With the 61st anniversary of the Fab Four’s first Ed Sullivan appearance almost upon us, I’ve done the right thing and decided not to write a post about how great the Beatles were.
Tons of ink has been spilled over the years describing their music in great detail. I know how influential they were. I’m sure you do, too. Instead, I thought I’d celebrate their legacy by going in a different direction.
In this post, I’ll explore the best music crafted by the four Beatles, after the Beatles. The solo studio outputs of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr often take a backseat to the legendary music they made as a band in the 60s. However, as you’ll see, this list has plenty of masterful material to consider.
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Let’s go:
1. “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison (1970)
Of all the records on this list, All Things Must Pass is the most significant solo record to come out of the Beatles’ immediate post-breakup aftermath. It was the first truly great album (not to mention a massive commercial hit) released by its former members, partly due to the glut of unused compositions that Harrison had written for the band during his time as their guitarist.
But, underneath its knack for engaging melodies, what’s arguably aged the best about Pass is its spirituality, however steeped in melancholy. For every uplifting moment, like on “My Sweet Lord,” there’s one of nihilism (”Wah-Wah”), resignation (the title track), or unrealized potential (”What is Life”). Of all the solo debuts I’ve heard over the years, this one’s among the most fully realized emotionally.
That’s a big reason why it’s such a pleasure to revisit this multi-platinum classic despite its gargantuan running time.
2. “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band” by John Lennon (1970)
I store Plastic Ono Band in the same mental category that includes films like Requiem for a Dream. I admire its artistry and appreciate its technical skill, yet I may never listen to it again because of how tough a sit it is. It sounds like a negative review, but it’s not. Few pop or rock albums from the 1970s examine emotional pain and lingering trauma with as much surgical precision as this one.
The level of brutal honesty Lennon writes with can’t be overstated. From his resentment towards fame (”Look at Me”) and his fans (”Isolation”) to childhood misfortunes (”Mother”) to socioeconomic injustice (”Working Class Hero”), he pulls no punches. At certain points, his lyrics feel like parts of a conversation you’re overhearing but shouldn’t be listening to.
While there’s some catharsis to be had, Plastic Ono Band is an indispensable document of the Beatles frontman working through his bitterness and grief in real time, with the tape rolling.
3. “Ram” by Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney (1971)
At the dawn of the 1970s, Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles career didn’t exactly burst out of the gates. His solo debut is a shaggy dog of an album, full of home demos that sound half-baked at best. Thankfully, he overcame that rocky start to a career reboot with 1971’s Ram, a record that’s relentlessly charming.
This collection of songs is, at its core, an ode to domestic bliss. His partner, both in music and in life, Linda McCartney, plays a major role, contributing lyrics, as well as lead and backing vocals. While there are a lot of goofy moments to enjoy here (see “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”), McCartney proved he could still rock on “Smile Away” and “Eat at Home,” among others.
It won’t be Sir Paul’s only appearance on his list, but it may be the record that put the biggest smile on my face while revisiting it.
4. “Imagine” by John Lennon (1971)
Unfortunately, we now live in a world where the title track off John Lennon’s exceptional 1971 album, Imagine, is seen as naive or overly hokey. But, if you detach its legacy from the current doomscrolling epidemic, you’d be hard-pressed to find a song that’s written as simply and beautifully as that one. Everyone wants to belong, and the world its lyrics paint is one where that dream becomes a reality.
It’s not real life, but does that make it a hatchet job? Not even close.
Fascinatingly, Lennon uses a softer musical touch to mask attitudes that are just as scathing as in Plastic Ono Band. “Give Me Some Truth,” “Crippled Inside,” and “How Do You Sleep” all have their scores to settle, the latter being specifically with Paul McCartney. Elsewhere, the supple strings and piano playing on “Jealous Guy,” the best song on the record, mask deep-rooted romantic insecurities that almost make you feel sorry for him.
As far as Lennon’s uneven solo output goes, Imagine is the high-water mark.
5. “Band on the Run” by Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)
A megahit that was initially a slow burn commercially, Band on the Run is a fascinating sliding doors moment for McCartney. I’m not trying to be disrespectful legacy-wise, but you have to wonder what would’ve been had “Jet” and the title track not been Top 10 smashes on both sides of the Atlantic. Like the Boss did with Born to Run, McCartney needed a home run and got it.
Besides those two songs, this album is full of mid-70s gems. The lead single “Mrs. Vandebilt” remains one of the best entries in McCartney’s songbook, while “Let Me Roll It” has a harmony that rolls off the tongue so beautifully that it’s almost not to be believed. Even “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me),” featuring Cream alum Ginger Baker playing a tin can full of gravel (really) is enchanting as hell.
6. “Living in the Material World” by George Harrison (1973)
George Harrison’s follow-up to All Things Must Pass, 1973’s Living in the Material World, is often unfairly compared to its predecessor. Sure, it didn’t break the kind of ground that Pass did by selling as many copies as it did as a three-LP set. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. In reality, I’ve always believed this record is secretly Harrison’s best for two big reasons.
The guitar work is at the forefront of that shortlist, an aspect that Harrison handled himself this time around instead of bringing in external players like Eric Clapton. See “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long” and “The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord)” for the best two examples in that regard. There’s also an eloquence here that wasn’t as uniformly present on Pass that makes the quieter moments, like “Be Here Now,” gorgeously haunting.
If you’ve never given this LP a full-length spin, I urge you to do so. It’s seriously underrated.
7. “Ringo” by Ringo Starr (1973)
Okay—let’s have the Ringo conversation.
It’s become sort of fashionable to dunk on his discography and, in certain instances, he merits the criticism. Some of his material from the early 80s is just … weird. But, despite what some may have you believe, it’s not all bad. In fact, albums like 1973’s Ringo are actually quite good, proving that, when you catch him in the right environment, the former Fab Four drummer could charm with the best of them.
One of Starr’s strengths throughout his career has been his ability to pull all-star rosters of collaborators into the studio to work with him. The writing credits alone on this LP include all three of his former bandmates, Randy Newman, and Mal Evans. For the same price (streaming or otherwise), you also get Marc Bolan and Robbie Robertson on guitar, Billy Preston on keys, and Harry Nilsson and Martha Reeves providing backup vocals.
To paraphrase a certain fictional general, how are you not entertained?
Which Beatle member’s solo album is your favorite? Sound off in the comments.
How did we not notice George was a vampire?
Ram by far. It was unfortunate that those with power at Rolling Stone mag took sides, favouring John and dishing Paul and his substance as a musician via Jann Wenner (founder of Rolling Stone mag). This in turn seemed to shape all reviews given by writers within this mag.