Bands who were better singles bands than the Beatles.

[Wat_Tyler]

I'll start. By 'singles band' I mean a band who put out consistently great singles over an extended period of time.

For me, New Order's run of singles between Everything's Gone Green in 1981 and Crystal in 2001 is better than the Beatles run of singles.

Posts until Lo Zoccolo adds Oasis to the list - around 12, I imagine.

[Floogeldy]

1. What singles? Why were they better than Beatles?

Thanks,

Floog

[Wat_Tyler]

4. All the songs between the two I mentioned.

Better tunes, better production, more danceable.

[Floogeldy]

7. What tunes? What criteria do you apply, other than dancing?

Thanks,

Floog

[Wat_Tyler]

11. My criteria? I think, on the whole, the songs are better.

Thanks,

Wat

[Floogeldy]

13. I understand

[rawtribe]

2. XTC

everything they do bests the Beatles.

[Wat_Tyler]

5. True enough - the Beatles never made 'Dear God' or 'The Loving'.

[jpgray]

26. I'm not a fan of "Dear God"

Of that period from them I like something like "Grass" more. "Dear God" is a well-written song, but those arpeggios just sound so damn tacky to me, as does the kid singing, and the lyrics are a big didactic bleah. It has nothing close to the cool hooky guitar in the "you played hard to get" bridge on "Grass." Then again, I do like Robert Wyatt.

:dunce:

[Wat_Tyler]

57. It's funny - I was never a huge fan of 'Grass'.

I think 'Earn Enough For Us' is my favourite from Skylarking.

[tuvor]

3. Squeeze

At least up until Sweets From A Stranger.

[Wat_Tyler]

6. I totally agree.

'Up The Junction' in particular, bests any Beatles single.

[General Zod]

8. I don't think anyone was better then the Beatles......

......but for 2nd place, I'll go with Creedence Clearwater Revival

[NightTrain]

9. The following acts all released one excellent single after another....

Numbers in parentheses indicate what I consider an act's longest run of consistently great 45s:

Chuck Berry (1955-1965)
Bobby "Blue" Bland (1957-1966)
The Coasters (1956-1967)
Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968-1972)
Bo Diddley (1955-1967)
The Drifters (1953-1965)
Earth, Wind & Fire (1971-1983)
Fats Domino (1950-1962)
Aretha Franklin (1967-1976)
Marvin Gaye (1962-1973)
Al Green (1970-1977)
Etta James (1955-1973)
B.B. King (1951-1974)
Gladys Knight & The Pips (1961-1975)
Little Richard (1951-1958)
Otis Redding (1961-1969)
The Rolling Stones (1964-1973)
The Temptations (1963-1973)
Muddy Waters (1948-1962)
Howlin' Wolf (1951-1965)
Stevie Wonder (1963-1982)

[BeatleBoot]

17. Oh, yeah? List all of their B-Sides...

Lol!

Great List !

[Bluzmann57]

10. Charles Edward Anderson Berry

aka Chuck Berry. Many many singles and very danceable. The real king of Rock and Roll, with no apologies to Elvis.

[sundog]

12. KC & The Sunshine Band

[MnFats]

14. NO ONE tops the Beatles. NO ONE!

If you disagree, you weren't around at the time.
Find the songs on CD, play them on a good stereo and you might get an inkling of how powerful these songs were.

[tuvor]

25. Someone's in denial...

If I disagree, maybe I've heard things you haven't. Or maybe our tastes are simply different.

Relax, it's all just music, and it's all good.

[MnFats]

77. STOP the BLASPHEMY! THE BEATLES ARE GODS!

Everybody's got something to hide except for me & my monkey!

[hickman1937]

15. Who was more sucessful,

My Greatgrandfather, the immigrant from Ireland, who became a sucessful butcher in Troy, New York, or my Dad who became a sucessful lawyer? Same question, different people.

[BeatleBoot]

16. I love New Order.....

and you know, Joy Division and all, too....

But better than the Beatles singles?

I can't agree.

But, good post. I dig it.

