The Beatles is the eponymous ninth official album by The Beatles, a double album released in 1968. It is often referred to as The White Album as it has no text other than the band's name (and, on the early LP releases, a serial number) on its plain white sleeve, which was designed by pop artist Richard Hamilton. The album was the first album The Beatles undertook following the death of their manager Brian Epstein. Originally planned to be titled A Doll's House, The Beatles is often hailed as one of the major accomplishments in popular music.
In 1997, The Beatles was named the 10th greatest album of all time in a 'Music of the Millennium' poll conducted by HMV, Channel 4, The Guardian and Classic FM. In 1998, Q magazine readers placed it at number 17, while in 2000 the same magazine placed it at number 7 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2001, the TV network VH1 named it as the 11th greatest album ever. In 2006, the album was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time. It was ranked number 10 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, The Beatles is The Beatles' best-selling album at 19-times platinum and the tenth-best-selling album of all time in the United States.
