As the Beatles broke several music sales records and charted numerous times during their careers, the term is typically used by record reviewers, rock and pop music fans, and members of the media as a form of praise; it is only occasionally used to mean that an act is too derivative of the Beatles or similar acts of the 1960s. Typical hallmarks of Beatlesque bands include:
A strong, well-crafted melody, rarely driven by a riff
A focus on vocal performance, featuring distinctive singing styles and vocal harmony
A "fresh", eclectic, and innovative approach to composition and performance, often featuring arrangements or instruments unusual to the format of the conventional pop song
Elements of psychedelic music, especially reminiscent of the Beatles' work during the period of 1967-1970
Strong songwriting, with intelligent, profound, and accessible lyrics
High standards of production, resulting in a very "clean" sound
Not all of the Beatles' songs fit into this formula; for example, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" has very simple, straight-forward lyrics, and "Day Tripper" is a purely riff-driven song. Adherence to a few of the criteria, plus some passing resemblance in tone or voice, is often enough, however, to be labeled into this varied genre.
Some bands and artists considered to be "Beatlesque" are listed below. The list is supplemented by an informal publication of the Usenetnewsgrouprec.music.beatles on Beatlesque bands. It should be noted that some bands, especially inferior contemporaries, consciously attempted to mimic the Beatles' sound. For the most part, the artists below tend to have talent which stands on its own merit.
Recorded the Paul McCartney composition "Come and Get It" for an early hit, in much the same way that the song was demoed to them. George Harrison, too, worked with Badfinger, not only producing much of their music but also contributing the slide guitar solo on their song "Day After Day." George Martin, Geoff Emerick, Chris Thomas , and Mal Evans, all of whom worked heavily with The Beatles, also worked with Badfinger (all but Martin produced them). Badfinger was sometimes accused of being too derivative. They were on the Beatles' Apple Records label.
Band members have remarked that they were heavily influenced by the Beatles. Frontman Jeff Lynne later produced George Harrison's Cloud Nine album, worked with him on the Traveling Wilburys albums, and completed Harrison's final work Brainwashed; Lynne also produced the new songs for the Beatles' own Anthology. Also, George Harrison has reportedly stated that if the Beatles stayed together, they would have sounded like ELO.
Though only a few of his songs would be considered Beatlesque, Joel has admitted that the Beatles were his chief inspiration for becoming a musician, and a clear Beatles influence is evident on his Glass Houses album..
Canadian band of the early 1970s whose sound was so reminiscent of the Beatles that rumors were started that the band was actually the Beatles reformed under a different name.
Dutch group of session players who in the 1980s recorded authentic covers of Beatles songs for a "medley" played against a disco beat. More derivative than Beatlesque.
Even though their songs are in the Japanese language, several of their songs, including "Particia" and "Scent of Sweet", have sounded remarkably Beatlesque.
Their album Skylarking , produced by Todd Rundgren (above), is particularly cited for the adjective. Even more so are their recordings as The Dukes of Stratosphear, which are deliberately reminiscent of the psychedelia of the 1960s.
