Ticket 2 Ride

Ranking the Beatles’ albums, probably the favorite music topic of bloggers. I’ll follow my colleagues by name my favorite five songs on each album.

Ready, set, go!

13. With the Beatles (1963) – Too many covers for me, but still a wonderful album. “Rollover Beethoven,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “All My Loving,” “Money” and “Don’t Bother Me.” Lennon and McCartney would get stronger as songwriters and depend less on covers. Harrison debuts his first penned song and it’s not the filler that many label it.

12. Yellow Submarine (1969) – A collection of Beatle odds and ends, along with George Martin’s film soundtrack. Having said that, side one is pretty good. “Hey Bulldog,” “It’s All Too Much,” “It’s Only a Northern Song,” “All Together Now” and “Yellow Submarine.” These songs show the Beatles letting their hair down and rocking out.

11. Please Please Me (1963) – A very impressive debut album. Almost half the songs were covers, but the Beatle written songs are impressive. “Please Please Me,” “Ask Me Why,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Ask Me Why” and “There’s a Place.”

10. Beatles For Sale (1964) – Still including covers of other songs, Lennon/McCartney songs were becoming more complex and deeper. “No Reply,” “Eight Days a Week,” “Every Little Thing,” “What You’re Doing” and “I’ll Follow the Sun.”

9. A Hard Day’s Night (1964) – The first Beatles album to consist of only songs written by the band. This is a solid set too. “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “I Should Have Known Better,” “I’ll Be Back” and “If I Fell.”

8. Let it Be (1970) – It’s difficult for me to rank this album so low. Certainly not their strongest, but a favorite of mine. “The Long and Winding Road,” “Let it Be,” “I’ve Got a Feeling,” “Two of Us” and “Across the Universe.”

7. Revolver (1966) – Many fans rank this album higher. The Beatles experimented with horns, sitar, backward tapes and R&B to push the boundaries of their music style. “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Taxman,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Good Day Sunshine” “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

6. Help (1965) – A very underrated album, so many strong songs. Lots of acoustic guitar songs and slower rock songs. The Beatles were becoming quite sophisticated in their writing and arrangements.“Ticket to Ride,” “You’re Going to Lose That Girl,” “The Night Before,” “I Need You” and “Help.”

5. Rubber Soul (1965) – A transitional album for the band. Blue-eyed soul. So many strong songs and jangly guitars. “Girl,” “Michelle,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “I’m Looking Through You” and “Think for Yourself.”

4. Magical Mystery Tour (1967) – Not a true LP in Great Britain, but I’m including it here. The height of psychedelics and Beatles experimentation. A tour de force! “I Am the Walrus,” “Strawberry Fields,” “The Fool on the Hill,” “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Penny Lane.”

3. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) – Groundbreaking, trendsetting and magical. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “With a Little Help From My Friends,” “A Day in the Life,” “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “Within You, Without You.”

2. The White Album (1968) – The Beatles at their most prolific, and their most diverse. Should it have been a single album? I enjoy the lesser tracks too. “Back in the USSR,” “Martha My Dear,” “Helter Skelter,” “I Will,” “Long Long Long,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Mother Nature’s Son” and “Yer Blues.”

1. Abbey Road (1969) – Nothing better, the Beatles at the top of their game. “Here Comes the Sun,” “The End,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Because” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”