Although The Beatles released their last album more than 50 years ago, the discussions around the Fab Four’s greatest record are ever-present. While some believe ‘Abbey Road’ is clearly the greatest Beatles album, others are certain ‘Sgt. Pepper’, ‘Rubber Soul’, or ‘Revolver’ is the band’s greatest release. Of course, it ultimately all boils down to personal taste. Therefore, it’s interesting to uncover what The Beatles themselves thought their greatest album was. Let’s go over John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s favorite Beatles album.
![John, Paul, George, and Ringo's Favorite Beatles Album](https://songstoriesmatter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1020px-The_Beatles_in_America-1.jpg)
John Lennon
As outspoken as John Lennon was, he naturally had a firm opinion in expressing his favorite Beatles album. His pick? The White Album. “I always preferred it to all the other albums, including Pepper, because I thought the music was better,” he said in 1971. “The Pepper myth is bigger, but the music on the White Album is far superior, I think.”
While Lennon admitted Sgt. Pepper was a peak for The Beatles, he criticized the album’s concept – or lack thereof. Lennon also criticized the Medley on side two of Abbey Road in a similar fashion.
Among Lennon’s contributions to the White Album are “Dear Prudence”, “Glass Onion”, “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”, and “Julia”, the last of which McCartney cited as his favorite Lennon song. Contribution-wise, other logical picks for Lennon would’ve been Rubber Soul, Help!, and A Hard Day’s Night.
Read more: John Lennon’s Favorite Beatles Songs
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Paul McCartney
As the main man behind the concept of Sgt. Pepper, McCartney picked The Beatles’ landmark eighth studio album as his favorite. “I’d pick Sgt. Pepper’s, meself, because I had a lot to do with it.” McCartney stated. However, he also stated every album The Beatles released had something special, and that he would rather not choose a single favorite.
The other logical pick for McCartney would’ve been Abbey Road. Besides being the man behind the idea of the highly acclaimed medley on side two, McCartney’s bass contributions on Lennon’s “Come Together” and Harrison’s “Something” are considered iconic.
Read more: Paul McCartney’s Favorite Beatles Songs
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George Harrison
At first thought, you may think Harrison’s favorite album was Abbey Road. After all, he contributed two of his most celebrated songs – “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something” – to the album. The songs are generally seen as Harrison’s step out of Lennon and McCartney’s shadow, establishing himself as the third elite songwriter of the band. But Harrison’s pick for his favorite Beatles album is a different one.
“Rubber Soul was my favourite album, even at that time,” He stated. “I think that it was the best one we made; we certainly knew we were making a good album. We did spend a bit more time on it and tried new things. But the most important thing about it was that we were suddenly hearing sounds that we weren’t able to hear before. Also, we were being more influenced by other people’s music and everything was blossoming at that time; including us, because we were still growing.”
Looking at Harrison’s preferences as a musician, Rubber Soul isn’t an illogical choice. The album is guitar-heavy and was a very band-like effort, which Harrison preferred over the ‘assembly process’ of Sgt. Pepper. He contributed two songs to the album, most notably “If I Needed Someone”, and played the iconic sitar on “Norwegian Wood”.
Read more: The 10 Best George Harrison Songs With The Beatles
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Ringo Starr
Ringo picked Abbey Road as his favorite Beatles album. The drummer particularly rates the Medley on side two highly. “That one is my favourite because I just love all those bits and pieces that weren’t full songs that John and Paul had been working on and pulled all together,” he commented. The medley also features Ringo’s only drum solo in The Beatles’ entire repertoire, despite his outspoken dislike for drum solos. And let’s not forget Abbey Road’s “Octopus’s Garden”, which is one of only two songs Ringo wrote for The Beatles.
Read more: The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’: Every Song Ranked
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So, those are John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s favorite Beatles albums. With each Beatle picking a different album, the question surrounding The Beatles’ greatest album remains as unanswered as ever.