Talk:The Beatles

Is it true...

...that they visited Otis Redding's funeral? According to a Jet publication, The Beatles "were slated to leave London to attend the funeral". But did they visited it or not? I would say no, but let's see what others say. Regards.--GoP_T^C_{N 13:16, 3 April 2012 (UTC)}

In my opinion this is a moot point. Such trivial details don't belong in the article. Cresix (talk) 00:07, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

I agree, the article is massive as it is, and not in need of trivial details such as this. — GabeMc (talk) 00:35, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

FYI, it is already included at Otis Redding#Death. GoingBatty (talk) 01:30, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

Can you please answer my question?--GoP_T^CN 08:55, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

Sorry - don't know whether they actually attended the funeral or not. GoingBatty (talk) 17:32, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

Include or not?

• The Beatles were such Stax fans that they even sent a limousine near an English airport to pick up the Stax crew (its first European tour)?
• The Beatles once visited a gig with performers including Steve Cropper and Carla Thomas. When they saw the performance, all four bowed.

This could be added into the Influence section.--GoP_T^C_{N 10:00, 4 April 2012 (UTC)}

Again, maybe this is important on the Stax article, but IMO not significant enough to mention on the Beatles article. GoingBatty (talk) 17:32, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

• The Beatles were extremely popular in the Soviet Union, but yet the Soviet Union is not even mentioned... Without the Beatles there would be no Russian rock (Kino, Aquarium, DDT, etc.)--GoP_T^C_{N 10:06, 4 April 2012 (UTC)}
• The Influence section is overall too small. I am pretty sure there is more to say then just two small sections...--GoP_T^C_{N 10:06, 4 April 2012 (UTC)}

Hi.

http://www.quoteland.com/topic/Beatles-The-Quotes/369/

Artemy Troitsky : <The Beatles, Paul, John, George and Ringo have done more for the fall of Communism than any other western institution>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1028603.stm

Milos Forman : <It sounds ridiculous but it's not. I'm convinced the Beatles are partly responsible for the fall of Communism>

Canadian-based academic Dr Yury Pelyoshonok, who grew up in the USSR in the 1960s, backs up his claim.

<The Beatles had this tremendous impact on Soviet kids. The Soviet authorities thought of The Beatles as a secret Cold War weapon>

<The kids lost their interest in all Soviet unshakeable dogmas and ideals, and stopped thinking of an English-speaking person as an enemy>

<That's when the Communists lost two generations of young people. That was an incredible impact> --Roujan (talk) 22:27, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

I disagree that the "Influence section is overall too small". It might need some adjustments, but not lengthening. Unless someone wants to create a separate "Influences" article and link it here, but if you do please first compose it in a sandbox in your user space and let everyone take a look and comment. Cresix (talk) 23:02, 4 April 2012 (UTC)

• To clarify, the Influences section of the Beatles' article deals with musicians who influenced the Beatles, not the Beatles' influence on other people, so I think you mean the Legacy section, though in that case, I still agree in principle with Cresix, unless a well-sourced and succinct graph could be prepared and discussed before addition, I reccomend a new article that can deal with this issue in more depth, versus elongating an already especially large article. — GabeMc (talk) 00:55, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

Maybe include in The Beatles' influence on popular culture? GoingBatty (talk) 02:40, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

Deceptive edit summary

I'm not sure if this is a cause for concern, but Rockerdude101 changed the genre in the info box and marked the edit as minor putting in the edit summary, "puncuation error".[1] It has since been reverted, but it looks like they were being intentionally deceptive. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 22:20, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

Definitely deceptive. I gave him a warning. Evanh2008 (talk) (contribs) 22:48, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

Good idea, deserved a warning. I reverted Rockerdude's edit and that is precisely how I interpreted his edit summary. --RacerX¹¹ Talk to me^{Stalk me} 23:44, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

Check this out. Evanh2008 (talk) (contribs) 07:54, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Certainly appears to be a sock. Here is User:Manda96's only edit to date, which ultimately resulted in this rather embarrassing looking exchange. --RacerX¹¹ Talk to me^{Stalk me} 23:24, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

London photo

removed image
Per request by User:GabeMc, who removed a photo with rationale, unexplained addition of image which resulted in sandwiched text, please take to talk. If the question is why the image was added, it's because it's one of the few semi-candid pre-invasion photos of the group, and the only such photo in the article. But if the question is how to un-sandwich text, the answer is to move the image or text.--Wikiwatcher1 (talk) 21:27, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

First, its a fair use issue, as I believe the image you added is likely copyrighted. Since I find it hard to believe this image is Public Domain, having appeared on the cover of an album. Also, there are currently three images of the band from late-63'-mid-64'. Further, the BBC image crowds the article, so I would rather swap images then add more photos to this section. I'm open to suggestions as always. As far as unsandwiching the text, I don't see how it could be done while retaining the images relevance to the surrounding text. — GabeMc (talk) 22:04, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

I agree with GabeMc. In fact, other editors may be interested in an investigation of Wikiwatcher1 (talk · contribs) at WP:Contributor copyright investigations/Wikiwatcher1. Cresix (talk) 00:31, 14 April 2012 (UTC)

Past/Current Members

How can a dissolved band even have current members, let alone two people who are no longer living? Its most accurate to say that the Beatles had six members total in their lifespan, but since they are no longer an active band, there are no current members. — GabeMc (talk) 22:30, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

I see no section labelled current members. Just as you see none of the countless threads wasted on this topic. Hot Stop 22:41, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

1) While the section does not say "current" it says "members" and "past members" implying "members" is current. 2) Past discussions matter little, consensus can change. — GabeMc (talk) 23:18, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Also, while the section is not called "Current Members" the field is, which clearly implies the field is to be used for Current Members, in this case, two of which are "currently" dead. — GabeMc (talk) 23:29, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

Further, according to Norman 2008, pp. 622–24., Lennon announced he was leaving the band on 20 September 1969, and McCartney quit on 10 April 1970,(Lewisohn 1992, p. 349.) so not only do we have two dead people in the "Members" section of the infobox, we also have an ex-band member who quit, and never rejoined. — GabeMc (talk) 00:19, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• From Wiki template

current_members

This field is only relevant for active groups. Current members of the group, listed in order of joining with no other notation than names.

