The Beatles

They were the greatest and most important act of the rock era, and introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century. They were among the few artists of any authority that were at the same time the best at what they did, and the most popular at what they did. Steadily creative and experimental, the Beatles grabbed a hold of the international mass notice in 1964 and never let …

…also unmatched in their eclecticism, willing to borrow from blues, popular standards, gospel, folk, or whatever seemed appropriate for their musical dream. Producer George Martin was the perfect foil for the group, refining their ideas without tinkering with their cores; during the last half of their career, he was very important for his ability to interpret their concepts into arrangements that required difficult orchestration, ground-breaking applications of recording technology, and an ever-widening array of instruments.