The Best Beatles Solo Albums.

[EthanJames]

What would you consider to be the Best Beatles Solo Albums?

Here are what I considered to be the best IMO:

10. George Harrison- Living In The Material World
09. Ringo Starr- Goodnight Vienna
08. Wings- Red Rose Speedway
07. John Lennon- Mind Games
06. Paul McCartney- McCartney
05. Ringo Starr- Ringo
04. Wings- Band On The Run
03. John Lennon- Imagine
02. George Harrison- All Things Must Pass
01. John Lennon- Plastic Ono Band

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

My Top 5:

1. Venus and Mars
2. Plastic Ono Band
3. Ram
4. All Things Must Pass
5.Band On The Run

[Waspinators]

1. Band on The Run
2. Plastic Ono Band
3. All Things Must Pass
4. Imagine
5. Cloud Nine

[Myk Luhv]

Yoko OnoJohn Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and McCartney II

[hypehat]

All Things Must Pass - it's really the best. Cosmic grump searches his soul through truly epic soundscapes. Picked it up in mint condition vinyl for a tenner. Now I can listen to it without those annoying bonus tracks/the crappy Apple Jam. It's so amazing. If I was Paul or John, I'd be so angry at that record. It makes Abbey Road look weak.

Plastic Ono Band - COOKIE

McCartney I and McCartney II: The Sequel

Band On The Run, so long as you accept the songs are meaningless. Then it's rollicking good fun.



As an aside, I'm really feeling George Harrison's solo discography at the moment - why do people slag those records off? Extra Texture has You on it, and then a bunch of amazing soul jams. The rest seem to feel that template too, with varying degrees of success, until Cloud Nine where he f***s it to hang out with Ringo & Eric Clapton (yawn). So annoying the critical consensus craps on those records because he's playing with 'hacks' like Willie Weeks or Billy Preston instead of 'genius superproducer' Jeff Lynne and Eric f***ing Clapton.

I mean, Macca would probably kill for a song like I Can't Stop Thinking About You or The Light That Has Lighted The World, or Wake Up My Love, but no. Not unless Jeff Lynne's producing....

[I. Spaceman]

I actually like This Guitar Can't Keep From Crying more than While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Very clever than he expressed his bitterness and hurt over how the press treated his tour as a sequel to one of his more critically lauded efforts.

[GuyOnTheBeach]

10: Vertical Man
9: Chaos & Creation
8: Venus and Mars
7: Somewhere in England (couple of places higher if you add the rejected tracks)
6: Flaming Pie
5: Living in The Material World
4: Imagine
3: Brainwashed
2: Cloud 9
1: All Things Must Pass

Yeah, George is my favourite, how'd you guess?

[Heysaboda]

10: Vertical Man

Yeah, George is my favourite, how'd you guess?

Nice to see some love out there for Ringo's Vertical Man.  That album is a really nice one!

[Heysaboda]

As an aside, I'm really feeling George Harrison's solo discography at the moment - why do people slag those records off? Extra Texture has You on it, and then a bunch of amazing soul jams. The rest seem to feel that template too, with varying degrees of success, until Cloud Nine where he f***s it to hang out with Ringo & Eric Clapton (yawn). So annoying the critical consensus craps on those records because he's playing with 'hacks' like Willie Weeks or Billy Preston instead of 'genius superproducer' Jeff Lynne and Eric f***ing Clapton.
 

Some EXCELLENT points here, Hypehat.

Re: Extra Texture, I return to that album A LOT.  The song "World of Stone" is simply, incredible, just incredible.  I am just so very very emotionally moved by that song, every time.

And Can't Stop Thinking About You is DY-NA-MITE!

I am actually glad "mostpeople" slag ET and Gone Troppo off.  I like to think of these albums as mysterious, unknown treasures that only I know about.  I have joy in the fact that only I and a few other acolytes appreciate these.

("mostpeople" are idiots)

Also, "Baby Don't Run Away" from Gone Troppo brings me close to tears.  A beautiful song.

[EgoHanger1966]

George always loved Smokey & The Miracles, and started to let it show on his solo records (not so much ATMP, but after that....). I admire that.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

All Things Must Pass - it's really the best. Cosmic grump searches his soul through truly epic soundscapes. Picked it up in mint condition vinyl for a tenner. Now I can listen to it without those annoying bonus tracks/the crappy Apple Jam. It's so amazing. If I was Paul or John, I'd be so angry at that record. It makes Abbey Road look weak.

Plastic Ono Band - COOKIE

McCartney I and McCartney II: The Sequel

Band On The Run, so long as you accept the songs are meaningless. Then it's rollicking good fun.