past_members

This field is only relevant for groups. Past members of the group, listed in order of joining with no other notation than names. If a group is inactive, all members should be listed here, and none in the "current_members" field. If membership of the group has varied over time, it should not be noted here, but may be discussed in the article body. — GabeMc (talk) 00:41, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Correction. The public infobox says "Members." NOT "Current Members." This has been hashed over again and again and again. There was a discussion on the Infobox musical artists talk page at [2] in which it was decided upon that The Beatles were the exception to the rule as they were when they were making music all those years ago. Steelbeard1 (talk) 01:51, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Clarification ~ 1) The field is called "current members", and the other infobox section is called "Past Members", which implies "Members" is not past, but current. Steelbeard1, are you claiming that there are only two past members of the Beatles? Was Lennon a member of the Beatles when he died? 2) While I appreciate your links to prior discussions, they tend to be several years old, like the one above, which is five years old, and therefore virtually irrelevant today, consensus can, and does change, it is never written in stone. — GabeMc (talk) 02:28, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

You are missing the point, GabeMc, about the format of the infobox being used and the nature of The Beatles' lineup over the years. Yes, they are defunct and three are deceased. But the point is, THEY WERE NOT THE FAB SIX so do not confuse those who want to learn more about The Beatles from the infobox. They are John, Paul, George and Ringo and before they were famous there was Stu and Pete who were no longer with the group when they became famous. We need a new infobox format for defunct groups, but lacking one, the current formatting of the infobox is the best we can do. Steelbeard1 (talk) 01:32, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Straw Poll

The purpose of this poll is to gage current consensus as to the members sections of the Beatles infobox. I suggest we list all six ex-Beatles as "Past Members", and leave the "Current Members" field empty, as the band was dissolved in 1975, and has since not reformed. — GabeMc (talk) 23:46, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support ~ The "members" section as it now stands includes two dead people, and two people who are no longer in a band called the Beatles. The "members" section should be blank, with all six previous members in the "Past Members" section. — GabeMc (talk) 23:48, 19 April 2012 (UTC)
• This one's a tough call. Obviously there are no "members" of The Beatles anymore, but putting all six together seems to put Sutcliffe and Best on an even par with the four well-known members. Normally this would be a no-brainer "support" for me, but The Beatles may be an anomaly. How about changing "members" (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Starr) to "lineup", while leaving Sutcliffe and Best as "past members"? Joefromrandb (talk) 00:49, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Joe, the first graph of the lede handles this issue fine, so why not just follow current Wiki guidlines? — GabeMc (talk) 00:58, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

"Wikipedia is not a fansite and no exception should be made." — GabeMc (talk) 02:33, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

While I appreciate all good music, including The Beatles, I wouldn't call myself a "fan". And even if I were their biggest fan, I would never advocate editing the article from a fan's point of view. My opinion that an exception may be ideal in this case is again, based on my belief that the case of The Beatles is an anomaly. Joefromrandb (talk) 03:44, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose for the reasons that were determined when the current infobox arrangement was decided in a previous consensus. I agree that The Beatles are an anomaly in this regard. Essentially, my reason for wanting to leave it like it is, is that The Beatles as Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr were (and continue to be, even with half of them dead) one of the most pervasive influences, not only on music, but on culture in general. Sutcliffe and Best simply don't fit into that framework the way the other four do. Rather than this proposal, I would actually prefer to leave out a listing of membership altogether in any form in the infobox (but leave the photo caption); but my preference is to leave it like it is. For more details, see the several discussions of this issue in the archives. Cresix (talk) 01:11, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Good points Cresix, but I would say as far as Sutcliffe and Best, the lede and the article body make their roles very clear IMO. More importantly, how is it that Lennon could be a member of a band he quit over a decade before he died? By all accounts there were six individuals in the Beatles between 1960-1970, and none after they broke up, initially in 1970, and legally in 1975, when the partnership was dissolved by a High Court. — GabeMc (talk) 01:36, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

I'm not arguing for using "member" as defined by the infobox's parameters, or by what the High Court states is legal. If we rigidly had to follow those parameters, we wouldn't even be having this discussion; it would be an inflexible decision that would require no discussion. That is why we must have a consensus to make an exception to those parameters. My point pertains to perception. The world generally perceives The Beatles as Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr. I don't have hard statistics to prove this, but I feel quite confident that if you ask the general public who the members of The Beatles are, the response would overwhelming be those four. That may not fit into Wikipedia's way of doing things, but it is a reality. I'm saying we need an exception to the way Wikipedia usually does things. Cresix (talk) 01:52, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

I see your point on perception, and the need for discussion to determine consensus, and I agree 100%. I also agree with the assumption of the band's most famous line-up. My point here is, the lede and article do nothing but support this, so why do we need to bend Wiki guidelines at all? Is the infobox really gonna have people thinking Sutcliffe wrote "Yesterday", or Best "Octopus's Garden"? The "most famous" line-up is made perfectly clear in the first graph of the lede, isn't it? Then the second graph explains Best and Sutcliff's roles. As it stands now it implies the band is active, and I think those who want to bend guidelines have the burden of making a convincing arguement as to why. — GabeMc (talk) 02:11, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

The infobox is powerful. I think many, if not most, people first look at the infobox before reading anything in the article. I don't want any misleading first impressions. And I think placing Sutcliffe and Best on an equal standing with the other four makes a glaringly inaccurate first impression. If I were new to Wikipedia and wanted to find out more about The Beatles, if I first glanced over at the infobox and saw six Beatles listed as if all six were a part of the most famous lineup, I probably would dismiss the article as inaccurate and not bother to read it. The Beatles many times were the exception to the rule, and they continue to be. I don't think it diminishes the article, or other band articles, or Wikipedia in general to make an exception here. Cresix (talk) 02:35, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose As stated in previous discussions, the lineup of The Beatles from their first record release in 1962 to the formal breakup in 1970 had always been consistent: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They were popularly nicknamed The Fab Four. Before the group became famous, there were two earlier members when they were local stars in Liverpool and Hamburg--Stuart Sutcliffe who left the group in 1961 (and died in 1962) and Pete Best who was sacked in 1962 in favour of Ringo Starr before the Abbey Road recording sessions for their first Parlophone single. The infobox states the "members" as John, Paul, George and Ringo and the "past members" as Stu and Pete so the group could never be mistakenly called The Fab Six. Steelbeard1 (talk) 01:51, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Steelbeard1, I'm not debating their most famous line-up, this debate is about whether an article about a dissolved band with two deceased ex-members should list that "most famous" line-up as its members, in the "current members" field. Look at it this way, if you were the member of a club or organization that closed, do you remain a member, or are you a past member after dissolution? Also, FTR, the first recording session at EMI, on 4 September 1962 included Best, not Starr. — GabeMc (talk) 02:00, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

