The Beatles released thirteen studio albums from 1963 through 1970, that's including the Magical Mystery Tour EP (which was released as an LP in the US and is considered an LP in the Beatles official releases now) and the Yellow Submarine album which only contained four new songs.
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 whittle my list down to only 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 Jethro Tull or Rush.) 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 - It's become very fashionable to say that Revolver is the greatest Beatles album. Again, I can understand that viewpoint. Obviously I think it's rather great or I wouldn't be including it among my top three but I do think again people are letting things enter their perception other than the music itself. The songs are fantastic but it doesn't have that same feeling of a "complete artistic statement" that Sgt. Pepper has. It's hard to say exactly why. Perhaps it's just because the songs don't run into each other. But I think it must be something more than that.
The White Album - Whenever it comes down to choosing just one Beatles album for me I go with this 1968 double album. Am I just cheating so I get twice The Beatles? Possibly it does come down to that. I'm not sure. But for me this is the album that can be listened to time and time again without ever growing boring at all. It just contains so many different styles of music all done so well. A lot of people get down on the more experimental songs on the album but I think those people have no imagination. I love "Revolution #9."
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. - 15634
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 whittle my list down to only 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 Jethro Tull or Rush.) 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 - It's become very fashionable to say that Revolver is the greatest Beatles album. Again, I can understand that viewpoint. Obviously I think it's rather great or I wouldn't be including it among my top three but I do think again people are letting things enter their perception other than the music itself. The songs are fantastic but it doesn't have that same feeling of a "complete artistic statement" that Sgt. Pepper has. It's hard to say exactly why. Perhaps it's just because the songs don't run into each other. But I think it must be something more than that.
The White Album - Whenever it comes down to choosing just one Beatles album for me I go with this 1968 double album. Am I just cheating so I get twice The Beatles? Possibly it does come down to that. I'm not sure. But for me this is the album that can be listened to time and time again without ever growing boring at all. It just contains so many different styles of music all done so well. A lot of people get down on the more experimental songs on the album but I think those people have no imagination. I love "Revolution #9."
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. - 15634
About the Author:
If you are looking to buy Beatles albums online then Marvin Marks recommends going to the Beatles Online Mall which includes a huge selection of Beatles stuff for sale including The White Album.
