The Beatles are arguably the biggest and best band ever to hit the rock and roll scene. The British rockers consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. From their influence on the counterculture movement to just making all-time great records and music – everyone should know about the Beatles. They are easily one of the best rock bands of all time and brought on a craze in music that only Elvis managed to top. The best Beatles albums of all time demonstrate their muscial genius and versaitlity when they were in their prime.
Ultimate Classic Rock says, “The Beatles released 13 albums during their seven-year recording career. Almost every single one of them is a masterpiece. It helped that the group came of age during one the most fertile periods for music in the past couple hundred years. It also helped that the band included two of the best songwriters of the 20th century – and a third who wasn’t too bad either.”
Listening to the Beatles can help you unlock a piece of history and give you some new tunes to groove to. Research from the University of Tsukuba reports that listening to “groovy” music can increase brain function. “Groove rhythms elicit groove sensations and positive affective responses. However, whether they influence executive function is unknown,” says lead study author Professor Hideaki Soya in a university release. “Accordingly, in the present study, we conducted brain imaging to evaluate corresponding changes in executive function, and measured individual psychological responses to groove music.”
If you’re interested in discovering more of the Beatles’ music, StudyFinds set out to do the research for you, visiting 10 expert websites to put together a list of the best Beatles Albums of all time. While this article is based on the best Beatles records of all time, don’t forget to see if your favorite Beatles song made it on the list as well. If you’ve got your own suggestions leave them in the comments below!
The List: Best Beatles Albums of All Time, According To Experts
1. Revolver
The number 1 spot goes to the Beatles’ 7th studio album, a creative masterpiece that is loved by millions of people. “Buoyed by the success of their previous studio album Rubber Soul, and the departure from their previous ‘pop group’ moniker, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr delivered one of the most highly influential albums of their careers,” says Far Out Magazine.
“For a band that experimented so wildly and frequently, it only makes sense that its most cohesive album is its best. This album encapsulated everything about the band, right in the middle of its career: it was a perfect blend of old and new, and as a result, it sounds utterly timeless,” raves The Mary Sue.
Pipe Dream agrees: “ ‘Revolver’ on the first listen is a certified classic. If you want beautiful love songs, check out ‘Here, There, and Everywhere.’ If you want to go feel the sun, check out ‘Good Day Sunshine.’ If you want to get trippy, then ‘Tomorrow Never Knows” is for you. There is so much goodness packed into the 35-minute record it will make you want to put it on repeat for days.”
2. Abbey Road
The 11th and last studio album by the British group takes the number 2 spot, and is most famous for its iconic album artwork. “Abbey Road was chronologically the last Beatles album to be recorded. Fittingly, although many of the tracks were the products of the individual members, Abbey Road reunited the band for one last magnificent stand,” says the Independent.
Rolling Stone says, “The Beatles knew that Abbey Road was going to be their last effort, so they put aside their differences to craft a masterpiece.” Some of the most popular tracks off the album include George Harrison’s “Something”, Lennon’s “Come Together”, McCartney’s “Oh! Darling”, and Ringo’s “Octopus’s Garden”.
“When people think of the Beatles, one image that comes to mind is that iconic album cover of George, Paul, Ringo, and John crossing the street. And there’s a good reason for that – Abbey Road, particularly the B side of Abbey Road, takes everything good about Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club and stuffs it into an entire medley. Sgt Pepper’s may be consistently ranked #1 on top albums lists, but if you’re making a “best albums of all time” list, it’s a cardinal sin not to put Abbey Road somewhere on it,” says Live365.
3. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
This conceptual rock album, along with its iconic album artwork, is a shining example of how timeless the Beatles and their music became. The Independent says, “Five decades and more since its release, Sgt Pepper, with its ‘band within a band’ concept and drugs-influenced vibe still reigns imperiously as the most famous pop record ever made.”
“There’s a multitude of reasons why this album is important. It was the last time the fab four truly worked together as a team, and established the LP as an art form,” explains Live365.
Ultimate Classic Rock agrees with the other experts: “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.”
4. The White Album
This album, as fans know, is actually called “The Beatles.” However, its white cover has made the nickname, “The White Album” popular among listeners everywhere. “This is really a polarizing album; it’s a double LP that consists of 30 songs with a run time of over 90 minutes. Many people either like it, love it, hate it, or worship it; some feel as though it’s the best music the band ever did,” expands Classic Rock History.
The Mary Sue’s take on the album comments: “I always saw this album as the Beatles’ ‘screw you’ to the industry and to the whole pop-culture effect surrounding them. The White Album fluctuates between stark irony and earnest feeling, and I think it’s emblematic of the beginning of their end.”
“Across a myriad of tracks, the group had returned from the conceptual piece of Sgt. Pepper and were now getting back to their roots. The album also allowed each member of the band more room to add their own songs, meaning George Harrison got his opportunity to shine,” says Far Out Magazine.
