To mark the recent reissue of 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 - otherwise known to you and I as The Red and The Blue Albums - the latter of which includes the finally-released "Now and Then", I've decided to compile the individual solo careers of John, Paul, George and Ringo into a series of albums that showcase the solo Fabs at their best. This was not an easy task given that John's solo career was very short, George wasn't very prolific from the 1980s onward, and Paul has more material to choose from than the others (at least until the 2000s, when Ringo suddenly becomes prolific) and could've easily filled up three albums alone.
I want to make it clear that in no way is this meant to be a definitive collection of solo hits; this is merely scratching the surface as to what the Fab Four were capable of when they were no longer a whole. I do apologize if I missed out on one of your favorites. There's only so much I can include, so please, cut me a bit of slack there.
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Side A (26:59)
1. Instant Karma! - 3:18 (John, non-album single; 1970)
2. Maybe I'm Amazed - 3:53 (Paul, McCartney; 1970)
3. My Sweet Lord - 4:38 (George, All Things Must Pass; 1970)
4. Love - 3:21 (John, Plastic Ono Band; 1970)
5. All Things Must Pass - 3:44 (George, All Things Must Pass)
6. Another Day - 3:43 (Paul, non-album single; 1971)
7. What is Life - 4:22 (George, All Things Must Pass)
Side B (26:41)
8. Power to the People - 3:23 (John, non-album single; 1971)
9. It Don't Come Easy - 3:01 (Ringo, non-album single; 1971)
10. Deep Blue - 3:47 (George, non-album single; 1971)
11. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - 4:49 (Paul, Ram; 1971)
12. Imagine - 3:01 (John, Imagine; 1971)
13. Jealous Guy - 4:14 (John, Imagine)
14. The Back Seat of My Car - 4:26 (Paul, Ram)
Side C (25:43)
15. Tomorrow - 3:28 (Paul, Wild Life; 1971)
16. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - 3:33 (John, non-album single; 1971)
17. Back Off Boogaloo - 3:19 (Ringo, non-album single; 1972)
18. New York City - 4:30 (John, Some Time in New York City; 1972)
19. Hi, Hi, Hi - 3:10 (Paul, non-album single; 1972)
20. My Love - 4:07 (Paul, Red Rose Speedway; 1973)
21. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) - 3:36 (George, Living in the Material World; 1973)
Side D (24:16)
22. Live and Let Die - 3:14 (Paul, non-album single; 1973)
23. Photograph - 3:56 (Ringo, Ringo; 1973)
24. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long - 2:57 (George, Living in the Material World)
25. Mind Games - 4:13 (John, Mind Games; 1973)
26. Helen Wheels - 3:45 (Paul, Band on the Run; 1973)
27. Out the Blue - 3:23 (John, Mind Games)
28. You're Sixteen - 2:48 (Ringo, Ringo)
The initial solo years, beginning in February 1970 with John's "Instant Karma!" and concluding in December 1973 with Ringo's "You're Sixteen". The singles for Band on the Run were not released until 1974, hence their absence, although "Helen Wheels" was released prior to the album, but as a non-album single. "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" was considered for a single release in 1973, but it was canceled. "Give Peace a Chance" and "Cold Turkey" are skipped over as they were released in 1969, while the Beatles were still together.
John and Paul are each represented with nine songs, George with six songs and Ringo with four songs.
