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How Good Were The Beatles as Musicians? Listen Closely

Shadows of The Beatles

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They wrote extraordinary songs. But how good were The Beatles when it came to playing them?

Listen closely to John’s rhythm guitar, Paul’s inventive bass and range of instruments, George’s growth as a lead guitarist, and Ringo’s unmistakable feel. Through live performances and recordings, we explore what each musician brought to the sound—and what happened when all four played together.

❤️ Enjoy our Beatles films? You can support Val & Gary on Patreon from $3 a month, with personal stories, archive photographs, behind-the-scenes extras and our own music. Our first song, “English Sun,” is now available to both paid tiers.
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From “You Can’t Do That” and “Taxman” to the rooftop and beyond, the best evidence is in the music.

What’s the performance that proves it for you? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe to Shadows of the Beatles for more stories and close listens. Our “How Good Were The Beatles…?” series also explores their live performances and voices, with harmonies and songwriting to come.

Visual note: The opening stadium sequence imagines how The Beatles’ music might look on a modern concert stage. It’s a creative setting, not a concert that actually took place. All footage of The Beatles themselves is real.

00:00 You Can’t Do That — opening
00:44 Were The Beatles ordinary musicians?
01:28 John Lennon: Rhythm and lead guitar
02:42 Paul McCartney: Bass, guitar and piano
03:58 George Harrison: A musician’s evolution
05:46 Ringo Starr: Playing for the song
07:04 The magic of playing together
07:26 How good were The Beatles as musicians?
07:41 Twist and Shout at Shea Stadium

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From our book Shadows of the Beatles: A Transatlantic Memoir of Love — true stories of music, memory, and connection across time.
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20 Comments

@shadowsofthebeatles Creator 2 days ago Pinned

Which Beatles performance best shows how good they were as musicians? We’d love to hear your choices! 🎸🥁

Help us keep these films coming ❤ Join Gary & Val on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ShadowsOfTheBeatles

@jamesrothery9209 4 days ago

There have been lots of great bands over the last sixty years, and then there was the Beatles

@voiceofreason7856 3 days ago

They are SO good that we're STILL talking about them, and analyzing their
incredible music 56 YEARS after they broke up, while other groups of the
era broke up, years ago, too, and got mostly forgotten.

@Skedawg88 4 days ago

Tom Petty said, "There were The Beatles and then there's everybody else,"

@dennisd3 4 days ago

They were a great live band. Polished performers, tight harmonies all with no fall back monitors or in ears.

@ChuckFleming-x4b 3 days ago

David Gilmour said The Beatles weren't a band, they were a miracle.

@Swaant 3 days ago

A documentary like this let me realize that we were completely unaware of the musical wonder that we simply enjoyed as part of our youth ! Forever thankful for each song with 77 yrs now !

@geezee1579 4 days ago

The Beatles took the world by storm in 1964 when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and no one looked back after that.

@graniterhythm53 4 days ago

They came into the sixties from a different era - they were all rock 'n' roll musicians really, & by far the best of their generation!

@geoffreybishop3853 3 days ago

I must have heard each song hundreds of times I am still in awe of their talent and ability to write such wonderful music. I am 81 i lived through it all. It brings back my lifetime memories and gives me great pleasure

@Glicksman1 3 days ago

Musical virtuosity is not playing every note you can. It is choosing just the right notes to play or not to play in order to best serve the song. In this, all four of The Beatles were true masters and virtuosos.

@Mark-j7c3d 3 days ago

With have the gift of hindsight now and 60 years later, the Beatles is our times Mozart, Bach and Beethoven all rock and rolled into one.

@trep5372 3 days ago

I grew up with the Beatles thanks to my big sister. When I was 10 years old and before the Sullivan appearance, she was listening to a local radio station that played a Beatles song every hour. I’m so glad I grew up with the Beatles. George Harrison is exactly 10 years older than me. I love watching YouTube stories about the Beatles.

@johnparton2209 3 days ago

No one comes near them or ever will simply the greatest

@mjblane 3 days ago

I was lucky enough to see them, live, in Chicago, August 1966.
Couldn't hear them very well, but WOW!

@itslikethesamebutdifferent8020 3 days ago

They may not have been virtuosos in their instruments but they were great musicians. It’s what happens after playing 8 hours a night, night after night, around the club scene in Hamburg. They were tight.

@emmettpeels8958 3 days ago

It was a miracle, a combination of talent, musicianship, great vocals and singing - bravo beatles

@scally1969 3 days ago

Were there more accomplished musicians around when the Beatles were at their height. Sure there were. But what the Beatles individually brought to the table, was the ability to write and serve the songs. That when they played together, that magic made music that's not only unforgettable but timeless. And long may it stay so

@chriscronshaw9437 2 days ago

I was lucky enough to be a teenager when their first record was released. No band then or since has come near to the music they produced and all of it has stood the test of time. I am sure that "Yesterday" still holds the record for the most recorded song by other artists.