GabeMc is wrong regarding Pete Best at Abbey Road. The Best session was on 6 June 1962 and was a demo session only. "Love Me Do" from that session would eventually be issued on the double CD The Beatles Anthology 1 in 1995. After the session, Best was sacked by the band. George Martin was not happy with Best's drumming so he arranged a session drummer for the actual recording session. This was done on 11 September 1962 with Andy White on drums and Starr on tambourine. A few days earlier, the song was recorded with Ringo on drums on 4 September. Ringo's version was the debut Parlophone release on 45-R4949. George Martin substituted the White version for the Please Please Me album and that was the version released in the US in 1964. Steelbeard1 (talk) 02:33, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Steelbeard1, you're right, I did get the date wrong above, a brain fart, its 6 June not 4 September, I should have double checked, but my point was that the first session included Best, that's all, which it did. Also, Best wasn't sacked until mid-August, nine weeks after the session. — GabeMc (talk) 02:45, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Which was, again, a DEMO session with tracks recorded not intended for release. Steelbeard1 (talk) 02:57, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

According to Lewisohn, "From EMI paperwork recovered in 1991 it is clear that this session [6 June] ... was not only an audition but also a proper recording date, the Beatles first, under their 4 June contract to the company." According to Lewisohn, they performed "a large selection of material" and "four recordings were made".(1992, p=70) But you're right, they were not used commercially, so one might call them demos. — GabeMc (talk) 03:10, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support ~ A check of pages of other bands in the same situation - defunct, a classic lineup, a few less famous minor members - shows that they are all handled in the way proposed: all members listed as "Past Members". I dig the Beatles as much as the next man but Wikipedia is not a fansite and no exception should be made. -- Metalello (talk) 02:16, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Support ~ I feel consistency and precedent and good guides here so that we should list all as past and consistenly continue with the precedent Metalello points out. -- Tearaway (talk) 03:57, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Oppose there is no section called current members, people just infer that on their own. More importantly, there is no compelling argument for switching this, and doing so would just confuse readers (you know, those people we aim to serve). Hot Stop 04:03, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Right, there is no section called current members, but the fields are called "current members" and "past members", which obviously implies current to the former, and since there are only two sections, "members" and "past members", if you are not part of one group, you are clearly part of the other. Lennon was not a Beatle when he died, he was a former Beatle, therefore a past member, they are not a ghost and this is an encyclopedia, not a meta-physical fansite. As far as confusing readers, I am not spending hours writing/editing for an audience that can't even read the first five sentences of the article. — GabeMc (talk) 04:13, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Again, the average reader only sees "members" and "past members". The fields could be "dogshit eaters" and "fuckers", but they'd still see that. I don't know why you're wasting so much time (both yours and everyone else's) for such a minute detail. Hot Stop

Gabe has put in much volunteer work here, improving many articles, and I see nothing "time-wasting" about a good-faith proposal. While I don't completely agree with Gabe here, I have no doubt that his only aim is to improve the article. Joefromrandb (talk) 04:23, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Thanks Joe, @Hot Stop, please explain how one can be a member of something that does not exist, i.e. the band is defunct. You're not explaining why a defunct band should have four members listed, two of which are dead. — GabeMc (talk) 04:42, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support - The Beatles aren't special, they are just another 60's pop band and don't merit special treatment. Treat them like any other. --Matt Westwood 05:00, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Oppose The Beatles were NOT just another 1960s pop group, they had more more impact on the decade both musically and culturally than any other band-and I'm speaking as a die-hard Rolling Stones fan. I think the infobox looks good as it stands. John, Paul, George and Ringo were the members that comprised the group when it achieved international fame and imprinted itself on the collective psyche of an entire generation. Best and Sutcliffe were not part of that era.--Jeanne Boleyn (talk) 06:27, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Oppose per Jeanne Boleyn. The infobox is quite clear and correct as it is. There is no compelling reason to change it. -- Alarics (talk) 06:47, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Oppose pretty much per Steelbeard1. Question I noticed in that info box the Associated acts include: The Quarrymen, Plastic Ono Band; but do not list either Wings (band) or Traveling Wilburys - why is that? 2eschew surplusage (talk) 07:10, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Answer ~ "The following uses of this field should be avoided: Association of groups with members' solo careers, Groups with only one member in common", since both Wings and Wilbury's only have one member in common they are not associated acts, per Wiki guidelines. — GabeMc (talk) 07:30, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Other than Lennon, which of the other 3 played in the Plastic Ono band? 2eschew surplusage (talk) 07:38, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Starr played on the first POB album, Harrison played on the second (Imagine). — GabeMc (talk) 07:44, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

cool .. I didn't know that. (only skimmed the Ono Band article real fast).. thx Gabe. 2eschew surplusage (talk) 07:49, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose. The infobox sits very well as it is, with 4 members and 2 past members. That is exactly how everyone thinks of and remembers the band. I know that doing this appears to fly in the face of the guidelines for the template, but maybe that should be taken up at Template talk:Infobox musical artist. (Actually, shouldn't a link to this straw poll be placed there anyway?) Joefromrandb suggested using "lineup" above and I eagerly scanned the template page for that parameter, but it unfortunately doesn't exist. I wonder if the template guys have really thought about defunct and deceased bands and artists enough? In a sense, they are not entirely defunct while their recordings are still on sale - people buying a Beatles record today will not be wondering which of the 6 sometime-members were involved. Actually, there may be all kinds of people other than the 'fab four', and some of them may not actually be contributing, depending on the track. In a sense, 'The Beatles' and the fact that there were 4 of them, is more of a marketing image than a reality for most of the time that it existed. So, are we in a WP:IAR situation because The Beatles were unique, or are we in a situation where the template documentation needs altering to fit reality? In the modern world of synthetic popular music, I wonder what meaning 'members' has anyway. It refers to a marketing stand and a legal contract regarding royalties, not a simple public-facing fact about who made the music - session musicians, computer programmers, studio engineers, etc were all equally or more influential on the sounds we hear. The Beatles may have been one of the last bands to span that time when a popular band began on stage (just the 4 of them), and ended up in a studio (unable to perform many numbers live as so many people and effects were necessary). Most bands now begin and end in a studio, and tour with heavily pre-recorded backing. The 'current_members' field is entirely a marketing fiction for them, unless a hundred other people were included somewhere too. I think, if you look at this deeply enough, there is no real, once-and-for-all, meaning to these fields and their fieldnames, (especially when you think all the way from a string quartet to a band of rappers) and so they should be used to make each article 'look right'. Which this one does with 4 'members' and 2 'past members'. WP:IAR. --Nigelj (talk) 09:09, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Oppose. The infobox is best left as it is. Clarity for readers trumps any need to enforce "consistency" - there is sufficient justification for this article to be an exception to the usual rule. Perhaps the "rule" should be changed elsewhere so that, where a defunct band has a demonstrably best-known "classic" line-up, that should be treated separately from other ex-members. Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:17, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Suggestion. The Beatles are unique: leave out the info box. Ralph Waldo Emerson: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" jmcw (talk) 11:01, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Neutral: I really don't particularly mind which way it ends up. To summarise some of the arguments:

