It was 50 years ago today....

@gpgr4blu, believe me, I completely understand why you feel the way you do, and wouldn't dream of challenging your opinion. The Beatles made some great Pop music, a fair amount of which I would not want to be without. And they are unquestionably amongst the three most important and influential artists in Rock 'n' Roll history (along with Elvis and Dylan). And yes, their cultural influence cannot be overstated, for better or worse. 

However ;-), in regard to songwriting, do know Paul McCartney considers Brian Wilson his favorite songwriter? I can't name a Beatles song on the level of Brian's "God Only Knows". That Lennon considered Chuck Berry his hero? That Lennon & McCartney modeled themselves on The Everly Brothers, who had the best songwriting, singing, and musicians of them all? All the above music may be from before your time, but it's what The Beatles music is based on, and is still considered superior by older guys like Dylan (who is not in awe of the 1960's).

As to singing, taste is just that. Paul was and is a pretty good singer, but great? Give a listen to Richard Manuel of The Band. John? Okay, I guess (pre-Yoko, that is). George? Pretty bad. Ringo, terrible.

Arranging? Sorry, no. That was George Martin.

The thing about The Beatles is that they were greater than the sum of their parts, at least to me. Each to his or her own! Just an alternate point of view.

So IMHO, they were not the second coming, but they were damn close.  

I'll take John Lennon with his fur jacket