[MarkWar]

>The reaction to the Beatles was much more genuine than the article implies, at least it seemed that way to me. I was in the fifth grade

I totally disagree with you.

I lived on the south side of Chicago and I was in grade school then, too. I and everyone I know HATED the Beatles.

And our thinking then was pretty clear and I still believe in it today: WHY even "import" the Beatles? We had the Beach Boys and we had Jefferson Airplane and we had The Doors -- any kind of music you wanted to hear, we had already! WHO THE HELL NEEDED THOSE WIMPY MOP TOPS WITH THEIR OH-SO-CUTE PRESS CONFERENCES? ("We turned left at Greenland...") Hell, for that kind of thing, the US biz kids made the Monkees...

And if you think the Beatles music was magic, just magic, I suggest you get (heck, I'd suggest EVERYONE get it anyway):

Mark W.

[UnBlinkingEye]

WHY even "import" the Beatles? We had the Beach Boys and we had Jefferson Airplane and we had The Doors...

When Beatlemania reached the U.S. we had the Beach Boys, but not Jefferson Airplane or the Doors. I lived in Las Vegas when they hit and most of us guys didn't like them at first either, then we noticed all the girls loved them, saw Hard Days Night and wished we were one of them.

[UnBlinkingEye]

I lived on the south side of Chicago and I was in grade school then, too.

We lived in Brookfield when Kennedy was assassinated, used to ride my bike to the zoo.

[jjbrouwer]

The greatest contribution the Beach Boys made to pop music was splitting up.

[NYCVirago]

And our thinking then was pretty clear and I still believe in it today: WHY even "import" the Beatles? We had the Beach Boys and we had Jefferson Airplane and we had The Doors -- any kind of music you wanted to hear, we had already! WHO THE HELL NEEDED THOSE WIMPY MOP TOPS WITH THEIR OH-SO-CUTE PRESS CONFERENCES?

It appears that your memory is faulty. *We* had the Beach Boys, but since Jefferson Airplane didn't release their first record until '65, and the Doors until '67, they weren't around at the time you were claiming (February 1964 was when the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan.)

[Dr. Eckleburg]

I usually agree with much of what you say. But I don't know what parts of the South Side you're talking about.

The South Side I was familiar with went NUTS for the Beatles with "I Want To Hold Your Hand." And it never stopped. The Doors were hip awhile later, but the Beach Boys were always considered somewhat soft. Closer to Frankie and Annette than Grace Slick.

[GB]

The Doors are without a doubt the most overrated and pretentious "major" band ever to play a note of music on this planet.