The Beatles Best Three Albums
April 6, 2009
By Marvin Marks
The Beatles recorded thirteen official albums during their career from 1963's Please Please Me to 1970's Let It Be (which was actually recorded in 1969.) That total of 13 includes Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine although it's debatable whether they should be considered actual albums or not.
When making this list I first dropped 7 of those 13 out of consideration to leave me with these six which I list chronologically: Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, and Abbey Road. I almost considered Let It Be and A Hard Day's Night as well but in the end I knew neither of them had a real shot at the final three.
To get my final list down to just three I had to get rid of three more great Beatles albums. This wasn't easy. But in the end I had to get rid of Rubber Soul because of a few too many clunkers in the midst of amazing songs like "Nowhere Man" and I had to get rid of Abbey Road because it's just a little too "clean" and I had to get rid of Magical Mystery Tour because too many of it's best songs were really released previously (see "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Penny Lane.")
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - For some people this is The Beatles at their most overrated. I definitely disagree with that point of view. I think every song on this album is an absolute gem and I think the way it all works together is perfection. It's not the kind of "concept album" that hits you over the head with it's concept (that gets very old fast, see The Who's Tommy.) Instead it's a very organic concept that works because it's loose. Most concept albums get very old by the end because they are hammering the same story down your throat the whole time. With Sgt. Pepper every song is so different than the last it's like a constant discovery.
Revolver - Fourteen amazing songs. No it doesn't have the cohesiveness of Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper. It doesn't have the sprawling genius of The White Album. But what it does have is four just absolutely incredible songs. One could make a very strong argument that this is the very best collection of songs The Beatles ever recorded. They were just overflowing with genius at this time and it was coming out in so many new and exciting ways. Who had ever heard anything like "Tomorrow Never Knows" in 1966? No one.
The White Album - If I have to choose just one Beatles album, it's this one. And that's not just so I get 30 songs instead of 13 or 14! Although that must have quite a bit to do with it. I think perhaps if the first LP of this double album was it's own album it'd still be my favorite album. The second LP isn't quite as great to me but it has some really great moments too. And it's really the whole sprawling masterpiece that I love. It's just such an endlessly enjoyable album. I never grow tired of it.
One can make a great argument that some other Beatles albums other than the ones I've chosen should be in the top three. In particular Rubber Soul & Abbey Road. I actually went through a period where Abbey Road was my favorite album. And it can be argued that Rubber Soul has more certifiable "classic" Beatles songs than any other LP. It's hard to go wrong with songs like "In My Life" & "Nowhere Man." It's not easy choosing just three Beatles albums, there's something about all of their albums that I love.
When making this list I first dropped 7 of those 13 out of consideration to leave me with these six which I list chronologically: Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, and Abbey Road. I almost considered Let It Be and A Hard Day's Night as well but in the end I knew neither of them had a real shot at the final three.
To get my final list down to just three I had to get rid of three more great Beatles albums. This wasn't easy. But in the end I had to get rid of Rubber Soul because of a few too many clunkers in the midst of amazing songs like "Nowhere Man" and I had to get rid of Abbey Road because it's just a little too "clean" and I had to get rid of Magical Mystery Tour because too many of it's best songs were really released previously (see "Strawberry Fields Forever" & "Penny Lane.")
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - For some people this is The Beatles at their most overrated. I definitely disagree with that point of view. I think every song on this album is an absolute gem and I think the way it all works together is perfection. It's not the kind of "concept album" that hits you over the head with it's concept (that gets very old fast, see The Who's Tommy.) Instead it's a very organic concept that works because it's loose. Most concept albums get very old by the end because they are hammering the same story down your throat the whole time. With Sgt. Pepper every song is so different than the last it's like a constant discovery.
Revolver - Fourteen amazing songs. No it doesn't have the cohesiveness of Abbey Road or Sgt. Pepper. It doesn't have the sprawling genius of The White Album. But what it does have is four just absolutely incredible songs. One could make a very strong argument that this is the very best collection of songs The Beatles ever recorded. They were just overflowing with genius at this time and it was coming out in so many new and exciting ways. Who had ever heard anything like "Tomorrow Never Knows" in 1966? No one.
The White Album - If I have to choose just one Beatles album, it's this one. And that's not just so I get 30 songs instead of 13 or 14! Although that must have quite a bit to do with it. I think perhaps if the first LP of this double album was it's own album it'd still be my favorite album. The second LP isn't quite as great to me but it has some really great moments too. And it's really the whole sprawling masterpiece that I love. It's just such an endlessly enjoyable album. I never grow tired of it.
One can make a great argument that some other Beatles albums other than the ones I've chosen should be in the top three. In particular Rubber Soul & Abbey Road. I actually went through a period where Abbey Road was my favorite album. And it can be argued that Rubber Soul has more certifiable "classic" Beatles songs than any other LP. It's hard to go wrong with songs like "In My Life" & "Nowhere Man." It's not easy choosing just three Beatles albums, there's something about all of their albums that I love.
About the Author:
If you are looking to buy Beatles albums online then Marvin Marks recommends going to the Beatles Store which includes a huge selection of Beatles stuff for sale including Revolver.
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