PoppaGator I have no problem with anyone who decides by their own volition that The Beatles are/are not Folk Music because it is a case of each to their own; as you surmised. I do however, have a problem with the pusilanimous three chord Kumbaya brigade that dismiss The Beatles music because it is, in effect, too difficult for them to get to grips with. I cannot play any Puccini pieces but I love his work and don't need to play it to admire it.How can anyone who professes a love of music not be enamoured and inspired by the genius of The Beatles. History will be kind to the Fab Four. But, it is doubtful in several hundred years whether Phil Ochs and Ewan McColl etc. will be anything more than far distant echoes from the past. Mere decades ago people raved about Jose Iturbe and Al Jolson etc. how often do you hear them mentioned these days.The Beatles are the most significant mass cultural UK export of the twentieth century and yet there are still those who deny their achievements. As John Lennon said "We set out to be the best fu**ing group on the planet" and by God, they did it with style and substance that will be debated for thousands of years to come.I, for one, absolutely love,respect, and admire them and I say; it is English Folk Music at its best and I am proud of it, and for me that's what counts.

Regards.

Sidewinder.