The age-old question with no answer: whose favorite band is really the best? When talking about who’s better, there are plenty of categories you could break music into. The production, the songwriting, and the degree of impact on the music scene all factor in. But honestly, does any of that really matter? When we start to dissect music into quantifiable “rights and wrongs,” it begins to lose its spark. Music is constantly evolving, and so is the way we think of its quality.
My friends start fights over this constantly, but one really hit home for me recently. The Beatles VS. The Beach Boys. Both are a blend of peak ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll with classical instrumentation. Having so much in common, they’re frequently pitted against each other. But even with fans screaming out that their favorite is the best choice, the bands disagreed with the whole sentiment. They were in constant creative conversation with each other through their art.
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys once said that he almost quit music in fear he’d never make an album better than The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul.” Reportedly, after hearing it for the first time, he went straight to the studio to begin producing The Beach Boy’s 1966 album “Pet Sounds,” a masterpiece which continues to influence and brighten the work of contemporary musicians. This, in turn, inspired Paul McCartney to start writing the soft and sentimental “Here, There and Everywhere” off The Beatle’s landmark 1966 album “Revolver.” McCartney and Wilson ended up being great friends, possibly fueled by the friendly competition. “I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while,” McCartney wrote in a social media tribute to Wilson after his passing.
In the end, people are going to like what they like, no matter how many facts you can present. In music especially, it seems silly to restrict such an open form of creative expression to rigid standards of who’s “the best”. Rather than pitting the classics against each other, we should appreciate all that the art form has to give.
