12. Magical Mystery Tour -While this list isn't objective, this is probably the one that most others would agree is their worst effort. It is, in fact, not even an album but a collection of singles and an EP from the failed Magical Mystery Tour TV movie. Strangely, the album does include two of their most important works: "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane", A and B side of the single that would ultimately lay the foundation for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. However, it also contains their worst single, "Hello, Goodbye"--- but that's backed with the brilliant "I am the Walrus"--- this collection is truly hit and miss.
11. Let It Be - While not terrible by any means, Let It Be was recorded when the band was falling apart and you can sense that on the album. The release of Let it Be...Naked a few years back was a little more coherent, but, still, doesn't quite come together... no pun intended. However, the album version of "Let it Be" > than single version.
10. Beatles For Sale- Again, this is by no means a terrible record. "No Reply" and "I'm a Loser" were both great leaps forward for the band, as was "Eight Days a Week". However, much of the album was a step back, not only to the "Rock and Roll" covers of their earlier albums (the preceding album, A Hard Day's Night had been composed of all Lennon-McCartney originals) but also original material that was more derivative of early rock. This trend was also present (although to much greater success) with the band's most recent single ("I Feel Fine"/"She's A Woman"). I suppose today this might be seen as a "return to their roots" sort of move.
9. Please Please Me- Their first album. I have to say I learned to appreciate this one a lot more after the 2009 remaster. This and With The Beatles probably benefit more than any of the other recordings from the update. It is quite a charming album, however, it doesn't quite have the energy there that would eventually make them great. However, "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Twist and Shout" are probably two of the greatest rock performances ever committed to record.
8.With the Beatles- Here, the band takes a step closer towards their signature sound (or at least the signature sound of the bands' early era). It packs a bit more of a punch than Please Please Me, the covers rock harder and the originals are more original. Altered slightly, this would, of course, become Meet the Beatles in the states (see this month's Album of the Month).
7. Help!- My favorite Beatles' era is their 'middle-period' and that period begins in earnest with this album. "Help!" is one of my favorite songs and "Ticket to Ride" was probably the most unique thing they had recorded at that point. Rubber Soul is my favorite Beatles' album and it actually starts on the second half of Help! In fact, "I've Just Seen a Face" was even used to open the original US version; in fact, tunes like "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" and "Yesterday" would make more sense on Rubber Soul than they do here.
6. Abbey Road- This was the band's 'one more for the road' album--- after the disaster that was the sessions for Let It Be the band came together to make one last great album and, for the most part, I think they succeeded.
5. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band- So much has been written about this album by much more knowledgeable and credible individuals than myself. I will just say that it is perfectly deserving of the title of 'Greatest Rock Album of All Time' (a title also bestowed on Revolver from time to time). I'll just say that it's not quite my favorite because my admiration for it as a technical achievement is slightly greater than my admiration for its songs.
4. A Hard Day's Night- I'm planning on doing a more in depth analysis of this later in the year so, for the time being, I'll just say that, for me, this was where the 'early Beatles' sound was most perfectly crystallized. This, coupled with the film of the same name, are a perfect time capsule of the era of 'Beatlemania'.
3. The White Album- Initially, this album received some of the most mixed reviews of the band's career. Admittedly, it can be a difficult album. It's a bit of a mess if not somewhat schizophrenic. But that's why I love it--- it was the Beatles doing everything that they had ever done all on one album. It was a band growing apart but not yet falling apart. There may be more diverse albums out there but none are as palatable as The Beatles (as it is properly titled).
2. Revolver- Narrowly edged out of the top spot by Rubber Soul, Revolver finds the band pushing boundaries in the studio while, at the same time, keeping their feet in a firm foundation of guitar, bass, and drums. Unlike much of Sgt. Pepper, many of the songs from this album could still, more or less, be performed live by the band as a four piece. So, while it raised the bar artistically, it still managed to rock pretty hard, too. Also, Paul's raga-style guitar leads are brain-melting!
1. Rubber Soul- Two factors contribute to this being my favorite album. First of all, even more than Revolver, Rubber Soul is a guitar rock album; every song on here could easily be performed live. Secondly, while I find I like Revolver, as a whole, a little better, it is definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Individually, I like my favorite songs on Rubber Soul just a bit more than my favorite Revolver tunes. In any case, it's a tough call between these two.Other Collections and Recordings:
Past Masters - Originally available as Vol. 1 (1962-1965) and Vol. 2 (1966-1970), today it is usually sold as a single collection. This collects all of the band's non-album singles and EP tracks. As a result, it serves as a sort of Greatest Hits collection. If I had to list my 10 favorite Beatles songs, half of them would probably come from this collection.
The Anthology 1, 2, and 3 - I'm not sure if this is appealing to those aren't complete Beatles fanatics, but it does collect some brilliant early live performances, out takes, and, in particular during the studio era, radically different versions of songs. I actually favor the acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to the full band version with Eric Clapton. It is a fascinating look into the band's evolution.
Live at the BBC Vols. 1 & 2- I covered these in greater detail here but these serve as an excellent document to what the Beatles always were at the end of the day: a great little rock band.
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