Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Discuss official releases and re-issues. The only links allowed here are to the Beatles YouTube channel or other band-sanctioned platforms.
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Ziggy C
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Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by Ziggy C »

I am frequently intrigued, and a bit head-scratchy, when I see Sgt. Pepper at the top of many lists of the Beatles' best work. I'd argue that it is not their best effort. Not even in the top three. I'm interested to know how people rank the Beatles albums. What are the automatic go-to's? What are the ones least loved?

At the top of my list is Revolver, with Rubber Soul a close second. Both of these albums show a tremendous amount of growth as songwriters. And they push the envelope in terms of stretching the boundaries of popular music.

Third is Abbey Road. A top-notch effort. Culling material from the Get Back sessions, along with newer compositions. This shows The Beatles were excellent craftsmen and still fully capable of honing their material into a wondrous work of art. George Harrison really comes into his own as a songwriter equal to Lennon & McCartney.

And that blockbuster, game-changer of game-changers, Sgt. Pepper, is fourth on my list. It certainly showcases the Beatles' ability to utilize all the tools available to them in the studio. And it is undoubtedy innovative; it's a great album. But my first three, IMO, are greater.

After Pepper, the fifth is Help! followed by A Hard Day's Night at sixth. Both are full of cheer and exuberance. AHDN showcasing the pre-pot Beatles. And Help! the post-pot Beatles.

Seventh is With The Beatles. Still one of my favorites in that, to me it captures the excitement of late '63 and early '64 as I can only imagine since I hadn't been born yet.

And the rest....
The Beatles - An awesome work by the individual Beatles with their bandmates as the backing band for each of their tracks. Very little collaboration evident on this record. Interestingly, one of my least favorite tunes on this album, Back In The USSR, has grown on me. However, I like the track a lot more when played at the original recording speed.

Magical Mystery Tour - A tantalizing piece of late-'67 psychedelia. Not really an album except in the USA. More like a movie soundtrack combined with a handful of singles.

Please Please Me - Full of potential (and covers). But not quite capturing the excitement the Beatles had to offer.

Yellow Submarine - Mostly a crap album. Except for Hey Bulldog, Only A Northern Song, and It's All Too Much. I don't count Yellow Submarine or All You Need Is Love as they had been previously released. And a whole side of musical score. That's what was all too much!

Beatles For Sale - Sophomoric. Mediocre. Yeah, The Beatles in their mediocrity still outshone most other groups. But there's very little on this album which is groundbreaking. Eight Days A Week fades in. What You're Doing rocks. However the covers seem to upstage the originals here.

And last, but not least, Let It Be. To me, this is a downer of an album. A let down on so many levels. The songwriting is still stellar, as compared to many of their contemporaries. But the overall mood is sad, gloomy, and bereft of happy energy.

Thoughts? Criticisms (dare I ask?) Comparisons. Which is the best? Which is the not so best?
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by Kwai Chang »

Ziggy C wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:09 am I am frequently intrigued, and a bit head-scratchy, when I see Sgt. Pepper at the top of many lists of the Beatles' best work. I'd argue that it is not their best effort. Not even in the top three. I'm interested to know how people rank the Beatles albums. What are the automatic go-to's? What are the ones least loved?

And last, but not least, Let It Be. To me, this is a downer of an album. A let down on so many levels. The songwriting is still stellar, as compared to many of their contemporaries. But the overall mood is sad, gloomy, and bereft of happy energy.