1. Someone who reads the article and glances at a "Past members" infobox ordered Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Sutcliffe-Best-Starr is going to come away with a misleading impression about which was the most recognisable lineup - but this would then be corrected when they go on to read the first paragraph of the article. This approach has the advantage of sticking to the documentation of Template:Infobox musical artist.
2. Someone who reads the article and glances at a "Members" infobox ordered Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starr is going to come away with a misleading impression that the group is active and not dissolved, with all four still alive. But this would then be corrected when they go on to read the first sentence which says that the Beatles "were" a band. But this has the advantage of keeping the most recognisable lineup separate from those who left before they were really famous. We'd be making an exception for this one band, but it's an exception that might be permitted under Wikipedia:Ignore all rules.

Both approaches have their flaws, so it's a bit of a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" situation.

Maybe someone ought to propose at Template talk:Infobox musical artist that a new Most recognisable past lineup of past members field should be added to the infobox? That way we could justify keeping JPGR separate, but without getting the facts wrong! ;)

OK, that's a bit of a frivolous suggestion. However, I do think it might be good to mention this issue at Template talk:Infobox musical artist. Ghmyrtle suggested above, "Perhaps the "rule" should be changed elsewhere so that, where a defunct band has a demonstrably best-known "classic" line-up, that should be treated separately from other ex-members." The template talk page would be a good place to do that.

But overall, I'm pretty neutral about what I think is quite a minor issue with no flawless solution. I think it would have been more productive if all the effort that's gone into focusing on this dispute had instead gone towards improving the body text of this article and some of the more neglected Beatles-related pages. --Nick R^Talk 12:16, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose - although the parameter is called |current_members=, the reader only sees the heading "Members". The Beatles success was with John, Paul, George, and Ringo - and the infobox properly represents this to the reader. I would support a change to {{Infobox musical artist}} to have |current_members= be changed (or aliased) to |members=, so what editors see matches what readers see. GoingBatty (talk) 12:56, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
• Neutral, but with a new idea: What about "Members: 1962-1970" and "Former Members: 1960-1962"??--andreasegde (talk) 13:48, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

A good ides, but I do not think this is possible with the current format of the infobox. Steelbeard1 (talk) 14:30, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support--But they didn't dissolve in 1975, according to the founder (John). It was before that. The change would serve to organize the information better. But this change should carry over to other bands, too. Jimsteele9999 (talk) 15:25, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

Jim, while Lennon "quit" in 1969, and McCartney in 1970, their legal partnership was not formally dissolved until 1975.(Harry 2002, pp. 139, 150) — GabeMc (talk) 00:44, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support/Oppose i support the idea for 2 reasons.

The band has ended, so whats the point in keeping them up

Many other bands have had there members moved to past members and didn't keep their line up fresh

but i oppose because

I would rather keep the line up fresh

My idea of adding rockNroll was opposed

Ericdeaththe2nd (talk)ericdeaththe2ndEricdeaththe2nd (talk)

• Support - The Beatles no longer exists as a band, so it has no members. It therefore follows that the six names in the infobox are all past members. I'd present the obvious four names in the past members section, followed by the other two guys with (195x-196x) after each name. Parrot of Doom 18:54, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support ~ The Beatles are no longer active so I believe it's appropriate to have all six names in the infobox as past members even though the band were known as the "Fab Four". Sutcliffe and Best were official members themselves. However, Sutcliffe and Best should be listed last, I think. As someone mentioned before, Wikipedia is not a fansite. TheOnlyOne12 (talk) 03:10, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Neutral ~ I agree with the person who said was should do Members from (1960-1961) etc Ericdeaththe2nd (talk) 23:50, 20 April 2012 (UTC)ericdeaththe2ndEricdeaththe2nd (talk) 23:50, 20 April 2012 (UTC)

• Comment ~ It seems most of the "oppose" votes are justified by "the Beatles were special/unique", while most of the "support" votes reject this assertion, and advise treating them as any other band. I submit that while few argue whether or not the Beatles are the best selling band, (though in fairness, sales estimates are derived from claims by Guinness via EMI, hardly a neutral source), not everyone considers them the "greatest" or "most influential", indeed many people feel they were overrated and over-hyped (though I'm not one). It seems Wiki editors want to push their ideal of the band on readers, versus presenting information in an unbiased way. Wiki is an encyclopedia based on, among other things, facts, not a meta-physical fansite built on emotions, perceptions, and sentimentality. I agree with exploring the option of a "Classic line-up" field, and I have started a thread here to discuss it. — GabeMc (talk) 00:31, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Comment - I'm not opposed to the "classic lineup" idea if that parameter could be added to the template. I disagree that most of those who oppose the change are pushing their ideal of the band. First, there are matters beyond how much someone "idealizes" The Beatles; someone can recognize their astounding influence without idealizing them or pushing a particular point of view in the article. I know lots of people who don't care much for The Beatles' music but recognize their influence. Secondly, even if an editor personally worships John Lennon (I'm exaggerating to make a point), that doesn't negate the value of the ideas that editor might have about what is the best presentation in the infobox. As I have said above, we have discussions such as this so the community's thoughts about a possible exception to the infobox guidelines can be expressed. If the community wants this infobox to follow the usual procedures for infoboxes, that's the way it will be. But if the community wants to make an exception, it's done through discussion rather than rigidly following guideline. I think most of us will respect the community's decision either way, but this type of discussion is often the way things are done here. Cresix (talk) 00:52, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

