Top 10 Beatles Albums

As cliché as it may sound, The Beatles have influenced me as a listener/guitarist more than any other musical group or solo artist ever has. I attribute them for "getting me into music" in the first place, as I never found a true calling as a listener until I went to a Beatles tribute show in the 4th grade. This single act opened up countless doors for me (which I owe all to my dad).

It's unbelievable the group accomplished what they did in the '60s. In fact when you really think about it, it's truly dumbfounding. The Beatles never really had a peak or reached a plateau with their music. Their early '60s skiffle inspired tunes are sonically just as pleasing (to me) as the psychedelic experimentation found in the latter part of the decade (although the late '60s sound had far more of a cultural impact). Even if they hadn't expanded from their early trademark sound, The Beatles would still go down as a great band. That statement in itself says a lot. John, Paul, George, and Ringo left a mark on the world: perhaps they are remembered even more so than the famous world leaders and war generals of the decade. The Beatles' music recorded during the '60s continues to have an everlasting impact on the modern world as we know it.

This "Top 10's" list was especially hard to create; depending on the day this list could slightly differ. The rankings show that I do tend to favor the later Beatles (post ~1966) than the earlier, but even that still says a lot. Since the Beatles have such an extensive catalog, this list purely consists of studio releases. Live albums, anthologies, and even Beatles for Sale are excluded (Beatles for Sale wasn't released in the U.S. for its time).

10. Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

There's some highs and lows found on Magical Mystery Tour, which follows suite of Sgt. Pepper by taking another "concept album" approach. Initially the title track "Magical Mystery Tour" has some cool moments, and "Fool on the Hill" is very well written. But the standout track is clearly "Strawberry Fields Forever" - a song I wasn't exactly found of growing up, but as I've gotten older I've began to to appreciate its psychedelic intricacies (especially towards the end of the song). "Penny Lane" and "All You Need is Love" come off as #1 hits, but I'm not particularly fond of either. They're a bit too sappy for my taste and I much prefer the #1 hit of "Hello, Goodbye". I could mention "Baby, You're a Rich Man" or "I Am The Walrus" , but I'm not particularly sold on them as well (although "I Am The Walrus" does make a cynical mockery of the British culture for its time). Magical Mystery Tour was perhaps fueled by a culmination of drugs and/or less motivation than found in years past. It just doesn't come together as tightly as it could (song-for-song) as previous Beatles albums did.

9. A Hard Day's Night (1964)

1964 was the catalyst for the Beatles to enter the American teenage spotlight and eventually take the world by storm. With their Ed Sullivan appearances in February, A Hard Day's Night was released in mid August with hits like "Can't Buy Me Love" and "A Hard Day's Night". The crooning continues on the jangly "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" and "Things We Said Today". But the album slows down on songs like "And I Love Her", "If I Fell", and "I'll Be Back" which displays some mature moments for a bunch of early twenty something year old guys. Perhaps one aspect that got them so crazed in the US was the accents. While singing, the Beatles don't really sound all that British - making the transition (invasion) into the states a little more seamless. There's not a whole lot to say about A Hard Day's Night, other than its significance for the time.

8. Please Please Me (1963)

Much of Please Please Me fits in the classic early Beatles format delivering ~2 minute songs; in total there’s just 32 minutes of music. “I Saw Her Standing There” starts off as one of the group’s best early compositions with some nifty (and trebly) contributions from George on lead guitar. Some personal favorites come through on “Anna (Go To Him) and “Baby It’s You”. There’s a colossal amount of early Beatles hits on Please Please Me: “Love Me Do”, “Please Please Me”, “Do You Want To Know A Secret”, and “Twist and Shout”. Legend has it that John’s searing vocal performance on "Twist and Shout" took him days to recover from (it was actually all recorded in the first take). Look for this iconic album cover to be recreated in the compilation known as The Beatles 1967-1970 (blue greatest hits).

8. With the Beatles (1963)

With the Beatles has an affable mix of originals along with covers of well-known tunes. At this point, the boys were simply moving past their leather jacket phase by playing more melodic love songs. The record hits the ground running with “It Won’t Be Long” (lots of interjecting yeahs!), and then moves on to the sassy “All I’ve Got To Do”. “Little Child” has a bluesy boogie-woogie shakedown of sorts and there’s a lovely rendition of “Till There was You” from the Music Man musical sung by Paul. There's no true #1 hit on With the Beatles, but who cares? “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Money” are great covers that fit perfectly with that o-so-raspy voice of John. “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Devil In Her Heart” feel nice, as there’s a nice crooning doo-wopish feel going on. I would have to say With The Beatles is not much of a standout in terms of the genre it was in, but where the group did stand out was with executing the vocal harmonies. There’s such a great chemistry between the vocals of John, Paul, and George (and at times Ringo) that helped The Beatles to sell this record and set them apart from their peers.

