The Beatles - ranked & reviewed by emptysquares

For me, choosing a favourite Beatles album is pretty futile as the top 5 or so will change each time I think about it and in truth, all of this catalogue is important to me as it was the Beatles who first fired up my love of music. Worryingly, these days I increasingly come across those who utter the dreaded words... "I really don't like the Beatles" which occasionally makes me wonder if I'm listening to this stuff through rose-tinted headphones (or something like that). But surely no-one can deny the remarkable progression contained in the seven short years of their recording careers that unquestionably changed music forever.
I felt it necessary to include some compilations in the list as so much of the Beatles' finest work never appeared on the original studio releases, but I must admit I surprised myself when I ended up putting one of those compilations at the top of my chart. After all, the Beatles probably more than any other band, made a huge contribution to the art of album composition whereas the Red and Blue albums were put together by McCartney's arch nemesis Alan Klein as a pure money making exercise. I guess it proves that at the end of the day, no matter how much focus is given over to packaging, concepts, segueing and sequencing, really it's all about the songs. The Red/Blue albums also do a magnificent job of presenting the Beatles' extraordinary musical progression as the songs are presented in chronological sequence. Finally, I also included the three Anthology albums of outtakes and oddities as they are also essential to any Beatles enthusiast and amongst all the chaff, contain some beautiful Beatle moments.

• Chart updated: 07/28/2023 12:15
• (Created: 11/05/2021 12:12).
• Chart size: 20 albums.

There are 0 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and this chart has not been rated yet. Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

• Summary
• Composition
• Ratings
• Favourites
• Comments
• Your feedback

View the complete list of 56,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.

Sort by

• Overall Rank
• Num. Charts
• Avg. Rating
• Num. Ratings
• Release Date
• Title
• Artist
• Date Added

1. (=)

1967-1970 
Compilation

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

This was the second Beatles album I owned, bought back in the early 70's about six months or so after the Red album and was unquestionably the album that truly fired up the passion for music that I still have today. Pretty much every song on this album seemed to me at the time to be a perfectly designed microcosm of a strange world that I had no experience or knowledge of. The words, melodies and instrumentation all combined to create a magic place that hooked me completely and no album would ever affect me like this one. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

136 charts

Rank Score:

725

Rank in 1973:

44

Rank in 1970s:

420

Overall Rank:

2,231

Average Rating:

 87 (501 votes)

Comments:

22

2. (=)

Revolver 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

The album opens with Harrison sneering a "One..two..three..four.." intro, only for the Batman inspired 'Taxman' to start at a completely different tempo. "Let me tell you how it will be" he announced as we entered the world of 'Revolver', a perfect blend of psychedelic 60's pop, ninja level song-craft and cutting-edge studio trickery. While maintaining the stylistic diversity of it predecessor 'Rubber Soul', the sound has been energised through the ground-breaking use of sound effects and loops as well as a brilliant flair for arrangement and instrumentation. Nothing less than a landmark in popular music recording history.
v,g,k&tl:Lennon; v,b,g,k&tl:McCartney; v,g,si,b,ta&tl:Harrison; v,d,p&tl:Starr; k&tl:Martin; tb:Bhagwat; fh:Civil; Produced by George Martin [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

3,552 charts

Rank Score:

52,723

Rank in 1966:

1

Rank in 1960s:

2

Overall Rank:

4

Average Rating:

 91 (4,555 votes)

Comments:

484

3. (=)

The Beatles (The White Album) 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Following the critical and commercial success of 'Sgt.Pepper' the creative shackles were fully discarded as the Beatles each strived to stretch the boundaries of their compositions in an almost endless variety of directions. For many, the results were an uneven mixed bag of often self-indulgent fragments whilst for others (me included) this album is a cornucopia of musical gems studded with a handful of true Beatles classics. Whichever camp you're in, there can be no doubting that from the opening airplane noise of 'Back in the USSR' to the closing bars of the deliberately corny 'Good Night' it was a quite unique journey.
v,g,b,k,p&tl:Lennon; v,b,g,k&p:McCartney; v,g,b&k:Harrison; v,d&p:Starr; g:Clapton; v&tl:Ono; vl:Fallon; k:Martin&Thomas; Produced by George Martin [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1968

Appears in:

2,921 charts

Rank Score:

39,649

Rank in 1968:

1

Rank in 1960s:

6

Overall Rank:

14

Average Rating:

 89 (3,801 votes)

Comments:

341

4. (=)

