As is often the case, MR Bodkin has a contrarian view of the titular question. I present three (No surprise there. - Three is, as previously noted, the number of completion.) possible shark hurdling scenarios for the Fab Four.
1) John Meets Yoko: One favorite villainess in the Beatles universe is Yoko Ono. Once John stuck his head in that ceiling and saw "Yes", the Yoko-haters proclaim, the shark was under the Beatles' skis. All else that is evil in the Beatleverse followed from that moment.
2) Beatles get too far into drugs: I considered stopping with that; but I need practice typing on my laptop keyboard, so I decided to elaborate. John lost interest and became more introverted as he explored his psyche chemically. Paul lost restraint and became more aggressive in his attempts to be the leader of the band as John abdicated. George lost some of his worldliness and any willingness to play the part of Paul's young protege. (As an aside, LET'S GET "LET IT BE" OUT ON DVD!) Ringo, as near as I can postulate, had nothing to lose.
3) MR Bodkin's answer is ... TA TA: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Really. I'm not kidding. The album that has been so hailed and sanctified!
Ask yourself honestly all ye Beatles fans. Is there really even one song on this album that is a great rock-and-roll song? Any kind of R&R song at all? Any kind of great song at all? Leaving R&R aside, MR Bodkin likes "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and thinks it is a very good song even though it is not R&R. On side 2, "A Day in the Life" has some merit in a soap opera sort of way: but, seriously, "Fixing a Hole", "When I'm Sixty-Four", "Lovely Rita"???? MR Bodkin is a HUGE John Lennon fan and, in addition to "Lucy", appreciates Lennon's contributions to the album. Harrison's "Within You Without You" is arguably the best song on the album. McCartney's contributions would not have gotten a listen if released without the Beatles' imposing musical imprimatur. They are Tin-Pan-Alley McCartney and, frankly, not the best McCartney TPA. Even the weakest "silly love songs" of "The Cute Beatle" are better!
MR Bodkin loves Abbey Road and Let It Be. We probably could not have had these not-actually-R&R treasures if not for this non-com indulgence album: but MR Bodkin is convinced that The Beatles peaked as a R&R band with two of the great R&R albums, Rubber Soul and Revolver.
The factors addressed in 1 and 2 above were clearly part of the gestalt, but ...
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was the shark!
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