5. Rubber Soul
The Beatles’ 6th album to grace the the world housed songs such as “I’ve Just Seen a Face” and “I’m Looking Through You.” “For all intents and purposes, this is the fulcrum between the traditional Beatles and the experimental Beatles. It also kicked off a string of all-time classic LPs that, without even a pinch of hyperbole, changed rock ‘n’ roll forever,” says Stereogum. It was a transitional piece for the band.
“‘Rubber Soul’ began The Beatles’ foray into crafting more folksy tracks with full maturation in their songwriting. Songs like “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” and “Girl” showed the band writing story-based songs instead of the theme of love that was constant in their previous projects. This album has zero skips and carries an emotional poignancy that is hard to find on other Beatles records,” says Pipe Dream.
Wanting to do something different, “…the band experimented with new recording technologies and techniques, such as multitrack recording and the use of non-traditional instruments. The goal was to create a truly unique and distinctive sound for the album,” explains Alt77.
You Might Also Be Interested in:
- The Best Beatles Songs of All Time
- The Best Rock Bands of All Time
- The Best Electric Guitars for Beginners
- The Best Elvis Songs of All Time
Sources:
- Stereogum
- Pipe Dream
- Alt77
- The Mary Sue
- Classic Rock History
- Far Out Magazine
- The Independent
- Live365
- Ultimate Classic Rock
- Rolling Stone
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links.
Hard to argue with your 5 best Beatle LPs. Very objective & accurate. Having heard them in 1963, I’m a big fan of “Meet The Beatles”. And partly because “Abbey Road” presaged their end…I wasn’t a yuge fan of that LP. Objectively though (because it is so well recorded &, for the first time for the Fabs, invented as a stereo LP only) I can see why it was chosen. I certainly agree with “Rubber Soul”, “Revolver”, “Sgt Pepper”, and The White Album (which enjoyed a period as being their “best ever” LP. Times change, people change. But the shock of what “Meet The Beatles” on me and music in general won’t be forgotten.
There is no album here that should be considered the best one. This list just a list of albums that shows the evolution of the Beatles into a creative force that has no equal . It should probably be a 6 album list as MMT is just as relevant in this evolution.
Absolutely the 5 best, however I would place Sgt Pepper and number five for one reason — it didn’t have a great collection of songs, and arguably the two best, Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane were sadly left off.
Abbey Road is the crown jewel. Sgt. Pepper is the Prince of Wales. Every LP has a justified claim to the top 5. It says so much about the Fabs and as a long time fan I am proud I witnessed the Fab dynasty. Honored. And as each masterpiece created I too learned and grew and cherished the good years. The good memories before weird liaisons and social climbing tendacies marred the golden path fans expected. Yet the music continued and created a very high bar.
Great album choices although I like magical mystery tour better than Sgt pepper and Let it be Is on par with Abbey Road. No one can argue with Revolver though gets better everytime I hear it
Omg. I thought I was the only person in the world who thinks MMT is better than Pepper. Good call mate!
Same!
Meet the Beatles was one of favorite one ,because thanks to a christmas present to my sister a beatles cassette tape Meet the Beatles fell in love with there music.
I nailed this list in order before I saw it, except I had Hard Days Night at #4 rather than the White album. Personally, and I know my opinion is going to be unpopular, but I put Sgt Pepper at #7, slide WA & RS up to 3 & 4, and put A Hard Days Night & MMT at 5 & 6. What? MMT above Pepper? Told you it would be unpopular. But let me explain. First, most experts & critics are rating an MMT without PL / SFF. I don’t know that version. The only version of MMT I know includes PL / SFF. While Pepper includes arguably their single best song (DIL), MMT includes 2 songs from not just their greatest single, but the greatest single but anyone, ever (PL / SFF). IMHO those 2 songs together are better than Peppers best 2, DIL & LSD (but can u imagine a DIL / LSD single? Wow). With the next tier of songs, Walrus, Fool, AYNIL, HG vs Help From My friends, Leaving home, Within you Without you, WI64, Rita, MMT is the *clear* winner. Pepper bests MMT only in the bottom tier of songs. Title tracks are both equally great. Album art, Pepper is the clear winner, but I think MMT is actually more of a concept album than Pepper even though Pepper gets all the recognition for that. Bottom line, Pepper is overrated (not that it’s not a fantastic album; it certainly is; it’s just middle of the road among Beatles albums). MMT is underrated. Disagree? Reply and tell me I’m full of sh*t. 😉
Your full of shite. C’mon man it’s past midnight. What is AYNIL and HG
Drop Abbey Road and add the UK version of Help!
Hello. I have 8 Beatles alblums and looking to maybe sell them. Any one out there that might be interested?? Not sure what the going rate is.
Sad mistake about Rubber Soul: I’ve just seen a face is from Help. I would put Rubber Soul at No. 2 as songs like Drive my car and In my life more than hint at what was to come with Revolver.
Please stop the nonesense of “one of the best” for crying out loud! This is The Beatles and they are and will ever be THE Best!
The us version of rubber soul is different to the UK version
Uk version far superior