1) My point is that of the nine current "opposes", at least 7 include justifing descriptors such as unique, an exception, an anomaly, etcetera. 2) While I don't deny the relative influence of the six members, no one has yet answered how Lennon is a "member" of a band he quit a decade before he died? — GabeMc (talk) 01:16, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I think that's a semantic issue. Are we talking about who are the members (none of them obviously), or who were the members (all six of them obviously), or who were the members that the vast majority of the world recognizes as The Beatles. We could argue the semantics of this issue from now until doomsday and never resolve it. We're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole because the infobox's parameters doesn't currently have the round peg or the square hole that we need, so with that limitation we are trying to decide what is the better way do it since the perfect way does not exist. Naming all of them members isn't perfect because there are no current members. Naming four of them members and two of them past members isn't perfect because they are all past members. Naming all of them past members without differentiation between the big four and the minor two isn't perfect because that is very misleading. Our only choice is to hammer out an imperfect decision unless/until the parameters are changed. Cresix (talk) 01:37, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I disagree that its semantics at this point. Its basic logic IMO. There is a field for "current members", and there is a field for "past members", but there is no field for "Classic line-up", maybe we can get that changed, but as it stands now, the appropriate thing to do is to put all six in past members, until another more accurate option is available. I mean, there is no field for best bass player, should we parenthetically make the distinction that Paul was better than Stuart? As far as the whole "misleading the reader" arguement, if its not a strawman, its weak IMO, anyone who reads the second sentence of the article will know who composed the classic line-up, and are we really making all this effort for people who do not even read the first few sentences of the article? Wiki does not edit for the lowest common denominator, if we did, most of the language would need to be significantly dumbed down in a great number of FAs. — GabeMc (talk) 01:58, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I strongly disagree with GabeMc. It is clearly a semantics issue. We do not want to put the minor members Stu and Pete on an equal footing with John, Paul, George and Ringo. So, when dealing with the restraints of the current infobox formatting when the public infobox says "Members" and "Past Members", listing John, Paul, George and Ringo as "Members" and Stu and Pete as "Past Members" is the best way to deal with the formatting issue. Remember that the public infobox DOES NOT SAY "Current Members." Do you understnad this, GabeMc??????? Steelbeard1 (talk) 02:03, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

That's an interesting point of view. We should also then not put Ringo and George on an equal footing with John and Paul. Anyone could have done what they did, and besides, Ringo is from the Dingle. Radiopathy •talk• 02:09, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

My "semantics" comment was in reference to the words "are members" or "were members", neither of which is both semantically accurate and non-misleading (for lack of a better word). Again, there is no perfect solution without a change in parameters (which is why there is a problem in logic); we are trying to determine the better of the imperfect alternatives. I respectfully disagree that those who argue against misleading the reader are using a strawman or offering a weak argument. I think naming all six as past members without differentiation is, in fact, misleading to the reader who may be deciding whether to pursue reading the entire article after glancing at the infobox. If the line-up had changed after they achieved worldwide fame, it would not be misleading. That's not editing to the lowest common denominator; it's an attempt to encourage a reader naive about Wikipedia's quality to move beyond the infobox to actually read the article.

All of that aside, is there anyone out there who can tweak the parameters of the infobox for only one article? I recall seeing something similar done but I don't have the technical know-how to discuss it intelligently. If that's possible and agreed upon, that might be a temporary solution until the parameters can be changed. Cresix (talk) 02:24, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Steelbeard1, to clarify, yes, I do understand that the public infobox says members, absoutely, and once again, I cite logic. If there are two public sections in the infobox for band members, and one is "members" and the other is "past members", then by logic I can deduce that the "members" section implies "current" or "not past". The real issue here is that there isn't a field for "classic line-up", I'm sure we can get that fixed in time, but as of now (20 April 2012), there is no the Beatles and there are no Beatles, therefore there can be no members. So no, that's not semantics Cresix and Steelbeard1, that's basic Deductive reasoning. You, and most who oppose the proposal are using Semantics, IMO. — GabeMc (talk) 02:33, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Cresix, please explain why you think having all six ex-Beatles in the past members section of the infobox is misleading. I think its informative, if I thought there were only four I would learn something, not get confused, unless as I said above, we are writing/editing for idiots. You are trying to make the infobox explain what the article makes perfectly clear. Also, there is the image of JPGR, and the fact that no images of Best or Sutcliffe are anywhere to be found in the article. And mention of them is scant. Who are you trying to not confuse? — GabeMc (talk) 02:49, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

It's simple. DO YOU WANT STU AND PETE TO BE ON EQUAL FOOTING WITH JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE AND RINGO?????? YES OR NO???? Steelbeard1 (talk) 02:55, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Steelbeard1, the answer is no, but you are assuming that listing them all in the same box would do this, and your Argument from Consequences fallacy proves nothing, but to reduce your logic, i.e. Radiopathy's comment above, do you want to put Ringo on the same level as Lennon? — GabeMc (talk) 03:08, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

But by listing all six as "Past Members", you are implying YES!!! Should the Infobox be killed off entirely because we can't follow the constraints of its formatting???????????????? Steelbeard1 (talk) 03:57, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

You don't have to be an idiot to not know much about The Beatles and realize that there were four of them that the world generally recognizes as The Beatles. My twenty-year-old niece knew that much when she first developed an interest in "60s music", but that was about all she knew until I explained a few things to her. She's a smart young lady but uninformed about Beatles details; I think if she glanced at the infobox and saw six Beatles listed as if they were the Beatles, she would have chuckled and moved on to another source of information. You don't have to be an idiot to be misled by the infobox. Just minimally informed and aware that there may be sources of information better than Wikipedia. Cresix (talk) 03:11, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Like I said above, if I thought there were four, then I looked at Wiki and saw six names, I would learn something, and read on, not get all confused and ditch Wikipedia in haste and disgust, that's a silly arguement IMO, no offense. I'll say it one last time, this is all covered at length in the article, and made perfectly clear by the end of the second sentence. If that's confusing, then yeah, you might be an idiot, no offense to your niece. — GabeMc (talk) 03:25, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

No, not a silly argument. That may be how you would approach the article. It probably would be how I would approach it. But I think that's because we already know lots of details. I don't think that's how most people, not idiots, who are minimally informed about The Beatles would do it. I think most people, who know that there's a lot more than Wikipedia to find out information, would glance at the infobox, realize that something is wrong when six Beatles are listed as if they were the Beatles, and then move on. Cresix (talk) 03:38, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

That is an EXTREMLY SERIOUS ARGUMENT. The Infobox is a summary of what the article is about and we are dealing with the constraints of the infobox which will not be resolved anytime soon. So the current listing is the best we can do. Steelbeard1 (talk) 03:30, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

FWiW, the online Encylopedia Brittannica's brief overview describes JPGR as "principal members" with a brief mention of the other two "early members". That really is the only logical way to do this, but again, square peg and round hole. Cresix (talk) 03:19, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

There is no reason why this cannot be changed now. — GabeMc (talk) 03:25, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Once again, the template for the infobox will not be altered anytime soon. We have to deal with the way it was formatted. So the current listing should stand under these circumstances. Steelbeard1 (talk) 03:30, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

