‘The Beatles’ Album Ranking

The Beatles, as a band, have been and always will be a pop culture phenomenon. Each year they were active, they released one or more albums, and had countless hits, and timeless classics. Their music will remain an institution, despite where I place any album, each has quality songs and their work in pop and in the studio revolutionized music and the music industry. 

1. Revolver (1966)

Revolver was released in the middle of their career, and in addition, it was released the year they stopped touring. Mid-career means they were still leaning towards pop but had been in the studio for long enough to know what they were doing. This album has one psychedelic-leaning song, “Love You To”, an influence of the hippie movement surrounding them mid-60s. This album opens with “Taxman”, counting 1, 2, 3, 4 before going into the guitar to kick off the album. My top three on this album are “She Said, She Said”, “And Your Bird Can Sing”, and “I Want To Tell You”. You may know “Yellow Submarine” from this album.

1. Rubber Soul (1965)

Rubber Soul still leans towards early Beatles, but begins transitioning into their later sound. My top three are “I’m Looking Through You”, “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”, and “What Goes On”. 

1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

My top three for this album are “Lovely Rita”, “Fixing a Hole”, and “Getting Better”. Most people would likely know “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” off of this album. The work in this album is highly influenced by the hippie movement, it was well-received due to being released mid-career.

1. Help! (1965)

My top three for this album are “I’ve Just Seen A Face”, “Act Naturally”, and “You Like Me Too Much”. Most likely people would know the title track “Help!”. The track “Act Naturally” is actually a cover, originally by Johnny Russell, and not written by the Beatles themselves. They did this often in their earlier years to gain traction.

1. The Beatles [The White Album] (1968)

The White Album is the only double album ever released by the Beatles and includes many tracks but my top three for this album are “Helter Skelter”, “Dear Prudence”, and “Rocky Raccoon”. You would likely know “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, one of the few songs George Harrison was allowed to run on an album during his Beatles career. 

1. Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

My top three for this album are “I Am The Walrus”, “Baby, You’re A Rich Man”, and “Penny Lane”. You would likely know “All You Need Is Love” from this album.

1. Abbey Road (1969)

My top three for this album are “Octopus’s Garden”, “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”, and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”. You would likely know “Come Together” from this album.

1. Let It Be (1970)

My top three for this album are “Two Of Us”, “One After 909”, and “Get Back”. This is their final album released but was recorded before Abbey Road.

1. With the Beatles (1963)

My top three on this album are “Not A Second Time”, “Don’t Bother Me”, and “It Won’t Be Long”. The general public would likely not know any songs from this album, as it is the early Beatles. 

1. Please Please Me (1963)

This album is truly the early Beatles, and it consists of shorter songs. My top three are “Love Me Do”, “Twist And Shout”, and “I Saw Her Standing There”. The most well-known song from this album is Twist And Shout, likely due to the 80s movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 

1. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

My top three for this album are “If I Fell”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, and “Things We Said Today.” 

1. Beatles For Sale (1964)

My top three for this album are “Eight Days A Week”, “No Reply”, and “I’ll Follow The Sun”.

This ranking is, of course, my personal opinion, and it may or may not line up with personal opinions on the topic. I feel as though Revolver is their best work, and recently they managed to release additional recordings from the studio, so feel free to check those out!

If you’re interested in listening to the songs I deemed their best work, you can find the playlist with this link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0mg9DIZvvKen9f5cXDsvpq?si=R8J_xi89RCW5HTZan-yIzA