The Beatles were special from the beginning. Since George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr emerged from Liverpool, England, with their debut album, 1963's Please Please Me, their music has inspired millions of fans and fellow musicians worldwide. Lennon and McCartney's intricate melodies and exquisite harmonies, propelled by a fruitful collaboration with producer George Martin, exploded when experimentations with drugs and cultural influences led them to new creative horizons. Harrison's Eastern-leaning spirituality and friendship with sitar legend Ravi Shankar took his songs into a unique realm. And Starr also contributed songs, giving the Beatles four legitimate vocalists, a rarity among rock groups.

From albums such as With The Beatles (1963) and Help! (1965) to works such as Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and Abbey Road (1969), the Beatles evolved from a quartet that drew upon the sounds of Motown and artists such as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley to a unit that incorporated Indian textures, backward tapes, multitrack overdubs, and bold musical arrangements, all the while redefining the musical possibilities within the context of a four-piece rock group. Their accomplishments seem even more staggering with every year that passes since their breakup in 1970 and the eventual deaths of Lennon, who was shot in front of his New York apartment building in 1980, and Harrison, who lost his battle with cancer in 2001.

Most best-of lists have one, if not many, of the Beatles' albums listed, with Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver, Rubber Soul (1965), and the self-titled double album commonly known as "The White Album" (1968) typically lauded as among the greatest recordings in rock history. More than a half century since their formation, the Beatles remain arguably the most influential band in music history.