By "changed now", do you mean the terminology used in the infobox (e.g., "principal members")? If so, I'm curious, how? If you mean change all of them to "past members", I disagree and would prefer to leave out naming members altogether. Cresix (talk) 03:33, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

See the old discussion at [3]. Steelbeard1 (talk) 03:36, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

See the new discussion, which might prove more succsessful, with the increased support it now has. Join in here. — GabeMc (talk) 04:11, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Comment The template in its current form simply does not work for this topic. We currently have "Members" and "Past Members" as the headings. That's just stupid, because obviously they're all past members, especially the dead ones. However, for a historical group it's perfectly valid to have a heading saying "Members", which is what the Infobox field "Current members" generates. The word "current" does not appear. What we need for this article are headings saying "Members" and "Earlier members". HiLo48 (talk) 01:08, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I quote you, from above, "obviously they're all past members", which is my point exactly, so why are we taking such great lengths to re-inventing the wheel here? because the Beatles are special? — GabeMc (talk) 01:16, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

The Beatles were a group that is still very well known, but which no longer exists. That the Infobox forces us to put any names at all in a field it calls "Current members" shows how inappropriate that Infobox is for this group, and for any other group that no longer exists. It's square-peg-in-round-hole stuff. Dumb. HiLo48 (talk) 01:22, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Yes, I agree in principle, but why then, should we put any names into the "members" section for a group that no longer exists? Can you make a good arguement against putting all six names in "Past Members" that does not involve a form of special exception for this band because people love them so much? If not why not? Why should we treat the Beatles different than any other defunct band? I could argue that The Jimi Hendrix Experience had an equally significant influence on modern rock. — GabeMc (talk) 01:34, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I think we're actually in fierce agreement here. All now defunct bands important enough to be in Wikipedia should be treated pretty much the same. We should list the "Members" (not "Past members"), meaning those who were major members during the band's period of major success and notability. For the Beatles that's easy. It's John, Paul, George and Ringo. The other two guys come under some other heading. For the Beatles, "Earlier members" would work. We have to find a way around dumb Infoboxes to present reality to the readers. HiLo48 (talk) 02:58, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Unfortunately, an earlier attempt to alter the infobox for the same reason we've been hashing about over and over and over again got rejected. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_talk:Infobox_musical_artist/Archive_9#Former_members}. Steelbeard1 (talk) 03:05, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for the link. I've haven't read a bigger pile of garbage for quite some time. Do those idiots live under rocks? They certainly don't live in the real world. Infoboxes are one of Wikipedia's ugliest features. HiLo48 (talk) 03:24, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support - I said at Pink Floyd some time ago that I never liked the way it was done here, and I'm glad it's finally being pursued down to the finest minutiae. It was never an accurate detailing of the members/past members/dead members. It, and not The Beatles, was the anomaly. The infobox is there to provide an accurate summary for the reader who is not familiar with the topic, not to please the eccentricities of the topic's devotees. Please keep the discussion rolling! Radiopathy •talk• 01:35, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Pink Floyd is an excellent illustrative case. PF had a well-known classic line-up, but also one founding member whom many would consider essential in setting the group's direction, but who left early and had nothing to do with the group's major releases. And the infobox...lists them all as "Past members". So is it written, so should it be done. - Metalello (talk) 04:09, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support - this is a no-brainer, really. There are no current members, and the field is for current members. 'nuff said! (Thanks to Gabe for notifying about this discussion.) Evanh2008 (talk) (contribs) 03:28, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

So, you want all six listed as past members? I'm a Beatles generation person. When I talk about bands from that time I say "The members of the band were..." I would never say "The past members were..." And sometimes I'll say "X and Y were also occasional members." We need to find a way to put that kind of natural language in the Infobox, rather than the garbage that gets generated now. HiLo48 (talk) 04:26, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I can sympathize with your desire for an organic kind of structuring for this sort of thing, but until there is a viable solution agreed to in that regard, I don't think we have any option but to list them all as past members, as that's what they are. The idea that a defunct group can have anything other than past members is a logical fallacy. Everyone also needs to keep in mind that the infobox is not a place to give clear-cut information anyway; it exists, like the lede, primarily for assembling important facts about the band in one place for quick reference. It collates information already given in the article The issue of what line-up constitutes the most well-known one becomes clear once you read the first two sentences of the article. Evanh2008 (talk) (contribs) 05:37, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose This reminds me of the smartphone commercial where, to make the point of how fast you can do all sorts of things with it, everything anybody relates about what has happened, his neighbor says "so two seconds ago". "Past members" is to indicate band members who are not in the most recent iteration of the band. The most recent iteration of the band is 40 years ago, and for the entirety of its success during the life of the band and since the members people hear and know of as the Beatles are four guys. That's who the Beatles are in the sense that any record or CD or video you put on those are the guys you are going to hear and see, and any discussion of the players and their contributions are going to be these four. The footnote of these two early members to the public's experience of the group has certainly captured the imagination of many in an outsized way, in a what-could've-been way, but presenting their names in a single section of an infobox is not what an infobox is for, as in to present information. Forget what this or that section is called (because the point of Wikipedia is that we're just a couple discussions away from being able to put that in the past tense too) and think about what the distinct sections are intended to inform the reader about at a glance. For an extant band that has had several iterations over the decades (as virtually every decades-running band does), it's indicating that the most recent incarnations of the group do not include these in this secondary category, even if they are the members most associated with the act, but rather the members in the primary category, who are the ones you're likely to be reading about in current news items and who are the ones whose careers are associated with the act of late. Abrazame (talk) 06:00, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

You are asking the infobox to explain what only the article can. They are all past members, because the group is defunct, its that simple. — GabeMc (talk) 06:12, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

You are focusing solely on the wording "Past members" and ignoring the wording of the other section, which does not say "Current members". It says "Members". As in "This is who (notable group) are". But for the curiosity of historical prologue, Sutcliffe and Best are not "Members" of The Beatles as in the band notable enough to have their own article at Wikipedia. On the other hand, "Past members" serves (and states it is there) to indicate band members from a prior iteration of the band. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr are not a prior iteration of The Beatles—those four are what by any measure are The Beatles, and this is especially true in a box intended to quickly impart info. Glomming the other two names in with these four is not an accurate presentation of this info. Abrazame (talk) 06:34, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

On the other hand, every other defunct band on Wikipedia, without a single exception that I have found, has all members, whether from the latest iteration or not, listed as "Past members". That's the current usage. There is no strong reason to make an exception for the Beatles. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Metalello (talk • contribs) 06:43, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

