Great news! The Beatles entire catalog of songs is finally on iTunes. Yes, for years Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr kept their former band's songs off the media download service. Why? Well, the Fab Four's Apple Records and Apple Computer Inc. had major beef.
After an agreement ages ago that the computer nerds would never enter the music biz, the Beatles sued Jobs and company many times for what the band considered to be breaches of the settlement, the biggest one being iTunes. But today all that Apple vs. Apple beef got squashed.
You probably already own every single album. But why not make Steve Jobs even richer? Here are Crossfade's top five Beatles picks.
The Beatles (White Album)
1968
It's the fucking White Album. Everyone loves this slab -- the Maharishi, Rolling Stone, Charlie Manson. And it just seems to keep getting better as the decades whizz past. Even if you're one of the "Revolution 9" haters, there are still 28 certified classics on this thing.
Download: "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "White My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Helter Skleter"
Revolver
1966
The band really started to shed the matching-suit-and-smiles pop idol image with this monumental release and gave the world 14 of its most memorable rock songs. Some may argue that predecessor, Rubber Soul, was the definitive Beatles album. But Revolver is the one that cemented the Fab Four's legacy.
Download: "Eleanor Rigby," "Taxman," "For No One"
A Hard Day's Night
1964
Before heavy psychedelia and Eastern influences, the Beatles were an adorable pop quartet from Liverpool. (Ahem ... Matching suits and smiles.) Yet, at the same time they seemed to be so much more. Think about it: How many artists today could survive the leap from pop stars to legit rock 'n' roll icons?
Download: "I Should Have Known Better," "Can't Buy Me Love"
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1967
So fucking obvious, it really doesn't need an explanation. But here are the facts: Most critics agree it's the band's best album. It spent ages on top of both the UK and US music charts. And it was the band's most ambitious work to date. Plus, the psychotic circus music at the end of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" is still perfect for scaring old people in the middle of the night, even 43 years after it was first recorded.
Download: "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," "When I'm Sixty-Four," "A Day In the Life"
Let It Be
1970
We might have omitted a few of the Beatles' more universally accepted masterpieces, but something has to be said about Let It Be. It was the last thing that Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr ever released. Shelved and then sent out into the world a few weeks after announcing its breakup, this last gasp is an audio document of total breakdown. The Beatles sound exhausted and, quite frankly, over it. But still, songs like "Don't Let Me Down" are full of ragged and desperate genius.
Download: "Across the Universe," "Let It Be," "Get Back," "Don't Let Me Down"
