Reply #58: I guess you haven't read much about the Beatles early years. [View All]

The Beatles learned how to become a great band playing gigs in Germany.
They played for drunken abusive crowds 8 to 10 hours a night, 7 nights a week, for months.

These weren't lounge gigs.
They were expected to "mach shau", or rock out as hard as possible all the time.

The Hamburg dockworkers who were regulars always demanded that the band drink with them.
Under the influence of large quantities of alcohol and little, if any, sleep the lads started doing speed just to be able to play.

They also had to learn a shitload of material. This was probably one of the main reasons they became such great writers.

The Stones weren't the only ones pulling groupies, doing drugs, and getting arrested. (Paul was charged with arson and deported for setting a fire in their room.)

The whole lovable, wholesome, matching suits thing came later and was Brian Epstein's marketing idea.