The Beatles 1962 - 1966 ("The Red Album") Compilation

In a way, the most astonishing thing about The Beatles 1962-1966 (aka the Red Album) is its title. These guys did this in four years? No rock band had ever sounded so cuddly and approachable (“I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “Please Please Me”) and no pop group so enigmatic and cool to the touch (“Ticket to Ride”, “Norwegian Wood”). Their interpretation of classic pop got more sophisticated as time went on (“Yesterday”, “Girl”), but so did their takes on R&B and soul (“Paperback Writer”). Maybe they drove the culture, maybe they were just exceptional at adapting to it. Either way, you can map the songs here onto pretty much every broad development in popular music in the early ’60s, from the light blues and folk rock of “Love Me Do” and “She Loves You” to the psychedelia of “Day Tripper” and jaggedness of “Eleanor Rigby”.