Their first commercial album as a group was from what, early 1963? That'd have put them at about ~21 years old or so. I wouldn't expect 'em to be the best ever at that age. Maybe not at any age; large-scale success always does occur as a result of luck as much as skill. The very first song from their first album, "I Saw Her Standing There," particularly seemed to be a bit of a handful for them. I've never heard a live version of it played with the full depth of the studio recording (although the Washington Coliseum version from Feb. '64 was excellent in its own way).
Regardless of their skills as players, their success and continuing influence as a group speaks for itself.
Danth
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