In 2010, I went to see Ringo and his All Star band at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It was his 70th birthday. They rolled out a tremendous drum kit birthday cake and the entire crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him, then a sprawling group of notable human beings joined him on stage to sing “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Members of the E-Street Band, ELO’s Jeff Lynne, Brian Johnson of AC/DC, Joe Walsh, Yoko Ono, and many more all chanting the apt chorus, eventually fading into “Give Peace a Chance”, written by an old friend of Mr. Starr.

Featuring Yoko Ono, Brian Johnson , a drum kit shaped cake and many more - 7/7/2010 - Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY

It was a surreal moment.

Then, as if out some boyhood daydream, Sir Paul McCartney burst onto the stage and the crowd went ballistic. They broke into the White Album’s “Birthday” and the crowd took it up another notch. Beatlemania.  

see Sir Paul surprise Ringo on his 70th with the All Starr Band live at Radio City Music Hall on Ringo's birthday July 7, 2010. Ringo is overcome with joy and emotion as Paul grabs his Hoffner and hits the stage for a rousing rendition of Birthday, complete with Ringo on drums. This is the best quality version of this recording.

For one shimmering moment, I was one of those screaming preteen girls at JFK or the Ed Sullivan Show or Shea Stadium. Frenzied, delirious, hysterical.

I cried.

I was about two decades short of knowing a world where the Beatles existed, nine years short of knowing a world where John Lennon lived and breathed, only about 12 years old when George moved onto his next life. Still, this band has had such a profound impact on my life that I, as a full grown man, wept and squealed in a public place when I had the miraculous opportunity of seeing the last of them take the stage together. It was a tremendous moment in my life and a bit of a historical moment for the music world, too. I say all of this mostly to brag but I think it also illustrates the sheer magnitude of the Beatles’ impact on my life and the lives of many, many others.

Here are ten lesser known tracks by the greatest band of all time that I think deserve a glance, or another glance, or a third or fourth glance, because with the Beatles’ music, as with all great music, the more you listen, the better it gets.  

NEXT