The Beatles: the best and worst solo albums by Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr according to UCR

The Beatles after the Beatles. The topic, already at the center of the Rock in Onda episode “When we was (still) Fab“, has now been revisited by Ultimate Classic Rock magazine, which has ventured into a tricky exercise, picking the best and worst solo album for each of the four ex-Beatles (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr).

“George Harrison's best solo album is also his biggest commercial success, while John Lennon's worst solo record happens to be his lowest-selling title of the post-Beatles era – Ultimate Classic Rock notes in its introduction – But looking at the Beatles' vast solo output as a whole, one constant emerges: the best-selling albums aren't always the best ones, and the least commercially successful aren't necessarily the worst. With more than sixty solo albums released between them, the individual careers of the four ex-Beatles often reveal clear gaps between commercial success, critical reception and artistic value. The main exception is Ringo Starr's output, where critical judgment and sales results tend to align more often than not”.

Here, then, is the rundown of the best and worst solo albums by each ex-Beatle, according to Ultimate Classic Rock (full feature here).

John Lennon

Best: "Plastic Ono Band" (1970)

Worst: "Some Time In New York City" (1972)

George Harrison

Best: "All Things Must Pass" (1970)

Worst: "Somewhere In England" (1981)

Ringo Starr

Best: "Ringo" (1973)

Peggiore: “Ringo The 4th” (1977)

Paul McCartney

Best: "Ram" (1971)

Worst: "Give My Regards To Broad Street" (1984)

After McCartney's announcement, which on April 10, 1970 sealed the end of the Fab Four, new paths opened up for the four Beatles. Paul would overcome his isolation with wife Linda and Wings, before going on to a long solo career marked by triumphs, eccentricities and flops; Lennon would take refuge in his love story with Yoko Ono and his political battles, leaving behind at least a couple of memorable albums, right up until those terrible five shots fired by Mark Chapman on December 8, 1980; Harrison would continue his flight from the “material world” with his dreamy, spiritual ballads, until his moving farewell to the world in 2001; Starr would remain the eternal outsider, far from the spotlight but still capable of landing the occasional winning blow, sometimes with a little help from his old friends. Four paths born out of the most traumatic of breakups, yet ones that would often end up converging again, under the banner of a legendary brand.

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