Credit: Far Out / YouTube Still / Foo Fighters
Fri 4 September 2026 3:00, UK
The Beatles‘ timelessness comes down to how much they were able to change their style throughout their careers.
Their first breakout hit, I’m sure most people would agree, came in the form of ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, a catchy pop number that got people swooning and grooving. As soon as that track played on the radio, it was like something in the general public switched on, as they realised music didn’t just need to be pleasant, but it could bring copious amounts of joy to all within earshot.
The Beatles didn’t just make this kind of music, though. They were constantly changing their sound, as individual band members were putting forward different ideas, each of which had their very own sense of identity and self. When you listen to the band’s discography, you can hear them evolve and change depending on what was influencing them, what was happening in their lives, and what drugs they were taking.
I suppose The Beatles’ longevity can be pinned on the dual factors of individualism and change. Without both of these fundamentals, the band may well have not aged in the way that they have, and also might not have been the legendary musical outfit that we know and love today. It was these two factors that Dave Grohl and Rick Rubin both cited when they said that The White Album was their favourite record by the band.
It’s not a surprise that Dave Grohl focused on the evolution of the band, for he himself as a musician is hardly immune to change. When Kurt Cobain passed away and Nirvana disbanded, he pivoted from the drums and channelled a brand new sound when he began making music again, so when he spoke about The White Album, he made comparisons to the band’s earlier work and laughed at how much they had changed over the years.
“What year did this come out?” he mused, “I think I was a glimpse of hope in my parents’ eyes, but this has some of my favourite Beatles songs on it: ‘Blackbird’, ‘Revolution #9’, ‘Revolution’, ‘Helter Skelter’. It’s funny to imagine those four cute little Beatles years later on LSD. Where did they go wrong, writing something like ‘Helter Skelter’ and influencing Charles Manson? I’d call this timeless.”
Rick Rubin instead focused on the individual efforts from different band members that can so clearly be heard on the record. Once again, this makes sense; as a music producer, it’s Rubin’s job to understand what makes a musician tick and harness the ability to bring that quality out of them. When he listened to The White Album, he heard The Beatles, sure, but more to the point, he heard John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Further reading: From The Vault
“This one may not be as polished as some of the other Beatles albums, but I like how personal it feels, and the fact that you can hear the individual styles of each of the guys,” said Rubin, “It sounds as much like four separate people as it does a band. I like seeing their individual personalities coming through in the music and in the playing.”
We can sit and debate what the best Beatles album is until the cows come home, and the length of that debate only acts as another testament to the range of quality that the band displayed, but then, The White Album is certainly one of their best when it comes to showcasing the band’s qualities that have stood the test of time.
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