What a Christmas cracker this thread is turning in to…
I'm a bit new to mudcat so forgive me…
So many interesting points….
Whether it was partly due to hype/ media/ luck whatever !! The Beatles wrote ( and McCartney was one driving force behind it) the soundtrack to many people's lives. Thus the very mention of any criticism in the ranks ruffles many feathers.
They were kids growing up and learning how to play and write music, all in the media headlights for many years. Some love the music, some don't.( thats the beauty of music)
They were influenced by what was around them and what went before them, and in turn they influenced what was around them and what came after them….. Pretty simple really. Its what we as humans do.
I don't hold with the idea that they "regurgitated", (Glueman), as this implies they simply copied without adding to in any way. They revolutionised the way music was recorded ( thanks partly to George Martin/ LSD and their collective creativity).eg. Strawberry Fields.
They may not have been the best musicians of their time…(though I wonder about the musical credentials of some making this statement). Making great music in a band is not all about individual virtuoso skill. Anyone who has worked any length of time in a band will fully understand this. It is equally, if not much more about compromise, and utilising strengths.
George Harrison (arguably) wrote some brilliant songs which later appeared on his solo work ( collated over several Beatle years, because there was not enough room on the Beatles albums for him).
Getting back to the subject of the thread…McCartney is still popular, (himself and his back catalogue). And as a bass player he (arguably) was and remains ultra melodic, never over plays, and is always sensitive to the music he is playing to ( the mark of a great player ).. (arguably).