The Beatles are one of the greatest rock artists of all time

Introduction and Framework I would like to remind the viewers that this debate is about whether the Beatles are ONE of the greatest rock bands, not that they are the greatest. Therefore, plenty of other bands could be greater than the Beatles. I just need to show the Beatles are near the top. I also do not need to defend the level of popularity of the Beatles. While I believe they were one of the greatest rock bands, there are many other great rock bands that people should listen to. Too much focus is put on the Beatles, but that is precisely because they were so great. I wish more people knew about the Moody Blues and the Velvet Underground but the unpopularity of those bands does not reflect on the greatness of the Beatles. People get obsessed with the best. Rock as an Art My opponent unfortunately comes across as a bit of a musical snob. He states that rock music has not even become a serious art. This is one of the most absurd things he could have said and shows his clear distaste and ignorance of rock music. Moreover, even if rock music is not a serious art, like my opponent says, the Beatles can still be one of the greatest in that genre. I sincerely hope Con was trying to say something else, but I won't even attempt to try to show that rock is a serious art. It should be obvious to most sane persons that it is, but whether it is or not, does not change the Beatles' status of being one of the greatest in that genre. Con is even more puzzling when he says "Rock critics are often totally ignorant of the rock music of the past". What's this supposed to mean? The Beatles were a 60's band; their last album was 44 years ago. If he's stating the Beatles are the only band they know, it's simply an assertion that seems quite unlikely. Moreover, while the Beatles were not the the start of rock music, they were the start of rock as we know it. They changed the course of rock drastically into what it became through the 70's and onward. The Beatles Drastically Influenced the Evolution of Music We cannot judge the Beatles as one of the greatest rock bands simply by the inherent quality of music. Rather, we look at the quality of their music and the time it was written, and also the influence it had on the genre. Before the Beatles, only jazz musicians consistently evolved their music. The Beatles experimented and changed constantly. "Every record was a shock when it came out". Moreover, "Virtually every rock experiment has some precedent on Beatles records." In 1964 they were the first group to employ feedback. Srgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band popularized concept albums and influenced progressive rock and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I Want You and Helter Skelter "are considered two of the first heavy metal songs". The Beatles turned rock' n' roll into an international phenomenon. They revolutionized recording and an abundance of popular rock bands sprouted from their music. "Tthe Kinks, the Who, the Yardbirds, the Hollies, the Animals, etc. All of those bands wouldn't have had an audience outside of England without the Beatles to lead the charge." http://starling.rinet.ru... Accomplishments and Popularity The Beatles made 12 studio albums, from 1963 to 1970 as well as allot of singles. It was not some fluke, or the bad taste of humanity, that enabled the Beatles to gain success paralleled by no other. The Beatles were one of the most popular local Liverpool bands before their first album came out. In April 1964, the year after their first album, they held all of the first 5 slots on the Billboard Singles. They sold more than a billion records,16 of 100 most successful tracks of all time, and seven of the 100 most successful albums. The Rolling Stone names 4 of their albums in the top ten of all time. They were, in other words, the greatest band ever in creating music that people liked. http://beatles.wikia.com...http://www.hooksandharmony.com... Pro cannot compare rock to jazz, nor does it matter that the best jazz musicians are not the most famous. Actually it makes perfect sense that in the genre of jazz, the best would not be the most famous. Jazz is not an accessible type of music, meaning it's complex and most of the population do not really like it (that's not a criticism of jazz). Since jazz music is one of the most difficult to listen to, it's not at all strange that the most famous are not the best. The most famous merely have the most accessible music; the music that appeals most to people. Jazz does not appeal widely to listeners but some of the music is much more accessible.Rock, or pop, on the other hand is the most popular genre of music. And that's why Con cannot compare it to jazz. Rock appeals to people and it makes sense that the greatest rock music would have some of the greatest appeal. Nor does Con's argument prove anything at all. Would the Beatles be one of the best if their music was relatively unknown? Moreover, Con sights the opinion of jazz musicians as evidence for Duke Ellington and John Coltrane yet admits to the wide opinion that the Beatles were the greatest of the rock genre. The Beatles were and are extremely popular among laymen but they are also considered by many rock musicians to be the greatest rock band, let alone one of the greatest. The Beatles are easily the most popular choice for "best band" and this debate is merely about if there are one of the best. It's far more plausible to believe this consensus reflect the fact that they were one of the greatest rather than that they're overrated.