You see their apparent nonchalance in newsreels, their riposting irreverence, and you might be inclined to agree with the pundits whose own cynicism was impenetrable. Life and Look, Time and Newsweek, even the New York Times compared them to fads of the past. Over the years you too have seen too much, have viewed a surfeit of silliness and horror in a meld of prime-time misinformation. Well, give 'em credit for knowing it's an anniversary, at least. And it's more complex for its continuity, for its sameness, its predictability.
Revolution is passe.
Some think it never happened. People plugged into the message of the Fabs, whether young or old, know what change is, of course. The songs map it out for all who listen, no matter what their age. A wise gent from Australia, who himself was not there for the initial wave of portentous polyphony, recently suggested to me that what characterized the Beatles was not their pop-iconographic sameness but their ability to artistically transform themselves. They cosseted no compulsion toward musical niceties, beyond being professionally polite to those who had not yet caught up to their musical reformation.