I sometimes play a game with friends, asking “Stones or Beatles, which band rules?”
More than a few choose the Rolling Stones; I am solidly in the Beatles camp. They always impressed me as the best hit makers, with original songs that are not as blues-influenced. Beatles’ songs are more interesting and resonant as they evoke a range of feelings and emotions, vs. mostly harder edge and darker Stones. (don’t get me wrong, I do love the blues and the Stones, but bands that come from that tradition are more commonplace).
But how, really, can you judge the best and more important band? Sure, it takes talent, persistence and yes, great songs. Are these enough? What else counts?
I watched a YouTube video recently that asked that very same question. James Hargreaves discusses the criteria and makes a very compelling case for the Beatles, and the role of PR in propelling them into a global phenomenon and arguably the GOAT rock band.
I summarize it here, share my thoughts, and encourage you to watch his YouTube (Bigger Than the Beatles? Why No-one Has Done it – Yet) and subscribe to his channel to get the full picture. James really makes a good case in a well-reasoned, well-spoken and cogent way.
Is Anyone Bigger than the Beatles?
James starts out by asking the same kind of question as above, except instead of the Rolling Stones, he wonders if Michael Jackson or Taylor Swift ever achieved Beatles-like status. And are there objective measures to judge the most important?
E.g., does it get down to better songs (totally subjective)? More album sales or concert crowds (others had more than the Beatles)?
Taking all these things into account, Hargreaves says: “Somehow, culturally speaking, the Beatles worldwide do seem to have the advantage.”
He then outlines the stages acts go through as their stars rise:
- Level 1, Buzz and hype
- Level 2, Build a serious following around their music
Many accomplish the first two. But very few, he says, move onto the next stage:
- Level 3, Obsession and hysteria.
“You can see that the big difference between the Beatles and all other musical acts was this: it wasn’t just the music, it wasn’t just the album sales, it wasn’t just the live concerts, even though they had all those things. It was the level of hype, excitement, momentum and reverence attached to the entity the Beatles,” according to James.
He says that the Beatles ascended to a fourth stage that no other band has
- Level 4, Objects of worship.
Everywhere they went, people tried to touch them and get their autographs. The sick and disabled got close with the hopes for a cure. Some may recall John Lennon’s infamous quote, that the Beatles are bigger than Jesus (which thus handed them a PR crisis).
James continues: “How did they go from complete unknowns in the early 60s to objects of global hysteria and literally worship in just a few years, as they were young, handsome and talented, but so were loads of bands?”
Enter the Powers of Context, Social Proof and PR
He posits that your reaction to a song can be influenced by the backstory around it and how it’s perceived by others. Would people react to a Beatles song the same way if they didn’t know it was the Beatles, if the band played under a pseudonym?
The answer, clearly, is that these things do play a role. Success begets more success, and feeds on itself. Context counts.
James says: “There is almost always a kind of filter between the music and your ear which affects how you kind of see the song… It’s also massively affected by what everyone else seems to be saying about the artist as well… that’s why bands and their public relations teams work so incredibly hard to monitor and control what is being said about them in the public sphere, whether online today or in the main music publications back in the day.”
It’s also about FOMO and the influence of the “majority verdict.” Or, as we say in the marketing world, the powers of brand and social proof. Conversely, if we hold a dissenting view, we may wonder if we are wrong about the band or song.
Enter the PR Puppet Master
According to James, the playbook to achieving the Beatles’ vaunted status was to create an impression of a bandwagon that people are jumping on. This then takes on a life and momentum of its own.
Hargreaves says, “If it’s managed and manipulated properly, what started out as hype, buzz and excitement gives way to dedication and love. And if there is an absolute master at the wheel of the bandwagon, this can be pushed and pushed and pushed right up into obsession, hysteria and then worship.”
From here, James introduces the role of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, whom he calls the Leonardo da Vinci of PR. James relates how Epstein stormed NYC like he owned the place, when he was setting the stage for the Beatles’s US invasion.
He managed to arrange a meeting with TV host Ed Sullivan and negotiated getting the band top billing on the show, an appearance that went down in history.
James related how they went on from there to conquer the US without doing the hard work of touring and building a name here first, like Led Zeppelin, the Stones and many other acts had to do; how they exploded on the scene.
The image James Hargreaves paints of a master PR craftsman like Brian Epstein is that of a savvy image maker, brash wheeler and dealer, and media manipulator.
Sure, it sounds like an old school, stereotypical take on PR. Plus, the media is a much different animal today. It would be hard to pull off the same feat in our fragmented hyper-distracted media world.
But I found James Hargeaves’s view to be pretty convincing. Brian Epstein sounds like a fascinating, larger than life character – I previously did not know much about him or his role in the rise of the Beatles.
James mentions Brian Epstein’s book, A Cellarful of Noise, which seems a must read if you are in PR. It is on my list for sure.
