Between 1963 and 1970 The Beatles took over the world and changed music forever. During that time, the band released an impressive string of 13 studio albums, most of which rank among the very best ever recorded. But what is the band’s best album? And what is their worst? In this article, I’m going the rank all The Beatles albums from worst to best!
13. Yellow Submarine
It is commonly agreed upon that Yellow Submarine is the Beatles’ weakest release, and I can’t disagree. The album/soundtrack features 4 original tracks that are disposable and 2 previously released singles that aren’t too great either. Side two doesn’t even feature The Beatles. The release between the White Album and Abbey Road doesn’t help Yellow Submarine, but overall, it isn’t a Beatles-worthy album.
Stand-out track(s): None (of the original tracks)
12. Beatles for Sale
The band’s fourth studio album Beatles for Sale is much better than Yellow Submarine, but nevertheless lacks the high quality we know from The Beatles. The original songs aren’t as good as on the previous albums and it features too many uninteresting covers. The album is a fun listen, and “Eight Days a Week” is a great song, but Beatles for Sale is nothing too special.
Stand-out track(s): “Eight Days a Week” and “I’ll Follow the Sun”
11. With The Beatles
For number 11 I’ve picked the band’s second studio album With The Beatles. The album is a collection of original songs and covers, just like the Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me. With The Beatles isn’t as good as Please Please Me, but is still a solid album overall.
Stand-out track(s): “All My Loving” and “Till There Was You”
10. Magical Mystery Tour
In my opinion, the soundtrack of Magical Mystery Tour is a collection of fantastic songs tied together rather poorly. Especially in the US, where the soundtrack was released as an LP together with The Beatles’ 1967 singles. “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” are all-time greats, but they do not belong on Magical Mystery Tour. The original songs are great, but sound messy as a unit. As a result, Magical Mystery Tour feels more like a greatest hits compilation than a proper album. Hence the low ranking.
Stand-out track(s): “The Fool on the Hill” and “I Am the Walrus”
9. Let It Be
Sadly enough, The Beatles’ final album is remembered more for its controversy than its music. The Let It Be project – initially titled Get Back – would eventually be one of the many reasons why the Beatles broke up. The album shouldn’t be exclusively viewed in a bad light though, as it gave us the iconic rooftop concert and its beautiful title track “Let It Be”.
Stand-out track(s): “Let It Be” and “Across The Universe”
8. Please Please Me
For number 8 I’ve picked Please Please Me, the Beatles’ debut album. The most impressive thing about Please Please Me is that it was recorded in just a single day. The story behind the recording of “Twist and Shout” is iconic. John Lennon recorded the vocals at the end of the day whilst suffering from a cold. He later said his voice wasn’t the same for a long time after. All in all, Please Please Me is an extremely impressive debut album.
Stand-out track(s): “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Love Me Do” and “Twist and Shout”
7. Help!
In between ‘Beatlemania’ and ‘artistic geniuses’ stands the transitional Help! The album features the hit singles “Ticket to Ride” and “Help!”, as well as the introspective “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”. The album’s masterpiece, however, is Paul McCartney’s beautiful ballad “Yesterday”. Overall, Help! is a great album, the following six are just better!
Stand-out track(s): “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” and “Yesterday”
6. A Hard Day’s Night
In my opinion, A Hard Day’s Night is the band’s best release during the ‘Beatlemania’ phase, and The Beatles’ first masterpiece. The album features the iconic title track, as well as songs such as “I Should Have Known Better”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, and “If I Fell”. The highlight of the album is “And I Love Her”, a ballad Paul McCartney wrote for his girlfriend Jane Asher.
Stand-out track(s): “And I Love Her” and “A Hard Day’s Night”
5. Rubber Soul
As we reach the top 5 of this list, we enter the elite of Beatles albums, and thus, the pinnacle of music. The albums left can be interchangeable according to personal taste, but I’ve decided to start with Rubber Soul.
Rubber Soul – released in 1965 – marked a departure from the band’s known sound. The Beatles introduced musical experimentation and wrote more mature lyrics. The difference between Rubber Soul and its preceder Help is incredible. It’s the album where John Lennon truly shines, contributing compositions like “Norwegian Wood”, “Nowhere Man”, “Girl”, and “In My Life”, the last of which Lennon called his ‘first real major piece of work’.
Rubber Soul is often seen as the start of the album era, and heavily inspired the likes of Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, and Pete Townshend.
Stand-out track(s): “In My Life” and “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”
4. The Beatles (The White Album)
In 1968 The Beatles released their 4-headed monster The Beatles (commonly known as the White Album). The album features a whopping 30 songs with a diverse range of genres. I mean, how many bands have rock and roll, rock, ska, folk, country, blues, music hall, and even hard rock tracks all on one album?
Read more: The 10 Best Beatles Songs of All Time
Sadly enough, The White Album sessions were also the first with heavy friction within the band. This was mainly caused by Yoko Ono’s presence on Lennon’s side, and Paul McCartney’s drive for perfection. The tension got so high that Ringo Starr decided to quit The Beatles (though he returned a few weeks later).
Stand-out track(s): “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Helter Skelter”
3. Revolver
“Revolver” continued what “Rubber Soul” started. The Beatles were slowly moving away from being a performing band to a group that used the recording studio as an instrument to experiment with new sounds. The greatest example of the transition is Lennon’s unique “Tomorrow Never Knows”, which sounds ahead of its time to this very day. The album also features the beautiful “Eleanor Rigby” and McCartney’s most underrated composition “Here, There and Everywhere”.
Stand-out track(s): “Here, There, Everywhere”, “Tomorrow Never Knows”, and “Eleanor Rigby”
2. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Many people believe Sgt Pepper’s isn’t only the greatest Beatles album ever, but also the greatest album of all time. The album is peak psychedelia, mysticism, and artistic freedom. A concept album icon released perfectly during the Summer of Love. Even the front cover is an outstanding piece of art. Beyond that, the album features the band’s magnum opus “A Day in The Life”, among many other marvelous songs.
The only downside of Sgt Pepper’s is that it doesn’t include “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane”, which George Martin called the greatest mistake of his professional career. Otherwise, it probably would’ve been my number 1.
Stand-out track(s): “A Day In The Life” and “She’s Leaving Home”
1. Abbey Road
“Abbey Road” ranks number 1 on my list of the greatest Beatles albums. The strength of the songs on this album is just ridiculous. George Harisson positioned himself as an A-list songwriter with the beautiful “Something” and “Here Comes The Sun”, Lennon contributed the opening track “Come Together”, and side two featured the iconic “Abbey Road Medley” (mainly written by McCartney).
“Abbey Road” was released as The Beatles’ penultimate album, but was actually the last one the band recorded. As it was obvious the Beatles wouldn’t last, it seemed that the band members gathered themselves together for one more feat of greatness. And in my opinion, their very greatest.
Stand-out track(s): “Something”, “Here Comes The Sun”, and “Abbey Road Medley”
So, that wraps up my ranking of the greatest Beatles albums! I would be surprised if you agree with me, so what’s your opinion on the greatest Beatles albums? Which one would you rank at number 1? And what would you change about my list? Please let me know in the comments down below!
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