I know there are some Beatles fans here, and I thought some of you might enjoy this.

50 Years of The Beatles: ...om 13 to 1

The thing about these lists is that it's always the British albums. Some people in the USA grew up with the Capitol (or the Vee Jay debut) versions. There's 3 or 4 albums that are identical, but the rest are different. If you had the US version of A Hard Day's Night, half the album is George Martin instrumentals.

MickyDolenz said:

The thing about these lists is that it's always the British albums. Some people in the USA grew up with the Capitol (or the Vee Jay debut) versions. There's 3 or 4 albums that are identical, but the rest are different. If you had the US version of A Hard Day's Night, half the album is George Martin instrumentals.

Very true, and I did grow up with the US versions. But since the CD releases in the 80s I've become used to the British versions. It's been so long since i've listened to the US versions they'd seem completely odd to me now.

And the American versions are not the true albums as the band intended, so that's why I went with the British versions.

Although I may get the new box set of the US versions just for nostalgia's sake... although it's a little pricey so I dunno

The top 5 for me is absolutely perfect imo. The Beatles early albums are just ok for me honestly. There some fun pop/rock tunes but nothing more. Rubbel Soul was the first time i saw their music as art! and the lyrics were fantatsic. Revolver and Sgt Pepper came after and it was a wrap! the experimental Beatles it the beatles i love and hold dear.

NoVideo said:

MickyDolenz said:

The thing about these lists is that it's always the British albums. Some people in the USA grew up with the Capitol (or the Vee Jay debut) versions. There's 3 or 4 albums that are identical, but the rest are different. If you had the US version of A Hard Day's Night, half the album is George Martin instrumentals.

Very true, and I did grow up with the US versions. But since the CD releases in the 80s I've become used to the British versions. It's been so long since i've listened to the US versions they'd seem completely odd to me now.

And the American versions are not the true albums as the band intended, so that's why I went with the British versions.

Although I may get the new box set of the US versions just for nostalgia's sake... although it's a little pricey so I dunno

It's not the case with The Beatles, but albums of US acts released in Japan sometimes have extra songs,

I agree with this list.

Pretty much agree on it all, though i would swap out Sgt Pepper for Magical Mystery Tour, though MMT isn't a cohesive album its still an amazing combination of work, Sgt Pepper i love but its a mood album, i dont always pick it up. And i would actually swap Revolver and Rubber Soul just on the basis of that "Rubber Soul" was the change, you dont get to the albums afterwards and that growth had it not been for "Rubber Soul", plus i feel on "rubber soul" are some of John's best pieces in this band.

Revolver will always be number 1 with me. While I get where they are coming from on that list, to me Revolver is the most focused and concentrated Beatles album. The tracks are just so on point and incredible, whereas how disjointed and meandering the White Album and Abbey Road are.

13. With the Beatles

12. Please Please Me

11. Yellow Submarine

10. Magical Mystery Tour

9. Beatles For Sale

8. A Hard Day’s Night

7. Help!

6. Let It Be

5. Rubber Soul

4. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

3. Abbey Road

2. The Beatles (White Album)

1. Revolver

13. With the Beatles

12. Please Please Me

11. Yellow Submarine

10. Beatles For Sale

9. A Hard Day’s Night

8. Help!

7. Let It Be

6. Abbey Road

5. Magical Mystery Tour

4. Rubber Soul

3. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

2. The Beatles (White Album)

1. Revolver

Gunsnhalen said:

The top 5 for me is absolutely perfect imo.

I had the same top 5 albums, but in a completely different order. My bottom 8 were almost exactly the same as the list.

13. Yellow Submarine

12. With the Beatles

11. Please Please Me

10. Beatles for Sale

9. Let It Be

8. A Hard Day's Night

7. Help!

6. Magical Mystery Tour

5. Revolver

4. The Beatles

3. Abbey Road

2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

1. Rubber Soul

I'm just glad Revolver wasn't #1. That's the most overrated of the band's classic albums IMO.

13 Yellow Submarine

12 Magical Mystery Tour

11 Beatles for Sale

10 Please Please Me

9 Help!

8 With the Beatles

7 A Hard Day's Night

6 Let It Be

5 Abbey Road

4 The Beatles

3 Rubber Soul

2 Sgt.Pepper's

1 Revolver

V10LETBLUES said:

Revolver will always be number 1 with me. While I get where they are coming from on that list, to me Revolver is the most focused and concentrated Beatles album. The tracks are just so on point and incredible, whereas how disjointed and meandering the White Album and Abbey Road are.

and timeless, it still sounds fresh in the context/styles of any decade...

