Beatles cannot be equaled
By Matt Wilson

There are only two left.

November 29th, George Harrison, lead guitarist, sometimes songwriter and singer for the greatest band of all time, died, leaving us with only half of the Beatles’ original lineup still living (less than half if you consider that one of the two still kicking is Ringo Starr).

Ever since I heard the news of his death, I’ve been thinking about Harrison’s contributions to music and society as a whole, especially those he made with the other three Beatles, and I’ve come to this conclusion: there will never be another Beatles. Ever.

Think about it: what other band has had every one of its members write songs and become successful solo artists after the band broke up? What other band has featured a lineup in which each member can sing (and sing well) and play multiple instruments? How many other bands have released albums that have changed music as much as Sgt. Pepper’s did? No one has.

And no one ever will.

It’s especially unlikely that there will be another Beatles in today’s musical climate, with all the Britney Spears and ’N Sync’s out there, all pre-made, packaged and shipped out for your approval. Musicians today are cartoon characters. It’s like they’re not real people. They are created instead of creative. Even the so-called “rock” bands that are popular now are more or less designed by record companies for the sole purpose of selling albums. They all basically sound the same (has anyone else noticed the sudden return of the power ballad? Ugh).

And any band that is the least bit creative is immediately dubbed as “indie” or “retro” — in other words, the record company does not want to promote them.

This is why there will never be another Beatles. Even though many consider the Beatles to have been a “boy band” in their early days, the main difference between them and the boy bands that are so predominant now is that the Beatles were genuine. They were four real friends performing their own songs, gaining fans not so much because of image, but because of their unbelievable talent. And this is the reverse of what the music industry today wants.

After the Beatles’ breakup in 1970, it seemed that everyone was wondering who the next John, Paul, George and Ringo would be. It seemed that most people thought that another band could take their place. Predictably, there have been a number of bands that have been dubbed as the “new Beatles.” But none of those bands have made their mark like these four guys from Liverpool have.

And they continue to make their mark. Last year, the album One was released to a new audience of Beatle fans. It was the best-selling album in the country for several months.
Finally, the new Beatles were found: the Beatles themselves.

And that’s another reason why there will never be another Beatles. We already have them. We’ll have them forever. They are not perpetually stuck in the ’60s.

God bless the Beatles.

And God rest George Harrison.