As A Performing Group, The Beatles Began

The Early Bob Dylan Was Compulsively Drawn To The Conflict Between Stability And The Search For Immortality.

While The Beatles Always Had George Martin Around To Clean Up Their Act, The Rolling Stones Had Andrew Loog Oldham To Coarsen Theirs.

It Is By Now Beyond Question That Elton John Is A Competent And Classy Entertainer. Few People Who Have Achieved His Popularity Have Succeeded In Maintaining His Standards For Performance And Professionalism.

In The End, The Sign Of Aretha Franklin's Artistry Is That She Always Leaves Her Mark - First, On The Music, Then On Us.

Elton John Can Be A Master Of The Sleight Of Hand. The Arrangements Make It Seem Like There Are Substantial Melodies Underneath The Tracks - But Almost Nothing Demands Repeated Listenings. Similarly, He Always Sounds Like He's Singing Up A Storm, But His Voice Glosses Over The Material, Reducing Most Things To An Uninteresting Sameness.