![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Paul-McCartney-John-Lennon-Ringo-Starr-George-Harrison-1969-The-Beatles-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jp.jpeg\")
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(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n
Fri 5 September 2025 22:00, UK <\/p>\n
When The Beatles<\/a> split, all four members went off to their own corners. Some were licking their wounds and trying to recover from the loss and betrayal, while others were instantly basking in the spotlight of the new freedom. <\/p>\n Paul McCartney was definitely in the first camp as he\u2019d later admit that he actually didn\u2019t even know if he would continue making music after the painful split. \u201cI was depressed. You would be.<\/a> You were breaking from your lifelong friends,\u201d he said as the breakup of the band for him also included a major breakdown in those relationships. <\/p>\n On the flip side, George Harrison was so overjoyed<\/a> that he was caught on camera basically running to sign the divorce papers. It makes sense given that his first release after the split was full of songs he\u2019d been working on for quite some time that the band had rejected. Clearly he was eager to finally have them heard and have them heard his way. <\/p>\n By the time the process was all final and formal and the band was officially and legally over in 1974, all four members were in deep with their solo careers. In fact, none of them wasted any time as by the end of 1970, all of them had shared their debut release of their independent careers.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s not a competition, it inevitably became one. From their own corners, the four old friends were bound to be comparing their work to others, wondering who would pull the trigger first and who would succeed most. Their solo albums also drew out complex lines of alliance as Lennon played on Harrison\u2019s, Starr played on Lennon\u2019s and their other old friends and collaborators scattered between them. But in the end, who hit the charts highest, and first?<\/p>\n First out the gate with their solo work was Ringo Starr when he released Sentimental Journey<\/a> in March 1970. No slight at all on Starr who contributed greatly to the band with his drums, but as a solo artists, I\u2019m so no one had faith in him winning the race, and he didn\u2019t. The album peaked at number 7 and that was that. <\/p>\n A month later, McCartney released McCartney; the album he made fully and completely on his own. Technically, this was the first Beatles solo number one as it topped the Billboard LP charts, but that was it\u2019s own win. In the UK, it peaked at number 2 and as he chose to release no singles from it, he couldn\u2019t compete in the chart battle.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/George-Harrison-Ringo-Starr-Paul-McCartney-John-Lennon-1966-Munich-The-Beatles-Far-Out-Magazine-1024.jpeg\")
<\/a>The Beatles (Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)Which Beatles member had the first solo number one?<\/p>\n