The Beatles Albums Ranked

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No band has influenced pop culture the way the Beatles have. They were one of the best things to happen in the twentieth century, let alone the Sixties. They were youth personified. They were unmatched innovators who were bigger than both Jesus and rock & roll itself: During the week of April 4, 1964, the Beatles held the first five slots on the Billboard Singles chart; they went on to sell more than a billion records; and 2000's 1, a compilation of the Beatles Number One hits, hit Number One in 35 countries and went on to become the best-selling album of the 2000s.
By Rolling Stone.

 Here's our definitive ranking of The Beatles' 13 studio albums:

13. 'Magical Mystery Tour' (1967)


Released as an EP in the U.K. and as an album in the U.S., 'Magical Mystery Tour' is spotty, especially when compared to the Beatles' other records from the era. But several of its songs – "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane" and "All You Need Is Love," especially – rank among the group's all-time best.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Penny Lane'
  2. 'Baby, You're A Rich Man'
  3. 'Hello, Goodbye'
  4. 'All You Need Is Love'
  5. 'Strawberry Fields Forever'
  6. 'I Am The Walrus'
  7. 'Your Mother Should Know'
  8. 'Magical Mystery Tour'
  9. 'The Fool On The Hill'
  10. 'Flying'
  11. 'Blue Jay Way'
Final rating: 6.6

12. 'Please Please Me' (1963)


The Beatles recorded their debut album in one 13-hour session. And it sounds like it. The group is energized as they plow through a stage repertoire of jumpy original tunes (opener "I Saw Her Standing There") and revitalized covers (closer "Twist and Shout"). They'd get sharper and tighter in the studio, but this is the sound of the band in all of its primal, ragged glory.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Twist and Shout'
  2. 'Please Please Me'
  3. 'There's a Place'
  4. 'A Taste of Honey'
  5. 'Misery'
  6. 'Love Me Do'
  7. 'Anna (Go To Him)'
  8. 'I Saw Her Standing There'
  9. 'P.S. I Love You'
  10. 'Baby It's You'
  11. 'Do You Want to Know a Secret'
  12. 'Ask Me Why'
  13. 'Boys'
  14. 'Chains'
Final rating: 7.2

11. 'Yellow Submarine' (1969)


The soundtrack to the animated Beatles movie (which they didn't provide the voices for, by the way) includes two previously released cuts, a handful of leftover session tracks from the era and an entire side of orchestra music from the film.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Yellow Submarine'
  2. 'Hey Bulldog'
  3. 'All You Need Is Love'
  4. 'Only a Northern Song'
  5. 'Pepperland'
  6. 'All Together Now'
  7. 'Sea of Monsters'
  8. 'Yellow Submarine in Pepperland'
  9. 'Sea of Holes'
  10. 'March of the Meanies'
  11. 'Pepperland Laid Waste'
  12. 'Sea of Time'
  13. 'It's All Too Much'
Final rating: 7.4

10. 'Beatles For Sale' (1964)


Tasked with recording their fourth album in a little more than a year, the Beatlemania-battered quartet quickly shuttled to the studio for a loose set of covers, tossed-off originals and a few gems. Success was taking its toll on the group by now, and the tired, ho-hum 'Beatles for Sale' proved it. Just look at their weary faces on the cover.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'No Reply'
  2. 'Eight Days a Week'
  3. 'Baby's in Black'
  4. 'I Don't Want to Spoil the Party'
  5. 'I'll Follow the Sun'
  6. 'Mr. Moonlight'
  7. 'I'm a Loser'
  8. 'Words of Love'
  9. 'Rock and Roll Music'
  10. 'Every Little Thing'
  11. 'Kansas City / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!'
  12. 'Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby'
  13. 'What You're Doing'
  14. 'Honey Don't'
Final rating: 7.7

9. 'Let It Be' (1970)


