Graham Nash — singer, songwriter and founding member of The Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash — has long admired The Beatles, and when asked to pick his favourite album from the Fab Four’s catalogue, he pointed to 1966’s Revolver. Nash has described the record as a watershed moment in rock music, highlighting its energy, innovation and sonic ambition as defining qualities that resonated deeply with him as a young musician.
Nash’s connection to The Beatles dates back to his early days in Manchester, when his then-undeveloped band competed against John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — who were still performing under their pre-fame names — at a local talent show in 1959. Though Nash and his partner Allan Clarke ultimately won that contest, he later recognized immediately that there was something special about the quartet who would become The Beatles.
Over the years, Nash has spoken repeatedly about the band’s influence on his own artistic journey, even recalling his appreciation for ambitious tracks like “A Day in the Life”, which he once called “one of the most adventurous songs ever written and recorded.” While that track appears on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it was Revolver — with its groundbreaking studio techniques and genre-bending songs — that Nash ultimately cited as his favourite Beatles album and a key touchstone in his creative development.
The Beatles’ impact on Nash extended beyond admiration; their evolving sound and willingness to push musical boundaries mirrored the broader artistic shifts of the 1960s, inspiring Nash as he moved from The Hollies’ early pop sound into the more experimental and harmony-rich work of Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Reflecting on The Beatles as a whole, Nash has said he doesn’t believe “there will ever be a group as talented as The Beatles,” a testament to their enduring influence on multiple generations of musicians and the indelible mark they left on rock music.
