Gee, I guess I made the mistake of confusing astounding sales, influence, and critical acclaim with genius. How do you explain the fact that such large numbers of their contemporaries, along with so many musicians that have come along since their demise, name them as an influence? Why would Frank Sinatra refer to "Something" as one of the greatest love songs of all time? I guess you would say luck?
The Beatles were....no one has invented a wonderful enough word yet! ;-) (And this comes from a die-hard, over-the-top Mozart fan, so I do understand music).
You're still doing apples and oranges. KISS and Alice Cooper influenced many rockers, too, but would you also call them geniuses? Or Korn? Aerosmith? Skynyrd? That word is bandied about far too frequently and undeservedly with respect to rock and pop. We ARE entitled to our opinions (even Frank Sinatra, with whom I must disagree on "Something"). Sorry I stepped on your toes.