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Beatles' Music Crosses Generations

Variety, 8/24/09

Abstract:

The upcoming and very welcome reissue of the Beatles' canon Sept. 9 in digitally remastered form is an inspiring event -- and, to borrow the words of President Obama, presents us with a "teachable moment" about one of the unspoken prejudices that still plague us. We have rightly refuted racism, sexism and ageism. But still rampant in society is the pointless notion that judges the value of a work by when it was created as distinct from its inherent value. I call this foolishness "dateism."

The entertainment industry's obsession with the youth market and its misperception that the young will only like things that are new can be mostly blamed -- this in the face of overwhelming evidence that what today's savvy kids are drawn to does not necessarily carry an expiration date. Try telling a teenager that he/she shouldn't be listening to Hendrix or Zeppelin. This especially applies to the Fab Four's music.

For the work of the Beatles -- like all great creations from Shakespeare's plays to Dickens' novels to Beethoven's symphonies -- should be appreciated for its intrinsic qualities and not whether it seems "old-fashioned" or mired in "nostalgia."

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