if heartbreak hotel worked, they would have found another paul and john that they basically did in the stones. people are either one of each, the beatles didn't have the american black influence from the blues and improvisation required to play it meant they were songs. not awful, unprofessional ones, but just really predictable and i hate too much piano and vocals.

billy joel and paul are too close to the same piano/singer guy-the piano should be used sparingly in rock music because we all know how bad they are compared to recording classical guys and it's comic. it's just the fact they overmike some tool crooning playing a piano which is the same as if he just got up on stage and jerked off in terms of possessing a sense of humility and decorum. strings can sound a million different ways and all good depending who's playing a piece-concert cellists and violinists don't just get to hit keys fast, they have to play fast and then they're free to make each note and chord sound like their own. ergo, you can't get away with a rock band without at least 2/3 guitars/bass guys being fucking good.

most lyrics are pretty banal, go read one of the hundreds of bronte sisters if you're looking for words put together with some degree of art. a good rock song played instrumentally should still sound good.