As an aside, I'm really feeling George Harrison's solo discography at the moment - why do people slag those records off? Extra Texture has You on it, and then a bunch of amazing soul jams. The rest seem to feel that template too, with varying degrees of success, until Cloud Nine where he f***s it to hang out with Ringo & Eric Clapton (yawn). So annoying the critical consensus craps on those records because he's playing with 'hacks' like Willie Weeks or Billy Preston instead of 'genius superproducer' Jeff Lynne and Eric f***ing Clapton.

I mean, Macca would probably kill for a song like I Can't Stop Thinking About You or The Light That Has Lighted The World, or Wake Up My Love, but no. Not unless Jeff Lynne's producing....

Oh man! So many great songs from George's pre-Cloud Nine run (I still love that one too though)

All of All Things Must Pass
Try Some Buy Some
Give Me Peace
Sue Me Sue You Blues
Simply Shady
Blow Away
Love Comes To Everyone
Beautiful Girl
You
Woman Don't You Cry For Me
This Song
Crackerbox Palace
Not Guilty
Dark Sweet Lady
Here Comes The Moon
Teardrops

All fantastic stuff played with such feeling and anchored by that gorgeous voice and distinct slide guitar from Sr George.

[Alex]

Dark Side of the Sun
Band on the Rut
All Things Must Rut
When You Find the Girl of Your Dreams in the Arms of Some Scotsmen From Hull

[GuyOnTheBeach]

10: Vertical Man

Yeah, George is my favourite, how'd you guess?

Nice to see some love out there for Ringo's Vertical Man.  That album is a really nice one!

I think it's Ringo's best album, aside from the needless "Love Me Do" remake, it's pretty strong, some strange choices of guests, but they work well (such as Ozzy Osbourne, who'd have seen that coming?!)

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

McCartney II would be my #1 if you put the 2 b sides and wonderful christmastime on instead of everything on side 2 (except one of these days)

[Lonely Summer]

Nice to see some love here for George's solo work. Usually people praise ATMP and leave it at that. Cloud 9 is nice, but I don't think it's his most consistent album. Beyond ATMP, I think Living In the Material World, the 1979 self titled album and (surprise!) Gone Troppo are my favorites...well, I guess I should include Brainwashed, too. That one has real depth in the songwriting. I was disappointed that the cd reissue of Somewhere in England didn't include the rejected tracks - they were among the best songs, especially Sat Singing and Flying Hour. And we can't forget the Traveling Wilburys!

[Domino]

1. Ram
2. Plastic Ono Band
3. All Things Must Pass
4. Back To The Egg
5. London Town
6. Imagine
7. Tug of War
8. Walls and Bridges
9. Off the Ground
10. Somewhere in England

[Lonely Summer]

The entire Long Lost Album (John, Paul, George & Ringo) is amazing: aside from Sat Singing & Flying Hour, I also liked Paul's Yvonne & Ringo's take on "I Call Your Name". The electric guitar is cooler than in The Beatles v-n imo. That said, I'm not so keen on Shanghai Surprise.

I'm not familiar with the Long Lost Album, but I do like Ringo's "I Call Your Name". Very Wilburyish.

[Dead Parrot]

Out of curiosity, am I the only person who thinks that Walls & Bridges is a better Lennon album than Plastic Ono Band?

[Lonely Summer]

Out of curiosity, am I the only person who thinks that Walls & Bridges is a better Lennon album than Plastic Ono Band?

I prefer Walls and Bridges, musically POB may be better - and there are parts of it I love - but I find the songs on W&B more relatable. I'd rate Imagine as John's best, though - it's got the message he wanted to get across, but it's got the more commercial sheen to it like a great Beatles album. Mind Games is also underrated.

[nickdunning]

Out of curiosity, am I the only person who thinks that Walls & Bridges is a better Lennon album than Plastic Ono Band?

I prefer Walls and Bridges, musically POB may be better - and there are parts of it I love - but I find the songs on W&B more relatable. I'd rate Imagine as John's best, though - it's got the message he wanted to get across, but it's got the more commercial sheen to it like a great Beatles album. Mind Games is also underrated.

'Walls And Bridges' is hugely under-rated - but to really get how good the songs are you need the second side of 'Menlove Ave' with those wonderful stripped-down rehearsals. John over-egged it in production.

[onkster]

John: Walls and Bridges
Paul: RAM
George: All Things Must Pass (but 33 1/3 is great too, in a whole different way)
Ringo: Ringo

[Aegir]

Band on the Run
Ram
McCartney
Live Peace in Toronto

[pixletwin]

My Top 5

1) All Things Must Pass
2) Plastic Ono Band
3) Band on the Run
4) Ringo
5) Walls and Bridges

[Youre Under Arrest]

Ram
Band On The Run
All Things Must Pass
Plastic Ono Band

[SufferingFools]

At the moment:


1.  Band on the Run
2.  Plastic Ono Band
3.  George Harrison
4.  Ram
5.  Cloud Nine
6.  London Town
7.  Imagine
8.  Venus and Mars
9.  All Things Must Pass
10. Tug of War