting myself to that torture young people in India call music.

 

[Robert]

Sir Paul.

John criticised him for writing silly love songs but he also wrote Eleanor Rigby, Here There and Everywhere, Penny Lane, Let It Be, and Maybe I'm Amazed by himself.

He also pretty much wrote the book on pop bass playing and is a multi-instrumentalist.

 

[James]

John Lennon, for Tomorrow Never Knows - the first ever song to be produced backwards.

 

[CricFan2012]

Beatles are so overrated.Sure a couple of their songs are okayish and makes for a good listening when you are bored and want to try something different but overall as a complete package they never appealed to me.Won't even feature in my top 5 bands to come out of Britain.
Re the question,Paul McCartney would be my choice.He was better in almost every aspect from Lennon.

They're far from overrated.

They have many different songs and were one of the pioneers of rock and roll music.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Paul Mcartney has been my favourite Beatle ever since I stared listening to them but I will admit that John Lennon is the better one and among the greatest musical geniuses to have ever lived.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Led Zeppelin were pure genius.Artists like them are born once a century.Duo of Plant and Page has to be the most majestic out of all rock bands to come out in last 50 years.My favorite piece from them is Ramble on followed by Kashmir.Pure ecstasy!
Pink Floyd were well pink Floyd.Just out of this world really.Comfortably numb has to be the song of century.Mind blowing music.David Gilmour was better than Lennon and those other two Beatles no one cared about combined.

I am a huge pink Floyd fan but they aren't even near the Beatles who are the greatest musical act of all time. Led Zeppelin comes very close though.

 

[Robert]

John Lennon, for Tomorrow Never Knows - the first ever song to be produced backwards.

Don't forget the influence of Sir George Martin in that and many other songs.

The Beatles had three excellent songwriters, an excellent guitarist in Harrison, excellent bassist and a genius producer.

 

[Robert]

Beatles are so overrated.Sure a couple of their songs are okayish and makes for a good listening when you are bored and want to try something different but overall as a complete package they never appealed to me.Won't even feature in my top 5 bands to come out of Britain.

You have to consider what pop music was like before them, how they changed the whole playing field in terms of songwriting complexity and production. The sheer number of instantly recognisable songs.

I would say there were The Beatles, then The Rolling Stones, then bands such as The Who, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Fleetwood Mac and Genesis.

 

[Robert]

I never liked Led Zep. Plant put me off them. They had a brilliant rhythm section admittedly.

 

[TM Riddle]

You have to consider what pop music was like before them, how they changed the whole playing field in terms of songwriting complexity and production. The sheer number of instantly recognisable songs.

I would say there were The Beatles, then The Rolling Stones, then bands such as The Who, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Fleetwood Mac and Genesis.

Maybe you are right about the cultural impact they had and it would be hard for someone like me to truly feel that as even my dad wasn't born when they first burst into the scene
Regardless their kind of music never appealed to me.Sure imagine,yesterday,hey Jude are good singles but none of them apart from imagine could be described as classic(that's strictly my opinion you can choose to disagree). Re the other bands you mentioned,The Rolling Stones were nothing but a glorified pop group more famous because of the charismatic individuals such as Jagger and Richards than anything.
And you forgot to add Joy division.Supremely talented and criminally underrated.I'm sure [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] would agree.

 

[TM Riddle]

I never liked Led Zep. Plant put me off them. They had a brilliant rhythm section admittedly.

Led Zep wipes the floor with the Beatles.
Heck even The Smiths were better.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Maybe you are right about the cultural impact they had and it would be hard for someone like me to truly feel that as even my dad wasn't born when they first burst into the scene
Regardless their kind of music never appealed to me.Sure imagine,yesterday,hey Jude are good singles but none of them apart from imagine could be described as classic(that's strictly my opinion you can choose to disagree). Re the other bands you mentioned,The Rolling Stones were nothing but a glorified pop group more famous because of the charismatic individuals such as Jagger and Richards than anything.
And you forgot to add Joy division.Supremely talented and criminally underrated.I'm sure [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] would agree.

What an absolute joke. For me The Rolling Stones are better than anyone else when it comes to quality of music besides The Beatles. How many of their songs have you actually heard besides Paint it Black. They were true geniuses and perhaps even more versatile than the Beatles. From Angie to Start Me Up to Gimme Shelter to Beast of Burden. They're one of the few artists whose entire discography I can listen to and enjoy every single bit of it. The Beatles, The Doors and Led Zeppelin are probably the only other ones. For me they are second only to the Beatles. Give them a proper listen and if you have a decent taste in music then you'll know what I mean. [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] really nailed it

 

[TM Riddle]

I am a huge pink Floyd fan but they aren't even near the Beatles who are the greatest musical act of all time. Led Zeppelin comes very close though.

