Going along with the recent group of ranking threads I though I’d start one that I’m really curious to hear people’s opinions of on here. I’m excluding the Capitol releases and just focusing on what Apple Corp. considers their “official canon”, meaning the UK releases and US Magical Mystery Tour. Past Masters/Non-album singles excluded. I also enjoy all of these albums in their own way, so being low on the list doesn’t mean I dislike it.

1 - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: This was the first album I ever owned and sparked my fascination with music

2 - Abbey Road: I actually used to rank this around the middle for some reason but over the years I’ve realized the entire album’s brilliance, specifically side 2

3 - The Beatles [White Album]: Basically the complete opposite of Sgt. Pepper, and I used to dislike it for that reason, but after tracking down the vinyl long ago I reevaluated it and at one point even considered it better than Abbey Road.

4 - Revolver: Yet another album that I considered to be lesser than I now do. What can I say? It really represents a turning point in their career, and delves into some brilliant psychedelia. Tomorrow Never Knows is also pretty damn mind-bending.

5 - Rubber Soul: I used to think of this as my favorite Beatles album, even more than Sgt. Pepper at one point, but after my reevaluations of Revolver, Abbey Road, and The Beatles I have to rank it at the bottom of the top five. Again, I haven’t lost any appreciation for this album, I just gained appreciation for the ones above it. It almost hurts to rank it this low given how much I love it, but oh well.

6 - A Hard Day’s Night: This is by far my favorite of the pre-Rubber Soul albums, and it marks an important moment in that it’s the first album with all original songs, although sadly George and Ringo are completely excluded from both singing and songwriting, with the exception of Harrison’s vocals on I’m Happy Just to Dance with You.

7 - Please Please Me: This album has a very distinct vibe to it; it almost feels like it was recorded at the Cavern Club.

8 - Magical Mystery Tour: This has some of my favorite Beatles songs of all time on it, but ultimately it wasn’t really something the Beatles had much to do with. It’s a great lineup of songs but as an album it just doesn’t hold up to their later work.

9 - Let It Be: I struggled with where to place this. It’s a good album but after all of the great records that came before, it just doesn’t fit quite right. The attempt to go for a straight up rock band playing raw un-tampered with music just didn’t quite work for the Beatles coming after the brilliance of Abbey Road (which I know was recorded later, but it did come out before Let It Be). Let It Be and Across the Universe are absolutely incredible, but I prefer the single version of Let It Be. I just don’t love the raw sound they were going for. I love the concert on the roof footage though!

10 - Help!: Yet another album populated with my favorite songs, but as an album it just doesn’t quite do it for me. It is the last time they had full length cover songs though, which is a plus.

11 - With the Beatles: I enjoy this one a lot for casual listening, and it has some of the best covers of other songs on here. It feels more like a compilation of singles than an album though.

12 - Yellow Submarine: It’s hard not to put this one last since it is really just four new songs, along with a side of score. That being said, I really like side 1, and it has some of Harrison’s best psychedelic work on it.

13 - Beatles for Sale: This is usually at the bottom of everyone’s lists. For me the covers, which aren’t particularly exciting, really drag the album down. It was the height of Beatlemania and their fatigue is felt.

1. Abbey Road (1969)
2. Rubber Soul (1965)
3. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
4. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band (1967)
5. White Album (1968)
6. Let It Be (1970)
7. Revolver (1966)
8. Please Please Me (1963)
9. With The Beatles (1963)
10. Yellow Submarine (1969)
11. Help! (1965)
12. Beatles For Sale (1964)
13. Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

The Beatles were musical geniuses, but I think that the Bee Gees were debatably just as good (I mean real Bee Gees, as in pre-disco). Though, being in a ranking thread, I can’t bring myself to rank the Beatles albums. I’ll just say Abbey Road on top. Can’t decide on anything else.

I like all of them mostly the same so this is much looser for me. But UK editions and mono only until the White Album!! I hate fake stereo mixes!

Revolver
Rubber Soul
Abbey Road
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band
White Album
A Hard Day’s Night
Please Please Me
Let It Be
Yellow Submarine
Help!
Beatles For Sale
Magical Mystery Tour
With The Beatles

I love the mono Sgt. Pepper

TV’s Frink said:

Meh to all.

Your soul is in a much safer place than mine! https://youtu.be/00W93kE-ZE0?t=8s

I grew up with the US versions, so I will list that order first.