[Bat Boy]

18. Dexys Midnight Runners

[Susang]

19. Blondie and/or The Eurythmics

Take your pick, even if their album sucked, they both still managed to produce some of the best singles of their time.

I've always felt the Beatles had great singles in their early work and then it became all about the album for them.

Flame at will. :D

[tuvor]

24. Blondie, definitely.

They had a way with a hook.

[ProfessorGAC]

54. I'll Agree On Blondie, But Not Eurythmics

I thought the Eurythmics' albums were great. Blondie on the other hand tended to be 2 good songs and lots of filler.

And, you hit the Beatles thing on the mark. After Rubber Soul, the point was to assure an overall product not just song to song.
The Professor

[BillZBubb]

20. None, nada, zilch...

The Beatles body of work far exceeds anyone before or since--it isn't even close. The Stones are a distant second and they've been around longer. The Beatles weren't writing dance music after "Yesterday and Today". They moved on.

New Order, yeah, right.

[bobthedrummer]

21. The FixX

[ProfessorGAC]

73. Death To bobthedrummer

Absolutely NO denigration of The Fixx (one of the 5 best bands ever) will be tolerated. My minions will be visiting you soon!

And besides, you're wrong. The album "Reach The Beach" is a masterpiece of textured music in which the two hits (One Thing Leads To Another and Saved By Zero) are likely the least impressive songs on the album.

Same thing goes for Calm Animals.

Now, you have something if you just meant Phantoms!

But, there will be NO dissing this band while i'm in charge. You'll recognize my minions, bob. They'll be ones with black cloaks, hoods, and carrying stunner sticks. "You will pay for your lack of vision!"
The Professor

[bobthedrummer]

79. You are off 180 degrees, I'm seriously talking better singles than The

Beatles, that's The FixX-I'm a fan of theirs too. OTOH maybe you don't care for drummers?

[ProfessorGAC]

82. So Sorry. Misunderstood!

I thought you were saying that The Fixx had better singles than their albums as a whole. That's what i thought the thread was about. I must have misunderstood the thread!

I don't hate drummers, though. As long as they keep their drool off of me. (Actually, my drummer is one of my 3 best friends in the world.)
The Professor

[bobthedrummer]

83. Cool!

:hi:

[Susang]

22. Also, The Kinks

Brilliant singles, from All Day and All of the Night, You Really Got Me, Lola, Waterloo Sunset, Sunny Afternoon, Apeman, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Tired of Waiting, Superman, Come Dancing, Shangri La.....I just can't say enough good things about their tunes!

I think they were always better than the Beatles, pretty much across the board.

[jpgray]

23. In singing and production, for me the Beatles whip the Kinks flat

Songwriting I could see some parity--when they hit a peak, they were pretty close to each other. But Rubber Soul for example sounds much more mature and innovative than any (of the I think three) Kinks '65 album. In a on-stage brawl, the Kinks would dominate, though--having considerably more experience. Hurling a guitar at someone's head or slicing up their skull with a high hat is something I think you have to work at.

I'd tell you about the time the Davies brothers babysat me, but then again, it never happened.

[mitchum]

27. The Kinks had some of the most godawful production ever

"Waterloo Sunset" is always much warmer and lush in my head than it is on the disc. What in the hell was wrong with Shel Talmy's ears?

[jpgray]

28. Yeah--Dave sounds like he's playing a rubber band nailed to a board (nt)

[Susang]

37. Did they show up in a station wagon?

:evilgrin:

Seriously, I believe that if the Kinks had the $$ that The Beatles had, perhaps they're albums would have been better recorded. Unfortunately, they weren't as fortunate in their management as The Beatles. Their poor treatment by the business end of the industry is legendary. Had they not been banned from touring in the US early in their career, who knows how different history might have treated them?

As far as songwriting and albums go, we'll have to agree to disagree there. I'm not too concerned about which band matured first, the bands started out similarly, but took radically different turns from '65 on. I'd list Muswell Hillbillies and The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society as two of the best albums of their time and consider Davies songs to be on par, and in many cases superior, to anything the Beatles put out, despite the poor recording quality.