We can agree to disagree but the sound Floyd created and the lyrics they had were never anything the world has ever seen before.Absolutely fantastic as a unit and truly a game changer in the psychedelic genre.

 

[TM Riddle]

What an absolute joke. For me The Rolling Stones are better than anyone else when it comes to quality of music besides The Beatles. How many of their songs have you actually hears besides Paint it Black. They were true geniuses and perhaps even more versatile than the Beatles. From Angie to Start Me Up to Gimme Shelter to Beast of Burden. They're one of the few artists whose entire discography I can listen to and enjoy every single bit of it. The Beatles, The Doors and Led Zeppelin are probably the only other ones. For me they are second only to the Beatles. Give them a proper listen and if you have a decent taste in music then you'll know what I mean. [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] really nailed it

Oh Bhai you can choose to disagree with me and that's absolutely fine as everyone has different tastes and one should respect that but no need to shove your opinion down my throat like you do in movie discussions.No one has made you the Supreme Judge to decide which band is better from other.Yes I will repeat Rolling Stones were glorified hacks whose success was mainly due to the leading duo of Jagger and Richards and music wise they are far behind many of their contemporary artists.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Oh Bhai you can choose to disagree with me and that's absolutely fine as everyone has different tastes and one should respect that but no need to shove your opinion down my throat like you do in movie discussions.No one has made you the Supreme Judge to decide which band is better from other.Yes I will repeat Rolling Stones were glorified hacks whose success was mainly due to the leading duo of Jagger and Richards and music wise they are far behind many of their contemporary artists.

When have I forced my opinion on anyone when it comes to movies. I say that Bollywood is garbage but that isn't an opinion. It's a fact really. Nonetheless, we shouldn't divert this thread.

 

[TM Riddle]

When have I forced my opinion on anyone when it comes to movies. I say that Bollywood is garbage but that isn't an opinion. It's a fact really. Nonetheless, we shouldn't divert this thread.

Khair nevermind.Only Rolling stones song I like is Sympathy for the devil.Great track.

 

[Hitman]

Led Zep wipes the floor with the Beatles.
Heck even The Smiths were better.

Why? Just because you think so?

 

[TM Riddle]

Why? Just because you think so?

Jeez why's everyone so defensive when it comes to the Beatles.Relax!

 

[Hitman]

Jeez why's everyone so defensive when it comes to the Beatles.Relax!

You should have added that that's your opinion. By saying Led Zeppelin wipes the floor with the Beatles you are making it sound as if it's a universal fact accepted by everyone.

 

[Robert]

We would do well to separate our personal tastes from an appreciation of how musicians have developed the form.

I would also cite David Bowie who made an enormous contribution in the fields of pop, glam rock, white soul and avant garde as well as fashion and even indirectly cinema.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Jeez why's everyone so defensive when it comes to the Beatles.Relax!

Ignore these guys. Beatles supporters these days are Beatles supporters because it's the Beatles. Nothing else. It's a cool thing to be fan of the Beatles, you sound like an intellectual person and there's this paradox existing that unconciosly makes these deluded fans think that Beatles are actually that good.

They're just famous. Pink Floyd is galaxies ahead in every aspect. The music, the rhythm, the beat, the aura, the sound and the lyrics. Gilmour and his bunch are real artists. I have a lot of respect for Lennon but honestly, he just sounded like an attention seeker to me who just wanted to be famous. Not the case with Gilmour, you could simply tell by a simple listen that he was never after fame or money and that is why his music is art.

 

[James]

Never got into the Stones.

Joy Division meanwhile... absolutely awesome - a completely unique sound, hypnotic vocals and brilliant lyrics.

It says a lot that Love Will Tear Us Apart is a genuinely great song, but amongst the 30 or so that they recorded, it is just 'mid-table': Transmission, She's Lost Control (12 inch version), Shadowplay, New Dawn Fades, Atmosphere and The Eternal (particularly the last two) are incredible efforts, and only three of these were released as singles, one after they tragically disbanded.

One of the very best bands to come out of the UK.

 

[Robert]

I remember Joy Division from when I was a teenager. I stil like Love Will Tear Us Apart Again very much. I think they might have got really good if Curtis had lived and their musicianship and songwriting skills had developed. At the time I was more into Peter Gabriel, The Police and The Jam.