The recent James Mangold-helmed biopic A Complete Unknown about Bob Dylan has focused fresh attention on this singular colossus of the music industry. At 83, he is a much-lauded singer and songwriter whose originality and artistic fearlessness are legendary. I mean, this guy won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition," via the New York Times. You have to at least give him some love, right?
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Dylan is a sort of senior statesman of music, so his words and opinions carry loads of weight. That is why examining what he said about the Beatles, who skyrocketed to prominence at around the same time he did in the early 1960s, is worthwhile. He wrote, "English people can't play rock 'n' roll music" in the book Dylan on Dylan: Interviews and Encounters via American Songwriter. Dylan added, "The Beatles are great, but they don't play rock 'n' roll." Wait, what?! Huh? Say it ain't so, Bob! Are you discounting what I and many others consider masterpieces like Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper? Actually, Dylan was saying no such thing. Relax and read on...
Bob Dylan Was Paying Tribute To The Beatles By Making That Comment
That Is One Outlet's Interpretation
Dylan defined rock 'n' roll as "just four beats ... an extension of twelve-bar blues." So in the opinion of American Songwriter, he was really elevating the band far above that norm. Per the outlet, "And he does so by acknowledging that their music and talents are far more complicated and nuanced than what is described."
So What Exactly Made The Beatles So Great?
I Think It Was Their Willingness To Experiment
Okay, got that. Yes, John, Paul, George,and Ringo were about as "nuanced" as it comes. I admittedly loved them, still do, and always will. I would like to extrapolate a little from Dylan's comment and look at what made the group so special.
For me, it was their eagerness to never repeat themselves. They could have stayed in the same groove, done variations of the same music over and over, made big money, retained their fans, and kept everybody pretty happy.
They bravely chose to do the precise opposite. Each one of their albums was totally, brilliantly different from the last. For example, Revolver was wildly unlike Rubber Soul, which was completely unlike Let It Be. They staunchly refused to settle for getting stale, dreary, complacent, and predictable. I admire that to no end. Today, the lads from Liverpool's music is every bit as vibrant and relevant as it was back in the day.
Hey, Bob Dylan, you were really onto something when you wrote what you did about the Beatles. Thanks!