Of course, that's probably because I'm just jealous that I didn't witness the brothers fighting in a toy store in Chicago. :crazy:

[Lautremont]

43. I thought Kinks as soon as I saw the title of this thread.

Love those old boys from Kinda Kinks through Muswell Hilbillies.

[Wat_Tyler]

58. True. I'd add 'Victoria' and 'Autumn Almanac'.

[Susang]

74. I had to leave something for you, didn't I?

Otherwise it would kind of a one sided discussion. ;-)

[immoderate]

80. Well Respected Man, Dedcated Follower of Fashion.

Kinks are great. They don't topple the Beatles.

--IMM

[Rooktoven]

29. None, Ever.

Not even close.

[Rooktoven]

31. In fact, 1967 alone for the Beatles exceeds most bands' lifetime output

Strawberry Fields Forever
Penny Lane
Hello Goodbye
All You Need is Love

(Disregarding B, sides a pretty good EP, and an album some people liked...)

[LoZoccolo]

30. Oasis

"Wonderwall"
"Champagne Supernova"
"Don't Look Back in Anger"
etcetera

"Champagne Supernova" sold more copies than "Hey Jude".

[mark414]

32. something to consider...

[Bat Boy]

44. That's my fault...

Every time I saw someone with a copy I smashed it over their head.

I gotta stop acting so impulsively...

[DU GrovelBot]

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[elperromagico]

34. Starland Vocal Band.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned them yet.

[biscodawg]

35. when i saw the topic

I was gonna say New Order but you beat me to the punch. BTW the new NO album is pretty sweet!

[Radical Activist]

36. No better singles band

There are bands I like better than the Beatles but no one else had so many consistently good hit singles.

[MrSlayer]

38. The Rolling Stones.

Probably the only band that can compete in this at all. Though their last full good album was "Tattoo You" they've still consistently put out good singles up to the present time.

[ZoCrowes]

40. They have?

I love the Stones but I have not heard...actually they have now that I think about it. Love Is Strong was pretty good.

[driver8]

46. The Rolling Stones?? They have had some good singles but

can't hold a candle compared to the Beatles. As a matter of fact, the first hit single that the Stones had was written by the Beatles.

[MrSlayer]

49. Yes, I agree that The Beatles are the best "singles" band.

All I said was that The Stones were the only band that could possibly compete with them under these rules. Body of work over a length of time and whatnot. Personally, I've always liked The Stones better. They had much more of a street aspect to their songs.

[driver8]

51. The Stones are a great band...

I like the Stones and the Beatles, but for different reasons. The Stones have an amazing catalog of songs and albums. Hard to believe that these guys are still cranking out songs!

[Radical Activist]

48. Personally, I liked Voodoo Lounge better

than Tattoo You, which was also a good album. The 80's were not good for them, and even thought Tattoo You was released in the 80's it was mostly older material.

[ZoCrowes]

39. Dear god I can't escape this BULLSHIT

What the hell is the deal with people trying to make music fucking competitive?! It's not a CONTEST!! If you like something listen to it! If you don't like something feel free to mock the hell out of it but stop all this bullshit of the "underappreciated craptastic band that I have a hard-on for" is better than the sacred cow that a lot of people like crap.

Goddamn I've been hanging around indie record stores waaaaaay too long.

[Susang]

41. It's just a silly thread

Really, it's no big thing.

[ZoCrowes]

42. No, I hear this crap

ALL THE DAMN TIME!! I hear it at my main job (different subject but the same idea) and when I work part-time at the local indie record store. It annoys the hell out of me. It's not constructive and all it does is turn people off to different types of music. If a person was to come up to me and say "I like Modest Mouse" some of the folks out there will jump down their throat going on and on about how Modest Mouse sucks. I personally hate Modest Mouse they annoy the shit out of me (and have done so since I heard them 4 years ago.) However instead of insulting them I'll try to get them to check out Television. The MM fan leaves happy because he discovered new music that is influential to what he already liked and I'm happy because I introduced someone to what I consider good music.

I am somewhat of a hypocrite though I still talk about how much I hate a lot of shitty music however I try to be as evenhanded as possible.