Thoughts? Criticisms (dare I ask?) Comparisons. Which is the best? Which is the not so best?
I thought this was a yes or no question!
I don't think that it is possible to have distinct opinions about Beatles music. I only say that because I have found every concrete thought I've ever had was extremely temporary. Not because I'm fickle, but because their music is not like anything else ever recorded. These guys were blessed by George Martin. He had fairly basic musical theories. The Beatles were able to compliment their own songs with his adornments, but the net result was a broader imagination as composers. I love how the separation technology is revealing their ideas to have been full of surprises. But mostly, it shows a fairly constant effort to not return to things that have been done. And where they have returned, they seem to have new ideas about application. Much of it even seems childish or amateur when the final product sounds like nothing of the sort. It is likely that they were convinced by George Martin that they didn't need him if they could think for themselves. This allowed them total freedom of openminded thinking and provided them the security of free-towing up to 100 miles...whatever they were trying out. And I can't comment on all of these. Not unless you plan on having Gazpacho for dinner.
Let It Be? NOT the worst. Not the best. ALL explanations are right here at this forum. A great plan. Terrible execution. What did they expect after the way they made the white album. And the free soundstage that had been overbooked for Magic Christian is certainly no way to start the affair. We're just lucky that Get Back wasn't a 3-LP set! The miracle performed by Phil Spector was really Glyn Johns miracle as most of it was from the multi-track proper recordings from the final days of Savile Row. I bet Spector walked in...secured the good stuff and told them "the rest of it can go to the dumpster". Which is what the group had already confirmed by not touching the stuff for the rest of 1969. However tired the Spector album is, it is because it carried a lifeless movie around the world and kept it from sinking. The Spector album IS good enough to be a Beatles record although the ridiculous mockery of music fans was quite audacious. Maggie Mae, Dig It and I dig a pygmy were unfunny reminders of the cinema farce. The choir and orchestra on Long And Winding Road are the best parts of the song. Thank God, Spector said NO Teddy Boy! That would have been worse than no epitaph. Face it, Get Back needed discipline to pull off. Do they look very disciplined on day one? Day two? I do like seeing George Martin wandering around at Twickenham. He looks like he's there for a cremation.
Conversely, The highlights of Sgt Pepper do attest to the Beatles Greatness. The best parts of the album are #1. The inside of the gatefold sleeve. If the concept of the record is that ANYBODY CAN BE ANYTHING if they believe it. Open the cover-----> The fictitious band that plays all of the music. The moment I saw the inside photo, I told myself, those guys are doing something that I'm NOT doing!!! But, WHAT? #2. Here we go...After Feb. 9, 1964...Miami Beach to visit the young contender in training! Cassius Clay! So, who is in the white robe on the cover of Sgt Pepper! The one, the only, Sonny Liston. The real World Champion in the entire history of boxing. I know Peter Blake takes the credit...but, NOBODY ever punched harder and THAT is why we're here, SYMBOLICALLY, of course!
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by Lord Reith »

I'll just say the best is With The Beatles and the worst is Yellow Submarine.

In fact, I don't think I've ever actually listened to YS as an album. I do remember playing side 2 as a kid because it was my first exposure to orchestral music and I loved it. But I never played the record from start to finish like I did with all their other albums.
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by MrP »

Worst...Beatles VI
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by Lord Reith »

Never heard Beatles VI.

Maybe it was the Roman numerals that put me off.
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by MrP »

I will assume you are joking....not too hard to configure it or use US Box

Lord Reith wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:34 am Never heard Beatles VI.

Maybe it was the Roman numerals that put me off.
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by WilliamShears »

Maybe it’s a good time to run a beatlegdb album survivor poll. Would be really interested in how this community ranks the releases though I have a hunch the top will be no surprise…

I’ll get it started on Saturday and update it weekly.
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by Mr Bump »

I agree on your top 3 - exactly the same for me.

I don't think Yellow Sub or Magical Mystery Tour should be included for consideration. YS was an EP which was padded to LP size for £££, and MMT was a Capitol comp made up of singles and EP tracks.

As fot Let It Be, it's pretty unpopular in many quarters but it's the only Beatles album (I think) with three number 1s on - material of the quality of I've Got A feeling, Long And Winding Road, Two Of Us, Across The Universe etc - is that really their worst effort? Not for me. Beatles For Sale or With The Beatles would be, in my humble.
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by Vee-Jay »

Lord Reith wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:34 am Never heard Beatles VI.

Maybe it was the Roman numerals that put me off.
Beatles VI and Beatles '65 have always been my top favorites.

LR, here are my rips... just for you. ;)
hxxps://we.tl/t-hDQEle2svq
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Re: Beatles Official Albums Ranked Best To Not So Best

Post by Lord Reith »

Vee-Jay wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 12:21 am LR, here are my rips... just for you. ;)
hxxps://we.tl/t-hDQEle2svq
Ooo, ta! :D
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