The last album to be released by the Beatles was recorded before 'Abbey Road,' but tumultuous sessions and a messy post-production schedule delayed its debut for a year. In a way, 'Let It Be' makes a pivotal swan song, with many of the songs coming off as eulogies for a once-great group. They're still mostly excellent here, but the cracks widened beyond repair.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Let It Be'
  2. 'I Me Mine'
  3. 'Get Back'
  4. 'Dig A Pony'
  5. 'Across The Universe'
  6. 'The Long And Winning Road'
  7. 'Two Of Us'
  8. 'I've Got A Feeling'
  9. 'For You Blue'
  10. 'One After 909'
  11. 'Dig It'
  12. 'Maggie May'
Final rating: 7.7

8. 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1967)


Pop music grew up in 1967, when the Beatles forged a masterpiece of sound, texture and melody. Its kaleidoscopic approach to record-making – layer after layer of instruments and voices piled on top of each other until it all blurs into one colorful explosion – would become a marker and pattern for everything that came after it. In many ways, it still hasn't been topped.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'With A LIttle Help From My Friends'
  2. 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
  3. 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'
  4. 'She's Leaving Home'
  5. 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)'
  6. 'Lovely Rita'
  7. 'Good Morning Good Morning'
  8. 'Getting Better'
  9. 'A Day In The Life'
  10. 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!'
  11. 'When I'm Sixty Four'
  12. 'Fixing A Hole'
  13. 'Within You Without You'
Final rating: 8.0

7. 'Help!' (1965)


Ostensibly the soundtrack to their second movie, the Beatles' fifth album is their first real declaration of independence. They'd launch a creative whirlwind a few months later on 'Rubber Soul' that would pretty much last until the end of their career. 

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Yesterday'
  2. 'Help!'
  3. 'Act Naturally'
  4. 'It's Only Love'
  5. 'Ticket to Ride'
  6. 'The Night Before'
  7. 'Tell Me What You See'
  8. 'Another Girl'
  9. 'You're Going to Lose That Girl'
  10. 'I Need You'
  11. 'I've Just Seen a Face'
  12. 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away'
  13. 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy'
  14. 'You Like Me Too Much'
Final rating: 8.1

6. 'The Beatles' (1968)

The Beatles all but splintered into four solo artists on their messy, epic and brilliant self-titled LP (commonly known as the White Album). It took two records to contain all their ideas – some of them great, some of them maddening, all of them fascinating. It was only a matter of time before they went their separate ways; the White Album, for better or worse, leads the charge.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'I'm so Tired'
  2. 'Helter Skelter'
  3. 'Blackbird'
  4. 'Back in the U.S.S.R.'
  5. 'Dear Prudence'
  6. 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey'
  7. 'Good Night'
  8. 'Birthday'
  9. 'Piggies'
  10. 'Honey Pie'
  11. 'Glass Onion'
  12. 'Martha My Dear'
  13. 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'
  14. 'Sexy Sadie'
  15. 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'
  16. 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
  17. 'Mother Nature's Son'
  18. 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun'
  19. 'Savoy Truffle'
  20. 'Revolution 1'
  21. 'Rocky Raccoon'
  22. 'Yer Blues'
  23. 'I Will'
  24. 'Long, Long, Long'
  25. 'Why Don't We Do It in the Road?'
  26. 'Don't Pass Me By'
  27. 'Julia'
  28. 'Cry Baby Cry'
  29. 'Wild Honey Pie'
  30. 'Revolution 9'
Final rating: 8.5

5. 'With The Beatles' (1963)


The Beatles' second album was sorta reworked as 'Meet the Beatles!' for the group's U.S. debut, and we prefer that version. But the original U.K. 'With the Beatles' stands as the official record these days. And it's not bad, mixing sprightly originals ("All My Loving") with well-oiled covers ("Please Mister Postman"). Beatlemania pretty much starts here.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Till There Was You'
  2. 'All My Loving'
  3. 'I Wanna Be Your Man'
  4. 'Please Mister Postman'
  5. 'It Won't Be Long'
  6. 'All I've Got to Do'
  7. 'Little Child'
  8. 'Hold Me Tight'
  9. 'Money'
  10. 'Devil in Her Heart'
  11. 'Roll Over Beethoven'
  12. 'Don't Bother Me'
  13. 'You Really Got a Hold on Me'
  14. 'Not a Second Time'