[driver8]

50. Its like the movie "High Fidelity"...

The Jack Black character was always bashing other people's music. He comes into the store one morning and John Cusack and the other guy (don't know his name) are listening to music.

Jack Black: "Holy Crap, what's this shit?"
Cusack : "It's the music we are listening to and enjoying..."
Jack Black: "Too bad, 'cause it sucks ass!"

ZoCrowes, you are right about pointing people in another direction. I really appreciate when people do that for me. When I was a dj at my college radio station, we had a group of people that were always bashing other peoples' music -- I used to hate that.

[driver8]

47. Exactly -- no one is trying to make it a competition...

just having a little fun, that is all.

[driver8]

45. You just sit there for a moment...

and think about your original post. I'm a New Order fan, but to compare New Order to the Beatles is like comparing Gary Coleman to Sidney Poitier...it just doesn't work!

Michael Jackson...ok. Elvis...he could be compared to the Beatles. New Order??? Never, never, never!!

[Wat_Tyler]

66. Have done. New Order made the better singles.

Pretty clear to me.

Albums are a different matter, of course.

[d_b]

52. GG Allin

[MrSlayer]

53. LOL! GG ruled in his own right.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

55. The Zombies

[Wat_Tyler]

67. 'Time of the Season' and 'She's not there' are extraordinary.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

70. Almost every song on Oddysee and Oracle

[immoderate]

81. Singles Factory: Creedance Clearwater Revival.

Fogerty put out one after the other. Still though, doesn't dethrone the Beatles.

[Squeech]

56. Who

Not necessarily better, but certainly louder and more galvanizing.

Buddy of mine at work thinks they and the Beatles should merge, on the grounds that they've lost a drummer and a bassist, and that's exactly what the Beatles have left. But I can't imagine Ringo doing Moon. :evilgrin:

[dolo amber]

59. Velvet Underground

Oh, sorry...I thought this was the vastly-overrated-bands-who-people-only-like-because-it's-*cool* thread.

Carry on. :P

[Wat_Tyler]

That wouldn't be New Order, then.

Out of the stuff I like, they were one of the few to be actually successful (shudder).

[dolo amber]

62. I hear NO is to play T in the Park this year...

Along with James Brown. Odd, eh? :D

[Wat_Tyler]

63. Ah, T in the Park - the crap Jock Glastonbury.

[peekaloo]

60. Dave Clark Five

they had a good three year run. :shrug:

[Wat_Tyler]

61. Obviously Bowie is better than the Beatles on all counts.

But that's a given - no need to argue that universally accepted point.

[Susang]

76. Where on earth did you get that idea?

[johnnie]

64. The Beatles are hard to beat in their singles category

But, to step out on a limb..Elvis had many great A sides with some having great B sides.
Here is a partial list that I think were pretty good singles.