7. Help! (1965)

Help! assisted in proving that the Beatles were no fluke with their conquest of the United States (and even the world). The British Invasion continued with Help! due in part to catchy songs like "You're Going To Lose That Girl" (which features some intermittent bongos). Paul's voice sounds more mature than a 23 year old on "The Night Before" - perhaps it was all the cigarettes. John's also has a nice gruffness on the bluesy "Dizzy Miss Lizzy". While "Ticket to Ride" and "Yesterday" come out as the hits, don't forget about songs like "It's Only Love" and "I've Just Seen a Face". Help! still goes down as some of the better soft pop/rock of 1965.

6. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

I think the album cover and concept of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band would convince most music critics to put this higher on their list. It's the first real Beatles album with a recurring motif / theme: a true departure from anything the band had released before. The progressive year of 1967 accommodated the group with getting outside of their comfort zone (see "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"). I'm not big on the circus antics of "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite", or even tracks like "When I'm Sixty Four" or "With a Little Help From My Friends" (sorry Ringo). Yet "Getting Better" brings some stable energy and I've always loved the the guitar solo on "Good Morning Good Morning" (turns out Paul actually did the solo instead of George). "She's Leaving Home" goes down as another beautiful and somber Beatles song while "Within You Without You" picks up where Revolver left off with the Indian influences. Sgt. Pepper closes with one of the group's finest works in a "Day In The Life", a haunting reflection of Lennon and McCartney's psyches coming together: a mesh that finally yields its way into chaos.

5. Abbey Road (1969)

Abbey Road is meant to be listened to as a whole, especially during the later parts of the album. You simply can't listen to "Golden Slumbers" without hearing "Carry that Weight" immediately after. For its time, it was extremely influential on the bands that would follow (in the years to come). It helps to pose the question: what does it mean to make an album? Should an album be a collection of fragmented ideas (that potentially turn into hits)? Should an album consist of a cohesive effort put forth in order to say a statement? Or should an album just stick to connecting with its audience?

Luckily, Abbey Road checks all three of these boxes. It's a very progressive effort, setting the stage for future influences as I mentioned. There's a great mix of rocking (McCartney belts harder than I've ever heard him do on "Oh Darling"), along with the ominous swirl of emotions found on "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". It's clear that the first part of Abbey Road contains more of the well known hits like "Come Together", Something", and "Here Comes the Sun". But let's forget about these for just a second and pay attention to everything from the ninth track onwards: side 2 of Abbey Road opens with "You Never Give Me Your Money" and sets the stage for a gradual moment of musical history.

From this point onwards, nothing truly feels like a singular song; everything flows with a direction and purpose. The transition between "Polythene Pam" and "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" is seamless and most listeners will not even catch on to this on the first listen. It is rumored that the subtle transition between these two songs is actually the last time The Beatles would collectively play together as a whole and record a track. It's funny to think that the band began and ended their career by playing songs that were less than two minutes in length. It really makes you step back and admire the radical departure the group took from their inception in the early sixties.

To conclude the medley, "The End" fittingly pays homage to each individual and their talents, beginning with an iconic drum solo played by Ringo. Immediately following is some tasty guitar solos played in rotation by the three pickers (Paul, George, and John respectively). Abbey Road finishes with a simple little ditty in "Her Majesty" - which I don't have much to comment about (an excerpt of a song that got left at the end). All in all, Abbey Road was simply groundbreaking. The Beatles had to of known that this album was something truly special when they finished the recording process. In the months that would follow, the Beatles would ultimetely disband in order to pursue their solo careers - even though this separation was not made public.

4. Rubber Soul (1966)

Rubber Soul is a great starting point to get acquainted with the Beatles. The boys had developed into more established lyricists (see "Norwegian Wood") and they were stepping on the doorstep of their prime. Released in December of 1965, Rubber Soul really assisted in setting the stage for 1966/1967 (the sound was still just slightly ahead of its time). Songs such as “I’m Looking Through You” and “If I Needed Someone” are very accessible. “Michelle” is a leisurely Paul composition, while "What Goes On" presents a Carl Perkins inspired Ringo number. A personal favorite of mine is “Nowhere Man”, which paints a picture about someone that doesn't have a direction/purpose in life - someone who just needs a bit of empowering to get their life on track. But perhaps the best song comes through with "In My Life". It's a great reflection of the time that passes all people by (relatable on all levels). Rubber Soul is such a fantastic mix, where the Beatles truly began to hit their stride: propelling them to future successes.

