I graduated high school in 65 and was just about the right age to have really known the Beatles. Their first US hits were in 64 and I really liked their music.
I never particularly thought of them personally but they could really sing, and also could really compose. They could also take another band’s song and do it better than the originals. For instance “Twist and Shout”.
I graduated in ‘66......
The odd thing is much of their unique style derived from their weakest musical link: Ringo. Nobody would ever declare Ringo to be a great drummer, but he had a peculiar habit of drumming on the beat, rather than lagging a little, the way R&B and Rock and Roll were normally drummed. This gave the Beatles' music a tight, incessant energy, which set them apart from other groups.
“They could also take another band’s song and do it better tan the originals. For instance “Twist and Shout”.”
Oh my God, no!!! That is perhaps their worst trashing of another’s song. Just awful. It sounds like a parody.