Rubber Soul (A Beatles Folk Style Album)

Something New (This song configuration rocks)

Beatles VI (Another great configuration of mid 60’s pop)

Revolver (I always felt that the US version came off as a bit more mature)

Hey Jude (This album was such a strange combination of songs from 1964-1969, but I loved every one of them)

Yesterday and Today (A fun and quirky collection of fun and quirky pop songs)

Help! (I always loved the combination of soundtrack with Beatles’ songs, and I would closely re-read and examine that gate-fold for playing time of the entire two sides of the LP. I also always loved how the Indian style soundtrack music foreshadowed The Beatles exploration of that sound one album later and beyond)

Meet The Beatles (Again, I prefer this track combination over the British counter part)

The Beatles Second Album (A satisfying collection, but the cover songs weaken it)

Beatles 65 (Same as above, and what Dave Dexter Jr. did to “I Feel Fine” and “She’s A Woman” was a sonic crime!)

A Hard Day’s Night (“Something New” did it right with most of these same songs. The only thing going for this configuration is the inclusion of the title song and a few of the instrumentals.)

The UK collection that I first got on LP (then CD) in the mid-late 1980’s

The Beatles (White Album)
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Abbey Road
A Hard Day’s Night
HELP!
SPLHCB
Magical Mystery Tour
Yellow Submarine
Beatles For Sale
With The Beatles
Please Please Me
Let it Be

I have realised that I don’t really like Beatles that much.

TV’s Frink said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

WHAT?!?! YOU DON’T LIKE THE BEATLES!??!?!?!?!?!

…

Honestly, I think they’re good, but somewhat overrated. And I don’t like Lennon.

I actually think they’re properly rated, I just don’t care for their style of music.

I agree. Overrated is an inaccurate term since it’d be tough to find even just a few successful musicians that were not influenced by, or directly ripping off, the Beatles.

In 2009 there was a real remastering of all the albums in stereo. Before that audiophiles basically avoided all Beatles CDs and Casettes at all costs, and stuck to old LPs and bootlegs.

I tend to prefer their early stuff - so many rich harmonies and a steady stream of amazing compositions. I may be the only person on Earth who doesn’t care for Sgt Pepper - it’s my least favorite Beatles album.

DominicCobb said:

Shame on me but I haven’t listened to the albums proper all the way through enough to make a list that I feel confident in (I could probably more easily list my 50 or so favorite songs). Here’s my definite favorites, though (order flexible):

Abbey Road
Revolver
Sgt. Pepper
The White Album
A Hard Day’s Night

Feel free to discuss any Beatle-related lists or comments! I started it mostly just to see other fans’ opinions, but I think it’d be cool to have any manner of Beatles discussion in this thread.

Puggo - Jar Jar’s Yoda said:

I tend to prefer their early stuff - so many rich harmonies and a steady stream of amazing compositions. I may be the only person on Earth who doesn’t care for Sgt Pepper - it’s my least favorite Beatles album.

May I ask what your opinion of Rubber Soul is then? That’s an interesting bridge between their early work and the Revolver/Sgt. Pepper phase.

I think that’s the case. A lot of fans prefer the mono of the earlier releases (except for the White Album) because they were mixed with mono in mind specifically while the stereo albums were done as a bit of an afterthought. The Beatles and George Martin focused on the mono mixes, and had little or nothing to do with the stereo until the White Album

moviefreakedmind said:
May I ask what your opinion of Rubber Soul is then? That’s an interesting bridge between their early work and the Revolver/Sgt. Pepper phase.

I like Revolver a lot.
I should add that while I tend to prefer the earlier work, it isn’t that I don’t like the later work. I do like the White Album, Abbey Road, etc. Just not a fan of Sgt Pepper - and I’m not really sure why. It just doesn’t grab me like the others. I even think I like MMT better than SP.

One reason that some people prefer the mono versions, is that at that time (1960s) a lot more care generally went into the mono versions. It was mono that got played on the radio, so it was considered the “important” mix that absolutely had to be done right. Stereo was a bit of a novelty, and stereo mixes were sometimes done quickly and only to satisfy the few people who had stereo phonograph players. As a result, some of the stereo mixes were lackluster. Also, as mentioned before, some of them were severely panned (including some of the early Beatles stereo mixes).

That said, there are some examples of early stereo that are fantastic, for example some of the Mercury “Living Presence” classical recordings.