In February, I invited my brother Danny to see The FAB, a local tribute group known as the ‘Best sounding Beatles band in the world.’ We saw them at the Cannery Hotel & Casino and they performed their Entirety Concert Series, playing all 27 of the Beatles’ No. 1 Hits.

The FAB is not a look-alike band nor are they into the costumes and wigs and all that. But they are awesome musicians who really nailed the spirit and the sound of the Beatles … note for note! During their show, one of the band members said something that struck me as amazing. He said, “Think about that – 27 No. 1 hits; Bruce Springsteen has zero … and the Rolling Stones only have seven.” No way! I found this incredible. Bruce Springsteen is one the best-selling recording artists of all time. What about Born in the U.S.A? I wanted to check it out to see if he was correct.

So I researched it, and what I found was quite extraordinary.

I composed a trivia question for a couple people including a musician friend of mine. He’s a professional rock drummer who’s worked with the Seeds, Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Steve Miller Band, and knows a lot about music. I told him about the Beatles concert and that the Stones had 7 No 1 hits. My trivia question: “How many No. 1 hits do Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, the Zombies, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, the Who, Bruce Springsteen & Bob Dylan have combined? My friend said, “Combined? That has to be quite a number, I have no idea.” When I held up my right hand and made a circle by joining my thumb and index finger, he was in disbelief. I saw him again the next day and he was even more incredulous than the previous day.

Of course, we’re talking about hit singles and not albums, and when we say No. 1 hits, we’re referring to Billboard’s Top 40 charts. Still, these are huge international recording artists; industry icons who have all moved the needle on the Richter scale of music’s impact upon society. Pretty amazing.

Statistics can seem hollow and meaningless at times.  But when you add some historical context, as with the above list of star-studded performers, it makes it all the more phenomenal, and a monumental achievement that the Beatles not only recorded 27 No. 1 hits, but also at one point, held the number 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 spots on the Top 40 charts, and, the number 1 and 2 spots for LPs (albums) simultaneously. Had never been done before, and unlikely to ever be done again.

As for The FAB, they got the sound down, they have great audience rapport, and put on a great show. I noticed they played the same instruments as the Beatles: Paul’s Höfner violin bass, John’s Rickenbacker guitar, etc. You could feel the excitement in the room. Their voices and harmonies are spot on. For a real treat go see them perform any of their Concert Series.

P.S. Bruce Springsteen came very close to scoring a No. 1 hit in 1984 with Dancing in the Dark which hit No. 2. The album, Born in the U.S.A. – not the single – did in fact hit No. 1 on Billboard in 1985.