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Side A (28:47)
1. Jet - 4:09 (Paul, Band on the Run)
2. Oh My My - 4:16 (Ringo, Ringo)
3. Band on the Run - 5:12 (Paul, Band on the Run)
4. Whatever Gets You thru the Night - 3:28 (John, Walls and Bridges; 1974)
5. Junior's Farm - 4:22 (Paul, non-album single; 1974)
6. Dark Horse - 3:54 (George, Dark Horse; 1974)
7. Only You (and You Alone) - 3:26 (Ringo, Goodnight Vienna; 1974)
Side B (26:22)
8. #9 Dream - 4:47 (John, Walls and Bridges)
9. No No Song - 2:33 (Ringo, Goodnight Vienna)
10. Stand by Me - 3:26 (John, Rock 'n' Roll; 1975)
11. Listen to What the Man Said - 3:56 (Paul, Venus and Mars; 1975)
12. Fame - 4:12 (John w/ David Bowie, Young Americans; 1975)
13. You - 3:41 (George, Extra Texture (Read All About It); 1975)
14. Venus and Mars/Rock Show - 3:47 (Paul, Venus and Mars)
Side C (26:29)
15. Silly Love Songs - 3:28 (Paul, Wings at the Speed of Sound; 1976)
16. Let 'Em In - 3:42 (Paul, Wings at the Speed of Sound)
17. This Song - 4:13 (George, Thirty Three & 1/3; 1976)
18. Hey! Baby - 3:11 (Ringo, Ringo's Rotogravure; 1976)
19. Crackerbox Palace - 3:57 (George, Thirty Three & 1/3)
20. Mull of Kintyre - 4:45 (Paul, non-album single; 1977)
21. With a Little Luck - 3:13 (Paul, London Town; 1978)
Side D (27:34)
22. Blow Away - 4:00 (George, George Harrison; 1979)
23. Goodnight Tonight - 4:21 (Paul, non-album single; 1979)
24. Love Comes to Everyone - 3:40 (George, George Harrison)
25. Getting Closer - 3:22 (Paul, Back to the Egg; 1979)
26. Faster - 4:46 (George, George Harrison)
27. Arrow Through Me - 3:37 (Paul, Back to the Egg)
28. Wonderful Christmastime - 3:48 (Paul, non-album single; 1979)
This compilation covers the remainder of the 70s, and during that time, John went on hiatus and Ringo's solo career never reached great heights again after Apple folded. George managed to get some decent success while Paul had the biggest success out of the former Beatles (and got the most criticism heaped upon him). The second disc especially shows just how much chart success Wings had during the latter part of the decade. I like how The Green and Orange Albums draw parallels to The Red and Blue Albums in which the latter focus on the 60s and the former on the 70s.
John and Ringo are represented with four songs each, Paul with thirteen songs, and George with seven songs.
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Side A (24:18)
1. Coming Up - 3:53 (Paul, McCartney II; 1980)
2. (Just Like) Starting Over - 3:56 (John, Double Fantasy; 1980)
3. Waterfalls - 3:20 (Paul, McCartney II)
4. Woman - 3:32 (John, Double Fantasy)
5. Watching the Wheels - 3:31 (John, Double Fantasy)
6. All Those Years Ago - 3:45 (George, Somewhere in England; 1981)
7. Wrack My Brain - 2:21 (Ringo, Stop and Smell the Roses; 1981)
Side B (26:26)
8. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - 4:02 (John, Double Fantasy)
9. Teardrops - 4:07 (George, Somewhere in England)
10. Ebony and Ivory - 3:46 (Paul w/ Stevie Wonder, Tug of War; 1982)
11. Take It Away - 4:02 (Paul, Tug of War)
12. Wake Up My Love - 3:34 (George, Gone Troppo; 1982)
13. The Girl is Mine - 3:42 (Paul w/ Michael Jackson, Thriller; 1982)
14. In My Car - 3:13 (Ringo, Old Wave; 1983)
Side C (27:57)
15. Say Say Say - 3:55 (Paul w/ Michael Jackson, Pipes of Peace; 1983)
16. Dream Away - 4:29 (George, Gone Troppo)
17. Pipes of Peace - 3:28 (Paul, Pipes of Peace)
18. Nobody Told Me - 3:34 (John, Milk and Honey; 1984)
19. No More Lonely Nights - 4:43 (Paul, Give My Regards to Broad Street; 1984)
20. Borrowed Time - 4:29 (John, Milk and Honey)
21. Not Such a Bad Boy - 3:19 (Paul, Give My Regards to Broad Street)
Side D (28:48)
22. We All Stand Together - 4:25 (Paul, non-album single; 1984)
23. I'm Stepping Out - 4:06 (John, Milk and Honey)
24. I Don't Want to Do It - 2:54 (George, non-album single; 1985)
25. Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him - 3:18 (John, Every Man Has a Woman; 1984)
26. Press - 4:43 (Paul, Press to Play; 1986)
27. Shanghai Surprise - 5:09 (George w/ Vicki Brown; Shanghai Surprise; 1986)
28. Only Love Remains - 4:13 (Paul, Press to Play)
And now we enter the first part of the 1980s, covering the period between John's comeback (and subsequent murder) in 1980 and just before George's own commercial comeback in 1987. This was a rough time for the former Beatles; Paul seemed to be spinning his wheels when it came to maintaining chart success, and George went AWOL after Gone Troppo, as did Ringo after Old Wave, but the latter found some success by narrating Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. Even in the worst periods, there's always (well, usually) some good music to be found.