The original writer's list makes sense. This is the order in which I like the albums:

13. Yellow Submarine

12. With The Beatles

11. Beatles For Sale

10. Please Please Me

9. Help!

8. A Hard Day's Night

7. Let It Be

6. Rubber Soul

5. The Beatles (The White Album)

4. Magical Mystery Tour

3. Abbey Road

2. Revolver

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

I think a strong argument can be made for Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, The White Album and Abbey Road. Rubber Soul is almost on that level, but I just can't look past "Run for Your Life." Also some of the arrangements are a bit lazy and not up to par w/ some of their later stuff. For example Nowhere Man and You Won't See Me both have the same ooooh-la-la-la background harmony parts. I think with Rubber Soul they were getting close but not quite there yet....

Got only 6 albums of theirs... I'm planning to buy their whole collection someday tho

1. Rubber Soul

2. Abbey Road

3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club

4. Let It Be

5. Revolver

6. A Hard Day's Night.

Shawy89 said:

Got only 6 albums of theirs... I'm planning to buy their whole collection someday tho

1. Rubber Soul

2. Abbey Road

3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club

4. Let It Be

5. Revolver

6. A Hard Day's Night.

I definitely recommend getting the whole collection Every single one of their albums is worth picking up. And don't forget the "Past Masters" compilation, which collects many of their great singles, b-sides and EP tracks which weren't included on the main albums.

NoVideo said:

I think a strong argument can be made for Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, The White Album and Abbey Road. Rubber Soul is almost on that level, but I just can't look past "Run for Your Life." Also some of the arrangements are a bit lazy and not up to par w/ some of their later stuff. For example Nowhere Man and You Won't See Me both have the same ooooh-la-la-la background harmony parts. I think with Rubber Soul they were getting close but not quite there yet....

I couldn't disagree more. For me, Rubber Soul is the most cohesive Beatles album of all — the anti-White Album, if you will. The similar arrangements make it a consistently good listen without taking anything away from the individual songs. It sounds like all 4 got the same memo. And I quite like "Run for Your Life." It's silly but pretty damn catchy. I think it's miles better than my least favorite songs on those later albums ("Yellow Submarine," "Doctor Robert," "Revolution 9, "Yer Blues," "...Bungalow Bill," "Don't Pass Me By," "Octopus's Garden"). Rubber Soul is a perfect mix of the accessibility and catchiness of the early years with the inventiveness of the later years; it's definitely my favorite.

AlexdeParis said:

NoVideo said:

I think a strong argument can be made for Revolver, Sgt. Peppers, The White Album and Abbey Road. Rubber Soul is almost on that level, but I just can't look past "Run for Your Life." Also some of the arrangements are a bit lazy and not up to par w/ some of their later stuff. For example Nowhere Man and You Won't See Me both have the same ooooh-la-la-la background harmony parts. I think with Rubber Soul they were getting close but not quite there yet....

I couldn't disagree more. For me, Rubber Soul is the most cohesive Beatles album of all — the anti-White Album, if you will. The similar arrangements make it a consistently good listen without taking anything away from the individual songs. It sounds like all 4 got the same memo. And I quite like "Run for Your Life." It's silly but pretty damn catchy. I think it's miles better than my least favorite songs on those later albums ("Yellow Submarine," "Doctor Robert," "Revolution 9, "Yer Blues," "...Bungalow Bill," "Don't Pass Me By," "Octopus's Garden"). Rubber Soul is a perfect mix of the accessibility and catchiness of the early years with the inventiveness of the later years; it's definitely my favorite.

I agree with your opinion about RS, but I'd NEVER rank it above Sgt or Revolver, NEVER, 66-67 was the apex of the Beatles IMO

NoVideo said:

Shawy89 said:

Got only 6 albums of theirs... I'm planning to buy their whole collection someday tho

1. Rubber Soul

2. Abbey Road

3. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club

4. Let It Be

5. Revolver

6. A Hard Day's Night.

I definitely recommend getting the whole collection Every single one of their albums is worth picking up. And don't forget the "Past Masters" compilation, which collects many of their great singles, b-sides and EP tracks which weren't included on the main albums.

Then after all those, get the Love remix album.

sexton said:

NoVideo said:

I definitely recommend getting the whole collection Every single one of their albums is worth picking up. And don't forget the "Past Masters" compilation, which collects many of their great singles, b-sides and EP tracks which weren't included on the main albums.

Then after all those, get the Love remix album.

Yes!!! They really did a superb job with the "Love" album. Some very creative and effective mixes.

Also I'd highly recommend "Let it Be... Naked". I don't even bother with the original release anymore. These are how the songs were meant to be heard.

NoVideo said:

sexton said:

Then after all those, get the Love remix album.

Yes!!! They really did a superb job with the "Love" album. Some very creative and effective mixes.

Also I'd highly recommend "Let it Be... Naked". I don't even bother with the original release anymore. These are how the songs were meant to be heard.

I also love Love (especially the 5.1 mix). "Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows" alone is worth the price. But I prefer my Let It Be Spectorized, thank you. McCartney is crazy for thinking those strings don't make "The Long and Winding Road" a billion times better. Naked is sequenced better, though. I really wish they had used the single version of "Don't Let Me Down."