ABSTRACT From 1963 to 1970, the Beatles released 13 studio albums, this is my personal list of the Beatle albums ranked from least to favorite record. Carlos E. Valdivia This list was started on June 8th and completed June 20th, 2017. BEATLES STUDIO LP S RANKED
13. Putting this album at the bottom of the list does not mean I think it s a terrible record! Far from it, it does have some of my favorite Beatles songs ie Hey Bulldog and Only a Northern Song However this album was released to accompany the animated Yellow Submarine film of 1969. This would mean: side one contained songs from the Beatles and side two was the original film score by George Martin. Out of the six Beatle songs in this album only four of them are new material. Great content, but not enough to make it a solid album. 12. There are some fabulous songs in this album. No Reply I ll Follow the Sun Eight Days a Week and Every Little Thing just to name a few. These songs would give the Beatles a much more respected name for their ability to write more creative songs. However, out of all the Beatle records, to me this one does not flow extremely well. It s a little all over the place, some of the songs don t just fit well with the others. While still paying homage to all their influences, the Beatles continued to do covers of their favorite records as they have done in the past. But the original compositions don t blend well with the traditional 1950 s music ie. Everybody s Trying to Be My Baby 11. Fantastic record! Their sophomore album captured the great sound of their debut. There s so many amazing tracks, even all the covers. It Won t be Long All I ve Got to Do Till there was You I love all these songs and so much more. A perfect blend of rock n roll and great harmonies.
10. The very first Beatle record to have all original compositions! What s to hate honestly? The Lennon-McCartney partnership was taking full effect. Curiously, all of these songs are shorter than the usual two minute and fifty second pop record. If I Fell And I Love Her I m Just Happy to Dance with You are all fabulous love songs which make you wonder how twenty two year olds were able to come up with this content. At the time, it was common for the band or frontman (ie Elvis) to have a songwriter come up with the song for them only to song. Some of these songwriters were in their 40 s and studied music in school so they had an idea how to write a pop single. However Lennon and McCartney were their own songwriting and composing team, and made it look so effortlessly putting amazing singles constantly, and this album is a great example of 9. This is album to me is everything on a Hard Day s Night but improved. Better compositions, with an extended play time. You ve Got to Hide Your Love Away I Need You The Night Before It s Only Love, a much more mature approach to the love concept as opposed to their previous efforts. The harmonies sound great on You re Gonna Lose That Girl John has a lot of highlights on this album, he really stands out on Miss Dizzy Lizzy. 8. We reach the failed Get Back album. This album was supposed to be released sometime in early 1969 but because the Beatles were not happy with the recordings, they scrapped the album and put all the tapes into storage. Finally, the project was released May of 1970. The job of producer was given to an outsider, Phil Spector, who never worked on a Beatle record previously. The album itself is filled with incredible music. Across the Universe Let it Be Get Back The Long and Winding Road are some of the Beatles most recognized and finest works. Yet the downfall of this album is how short interludes such as Maggie Mae and Dig it were included to give the aesthetic of a studio session. Really ruins the whole vibe and flow of the album, many years later the album was re-mixed and released again as McCartney and the other Beatles intended the album to sound.
7. There s a huge leap from Rubber Soul and everything else the Beatles released prior to that. This was the turning point for the band. McCartney once said that before Rubber Soul, all the material that him and John wrote were for the fans. She Loves You From Me To You Thank You Girl... that was stuff for the fans basically telling them: please buy our record. Once they got to Rubber Soul, things started to get some serious. George Harrison started to introduce his Indian influences to the Western audience. Songs such as Norwegian Wood included for the first time, a sitar to the band s instrument lineup. Meanwhile, John and Paul were heavily influenced by the work of Bob Dylan, whose music was considered politically impactful. To compete, John would write more serious compositions than ever before. In My Life stands out the most in this album to me. 6. On their debut record the Beatles did a fantastic job of blending in the old with the new. Featuring several covers and original compositions. I saw her standing there opens the album, and would set the bar for many of their songs in the years to follow. Although this album contains many covers of R&B music, the Beatles put their own twist on it making them sound new and refreshing. This album is said to be recorded in only one day, as the Beatles showed up to the studio and performed every song in their live set list. You can hear the energy and talent the Fab Four had. 5. By far, some of the greatest Lennon-McCartney songwriting is in this album. Here, There and Everywhere Eleanor Rigby Got to Get You Into My Life are some of the band s best writing and composition. You can hear the psychedelic influences throughout the album. She Said She Said Love You To were by far the most exciting out of all. At last the infamous track that closes the album Tomorrow Never Knows which was recorded using extensive tape loops by John and heavy drums by Ringo. A complete psychedelic trip, a sound they would improve in Sgt. Pepper.
4. I always thought that if Penny Lane and Strawberry fields Forever were included, this would have been the ultimate Beatle record, probably their best. They very much could have. Both those songs were released in January of 67 and Sgt Pepper was released that summer. So while Sgt Pepper does have some amazing tracks ie Lovely Rita Lucy in the Sky there are also some songs that are good; but nowhere near the standards of A Day in the Life per say. Still a great listen, but definitely not their best. 3. Released only a few months after Sgt. Pepper, this was a great follow up to the major success of the last. While still keeping the psychedelic theme, this album had daring innovations for the pop audience. With I am the Walrus Blue Jay Way and the instrumental track Flying introduced new sounds to a mainstream audience. By this time, it was established that the Beatles would not ever go back to the suit and mop top look that they started out with. This album is completely amazing from start to finish. More interesting than Sgt. Pepper. 2. Clearly, their most cohesive album. Every song in this album is just an absolute great body of work. George Harrison was finally getting recognized by John and Paul as a serious writer. John even claimed that he thought Harrison s composition Something was much better than his Come Together. Other than that, there are some great vocals from Paul in Oh Darling! and the use of the Moog Synthesizer can be heard throughout the album in various tracks. Finally, there is the medley at the end of the album that concludes the Beatles discography as this was the album they ever recorded together in the same studio. To me this album showcased the Beatles individually extremely well, and even though they were all about to go their own separate ways, Abbey Road proves that they could still put a great body of work.
1. This album sounds like the work of four solo artists. At ninety minutes, this is the longest Beatle record they ever put. After the success of Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles decided to take some time off from recording and escape. George Harrison convinced the entire band to travel with him to India for a spiritual trip and to learn about meditation. During their stay, John, George, Paul and Ringo would write new material for what would be their self-titled album, or as others would refer to it s as the White Album for its simplistic cover. The way the album starts out with Back to the USSR then transitions to Dear Prudence to me exemplifies why the Beatles were such an amazing band. On one hand, they are a true rock and roll band who can come up with great riffs and guitar solos then you are also reminded that these individuals can also write sweet melancholic music, often blending the two in one song. George Harrison has multiple tracks on this project, and they all prove that he was a great songwriter capable of standing on his own. Ringo even has his own original composition in this album, the only in the entire Beatles discography. All the Beatles showcased their own individual talent through their music which can be heard in this album better than any other in this list