No, the Beatles should not be an exception. They should be the rule. (Well, the way they are described should be the rule.) Nobody describes ALL members of a defunct band as "Past members" in normal conversation. Nor should Wikipedia. And don't tell me the template can't cope. Fix it. HiLo48 (talk) 07:22, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Then answer this, is Lennon a Beatle or was he a Beatle, because he himself seemed to think that post-1970, he was not a Beatle, was he wrong? He used past tense to decribe when he was a Beatle. Would you ask someone "who are the members of the Beatles" or "who was in the Beatles?" See the problem with tense. — GabeMc (talk) 07:27, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Yes, that usage is quite normal, but it's not normal usage to describe members of a defunct band as past members. HiLo48 (talk) 07:41, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

That fact is not an occurrence in nature, or an act of God, it's the result of someone/s acting on what many in this thread consider a faulty perspective, at least when viewed through the prism of the distinction they see is important to make and a reasonable use of the distinction in the infobox. Every other defunct band on Wikipedia that I can think of has happened to have the same members throughout the duration, so all the names would have been in the same category whatever you called it. This very argument at The Beatles is precisely why one would understand the value of making such a distinction—or, conversely, the lack of value in automatically lumping Sutcliffe and Best in with the rest of the Beatles.

Let me take it from this angle: it's 1968 and Wikipedia magically exists (in print form). Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best are listed under "Past Members" and the other four under "Members". This is the way it has been since 1962 (1961 in the case of Sutcliffe if I understand correctly) and the way it will be for another year or two. The entirety of the band's notability—the threshold, after all, for an article that then elevates otherwise non-notables Sutcliffe and Best into an encyclopedia—"Members" have been the four on the records, in the movies, on tour, et al. "New" music is released in 1995 and 1996, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love", wherein the members of the band rising up the charts and heard on the radio are the four. They are not past members if they are actively in new release with material written and performed together (regardless of when); there is no grounds to consider that Lennon is not a member of The Beatles tearing up the Hot 100, despite the fact that he has passed away. Yet Sutcliffe and Best are not. What is the Beatles anyway, when they give up touring and become, effectively, a recording artist, that they are not when those notable recordings hit the Top 5 on the charts?

That's what I meant about the TV commercial: everything we are entitled to add to Wikipedia is "past", by virtue of the fact that it has to have happened and been published or reported or what-have-you; and yet, while we may write using the past tense, the very point of writing about the things is to associate the subjects with the notability. Someone is not a former victim. When people talk about the Reagan Administration, they don't use the terminology that these are former or past members, the assumption is made—as we do with the part of the Beatles' infobox that indicates the "Years active"—that the reader understands they are reading about something in the past, and then they list them, and the dates they were active members. The only way I can see combining all "six members of the Beatles" (come on) as a presentation of information, rather than pedantic obfuscation, is if we append the names with the years active, following precedent in the political articles. Abrazame (talk) 07:13, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

• Comment Change the infobox template. There are a lot of defunct bands all of whose members are "past". Get some kind of "recognised classic line-up" field in there, and a field for "previous members" (and maybe even one for "later members" for those bands that re-formed with a slightly different line-up). If an infobox template doesn't fit our needs, we change the template, not try to make what we do fit it! It's like the gory version of Cinderella at the moment, with people cutting off toes and slicing bits off their feet to try and make them fit into the glass slipper. (Which incidentally, should have been an ermine slipper (vair) and not the similar-sounding verre (glass) from the French Cendrillon. There, I bet you didn't know that ...) Pesky (talk) 07:36, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

The last attempt to change the infobox template was rejected. The new proposal to change the template at [4] is developing into a discussion almost as long as this one. Steelbeard1 (talk) 12:14, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Proposed solution

How about this variation of a proposal from IllaZilla, its certainly not confusing: — GabeMc (talk) 07:59, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

The Beatles
Past members	1960–1970 John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison 1962-1970 Ringo Starr 1960–1961 Stuart Sutcliffe 1960–1962 Pete Best

What is the aim of this supposed to be, to make people feel better? Because there's no logic or information being connoted by the presence of a space between the four names at the top and the two at bottom. This is still called an info box. How about we present some info, as I suggested immediately above, and list the members chronologically by their membership with the years of their membership listed in parentheses afterward, as we do when, for example, discussing the service of a presidential administration? Abrazame (talk) 07:36, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

No, it's not normal usage to describe members of a defunct band as past members. HiLo48 (talk) 07:41, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I am not the person proposing the above solution, my comment above is in disagreement with it; the person proposing failed to sign the proposal. I agree that the four famous Beatles should not be shunted to a box headed "Past members" as if they were replaced, which is what the distinction between the two boxes was intended to convey. Abrazame (talk) 07:56, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

It seems reasonable to me. I need to have it explained exactly what the problem is that HiLo48 and Abrazame have with this. Surely a defunct band can only have "past members"? Of course they should be shunted into a box headed "Past members", they are no longer in the Beatles, having all voluntarily left the Beatles. An analogy: Gary Wisker was a "past member" of Fields of the Nephilim during their "classic lineup". But he was not replaced as they never got another sax player. So to insist that "past members" should always imply that the member was replaced is a too simplistic view of the universe.

I wonder whether all those objecting to the "past member" suggestion are living in wishful-thinking la-la land whereby they think the Beatless somehow are still going on, a bit like how the simpleminded think of Jesus Christ. --Matt Westwood 10:48, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

No, and don't be so fucking rude and demeaning!!!!! Read what I have bloody well said, turn your fucking brain on, and try a little harder to understand!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody ever says "The Beatles were a band whose past members were John, Paul, George and Ringo". They say "The Beatles were a band whose members were John, Paul, George and Ringo." Get it? Or do I have to put it in even smaller words? HiLo48 (talk) 11:12, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Matt, please try to comment on suggestions and proper application of policy and not on editors. No one has tried to pretend that the Beatles still exist, and I think we're all mature enough to talk this through like adults. Let's all try to have some patience and talk this through in a civilized fashion. Evanh2008 (talk) (contribs) 13:49, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

It seems obvious that this is not going to work out and considering constraints we have with the current formatting of the infobox. Let's keep it the way it has been. It's simple and easily understood. Agsin, the fact that the group is defunct and three members are deceased is irrelevant when we are trying to summarise the infobox. Steelbeard1 (talk) 13:58, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Idiotic comment. If it was simple and easily understood, we wouldn't be having this discussion. HiLo48 (talk) 16:51, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Are you nuts??? Do you seriously want to put Stu and Pete on equal footing with John, Paul, George and Ringo?????? If we can't resolve it, let's kill the infobos altogether. Steelbeard1 (talk) 17:26, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

