The Beatles beyond the Beatles: the best solo albums by McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr according to Ultimate Classic Rock

The Beatles after the Beatles. The subject, already at the heart of the Rock in Onda episode “When we was (still) Fab“, has now been taken up again by the magazine Ultimate Classic Rock. Riding the wave of the release of Paul McCartney's new album, “The Boys Of Dungeon Lane“, the online magazine has taken on a tricky task, publishing a ranking of the work produced by the four ex-Beatles: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. “However revolutionary the Beatles were, their discography unfolded over a surprisingly short span of time – the US magazine notes in its introduction – The band's entire recording history was confined to just twelve albums released between 1963 and 1970. There was no reason to think their solo careers would follow a different path. And yet the myth built up over those eight years laid the groundwork for decades of music from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Even John Lennon and George Harrison, who died prematurely, released albums over a longer period than the Beatles themselves were together. Lennon, murdered in 1980, made seven albums after the Beatles' final work, 'Let It Be'. Harrison released nine up to 1987, before dying of cancer in 2001. Both were later the subject of posthumous releases: Lennon with 'Milk And Honey' in 1984 and Harrison with 'Brainwashed' in 2002. Meanwhile – UCR reminds us – McCartney and Starr had already recorded around thirty solo albums between them, and their work was far from over. Both continued to release well-regarded records long past retirement age. In the 2020s, McCartney returned to the top of the charts for the first time since 'Tug Of War' in 1982, while Starr won new acclaim thanks to a return to the country and roots sounds that had characterized 'Don't Pass Me By' and his album 'Beaucoups Of Blues'. Of course, there was no shortage of missteps. Without the input of the other Beatles, the four sometimes became caricatures of themselves or wandered into musical dead ends. Lennon and McCartney even carried their personal tensions into their songs, while Harrison and Starr went through periods in which they seemed to have lost interest in their own music. And yet their best moments were extraordinary... The following ranking looks at nearly seventy albums, excluding Lennon's early sound experiments, live records and McCartney's classical works, but including covers albums, from rock'n'roll classics to standards to Christmas records. The result is a comprehensive overview of the four Beatles' solo careers and how these works stack up against one another”.

So here is the ranking of the best solo albums released by the four Beatles, according to Ultimate Classic Rock (full feature here).

64. Ringo Starr - "Ringo The 4th" (1977)
63. Paul McCartney - "Give My Regards To Broad Street" (1984)
62. Ringo Starr - "I Wanna Be Santa Claus" (1999)
61. Ringo Starr - "Bad Boy" (1978)
60. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Wild Life" (1971)
59. Ringo Starr - "Ringo 2012" (2012)
58. Ringo Starr - "Sentimental Journey" (1970)
57. Paul McCartney - "McCartney II" (1980)
56. Ringo Starr - "Give More Love" (2017)
55. Ringo Starr - "Ringo's Rotogravure" (1976)
54. Paul McCartney - "Pipes Of Peace" (1983)
53. Ringo Starr - "Liverpool 8" (2008)
52. George Harrison - "Wonderwall Music" (1968)
51. Paul McCartney - "Press To Play" (1986)
50. Ringo Starr - "Choose Love" (2005)
49. Ringo Starr - "What's My Name" (2019)
48. George Harrison - "Somewhere In England" (1981)
47. Ringo Starr - "Y Not" (2010)
46. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - "Some Time In New York City" (1972)
45. George Harrison - "Extra Texture" (1975)
44. Ringo Starr - "Long Long Road" (2026)
43. Ringo Starr - "Ringo Rama" (2003)
42. Paul McCartney - "Choba B CCCP" (1988)
41. Paul McCartney - "Kisses On The Bottom" (2012)
40. Ringo Starr - "Postcards From Paradise" (2015)
39. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Wings At The Speed Of Sound" (1976)
38. Ringo Starr - "Look Up" (2025)
37. Paul McCartney - "New" (2013)
36. Ringo Starr - "Time Takes Time" (1992)
35. George Harrison - "Gone Troppo" (1982)
34. Paul McCartney - "Off The Ground" (1993)
33. Paul McCartney - "McCartney III" (2020)
32. Paul McCartney & Wings - "London Town" (1978)
31. George Harrison - "Dark Horse" (1974)
30. Paul McCartney - "The Boys Of Dungeon Lane" (2026)
29. Paul McCartney - "Tug Of War" (1982)
28. Ringo Starr - "Beaucoups Of Blues" (1970)
27. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Red Rose Speedway" (1973)
26. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - "Milk And Honey" (1984)
25. Paul McCartney - "Egypt Station" (2018)
24. Paul McCartney - "Run Devil Run" (1999)
23. Ringo Starr - "Goodnight Vienna" (1974)
22. John Lennon - "Mind Games" (1973)
21. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Back To The Egg" (1979)
20. George Harrison - "George Harrison" (1979)
19. Paul McCartney - "Flowers In The Dirt" (1989)
18. George Harrison - "Thirty Three & 1/3" (1976)
17. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Venus And Mars" (1975)
16. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - "Double Fantasy" (1980)
15. George Harrison - "Brainwashed" (2002)
14. Paul McCartney - "Flaming Pie" (1997)
13. John Lennon - "Walls And Bridges" (1974)
12. Paul McCartney - "McCartney" (1970)
11. George Harrison - "Cloud Nine" (1987)
10. John Lennon - "Rock 'N' Roll" (1975)
9. Ringo Starr - "Ringo" (1973)
8. Paul McCartney - "Memory Almost Full" (2007)
7. George Harrison - "Living In The Material World" (1973)
6. Paul McCartney - "Chaos And Creation In The Backyard" (2005)
5. John Lennon - "Imagine" (1971)
4. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Band On The Run" (1973)
3. John Lennon - "Plastic Ono Band" (1970)
2. Paul & Linda McCartney - "Ram" (1971)
1. George Harrison - "All Things Must Pass" (1970)

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