Abbey Road 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

The Beatles' final recorded album seemed to find the band determined to sign-off on a high note, although side one with its two whimsical numbers as well as McCartney's 'not quite convincing' attempt to deliver a Lennon-style screamed vocal on 'Oh Darling' was patchy despite excellent contributions from Lennon and Harrison. The flip side however, was probably the best side of music the Beatles ever produced. All four members are at their best during this final act for the band and even McCartneys semi-accidental fragment 'Her Majesty' seem to provide the perfect 'cheeky mop-top' final flourish to round things off.
v,g&k:Lennon; v,b,g&k:McCartney; v,g,b,k&p:Harrison; v,d&p:Starr; k:Martin; k:Preston; Produced by George Martin [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

3,705 charts

Rank Score:

60,818

Rank in 1969:

1

Rank in 1960s:

1

Overall Rank:

3

Average Rating:

 92 (4,593 votes)

Comments:

472

5. (6) 1

Let It Be 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

The troubled back stories behind 'Let it Be' are now well documented in part thanks to Peter Jacksons efforts, but for the listener, if anything things are more confusing with multiple versions available (not including a wealth of 'bonus material') - so which is best... the original Phil Spector version, the McCartney sponsored stripped-down 'Naked' release or the Giles Martin remixed 50th anniversary edition? Pre 2021, my preference was 'Naked' which for me had transformed a mediocre album into essential listening. But when it arrived I was impressed with Giles Martins efforts which tastefully struck a happy compromise between Spector and 'Naked' and maybe deserves to become the predominant version.
v,g,b&k:Lennon; v,b,g&k:McCartney; v,g,k&ta:Harrison; d&p:Starr; k:Martin; k:Preston; Produced by Phil Spector; George Martin, Paul Hicks, Guy Massey, Allan Rouse & Giles Martin [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1970

Appears in:

1,074 charts

Rank Score:

7,560

Rank in 1970:

11

Rank in 1970s:

52

Overall Rank:

216

Average Rating:

 80 (2,141 votes)

Comments:

127

6. (7) 1

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

By '67 the Beatles had quit touring enabling them to fully focus on creating their elaborate studio creations, increasingly centred on albums rather than hit-singles - although ironically, the first recordings ('Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane') were released as singles prompting George Martin to exclude them from the album. For me, the album never fully recovered from being robbed of two of the bands finest songs which enabled a number of lesser tracks to make the cut. But it still contained some timeless compositions many of which pushed the envelope of recording techniques and things close with the magnificent 'A Day In The Life'.
v,g,k&tl:Lennon; v,b,g&k:McCartney; v,g,si&ta:Harrison; v,d,p&k:Starr; k&tl:Martin; tb:Soni; bra:Sounds Inc; Produced by George Martin [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

3,464 charts

Rank Score:

46,362

Rank in 1967:

1

Rank in 1960s:

3

Overall Rank:

8

Average Rating:

 90 (4,562 votes)

Comments:

487

7. (5) 2

1962-1966 
Compilation

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

This was the first Beatles album I owned, bought back in the early 70's and I would play it endlessly. The 12 year old me wasn't really bothered that the band had split, I just thought that every one of these songs seemed pretty great. Today, I still feel the same and along with its Blue compatriot, is the best Beatles collection that includes the non-album single material. My only gripe is the omission of Lennon's 'Rain' which was such an important song in the development of the psychedelic pop sound, other than that it's pretty damn perfect. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1973

Appears in:

113 charts

Rank Score:

412

Rank in 1973:

66

Rank in 1970s:

622

Overall Rank:

3,568

Average Rating:

 85 (433 votes)

Comments:

19

8. (=)

Magical Mystery Tour 
Soundtrack

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Named after the bands dodgy 1967 TV special, the first half is the soundtrack and the second half consists of singles from '67 and the album was not released in the UK until 1976. The band were at their creative peek at this time, but while 'Sgt Pepper' has a cohesiveness that enables it to appear greater than the sum of its parts, the disparate material and a questionable running order means the opposite is true of 'Magical Mystery Tour'. But don't be fooled, this album contains some of the Beatles greatest songs.
v,g,k&bj:Lennon; v,b,g,k&re:McCartney; v,g,vl&ta:Harrison; d&p:Starr; k:Martin; Produced by George Martin [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1967

Appears in:

1,485 charts

Rank Score:

15,540

Rank in 1967:

6

Rank in 1960s:

20

Overall Rank:

83

Average Rating:

 86 (2,542 votes)

Comments:

180

9. (=)

Rubber Soul 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Just two months after the release of 'Help!' saw the fab four back in the studio and somehow they managed to come up with what many consider to be the first of the Beatles' classic albums. It was certainly their most consistent release at this point and whilst it lacked the psychedelic 'edginess' of what followed, 'Rubber Soul' was their first album that possessed the distinctive Beatles love of variety as they casually 'borrowed' a range of contrasting styles and sounds. Standout songs were Lennon's 'Norwegian Wood' and 'In My Life' and for the first time Harrison contributes two songs with give the album additional variation & depth.
v,g&k:Lennon; v,b,g&k:McCartney; v,g&p:Harrison; v,k,d&p:Starr; k:Martin; k:Evans; Produced by George Martin [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

1965

Appears in:

2,331 charts

Rank Score:

28,340

Rank in 1965:

2

Rank in 1960s:

9

Overall Rank:

28

Average Rating:

 88 (3,354 votes)

Comments:

258

10. (=)

Love 

 The Beatles

Buy album

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• #Sponsored

Over the years I have grown to love this 2006 Beatles 'mash-up' beautifully compiled by George Martin and his son Giles. Covering all periods of the Beatles, the Martins continually manage to combine fragments from differing tracks in a way that makes it sound like this was what the fab four originally intended. As you would expect, it's all been nicely remixed and many songs have never sounded nicer than they do here. [First added to this chart: 12/05/2021]

Year of Release:

2006

Appears in:

113 charts

Rank Score:

552

Rank in 2006:

48

Rank in 2000s:

470

Overall Rank:

2,799

Average Rating:

 79 (375 votes)

Comments:

13

• « prev
• 1
• 2
• next »

Total albums: 20. Page 1 of 2

Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!

The Beatles - ranked & reviewed composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	0	0%
1960s	12	60%
1970s	3	15%
1980s	1	5%
1990s	3	15%
2000s	1	5%
2010s	0	0%
2020s	0	0%

Artist	Albums	%
The Beatles	20	100%

Country	Albums	%
	20	100%

The Beatles - ranked & reviewed chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 1 from 7th to 6th Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
Up 1 from 6th to 5th Let It Be by The Beatles

Biggest fallers
Down 2 from 5th to 7th 1962-1966 by The Beatles

The Beatles - ranked & reviewed similar charts

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
ranking albums: the beatles	paladisiac	Custom chart	2017
The Beatles	discojets1	Custom chart	2018
The Beatles Ranked	lleon79	Custom chart	2022
The Beatles: Albums ranked.	garycottier	Custom chart	2016
Beatles Core Catalogue Albums Ranked	Facetious	Custom chart	2014
Top 13 Greatest Music Albums	adiblasi	Overall chart	2010
Across the Universe of The Beatles	Mother Nature's Son	Custom chart	2017
Top 13 Greatest Music Albums	guillehache	Overall chart	2013
RANKED: THE BEATLES	Captain_Dude	Custom chart	2017
Top 17 Greatest Music Albums	DiamondHooHa	Overall chart	2016

The Beatles - ranked & reviewed similarity to your chart(s)

Other custom charts by emptysquares

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
Pink Floyd Albums - Ranked	emptysquares	Custom chart	2021
King Crimson Albums	emptysquares	Custom chart	2021
Radiohead Albums Ranked	emptysquares	Custom chart	2021
Genesis Albums - Ranked	emptysquares	Custom chart	2023
Bowie Albums Ranked	emptysquares	Custom chart	2023
Yes Albums - reviewed & ranked	emptysquares	Custom chart	2024
Gabriel Albums Ranked	emptysquares	Custom chart	2024
Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson albums ranked and reviewed	emptysquares	Custom chart	2023
The Beatles - ranked & reviewed	emptysquares	Custom chart	2023
Led Zeppelin albums ranked & reviewed	emptysquares	Custom chart	2021
XTC Albums - Ranked & Reviewed	emptysquares	Custom chart	2023
Magazine albums - ranked & reviewed	emptysquares	Custom chart	2021
Steven Wilson albums ranked & reviewed	emptysquares	Custom chart	2024
Top 20 Progressive Rock Albums	emptysquares	Custom chart	2023
The Cure albums - ranked	emptysquares	Custom chart	2024

The Beatles - ranked & reviewed ratings

• Related links:
• Top charts

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

The Beatles - ranked & reviewed comments

Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for The Beatles - ranked & reviewed

Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!