The Beatles or The Beach Boys

[Miles]

The Beach Boys had Pet Sounds and Smile, two of the greatest achievements in the history of pop music. Brian Wilson was definitely too brilliant for his own good, and in the end he collapsed under the weight of his most ambition project.

The Beatles' early stuff was great tight pop. Most of everything from Rubber Soul onward was pop genius piled on more genius coupled with a creative and innovative streak unmatched since, culminating in Revolver and Sgt. Pepper, which surpass even Pet Sounds and Smile, no paltry feat.

The Beatles win, but that's not to say the Beach Boys at their best weren't seminal. Whoever voted for the Beach Boys could potentially argue for them, since Pet Sounds preceded the Beatles' best works.