To make all of this as complicated as possible :) here is my rank ordering of preferences (from most preferred to least preferred): (1) leave the infobox as it is right now; (2) remove all reference to members in any form (current or former) but leave everything else the same, with the proviso that if the template's parameters are changed we consider those changes; (3) no infobox but place the image in approximately the same location; (4) the proposed solution in this subsection with the current image in the infobox placed as close as possible. Cresix (talk) 14:41, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

What's wrong with the above proposal? Its not confusing, and it makes clear which members were in the band during which years, I thought the main arguement against was clarity, well that's not an issue with this solution. — GabeMc (talk) 23:44, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

I have to admit I had to think hard about whether your version would be preferable to no infobox, and on reflection I think it might be. I really didn't mean to suggest that there is anything wrong with it; it's just not my preference. Most of all I prefer that there is no suggestion that there is no distinction between JPG&R and the other two. That extra space in your version helps, but not enough in my opinion. In the absence of a change in the template's parameters, I could live with it though if that's the consensus. Cresix (talk) 00:17, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Cresix, to clarify, I am proposing a full infobox, I just only copied the relevant part here, but the infobox would contain all the info it currently does. — GabeMc (talk) 00:23, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, and understood. I still prefer the current infobox if the parameters can't be changed. But as I said, I can accept your version. Cresix (talk) 00:26, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

I think we can forget about changing the parameters, this solution requires no change, yet still conveys the core line-up of JPGR while not disregarding Pete and Stu, and not misleading readers into thinking there are members of a band that's been defunct for over 42 years. — GabeMc (talk) 00:29, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Straw Poll II

• POLL 2 IS CLOSED PLEASE SEE POLL 3 BELOW — GabeMc (talk) 02:22, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

I propose the above solution to our problem, which solves all outstanding issues as far as I can see. — GabeMc (talk) 00:32, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support ~ This solution delineates JPG&R from Stu and Pete while making all members past. — GabeMc (talk) 00:32, 22 April 2012 (UTC)
• Oppose - This does not reflect the proper sequence of when each member joined The Beatles. Why put Ringo above Stu and Pete and Ringo was the last Beatle to join the group? The best way is the way it always has been with "Members" being John, Paul, George and Ringo" and "Past Members" Stu and Pete. Also, the blank space needs to be explained to the uninitiated. The long-standing format is perfectly understandable to the uninitiated. Steelbeard1 (talk) 00:58, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, why put Ringo above Best, you tell me, that's what you want to do isn't it? Isn't that the status quo? Isn't Ringo listed above Best and Stu right now? They are all past members Steel, how can you even debate that? — GabeMc (talk) 01:15, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

I need a sledge hammer to deal with your thick head, GabeMc. For the umpteenth time, the public infobox says "MEMBERS" for John, Paul, George and Ringo amd "PAST MEMBERS" for Stu and Pete. Even a total idiot would understand this as the infobox also says the band was active from 1960 to 1970. So it would be obvious that the band is defunct from the years active. Steelbeard1 (talk) 01:22, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Yet you cannot answer the simple question, why does a defunct band have any members at all? — GabeMc (talk) 01:38, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Also, there is already an entire article devoted to the minutae of the Beatles members line-ups, List of members of bands featuring members of The Beatles. — GabeMc (talk) 01:45, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

• Partial Support ~ Why not have the members listed in order of joining, as is done with every other band, but with years active listed to the right of (not below) each name. And make this the new standard for all bands. Metalello (talk) 00:57, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Comment ~ This is the first Wikipedia discussion I've taken part in and I am shocked and stunned by the level of personal vindictiveness on display from all sides. We're constructing the first global encyclopedia, I would have expected a touch more decorum. Metalello (talk) 01:22, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose - I really prefer Metalello's idea of "members listed in order of joining" (preferably with begin and end dates where possible). For years as a music journalist since the late '80s I have become used to that as a standard used in pre-Wikipedia reference works, like the Rolling Stone rock encyclopedias and other reference works, like band bios encompassing such history. Also, this makes the personnel akin to a timeline natural to compare to a chronological discography or gigography. Tearaway (talk) 01:03, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Tearaway, this is an attempt to compromise, and what you and Metalello suggest would be even more difficult to acheive consensus on, IMO. What I don't understand is why you supported moving all six members into Past but that you oppose this compromise. — GabeMc (talk) 01:07, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oppose - list all as past members; if any one wasn't aware of Pete or Stu prior to coming to the article, the wikilinks will guide them to further reading. Radiopathy •talk• 01:58, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

But then you are opposing making the infobox more accurate than it is now, and why do you think we could earn consensus on that? Should I start a third poll? — GabeMc (talk) 02:08, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Query

Why is it not worth the effort to add to the infobox template's parameters to increase its flexibility and precision? I did so last year with Template:Infobox historic site with happy results. I understand any move to add to the parameters for this widely used infobox may meet with more resistance, but it might also meet with widespread support. Is the consensus view here that it's not worth trying?—DCGeist (talk) 00:42, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

DC, discussions there have hit a brick wall, starting in August of last year. This solution requires no change to the template, and its accurate and informative without being misleading or POV in any way. — GabeMc (talk) 01:02, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

DC here is a link to last year's discussion on altering the template, and here is a link to the current discussion. — GabeMc (talk) 01:19, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Straw Poll III

Lets see how much support this one gets. — GabeMc (talk) 02:19, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

I added this tag to generate an outside perspective on this issue, of how to convey the band members information in the most neutral and accurate way possible using the parameters available to us. — GabeMc (talk) 02:45, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support ~ I think its more informative, neutral, and accurate than the current infobox. — GabeMc (talk) 02:19, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

The Beatles
Past members	John Lennon 1960–70 Paul McCartney 1960–70 George Harrison 1960–70 Stuart Sutcliffe 1960–61 Pete Best 1960-62 Ringo Starr 1962-70

• Leave it - it's gone on just a bit long already. Radiopathy •talk• 02:26, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

What? You were egging it on above, are you serious? At least take a stance after a fellow editor has made the effort, and listened to your suggestions. — GabeMc (talk) 02:30, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

FTR, 25 hours ago you said, "Please keep the discussion rolling", now the proposed change is exactly as you suggested. Are you playing some kind of game Radio? — GabeMc (talk) 02:35, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

• Support - It's clear, readable, and most importantly, accurate. Evanh2008 (talk) (contribs) 02:28, 22 April 2012 (UTC)
• Oppose as it gives equal footing to minor members Stu and Pete which I strongly oppose. Steelbeard1 (talk) 02:59, 22 April 2012 (UTC)