Directors Rank the albums of The Beatles (1 Viewer)

[Kristian]

Not counting compilations and the Anthologies, this is my top ten:

1. Revolver
Favorite songs: Eleanor Rigby, For No One, Here, There and Everywhere

2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Favorite songs: A Day in the Life, She's Leaving Home, Within You, Without You

3. Rubber Soul
Favorite songs: In My Life, Michelle, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

4. Abbey Road
Favorite songs: Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End, Here Comes the Sun, Something

5. Magical Mystery Tour
Favorite songs: The Fool on the Hill, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever

6. A Hard Day's Night
Favorite songs: And I Love Her, I'll Be Back, Things We Said Today

7. Help!
Favorite songs: Ticket to Ride, Yesterday, You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

8. Let it Be... Naked
Favorite songs: I Me Mine, Let it Be, Two of Us

9. The Beatles (The White Album)
Favorite songs: Blackbird, Helter Skelter, While My Guitar Gently Weeps

10. Yellow Submarine
Favorite songs: It's All Too Much, Only a Northern Song, Yellow Submarine

 

[Lew Crippen]

I defer to George's elevated sensibilities.

 

[george kaplan]

Depending on how you count, it's a 14 or 16 album tie.

Seriously, it's very hard to rank order them. All of them have great songs, from the first album to the last. But, there was certainly some filler (cover versions) on the first ones (completely gone by the great Hard Day's Night). I'll have to think of my actual rank ordering, but I know I'd put the White Album first, both because it has the most songs, and it was the first Beatles album I ever bought (albeit years after they had broken up).

 

[Ray H]

I also find it tough to rank them. I do have a soft spot for Sgt. Pepper though.

 

[Zen Butler]

Rubber Soul then everything else. Seriously, way too tough.

 

[Jim_K]

Top 5

The White Album
Abbey Road
Rubber Soul
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Revolver

Not really a fan of the teenyboper early days. Too bubblegum for my taste.

 

[Henry Gale]

I agree with much of what has been typed above, but I believe a lot of the early tunes are be given short shrift.
Maybe you had to be there, listening to them with early 60s ears... Please Please Me, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, Eight Days a Week, etc....were just electricly thrilling when you heard them on the radio.

 

[Chris Stainton]

I will list them in my order of preference and choose my three favorite songs from each.

01) Revolver
Eleanor Rigby, Tomorrow Never Knows, Taxman

02) Magical Mystery Tour
I Am The Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane

03) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
A Day In The Life, Lovely Rita, Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite

04) Rubber Soul
If I Needed Someone, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Girl

05) Abbey Road
Something, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Because

06) The Beatles (White Album)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I'm So Tired, Helter Skelter

07) A Hard Day's Night
Can't Buy Me Love, Things We Said Today, I'll Be Back

08) With The Beatles
It Won't Be Long, All I've Got To Do, I Wanna Be Your Man

09) Beatles For Sale
No Reply, Every Little Thing, Eight Days A Week

10) Help!
Ticket To Ride, Help!, It's Only Love

11) Let It Be
Two Of Us, I've Got A Feeling, For You Blue

12) Yellow Submarine
It's All Too Much, Hey Bulldog, All Together Now

13) Please Please Me
Please Please Me, Twist And Shout, A Taste Of Honey

Favorite A or B sides:

Hey Jude
We Can Work It Out
Across The Universe
Don't Let Me Down
I Feel Fine
She Loves You
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Revolution

 

[Rob Gardiner]

I'm partial to The Beatles' Second Album myself.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Hard to rank indeed, but I do know this: Revolver is definitely my favorite Beatles album.

 

[Steve Christou]

Whichever Beatles album contains Eleanor Rigby should be placed first, always, thats the rule of thumb I adhere to.

 

[george kaplan]

Well here's my list, though I must say I could easily move many of these around, and there's very little difference between most, though clearly the ones at the bottom are not as good as the ones nearer the top:

The White Album
Rubber Soul
A Hard Day's Night
Abbey Road
Sgt. Peppers
Revolver
Help!
Magical Mystery Tour
Anthology 1
Anthology 2
Anthology 3
With the Beatles
Past Masters, Vol. 1
Past Masters, Vol. 2
Let it Be
Let it Be...Naked
Yellow Submarine
Live at the BBC
Beatles for Sale
Please Please Me
Christmas Album
Live at the Star Club
Decca Audition
Live at the Hollywood Bowl

This is including a lot of their albums, though leaving out U.S. ones like Hey Jude and Yesterday and Today, and leaving out compilations like One, or the earlier Love Songs, etc. Also leaving out bootlegs like the Black Album, though most of what's good on those appeared on Anthology (though not all).

 

[Grant B]

Nice that you included the Christmas Album....I tend to play it alot around the Holidays. Most people are amazed by it and tend not to know it exists.
Outside of putting the 'Live at the star club' last (and the many variations I have it) and bumping up YS a few notches, a very good list George
Grant

 

[george kaplan]

Well the Christmas album was only given out to the fan club members, so it's not surprising that it's not well known. Of course, now a couple of the tracks have shown up on Anthology, but most people have still never heard the rest. Some very funny, pythonesque stuff (pre-dating python) in there.

 

[Ockeghem]

Originally Posted by george kaplan

Depending on how you count, it's a 14 or 16 album tie.

Seriously, it's very hard to rank order them. All of them have great songs, from the first album to the last. But, there was certainly some filler (cover versions) on the first ones (completely gone by the great Hard Day's Night). I'll have to think of my actual rank ordering, but I know I'd put the White Album first, both because it has the most songs, and it was the first Beatles album I ever bought (albeit years after they had broken up).

I just found this thread today. It's a fun topic for me. I do waver when it comes to my favorite albums of theirs, though. Here are mine, the ordering of which changes from time-to-time. These are, of course, the British releases (with apologies to fans of The Beatles 2nd Album, a very fine effort as well):

1) A Hard Day's Night
3) Please Please Me / With the Beatles (tie)
5) Revolver / Rubber Soul (tie)
6) St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
7) Abbey Road

But the albums I didn't list are also superb in many ways, and occupy my list from time-to-time.

BTW, I own the Christmas album (LP and CD). This is the Blue and White album, although I've seen it in another color or two over the years.