The Greatest Band in the World?

I was recently sent a link to a Facebook group Is it possible that The Beatles are not the greatestband ever? and it got me thinking; who are 'the greatest band ever' and is there even such a band? (a little note, I am using the word band, but including single artists too.)

To answer this you've really got to think about what makes The Beatles arguably the greatest band there has ever been. They are easily the most successful British band ever, and probably the most well known band in the world, they topped the charts numerous times, at a time where to get into the top 40 you had to sell millions (unlike today, where you can probably hit 35 through just your mates buying your records). They also influenced, and still continue to influence, musicians in nearly every genre and, in their prime, they pushed the boundaries of modern popular music.

From the sales of the recent "Beatles in mono" boxset (costing nearly £200,) its obvious people are still willing to pay top dollar for their music, despite there being next to no unearthed 'new' material in decades. They're also one of the few artists (along with probably the Grateful Dead, Hendrix and Dylan) who have a near fanatical merchandise and bootleg following, any scraps of Beatles rarities are jumped on by fan communities within seconds of them surfacing. In addition to this, the hardcore of their fanbase would defend them to the death and I suspect would fly into a rage at the mere suggestion that there could possibly be a band greater than the fab four.

That seems to be the majority of the case for The Beatles recieving the greatest band ever accolade, and there could be any number of other bands in contention, far too many to name or explain. The flipside to this argument I feel is the question is there such thing as a greatest band ever? If it is fanbase, commercial success and influence by which the greatest band can be defined, then artists as wide-ranging as Jay Z, Robert Johnson and Little Richard, all could topple The Beatles.

I think it is a pretty safe bet to say The Beatles are the best British pop band ever, probably closely followed by The Rolling Stones and then Queen. However to say they are the greatest band ever, or to even assume there is such a band, is grossly simplifying the matter. I would be content as a Beatles fan with the best British pop band label I have so graciously awarded them.