3. Revolver (1966)

The Beatles commanded a national (and more so a worldwide) presence in the summer of 1966. They had the ability to go in any direction: whether that be to please the fans (don't forget the parents of the fans) with their chipper and clean cut image, or by taking a path that was reflective of the ever changing social environment of 1966.

Ignoring the critics, the group put a twist on their bright/sappy compositions while choosing to remove themselves from the touring spotlight and placed an emphasis on studio production. The 12 string Rickenbacker ultimetely gets ditched in place of a Mellotron: Revolver is where the clean cut image begins to dwindle, and things start to get fun.

The dreamy "Here, There and Everywhere" along with the melancholic "For No One" present the argument for Revolver to go down as the greatest Beatles album of all time (don't forget "I'm Only Sleeping"). #1 hits like "Yellow Submarine" and "Eleanor Rigby" solidify Revolver from a critic's perspective. “Taxman” has another great solo (played by Paul, again the sound here is similar to "Good Morning Good Morning"). Yet I don't find myself going out of my way to listen to tracks like "I Want To Tell You" and "Doctor Robert". "Got To Get You Into My Life" and "Good Day Sunshine" feel like songs to please the baby boomers in 2021 and don't hold up as well over time.

Be on the lookout for George Harrison's footprint throughout Revolver. I feel as though I haven't mentioned enough of the group's adept lead guitarist (known as "the quiet Beatle) in this list. His visits (and eventually homages) to India end up playing a big role in Revolver's sound. This is clearly demonstrated in "Love You To", but perhaps it comes through most effectively in the psychedelic masterpiece of "Tomorrow Never Knows" (giving a view into Lennon’s preceding psychedelic drug experiences). While Revolver might not be my personal favorite Beatles album, its direction set the Beatles up for studio success in the future - ultimately changing the musical landscape of the world for years to come.

2. Let It Be (1970)

Let It Be gets the Beatles back to their Chuck Berry roots and displays some songs that feel like they were written pre ~1966 ("One After 909" and "Dig It"). Yet there's such a great trifecta of truly beautiful songs in "The Long and Winding Road", "Across the Universe", and "Let It Be". These three songs go down (in my book) as some of the purest songwriting of all time. Paul was actually not fond of the producing done on "The Long and Winding Road". He wanted more of a stripped down version between just the four Beatles, but an executive decision was made after the recording process: which added a dense string section / choir. But what was the caveat? Paul was never informed of this producing decision made by Phil Spector. I personally am content with this decision as I think the song comes out just fine (if not better). Personal favorites can even be found on simple little ditties like "Two of Us", which opens up the album nicely. "Dig a Pony", "I Me Mine" and "I've Got a Feeling" are also great songs on Let it Be that give rocking sendoffs. Let It Be truly is a great album, what more can I say? Let's just be thankful that the Beatles didn't break up in 1968, or we'd be missing out on a lot.

1. The White Album (1968)

The White Album goes down as the quintessential double album of its time (and all time), coming in with over an hour and half of music. "Back In the U.S.S.R" hits the ground running, along with the acoustic guitar and energizing bassline of "Dear Prudence". "Glass Onion" has some nice and comical references to past Beatles tracks/albums. Yet the White Album has its bits of inconsistencies at times. With goof offs like "Piggies", "Wild Honey Pie", and even "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", the album can get weird at certain moments.

But you can't deny the White Album's influence on the latter half of 20th century music. It really has a little bit of everything. Pound for pound, this album still hits hard and it feels like I'm just touching the surface on the musical material presented (I haven't even mentioned the influence/influences of a burner like "Helter Skelter"). There's just so much subject matter here, you could definitely write a book just about the White Album itself. "Honey Pie" and "Martha My Dear" give off Paul's classic English vibe, which is complemented with John's funky "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" and "Happiness is a Warm Gun". I've never been big on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (even though from a critic's perspective it is great). I'd rather hear a song like "I'm So Tired" or even "Yer Blues". I specifically remember listening to the latter at a young age. "Yer Blues" had to be one of the heaviest things I had ever heard as a 5th grader (both on a lyrical level and sonically). Even as I've gotten older, it's still extremely heavy. Tensions were at a all time high with this record, yet the lads pulled it through to release an album full of prolific compositions (see "Blackbird") mixed in with abstract experimentalism (see "Revolution #9").