DON’T be surprised if we end the year with a deceased singer and a 1960s band, that has been defunct for nearly four decades, suddenly at the top of the album sales chart.

Okay, so The Beatles aren’t just any 1960s band, and Michael Jackson was more than just a singer to most of us. However, it’s still an impressive feat to beat all the young, paparazzi pandering, Twittering celebrities of today while you’re dead, or in The Beatles’ case, half dead (two out of the four members have passed).

Moreover, their sales figures speak for themselves. Jackson has sold five million albums since his death in June, and The Beatles’ remastered music catalogue and video game which were released last week is expected to bring in more than a billion US dollars.

It’s a timely reminder of what sheer musical talent can achieve. These guys weren’t just awesome musicians and performers – they became global icons simply by giving the world incredible music.

So now that we’re experiencing a mini-revival of Beatlemania, we thought we’d go through some of the most popular bands around at the moment, and see how they measure up to the lofty standards of the Fab Four.

Maroon 5

Maroon 5
Before you Beatles fans start burning this paper in disgust for comparing the greatest band ever with a pop-rock outfit whose lead singer could possibly be the star of Alvin and the Chipmunks, please remember that we’re going through current bands that are “popular”.

Maroon 5, who might as well be called the “Adam Levine Band”, is pretty decent for a bunch of guys trying to play funky pop music while its lead singer tries to sound soulful by pinching his nose.

But The Beatles boys, on the other hand, were the kings of what they did, not some almost-there imitation of someone else’s music.

Beatle-ness: Two-and-a-half

Fall Out Boy
One thing you have to admire about Fall Out Boy is how unpretentious and uncomplicated its music is, which is more than we can say about Maroon 5.

The band knows it is good at playing simple, melodic rock tunes, and that’s what it sticks to; even if it means never winning any credible awards.

Fall Out Boy

The band’s songwriting duo of Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz might be light-years behind John Lennon and Paul McCartney, but they always come up with songs that are entertaining enough.

Beatle-ness: Three

The Jonas Brothers
If we’re talking about popularity, then sadly, one of the closest bands we have today that is akin to The Beatles is The Jonas Brothers.

The brothers are, after all, a pop culture phenomenon, and young people just love them. Don’t forget, The Beatles was to a certain extent a manufactured pop product, too. Even the staunchest Beatles fans will tell you that Ringo Starr wasn’t the best drummer.

But Ringo had the right personality for the group, even though his quirky drumming style would only receive sympathy votes from other great musicians for being “unique” or some platitude of that sort.

The Jonas Brothers

The problem with the Jonas Brothers is that two out of three of them are Ringo Starrs. Nick seems to be the only one with any real talent. He was a solo artiste and theatre actor, but one of the record labels he was trying to sign with decided it was better for him to form a band with his two brothers.

Beatle-ness: One

Coldplay
This is a tough one. On the one hand, I think people are over-fascinated with Coldplay because of the whole British music invasion. It came at a time when anything that sounded remotely different from American rock was automatically elevated to a more artistic pedestal.

But then, I have to admit Coldplay does have some pretty good tunes. If only Chris Martin and company were a bit more likeable ... they’re somewhat haughty and annoying compared to the endearing boyish playfulness and colourful quotes we used to get from The Beatles.

And it wasn’t just The Beatles’ personalities that were relatable. The hits were all pretty accessible; and as cool as some of Coldplay’s stuff is, they’re hardly songs for the masses.

Chris Martin of Coldplay.

Beatle-ness: Three-and-a-half

U2
Well, Bono probably thinks he’s as big as The Beatles already. The band as a whole has certainly done well to stay around for as long as it has. Even as recently as Vertigo and Elevation it was producing the goods, though Magnificent hints at the band running out of ideas.

But what irks me the most about U2 is Bono’s bloated sense of self-importance. Yeah, somebody needs to help save the world and all that, but it gets a bit tiresome after a while. When Lennon was preaching about love and peace, he never sounded as over-bearing and annoying as Bono.

However, props to U2 for its longevity, consistent hits and that unique spacey sound which it managed to breathe fresh life into for most of its 12 albums.

Bono of U2.

Beatle-ness: Three-and-a-half

Muse
This British rock trio might very well be the complete opposite of the JoBros. Muse has absolutely awesome music, but its rise to popularity is pretty slow.

That’s where it gets hard to emulate The Beatles. The band achieved critical acclaim beyond what Muse has done so far, and at the same time was a bigger pop icon than the JoBros and brothers’ ultra-skinny jeans ever will be.

But if you’ve never heard of Muse before, you should definitely hit up YouTube right now. It’s amazing how much musical ability these guys have.

That ability has helped them to slowly but surely build up a huge fan base, even if they don’t have girls screaming and fainting at the very sight of them.

Beatle-ness: Four

Muse

Kings of Leon
This band might not be really big in Asia, but rock band Kings of Leon is the shiz in the United States. It has more celebrity fans than Barrack Obama at its concerts, and the band’s mellow rock style is pretty cool too.

The Kings’ fans include Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Zac Efron, Mark Ruffalo and Liv Tyler; and the band has only just started to make it big in the last few years, so keep an eye out for it.

Kings of Leon’s biggest hit so far, Sex on Fire, bagged a Grammy this year but that’s not really important because anyone can win a Grammy these days.

Beatle-ness: Three-and-a-half

Kings of Leon