In 1963, the Liverpool, England-born rock band known as The Beatles released their debut LP, Please Please Me. It was the result of years working together—four neighborhood kids named John, Paul, George, and Ringo honing their craft, instruments, stage presence, and songwriting chops. It also kicked off the career of perhaps the greatest band of all time.
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Over the next seven or so years, The Beatles released a whopping 12 more studio albums. Most if not all of them are iconic—records like Help! Abbey Road, and Let It Be. But if you were a young music fan looking to get a taste of the band’s scope, where should you start? Which three albums are essential for your collection? Let’s dive into that question here below!
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
When The Beatles first arrived on the scene in the United States, they were nicknamed the Mop Tops for their haircuts. It was a silly little moniker, but in another way it points to the more rudimentary side of The Beatles’ songwriting style. Early in the band’s career, they were writing bubblegum pop songs with electric guitars. Later, of course, they matured into whole other animals. But A Hard Day’s Night, which is The Beatles’ third LP, shows music fans that early style while also offering a whiff of what the band could become.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
This is the band’s eighth studio LP and it shows them in transition. In fact, if you go through the group’s catalog, you can see their physical and sonic development over time. Even from the album covers, themselves. And this cover featured the band dressed in brightly colored suits that almost made them look like pirates as they stood amongst a larger cast of characters. The music on the LP is lush and rugged. It’s like a jungle shoots up in your own mind thanks to songs like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Fixing a Hole.”
The Beatles (1968)
This self-titled LP is also known as The White Album. It’s a double record with a plethora of songs. It’s also the group at its most out there. It’s psychedelic, yes. But not like Sgt. Pepper’s. This record has an edge. It’s a blade, not a balloon. And it features songs like “Dear Prudence,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” “Helter Skelter,” and “Blackbird,” among many more. Want to feel your own mind detach from your physical self? Put this album on.
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