Originally Posted by kane

Greatness only comes along every so often. You can't expect every band to be the Beatles. How many bands were around at the same time the Beatles were that recorded albums, maybe had a hit or two and then disappeared? Hundreds. There were thousands of completely disposable records made by bands few ever heard of in the 50's, 60's and 70's. There are also bands out there that are great and are making great music and none of us has ever heard of them for some reason or another. The Beatles were a once in a generation, perhaps once in lifetime situation.

Yes, gone are the days when record labels developed talent and let them hone their skills, but even if those days still existed it doesn't mean there would be another Beatles.

Oh, and the Beatles formed in 1960. They released a single in 1962 "Love me Do" and their first full length album in 1963 which had iconic hits on it like the aforementioned "Love me Do," "Twist and Shout" and "I Saw Her Standing There". I wouldn't necessarily quantify 2-3 years of playing together as "playing for years." Genius is genius. All the practice in the world can't create that.