Janos Gereben:

>There is so much to enjoy in these and other Talking Heads songs, the
>Beatles ...

Damn straight.

says David Stewart:

>I remember reading my 'Junior Music Dictionary' an entry about the Beatles
>which claimed something along the lines of: 'By any reasonable musical
>standards, their music is highly imaginitive.' I have yet to hear any
>evidence of that, though I maybe have not listened to their best stuff. ...

The Beatles were a creative force in the development of rock music that
took the accepted norm, mastered it, twisted it, added to it, experimented
with it, and changed it forever so that so serious pop artist (I believe
there are such things) could possibly not be influenced by them.

The development of pop and CM follows a similiar route, but pop has
had a fraction of the time to basically progress to the same point of
development, where there is a mix of accepted formulaic marketable stuff
(*lots* of bad hip-hop & rock bands, and the likes of Tavener IMHO),
experimental stuff (Stockhausen, Captain Beefheart, et al), and stuff with
an healthy mix of the past and future (Tom Waits; Schnittke).  Art is art.
Crappy pop made to sell records and get radio play gives rock music a bad
name.  If you don't think the White Album is a pinnacle of late 20th
century western art, IMO you aren't listening hard enough.  Every song is
a different genre.  If that's not impressive...well...

David Stewart again:

>I have been trying to get into Rock Music recently (sounds like an odd
thing to say, doesn't it) but I always feel at the end of the day, I would
have been better spending the time on some Real Music.  Heard a Pink Floyd
album that I thought was alright but there were LONG sections where the
music didn't go very far at all.  But I am glad there is such a thing as
Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody in the world - great fun.

I (and I'm certain many others) would be more than happy to reccomend
my favorite albums, ones that IMHO are "art", but I fear I'd exceed the
parameters of the list.  Philosophy of music is one thing.  Reccomending
pop albums is another.  [No problem with the occasional mention in this
sort fo context (i.e., what might appeal to a classical music lover).
After all, we put up with <insert the classical music you most love to hate
here> regularly... -Dave]

Steve Schwartz:

>As far as I'm concerned, their best stuff is from Rubber Soul on, although
>I don't slight the earlier work.

You bet, 100%.

Bob K.