John is represented with eight songs, Paul with twelve songs (including duets), George with six songs (including a duet with Vicki Brown), and Ringo with only two songs.
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Side A (26:28)
1. Got My Mind Set on You - 3:52 (George, Cloud Nine; 1987)
2. Once Upon a Long Ago - 4:16 (Paul, non-album single; 1987)
3. When We Was Fab - 3:57 (George, Cloud Nine)
4. This is Love - 3:48 (George, Cloud Nine)
5. Ferry Cross the Mersey - 3:58 (Paul, non-album single; 1989)
6. My Brave Face - 3:18 (Paul, Flowers in the Dirt; 1989)
7. Handle with Care - 3:19 (Traveling Wilburys, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1; 1988)
Side B (24:41)
8. This One - 4:10 (Paul, Flowers in the Dirt)9. End of the Line - 3:30 (Traveling Wilburys, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1)
10. Put It There - 2:07 (Paul, Flowers in the Dirt)
11. Cheer Down - 4:08 (George, non-album single; 1989)
12. All My Trials - 3:28 (Paul, non-album single; 1990)
13. She's My Baby - 3:15 (Traveling Wilburys, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3; 1990)
14. You Never Know - 4:03 (Ringo, Curly Sue; 1991)
Side C (27:08)
15. Weight of the World - 3:54 (Ringo, Time Takes Time; 1992)
16. Hope of Deliverance - 3:22 (Paul, Off the Ground; 1993)
17. Poor Little Girl - 4:33 (George, non-album single; 1989)
18. Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go - 3:20 (Ringo, Time Takes Time)
19. Off the Ground - 3:40 (Paul, Off the Ground)
20. Free as a Bird - 4:25 (The Beatles, Anthology 1; 1995)
21. Real Love - 3:54 (The Beatles, Anthology 2; 1996)
Side D (29:33)
22. Young Boy - 3:54 (Paul, Flaming Pie; 1997)
23. The World Tonight - 4:04 (Paul, Flaming Pie)
24. King of Broken Hearts - 4:44 (Ringo, Vertical Man; 1998)
25. Beautiful Night - 5:04 (Paul w/ Ringo, Flaming Pie)
26. La De Da - 4:14 (Ringo, Vertical Man)
27. Run Devil Run - 2:36 (Paul, Run Devil Run; 1999)
28. My Sweet Lord 2000 - 4:57 (George, non-album single; 2000)
This compilation covers the rest of the 1980s and the entirety of the 1990s, ending with George's re-recording of "My Sweet Lord" in 2000. The end of the 80s was the point where suddenly, the Beatles were cool once again, and it helped that they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the same week "Got My Mind Set on You" hit #1 in America. Also new releases were sporadic during the 90s, as usual, there's lots of good music to be found during that time; it's also the point where Ringo can be regarded as a good singer. Due to John's death, he's been replaced by a self portrait while the other three have pictures from the early 90s; George's comes from his last live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992.
John is only represented with the two Anthology songs, Paul with eleven songs (including a charity single), George with nine songs (including those by the Traveling Wilburys), Ringo with five songs, and one song jointly shared between Paul and Ringo.
