Paul McCartney Says This Album Can Never Be Replaced

Trying to decide which Beatles album is the best one would be a long discussion. Everybody has their favorites, including the Fab Four themselves, but choosing the best is much more difficult. There were several points in The Beatles’ surprisingly short career that changed music history, but for Paul McCartney, there is one album that sticks out. McCartney loves every Beatles album, of course, but for him, this album marked the moment the band went from being a popular rock band to an era-defining group.

Why Paul McCartney Says This Is the Greatest Album He’s Ever Been Part of

The Beatles‘ meteoric rise to fame changed the music world, but while they had become incredibly popular with their first album, it was a few years into their history that they really changed their sound, and consequently, changed the meaning of rock and roll forever. In 1965, they put out two highly successful albums, Help! and Rubber Soul. Looking back on those records, while they are still considered to be part of the most conventional era of the band, listeners can tell that there are hints in Rubber Soul of something new and yet unknown.

Then, the next year, everything changed. 1996 saw the release of Revolver, an incredibly disruptive album that saw a new dynamic among the band, with new melodies that surprised and excited fans. The album opens with the song “Taxman,” making it the first and only Beatles’ album to open with a George Harrison track. Harrison was blossoming as a songwriter, and Lennon-McCartney weren’t the only ones coming up with songs anymore.

McCartney’s “Eleanor Rigby” was a high point. Featuring McCartney’s vocals over an orchestral arrangement put together by producer George Martin, it challenged what was expected of a popular rock band. The lyrics were also surprisingly somber and mature, a stark difference from the four kids with long hair singing about young love. Finally, the last track, “Tomorrow Never Knows,” which features backward guitar solos and bird squawks and reflects on hallucinogenic trips, makes it clear that The Beatles had left the conventional rock sound behind.