Ranked Beatles Albums
April 9th, 2008The Beatles released 12 albums during their active career including Magical Mystery Tour (which was actually first released as an EP) but not including Yellow Submarine (which only had 4 new songs) or any of the mangled US versions of their albums.
This is my ranking of those 12 albums from best to worst.
1. The Beatles (The White Album)
The White Album was released in 1968 following the release of Sgt. Pepper & Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. The White Album was a big departure from the sound of those albums.
While the songs on Sgt. Pepper & Magical Mystery Tour are bursting at the seems with layers of musical ideas, many of the songs on The White Album are stripped down in comparison. While the Sgt Pepper album seemed to loosely tie the songs together into a theme, the only theme on The White Album appears to be that there is no theme.
Many detractors of The White Album say it has too many weak songs (by Beatles standards anyway) to be considered The Beatles greatest work. While I agree there’s certainly no song as weak as “Don’t Pass Me By” on Sgt. Pepper, I still disagree with that conclusion.
To my ears the drastic variation in style (and quality) of The White Album’s songs are what keeps it so interesting. It’s an album I’ve listened to countless times over the years yet I still hear something new and enchanting in it with each new listen.
And yes, I love that “Revolution #9″ was included on the album. While I often stop the album at “Cry Baby Cry,” I like having the option of taking that trip if I want to. I’ve listened to “Revolution #9″ many times and it’s always a different trip. Certainly it’s not a track for everyone but that makes it all the more special to those of us who appreciate it.
Highlights: Dear Prudence, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is A Warm Gun, I’m So Tired, Blackbird, I Will, Helter Skelter, Cry Baby Cry.
2. Sgt. Pepper
It’s become hip to say that Sgt. Pepper is overrated. Of course what’s hip is often BS and this is certainly such a case. Sgt. Pepper is a great album that deserves all of the accolades it has received over the years.
And while The White Album has long been my favorite Beatles album, Pepper is actually getting closer to overtaking that spot as the years pass by.
I feel it’s close to being a perfect album. There’s not a single weak track on it. The album is like a carnival and every song is a different ride at that carnival. Even over 40 years later it’s incredible that one band (a quite young band too, if you think about it) was able to write such incredibly different songs all in one short period and record them for one album.
Plus, I feel it’s impossible for any album that ends with “A Day In The Life” to be overrated. To this day it is the greatest album closer of all time.
Highlights: With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Getting Better, Fixing A Hole, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite, Within You Without You, A Day In The Life.
3. Revolver
Conversely, it’s become quite hip to say that Revolver is in fact The Beatles best album. That somehow everyone missed it at the time and it was the real ground breaker a whole year before Sgt. Pepper came out. Hearing “Tomorrow Never Knows” it’s understandable how someone could take such a view.
But while the songs on Revolver are nearly as forward looking as Sgt. Pepper’s (although I’d say not quite with the obvious exception of “Tomorrow Never Knows”), there is no theme that holds the songs together. The album plays like a collection of amazing songs, while in comparison Sgt. Pepper has a feeling of cohesiveness. The loose theme of Sgt. Pepper is what made people take notice of the idea of an album as “art form” at the time. While looking back that may not make as much sense today, I do still think there’s some merit to that idea when comparing the two albums.
My main reason for liking Sgt. Pepper more than Revolver is simple, “Yellow Submarine.” I’ve grown quite tired of that song over the years and I think it really sticks out like a sore thumb in the sequencing of the album. It would have worked much better as a single.
Highlights: Eleanor Rigby, I’m Only Sleeping, Here There & Everywhere, She Said She Said, Good Day Sunshine, And Your Bird Can Sing, For No One, Tomorrow Never Knows
4. Abbey Road
Abbey Road is the #1 ranked album of all time over at RateYourMusic.com and while it’s certainly an excellent album I do obviously disagree with that ranking. For me it’s just a bit too slick sounding and not quite as bursting at the seems with ideas as the three albums I’ve ranked above it.
That being said, the side 2 suite is incredible and I think I rank Abbey Road’s side 2 as my most enjoyable listen of any album side The Beatles recorded. Does that mean I hate side 1? No. It’s got some of my favorite Beatles songs including “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “Oh! Darling” along with the classic hits “Come Together” & “Something.” But I could do without “Octopus’s Garden” which like “Yellow Submarine” I’ve grown quite tired of over the years and I now feel it mucks up the flow of the album.
Highlights: Come Together, Oh! Darling, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), All Of Side 2.
5. Magical Mystery Tour
While Magical Mystery Tour was not technically an album release at the time (it was officially an EP), I’m considering it as one for the purposes of this list and since it included quite a few new songs (along with older singles like “Penny Lane” & “Strawberry Fields Forever”) I think it makes sense to think of it as an album at this point.
It includes many of The Beatles greatest psychedelic songs. “I Am The Walrus” & “Strawberry Fields Forever” in particular. If one really wants to get an idea of what The Beatles sounded like at their most purposely “psychedelic” then they should get this album.
I also quite enjoy the wonderfully bizarre film by the same name.
Highlights: I Am The Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane
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