Which was most influential

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

The Beatles or Elvis Presley. Debergs prog rock thread started me thinking and I thought it was a fairly easy choice until I talked to a few others about it and looked up some numbers. Now it seems like a toss up... although I know what my original gut feeling was.

The Beatles...
Best selling band in history... roughly 1 billion 600 million units sold
22 #1 singles world wide
7 grammys
10 films

Elvis Presley
Best selling solo act in history... roughly 1 billion 600 million units sold
36 #1 singles
3 grammys
33 films

Of course there is plenty of other criteria. What say you though?

[rico]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Chicks dig the Nickelback. If you dig chicks, you have to dig on sum Nickelback.

This vid makes me dig Portugal a little bit.... I like their style.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

BTW, this should have been a Beatles Vs. Beach Boys thread since McCartney has stated thats who he felt he was trying to compete with. : )

If the Beach Boys were in the mix with the 2 biggest artists of all time they would have been.

[In58men]

No love for CCR?

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

I have that tape somewhere! Damn, I haven't actually heard that song in ages though.. nice one.

Heh nice... I have the cassette and the cd that I bought many years later. Seriously that's one of my favorite songs.

[Deberg_1990]

I think i still have my Eddie and the Cruisers 2 CD somewhere.

[-King-]

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I will admit, their album "the state" was ok. Pretty shitty after that and just down right horrible today with what they put out.

I liked "Silver Side Up" and "All The Right Reasons" too. Since then it's just formula "come **** me" music.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by Inmem58

No love for CCR?

I think you just gave them love. Good band... not really a huge influence especially in comparison to The Beatles and Elvis.

I see the bathroom on the right though.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Chicks dig the Nickelback. If you dig chicks, you have to dig on sum Nickelback.

I've been married for 19 years. **** Nickelback.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

I've been married for 19 years. **** Nickelback.

I'm willing to bet your lovely wife liked some stupid shit music when you married her... and likely still does.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Dr. Johnny Fever

I'm willing to bet your lovely wife liked some stupid shit music when you married her... and likely still does.

Had a HS GF who was rabid for Def Leppard, had one in college who went to her fainting couch every time the strains of REM were in the air. Neither situation deterred me from seeking the nappy dugout.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Had a HS GF who was rabid for Def Leppard, had one in college who went to her fainting couch every time the strains of REM were in the air. Neither situation deterred me from seeking the nappy dugout.

I like a lot of Def Leppard and most REM myself... but I won't pretend they are in the discussion. A woman I nearly married thinks the world begins and ends with Def Leppard. I didn't hold it against her then and I don't now.

I love all kinds of music. I really appreciate the good stuff but I think the popular stuff has a place too and like a lot of it. I just want music to speak to me no matter what it is.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Dr. Johnny Fever

I like a lot of Def Leppard and most REM myself... but I won't pretend they are in the discussion. A woman I nearly married thinks the world begins and ends with Def Leppard. I didn't hold it against her then and I don't now.

I love all kinds of music. I really appreciate the good stuff but I think the popular stuff has a place too and like a lot of it. I just want music to speak to me no matter what it is.

I don't think either are particularly bad, just at a loss to find them passion inducing. In both situations there were broad swaths of music I found vastly superior at that time [was a huge AC/DC, Nazareth, Sabbath, Metallica fan around the HS GF, and a huge Nirvana, GnR, NWA, Beastie Boys fan with the College GF].

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Dr. Johnny Fever

I like a lot of Def Leppard and most REM myself... but I won't pretend they are in the discussion. A woman I nearly married thinks the world begins and ends with Def Leppard. I didn't hold it against her then and I don't now.

I love all kinds of music. I really appreciate the good stuff but I think the popular stuff has a place too and like a lot of it. I just want music to speak to me no matter what it is.

De Leppard was extrememly good at what they did. Pop Rock. It is what it is.

[rico]

Originally Posted by Dr. Johnny Fever

If the Beach Boys were in the mix with the 2 biggest artists of all time they would have been.

I'm fully aware that the Beatles, on an global level have been much more influential than the Beach Boys....HOWEVER, I personally prefer Beach Boys. I have Pet Sounds in my car right now. I saw Mike Love (well, it was labeled Beach Boys, but it was just Mike Love and some other dudes) in concert last year. Had a blast.

I don't doubt that the Beatles' lyrics, music, innovation, etc. was brilliant. I just haven't ever been able to get into them. I like "I am the Walrus," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" but that's honestly about it for me. I don't necessarily dislike their other stuff, I just can't get into it to the point where I'll buy their stuff, seek more of their music or put it into my personal rotation in my car or in my office. I don't know what it is that everyone including my family and friends are hearing that I'm not.... The vocals don't really grab my attention. The music really doesn't either. Some of it may have to do with the fact that I have always felt that Paul McCartney is a total prag. I haven't taken the time to really sit down and analyze their lyrics because I haven't really felt tempted to...they are somewhat boring to me in comparison to other bands.

I like some of Elvis's stuff though. So I voted for him. Do I really think he was more influential than the Beatles as a whole? No, probably not. Maybe comparable on a national level, but globally? I'm guessing the Beatles take the cake. So my initial urge to choose Elvis and going through with choosing him, was due to my bias of just personally liking Elvis more and a lot of why I like Elvis is probably for sentimental reasons....used to listen to him a lot at my semi-recently deceased grandfather's house.

I'm at a musical stalemate right now... I haven't been able to find anything to get into that I've liked. I just went through a huge Nilsson (ironic since he was so tight with Lennon) and Fred Neil phase. With that said, if anyone has any suggestions of Beatles songs to listen to that may change my opinion of them, by all means post them. I'd like to get into the Beatles.....I just am not totally stoked about what I've heard from them so far, which I admit, is a limited amount. Basically what I've heard from them are their hits and some of the songs that my brother has forced me to listen to in what seemed like desperate attempts at converting me into a Beatles fan. So if ya'll have any suggestions, I'll definitely give them a try. Like I stated earlier, so far, I dig "I am the Walrus" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and there was a blue-grassy-ish song that my friend played on the way to Lollapalooza a few years ago that I remember thinking was pretty cool, but didn't know the name of the song.

On a side note, if I were asked who I thought the most influential musical influence(s) are in terms of how music has been shaped and molded into what it is now.... my answer would be African American slaves.