There’s no debating it. The Beatles were the biggest band of the 20th century. A few outfits through the years have come close, but none have gotten bigger than The Beatles. Let’s look at a few such groups that could have rivalled the Fab Four’s success… and a few potential reasons why they didn’t quite get there.
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The Rolling Stones
The comparison between The Rolling Stones and The Beatles has been going on since the 1960s. However, when it comes down to it, The Beatles sold more in terms of albums and records.
It makes sense that The Stones never overtook the Fab Four, though both bands were enormously talented. The Rolling Stones were just a bit taboo for a broader worldwide mainstream audience, what with Mick Jagger’s on-stage gyrations and the band’s egregious rock and roll lifestyle. The Beatles were just soft enough to appeal to just about everyone.
Nirvana
This entry might be a bit controversial, but I personally believe that grunge outfit Nirvana could have gotten even bigger than The Beatles, or at least come quite close. However, that’s just my personal belief. For all I know, the music industry had changed so radically between the 1960s and 1990s that no band would even come close to the Fab Four in terms of sales and cultural success.
Still, Nirvana could have been way bigger if we hadn’t lost Kurt Cobain at the height of the band’s career in 1994. In Utero was a closer step to the radio rock that the masses wanted, and yet, it was still an enormous hit. I guess we’ll never really know what could have been.
Queen
Queen took up The Beatles’ torch in terms of being a British rock band full of talented musicians. From Brian May’s guitar chops to Freddie Mercury’s incomparable vocal range, the band could have been bigger than The Beatles. Queen did beat the Fab Four in some respects, but The Beatles still outweighed them in terms of total sales. Maybe if Freddie Mercury had a bit more time, they could have gotten there.
One Direction
Fellow British pop stars One Direction could have gotten bigger than The Beatles. One Direction breathed new life into the boy band and teen culture phenomenon. However, their music’s staying power is really nothing compared to the Fab Four. The Beatles sold hundreds of millions more records than 1D did at the height of their fame.
Plus, referencing my note about Nirvana here: The industry had changed so much from the 1960s, that One Direction overtaking the Fab Four might have been impossible. Still, they came close. Harry Styles seemed to think that his band was bigger than The Beatles. Paul McCartney, on the other hand, believed that such comparisons aren’t worth making.
“I always think it’s a little bit unfortunate when you call [a band] ‘the new Beatles,’” McCartney once said back in 2013. “It can be the kiss of death because people expect you to live up to what we did.”
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