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Side A (28:54)
1. Horse to the Water - 5:02 (George, Small World Big Band; 2001)
2. From a Lover to a Friend - 3:48 (Paul, Driving Rain; 2001)
3. Any Road - 3:52 (George, Brainwashed; 2002)
4. Never Without You - 5:24 (Ringo, Ringo Rama; 2003)
5. Fine Line - 3:06 (Paul, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard; 2005)
6. Fading In Fading Out - 3:55 (Ringo, Choose Love; 2005)
7. Jenny Wren - 3:47 (Paul, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard)
Side B (26:32)
8. Dance Tonight - 2:54 (Paul, Memory Almost Full; 2007)
9. Liverpool 8 - 4:51 (Ringo, Liverpool 8; 2008)
10. Sing the Changes - 3:44 (The Fireman, Electric Arguments; 2008)
11. Walk with You - 4:42 (Ringo w/ Paul, Y Not; 2010)
12. (I Want to) Come Home - 3:36 (Paul, non-album single; 2010)
13. My Valentine - 3:14 (Paul, Kisses on the Bottom; 2012)
14. Wings 2012 - 3:31 (Ringo, Ringo 2012; 2012)
Side C (28:56)
15. Cut Me Some Slack - 4:38 (Paul w/ Nirvana, Sound City: Real to Reel; 2013)
16. New - 2:56 (Paul, New; 2013)
17. Hope for the Future - 4:09 (Paul, Destiny; 2014)
18. Postcards from Paradise - 5:18 (Ringo, Postcards from Paradise; 2015)
19. In the Blink of an Eye - 3:20 (Paul, Ethel and Ernest; 2016)
20. We're on the Road Again - 4:24 (Ringo, Give More Love; 2017)
21. Come On to Me - 4:11 (Paul, Egypt Station; 2018)
Side D (25:49)
22. I Don't Know - 4:27 (Paul, Egypt Station)
23. Grow Old with Me - 3:18 (Ringo, What's My Name; 2019)
24. Home Tonight - 3:05 (Paul, non-album single; 2019)
25. Find My Way - 3:54 (Paul, McCartney III; 2020)
26. Here's to the Nights - 4:05 (Ringo, Zoom In; 2021)
27. Women and Wives - 2:52 (Paul, McCartney III)
28. Now and Then - 4:08 (The Beatles, non-album single; 2023)
The final compilation album, covering the entirety of the 2000s and 2010s, as well as the 2020s so far. With George dying from cancer in 2001, he's only represented on the first side, meaning that this compilation is mainly Paul and Ringo. It's likely going to be the most subjective of the five compilations due to there not being many songs that everyone knows, but what I've done here is try to pick those that were picked for single releases and go from there. Some songs were tough to cut - I almost opted for "Ever Present Past", but went with "(I Want to) Come Home" instead - but I think this is as good as it's going to get. I just had to include Ringo's version of "Grow Old with Me" (featuring Paul on bass and backing vocals) as it really does feel like all four of them are in the same room. Plus, it completes the tetralogy that also includes "Free as a Bird", "Real Love" and "Now and Then".
John is represented solely with "Now and Then", Paul with sixteen songs (including the sole track representing The Fireman), George with two songs, Ringo with eight songs, and one song jointly shared between Ringo and Paul.
Overall
Between the four members, and including collaborations with other artists, we have 21 songs credited to John Lennon, 61 songs credited to Paul McCartney, 30 songs credited to George Harrison, 23 songs credited to Ringo Starr, two songs jointly credited to both Paul and Ringo, and three John Lennon demos completed by the surviving Beatles. It's far from a perfect series of compilations as there are some tracks that I included to pad each side out to seven songs, and some are more obscure than others, but I think it makes for a solid retrospective of what John, Paul, George and Ringo did since the Beatles' breakup. "Now and Then" makes for a perfect close to a 60-plus year recording history.
I probably won't be updating this any time soon to include new music from Paul and Ringo that they might put out in 2024 and beyond, because the road ahead looks shorter than ever. And no, I won't be making a version that includes music by Julian, Sean and Dhani (not sure about James since Paul already represents the McCartney clan). You can figure that one out for yourselves.
