The Beatles (White Album)

The Beatles, otherwise known as The White Album, is the Fab Four’s eponymous ninth studio album. It followed the critically-divisive Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack, which resulted in the band’s extended retreat to India.

Their much-publicized visit to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s compound managed to inspire some fresh material for the group, but it also found the Beatles disenfranchised and in conflict with one another. Despite this, after returning from India they set out to compile what would become their most diverse project—a double LP that ranges from upbeat and melodious to downright haunting; before landing in the heavenly string arrangements of the Ringo-fronted “Good Night.”

From such ballads as “Julia” and “Blackbird,” to rock cuts like “Back in the USSR” and “Birthday”—The White Album captures the dichotomy of its chapter within The Beatles' story. From the ridiculousness of “Piggies” and “Rocky Raccoon,” to the avant-garde seriousness of “Revolution 9,” there is truly a song for everyone on this album. It may not have topped 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, in terms of its concept, but it stands as a prolific sonic experiment in its own right.

The album is featured on several “best of” lists, including a rank of #10 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the #1 spot on German publication Musikexpress‘ list of the 20 Best Albums of All Time, inclusion in TIME magazine’s All-TIME 100 Albums list, and the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in the year 2000.