August 1954 That's All Right Mama / Blue Moon of Kentucky
October 1954 Good Rockin' Tonight / I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
January 1955 Milk Cow Blues Boogie / You're A Heartbreaker
May 1955 I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone / Baby Let's Play House
August 1955 Mystery Train / I Forgot To Remember To Forget
February 1956 Heartbreak Hotel / I Was The One
May 1956 I Want You, I Need You, I Love You/ My Baby Left Me
July 1956 Hound Dog / Don't Be Cruel
September 1956 Blue Suede Shoes / Tutti Frutti
September 1956 Trying To Get To You / I Love You Because
September 1956 Blue Moon / Just Because
September 1956 Money Honey / One Sided Love Affair
September 1956 Shake, Rattle and Roll / Lawdy Miss Clawdy
September 1956 Love Me Tender / Any Way You Want Me
January 1957 Too Much / Playing For Keeps
March 1957 All Shook Up / That's When Your Heartbreak Begins
June 1957 Teddy Bear / Loving You
September 1957 Jailhouse Rock / Treat Me Nice
December 1957 Don't / I Beg Of You
April 1958 Wear My Ring Around Your Neck / Dontcha' Think It's Time?
June 1958 Hard Headed Woman / Don't Ask Me Why
October 1958 I Got Stung / One Night
March 1959 A Fool Such As I / I Need Your Love Tonight
June 1959 A Big Hunk O'Love / My Wish Came True
March 1960 Stuck On You / Fame and Fortune
July 1960 It's Now Or Never / Mess Of Blues
November 1960 Are You Lonesome Tonight? / I Gotta Know
February 1961 Surrender / Lonely Man
May 1961 I Feel So Bad / Wild In the Country
August 1961 Little Sister / His Latest Flame
November 1961 Can't Help Falling In Love / Rock-a-Hula Baby
February 1962 Good Luck Charm / Anything That's Part Of You
October 1962 Return To Sender / Where Do You Come From?
June 1963 You're The Devil In Disguise / Please Don't Drag That String Around
October 1963 Bossa Nova Baby / Witchcraft
April 1964 Viva Las Vegas / What'd I Say
July 1964 Such A Night / Never Ending
September 1964 Ain't That Loving You Baby? / Ask Me
November 1964 Blue Christmas / Wooden Heart
April 1965 Crying In The Chapel / I Believe In The Man In The Sky
February 1966 Milky white Way / Swing Down Sweet Chariot
September 1957 Big Boss Man / You Don't Know Me
January 1968 Guitar Man / Hi Heel Sneakers
March 1968 U.S. Male / Stay Away Joe
April 1968 You'll Never Walk Alone / We Call On Him
May 1968 Let Yourself Go / Your Time Hasn't Come Yet Baby
September 1968 A Little Less Conversation / Almost In Love
October 1968 If I Can Dream / Edge of Reality
March 1969 Memories / Charro
April 1969 How Great Thou Art / His Hand In Mine
May 1969 In The Ghetto / Any Day Now
June 1969 Clean Up Your Own Back Yard / The Fair Is Moving On
August 1969 Suspicious Minds / You'll Think Of Me
November 1969 Don't Cry Daddy / Rubberneckin'
January 1970 Kentucky Rain / My Little Friend
May 1970 The Wonder Of You / Mama Liked The Roses
July 1970 I've Lost You / The Next Step Is Love
October 1970 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me / Patch It Up
December 1970 I Really Don't Want To Know / There Goes My Everything
December 1971 Merry Christmas Baby / O Come All Ye Faithful
January 1972 Until It's Time For You To Go / we Can make The Morning
March 1972 Bosom Of Abraham / He Touched Me
April 1972 An American Trilogy / The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
August 1972 Burning Love / It's A Matter Of Time
September 1972 Separate ways / Always On My Mind
March 1973 Steamroller Blues / Fool
September 1973 Raised On Rock / For Ol' Times Sake
January 1974 I've Got A Thing About You Baby / Take Good Care Of Her
May 1974 If You Talk In Your Sleep
October 1974 Promised Land / It's Midnight
January 1975 My Boy / Thinking About You
April 1975 T-R-O-U-B-L-E / Mr Songman
December 1976 Moody Blue / She Thinks I Still Care
September 1977 Way Down / Pledging My Love
December 1977 My Way / America

[Wat_Tyler]

65. Actually, both Elvises have a good shot at the title, I reckon.

[johnnie]

68. Agreed

But I would think that E.C. wouldn't, but Presley is still hard to beat as an icon in my opinion.

On edit- I do notice you originally said "bands", but there were a lot of other single artists mentioned so I went with Elvis P.

[XNASA]

69. Diana Ross and the Supremes

Where Did Our Love Go, Baby Love, Come See About Me, Stop! In the Name of Love, Back in My Arms Again, I Hear a Symphony, My World Is Empty Without You, Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart, You Can't Hurry Love, You Keep Me Hangin' On, Love Is Here and Now You're Gone, Happening, Reflections (I really, really love this song), In and out of Love, Love Child, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, No Matter What Sign You Are, Someday We'll Be Together .....etc.

[Wat_Tyler]

72. Quite true. Good call.

[Susang]

75. Pretty much any Motown group or performer

Of course, I am prejudiced. :D

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

71. The Misfits, of course

[kwassa]

78. Who is New Order?

[coloradodem2005]

84. Nobody Beats the Beatles.

THe Stones are the only ones who can compete there. Maybe CCR to a lesser extent.