The Beatles Albums Ranked

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are commonly regarded as the most influential band of all time. The group were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music’s recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored music styles ranging from ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the group revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era’s youth and sociocultural movements. Here are all of the Beatles albums ranked.

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13. Yellow Submarine (1969)

“I remember seeing photos from a live action version of “Yellow Submarine”, but this seems to have vanished without trace, so the cartoon is all that is around, as far as I know. Agreed, this was groundbreaking at the time, and should be watched as being very much of its time. It’s a reminder that UK life became physically colourful in the later sixties, after years of drabness, and it was a visual feast of styles and graphics that had a great influence on the visual media of the time. As a film, it’s essentially a device to hold the songs loosely together, and is quite entertaining, although it rather fizzles out at the end. My favourite section is “Eleanor Rigby – also my favourite Beatle’s song. Otherwise I can’t help feeling “Did we really believe all that Summer of Love crap?” A nostalgia trip, but good fun.”

12. Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

“I always regarded Magical Mystery Tour (MMT) as a stop-gap between Pepper and the White Album. Yes, it was a TV movie shown over Christmas 1967 on the BBC (then in black & white), but many thought it was aimed at kids – what had happened to the serious rockers from Sgt. Pepper’s Band? Even though they didn’t screen the movie, the Americans subsequently compiled the soundtrack with singles (Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane plus B-sides) that hadn’t previously appeared on an LP, and it is now officially part of The Beatles canon of albums. For many in the UK, MMT was forgotten by the time the White Album was released.”

11. Beatles for Sale (1964)

“For Sale is one of my personal favorite Beatles albums. It’s the last old style Beatles before they transitioned into their more progressive style. It is a bit more somber in places almost as if they knew that the happy go lucky four moptops from Liverpool phase was at an end & from here on out more was going to be expected of them as serious artists. Never again would they be able to supplement their original songs with cover songs again. It wouldn’t be too long till they would retire from the insanity of the road & concentrate solely on recording new original groundbreaking masterpieces much like Brian Wilson would do with the Beach Boys before them. For Sale is like a graduation party: the silliness, the beer & the dancing & the laughter are still there but with a just under the surface melancholy that childhood had ended & it was time to grow up. I don’t want to spoil the party indeed, just let me play some of that rock & roll music, one more time!”

10. Help (1965)

“One of the absolute best movie soundtracks ever. We get some fabulous music teamed with excellent lyrics. The title cut was recently used in a Google commercial giving a taste of The Beatles to new generations of listeners. Every track on this disc is a keeper, not really that surprising. “Help” is a great song but “Yesterday” is one of the bands absolute masterpieces. This recording came smack in the middle of the Fab Four’s long reign on the charts. The film is also a brilliant work of art. These guys simply did not make any mediocre music. IMHO they are the greatest musical group of any kind. And they’re not even my favorite band. While I prefer the latter day Beatles their early stuff is so perfect. The sound on this album is truly beautiful, with the vocals and music being perfectly remastered. Hopefully they will be picked up by those new generations of listeners. Long live The Beatles!”

9. Let It Be (1970)

“Let It Be” was the final album released by The Beatles(even though the recording sessions predated “Abbey Road”). Though there’s some undeniable classic songs included(“Get Back”, “Let It Be”, “The Long and Winding Road” & “Across The Universe”) the remaining songs, while good by anyone else’s standards, are second rate songs by Beatles standards.”

8. With the Beatles (1963)

“Just four whirlwind months after their 1963 debut “Please Please Me,” The Beatles released their second album, “With The Beatles.” Known in the press at the time as “the lovable mop-tops,” The Beatles generated unbridled excitement everywhere; in their concerts, radio and TV appearances, and in the entire pop scene both in the UK and abroad. “With The Beatles” is an instant rush, opening with John singing the first line of “It Won’t Be Long” and the group immediately responds with an enthusiastic “Yeah.” This energy keeps pace throughout the entire album; songs seem to be played at double speed. The band’s first album announced the band’s arrival, their second album brought the sound to the world and changed the pop landscape.”

7. Please Please Me (1963)

“Beatles’ first album (Long play). Lots energy, brilliant voices and work from the band is outstanding. Not many bands – if any! – sounded like The Beatles. With this album which I see as a milestone in rock music and they are ready for the American audience.”

6. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

“What more is there to say aside from all of the fans who left great reviews, except that this LP is unbelievably great! I don’t think I’ve ever listened to The Beatles which such clarity and precision. The seven songs on the A side are arguably the greatest list of songs that the Fab Four ever put together, short of Abbey Road. The vocals (harmonies) are stunning, Paul’s bass is brought to life, and George’s guitar work is perfect, very bright and clear. I put AHDN on, sat down, and my jaw hit the floor. When it was over, I listened to it again and again. That is how good The Beatles were! A special thank you to the production team of this incredible reissue.”

5. Rubber Soul (1965)

“Well, what more can be said about the Beatles signature LP, “Rubber Soul” that hasn’t been said by many of the fine reviews here. I have a previous pressing of Rubber Soul (Capital mono), and this new pressing is head and shoulders above that. I dropped the needle and was completely blown away by the clarity of the vocals and the instrumentation of all of the tracks. John’s vocals on “Girl” is astounding; Paul’s bass really pumps; Ringo’s prefect playing; as well as George’s rockabilly licks come flying out in the room. I can’t get enough of this wonderful addition to my Beatles collection. I can’t wait to see what Giles Martin can do with remastering of the White Album. Many thanks to the crew at Abbey Road studios.”

4. Abbey Road (1969)

“Abbey Road is a special product for it single handedly defines why this band was special. It is bold, but never alienates the audience. Its lyrics speak of value, but are never overly sentimental. And contains humorous motifs that are loved by audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The first side of the album – ‘Come Together’ through to ‘I Want You’ – is reminiscent of many of the bands earlier works and contains a host of wonderful melodies, but the it is the second side of the album that is commonly regarded as the highlight. ‘Here Comes The Sun’ is surely the most uplifting song you could wish for, and and sets a tone for the ambitious segueing of works that follow; all ending on the whimsical note of ‘Her Majesty’ that McCartney original wrote as a joke on the way to the studio. At 23 seconds long, its blunt ending typifies how the band could seamlessly merge more abstract ideals with the traditions that they popularized.”

3. The White Album (1968)

“This was the album that was the first by the Beatles to start showing in a bit more detail that whist the songs were being credited to Lennon and McCartney increasingly the songs were being written individually. As such this makes it a totally fascinating album and let’s the fans see the individual strengths that each brought to the table. Maybe as a result we get some of the most underappreciated songs by each of the band. With McCartney we get the wonderful Martha my dear, with Lennon we get the beautiful Cry baby cry and in the case of George Harrison we get his best Beatles song in Long Long Long. The strange thing about this album is how rare it is to hear many of the songs on the radio whenever other songs are played on a daily basis. The album starts with one of its best known songs Back in the USSR and then starts a wonderful journey through so many unexpected twists and turns with Yoko joining in on backing vocals on Bungalow Bill the wonderful strangeness of Happiness is a warm gun. We have McCartney turning it up to 11 on Helter Skelter and one of his most beautiful love songs in I will. It’s a truely wonderful album which a times feels like a precursor for the solo albums which only lay a year or two ahead but 38 years on it just sounds like the best album by the best group ever.”

2. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

“What a truly lovely box set of such a famous album. Whilst this is not my favorite Beatles album there is so much to enjoy listening to the raw versions of songs that did not much to change the course of rock music back in 1967. Personally it was fantastic to hear the orchestral versions of what much be the Beatles most underrated song ” She’s leaving home ” What these versions show is the true genius of Paul McCartney as he moved rock music away from the traditional guitar and drum formula into something incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking. There is so much to enjoy about this boxset. Thoroughly recommended.”

1. Revolver (1966)

“In my opinion there were 3 Beatle bands. The first was at the Cavern with a very raw sound. Then when Brian Epstein managed them and George Martin produced them they became great in their own right, always wearing those Beatle boots with dark suits and a tie .. and bowing after each song they did live. This was the great beginning of the Lennon McCartney tunes that were fun to sing and play over and over. When Epstein died the Beatles were somewhat lost and each one would find his own songwriting abilities. The suits were gone and their songs were unable to be played live, thus phase 3 of the super group. Revolver started it all at that time. Sgt. Pepper the next great album and Abbey Road to complete the trifecta.”