4. 'Revolver' (1967)


The Beatles turned themselves inside out on 'Revolver,' exercising a creative freedom following their retirement from the road. They used the studio as their playground, turning the record's 14 songs into the sort of mind-expanding musical template that would influence artists for generations to come. 'Sgt. Pepper's' may be the more complete work, but 'Revolver' is way more fun.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Eleanor Rigby'
  2. 'Taxman'
  3. 'Doctor Robert'
  4. 'I Want to Tell You'
  5. 'Got to Get You Into My Life'
  6. 'Here, There And Everywhere'
  7. 'Yellow Submarine'
  8. 'And Your Bird Can Sing'
  9. 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  10. 'For No One'
  11. 'Good Day Sunshine'
  12. 'She Said She Said'
  13. 'Love You To'
  14. 'Tomorrow Never Knows'
Final rating: 8.7

3. 'Abbey Road' (1969)


The last album recorded by the Beatles (but released before the temporarily shelved 'Let It Be'), 'Abbey Road' presented a briefly reinvigorated group trying one last time to pull it all together. George Harrison delivered two of his best songs ("Something," "Here Comes the Sun"), John Lennon plugged in and rocked out ("Come Together") and Paul McCartney checked in with a sprawling centerpiece, the eight-song, 16-minute medley that stands as one of his greatest achievements.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'Something'
  2. 'Here Comes The Sun'
  3. 'Octopus's Garden'
  4. 'Carry That Weight'
  5. 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'
  6. 'Oh! Darling'
  7. 'She Came In Through the Bathroom Window'
  8. 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  9. 'Mean Mr. Mustard'
  10. 'Come Together'
  11. 'Golden Slumbers'
  12. 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  13. 'Because'
  14. 'The End'
  15. 'Polythene Pam'
  16. 'Sun King'
  17. 'Her Majesty'
Final rating: 8.8

2. 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964)


The first album to include songs written entirely by the band (well, John Lennon and Paul McCartney), 'A Hard Day's Night' is pretty much 30 minutes of pure Beatlemania. From the shimmering chord that kicks off both the album and the title track, the Beatles never let up. It's easy to get caught up in their enthusiasm.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'If I Fell'
  2. 'Tell Me Why'
  3. 'A Hard Day's Night'
  4. 'I'll Be Back'
  5. 'Can't Buy Me Love'
  6. 'I Should Have Known Better'
  7. 'I'll Cry Instead'
  8. 'Any Time at All'
  9. 'I'm Happy Just to Dance With You'
  10. 'And I Love Her'
  11. 'When I Get Home'
  12. 'Things We Said Today'
  13. 'You Can't Do That'
Final rating: 9.2

1. 'Rubber Soul' (1965)


The Beatles responded to Beatlemania, Bob Dylan and pop music in general with their milestone sixth album. It inspired tons of artists – including Brian Wilson, who crafted the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds' in reply; the Beatles, in turn, responded with 'Sgt. Pepper's' – to move into a new era, free of commercial expectations and LP filler. They were only just beginning.

Ranking the songs:

  1. 'In My Life'
  2. 'Michelle'
  3. 'Drive My Car'
  4. 'What Goes On'
  5. 'Run For Your Life'
  6. 'You Won't See Me'
  7. 'Nowhere Man'
  8. 'The Word'
  9. 'If I Needed Someone'
  10. 'Think For Yourself'
  11. 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'
  12. 'Wait'
  13. 'Girl'
  14. 'I'm Looking Through You'
Final rating: 9.7


Albums reviews from Ultimate Classic Rock

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