I listened to the the Beatles' White Album from cover to cover the other day and was as amazed as I was the first time I heard it. It's well-known now that the album was considered by the members of the band to be a record of their early work as solo artists (listening to the lyrics to "Blackbird" from that perspective says it all), and that the accompanying photos are made up entirely of individual shots, and so forth. But, for me, it still sounds like perhaps the most representative Beatles album, because it contains so much breathing room and thus allows them to be heard both as individuals and as a collective. In retrospect, it's also clear that it was a template for some of the best large-scale ambitions of later rock artists (The Clash's Sandanista! and Fleetwood Mac's Tusk come to mind), and that its individual tracks have remained inspirations for songwriters up to the present moment. An example? Compare "Good Night" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIKugx1sToY) with Radiohead's closing track from Kid A, "Motion Picture Soundtrack" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ju8xO_Zvfo).

The album's MVP is Starr, in my opinion, and not only for his unforgettable vocal contributions (such as the one linked above), but his near-infallibility in the studio and his heart full of soul playing and placement made the record possible despite the tensions present at its making. Check him out on this one, Lennon's "I'm So Tired": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy-gOf-_3f4&feature=related.

And just to round things off, here's a highlight from Harrison, "Savoy Truffle": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBJqPxpWD5w, and one from McCartney, "Martha My Dear": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogwO9V9wIHg.