Top 3 Beatles albums

Beatlemania
Yesterday and Today
Magical Mystery Tour

Actually, my two favourites are 1962-1966 and 1967-1970. Not a turkey track on either. And they are albums, no?

 

1. Abbey Road
2. Revolver
3. Magical Mystery Tour

 

1. Rubber Soul (US version)
2. Meet the Beatles!
3. Revolver (UK version)

 

1. Abbey Road
2. (tie) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band & Rubber Soul [UK]
3. The Beatles

 

1 White Album
2 Sgt Pepper
3 Magical mistery tour


4 Abbey road
5 Revolver
6 Rubber soul

IMO these are really top albums, the others are good but not top.

(I've excluded the samplers)

 

1) Abbey Road - my favorite album, Beatles or otherwise
2) Hey Jude - okay, maybe it's a cheat as it's OOP & will most likely never be available on CCD, but what an amazing lineup
3) Help! - "side one" may just be the strongest seven in a row on any album ever

 

Rubber Soul (U.S. Stereo Version)
A Hard Day's Night (U.K Stereo)
White Album (U.K. Mono)

 

I'll bite

1. Abbey Road - The second side is probably the most flawless side of music ever recorded.

2. Revolver

3. Yellow Submarine - Only because the songs on side one were not played to death when it came out and I happen to really like Hey Bulldog and It's Only a Northern Song

 

My top 3 picks for today*

1. Abbey Road (wore out more copies of this than any other Lp)

2. White Album (the superb packaging of this is still ultra-cool too)

3. Revolver ( a gutsy leap in pop music for 1966 and still just as gutsy today)

List subject to change*

 

1. The Beatles

2. Magical Mystery Tour

3. Revolver


Here's a comment I'd like your opinions on. Both "Magical Mystery Tour" (the US album including the singles) and "Sgt. Pepper" were recorded in the same year: 1967.
To me, "Magical.." and "Sgt. Pepper's.." have 2 totally different sounds. "Sgt. Pepper's.. " has a dry, brittle sound to the production, and still has some remnants of the early Beatles sound to it. "Magical..."'s sound is fluid, and so musical- so way ahead of its time. The production of "Magical..." just kills me- genius! But I don't hear the same touches on "Pepper's". Is it just me???

James

 

Not to put down Magical Mystery Tour (I do like it very much), but I think have the opposite reaction to it. Disregarding whether or not it should be considered a proper album, I still think Pepper has a better flow, and some of the stuff on MMT feels even more "slight." Both open with numbers that are a bit jokey, but the opening to Sgt. Pepper is, to me, better and more clever. The orchestra tuning-up is a nice reflexive joke (like the opening count-down to Taxman on Revolver), and the guitar part that kicks it off is great. The title track on MMT isn't bad, but it's a bit too campy for me.

Sgt. Pepper also has A Day in the Life, possibly my favorite track, but it works even better in the context of Pepper. With MMT, you have All You Need Is Love, and unlike A Day In Life, which keeps Sgt. Pepper a bit grounded, it seems to show up the limitations and illusions of psychedelia. It's a nice, hippie sentiment, and it is tuneful, but it's just too naive.

With Pepper, I get the impression of something more there. A few numbers feel empty (but still enjoyable in a 'bubblegum' way), like "Mr. Kite" and "Rita," but She's Loving Home" feels sincere and heartfelt, "Within Without You" doesn't quite make it but at least tries for some sort of spirituality, "Good Morning Good Morning" has some biting social commentary in there despite its origins, etc.

MMT, with the exception of Strawberry Fields and maybe Penny Lane, there's little on it that feels personal or meaningful. It's still catchy and fun, and on a technical level, it's impressive, but when it's over, I don't find myself thinking of it too much.

 

Had to engage brain before activating fingers on this one

1. Magical Mystery Tour - especially because of "Your Mother Should Know" - I really miss my mum

2. Revolver - Taxman is such an excellent way to open an album

3. Sgt. Pepper's (I hum Getting Better to myself all the time)

A special group of musicians really - take care Andrew

 

These LPs are currently not being produced (to my knowledge), but have always been my favorites:

1. Red Album
2. Blue Album
3. White Album

 

Re: Re: Top 3 Beatles albums

Very patriotic choices! Perfect for July 4th.

 

Re: Re: Top 3 Beatles albums

They are still being produced on vinyl LP here in the UK and can still be purchased. The current issues (as has been the case since the late 80s/early 90s) are "digitally remastered" (i.e. mastered from the same digital source as the current Beatles CD's) so they're not as good as earlier pressings but still worthy purchases if you want new, super-clean copies!

You can get from www.diversevinyl.com in the UK or from www.redtrumpet.com in North America. You may also be able to pick them up from www.amazon.co.uk

Oh, nearly forgot my Top 3 Beatles albums (at the moment anyway):

1. White Album
2. Abbey Road (The 2nd side is my favourite side of any LP. Period)
3. Revolver

This list is subject to change all the time sometimes Rubber Soul, Sgt Pepper, even Hard Day's Night could make an appearance in my top 3!

I'm referring the the British configurations here, but I actually do like some of the original US LP's - in particular, Rubber Soul. I've always liked the running order on the original US one. I seem to recall reading somewhere on this forum that SH is also a fan of the US Rubber Soul.

Aside from the tampering of the sound that went on with the Capitol version (Dexterised, right?), I think the US got a better Rubber Soul - likewise, I think Meet The Beatles is a cracking LP. in some ways better than the British LP it was based on (With The Beatles). I've got some nice early 70s pressings of Meet The Beatles and The Beatles' Second Album, which I do play from time to time and I really enjoy the runnng order on these LP's especially when played back-to-back.

Hope this isn't too controversial an opion (!) because it seems elsewhere on this forum the US Beatles LP's configured by Capitol but for a UK fan such as myself they hold a lot of interest - if nothing else, for their uniqueness (it certainly isn't for their sound quality!)

Woah, veered off-topic here....maybe I should start a new discussion on those "bastardized" Capitol LP's?!

 

Re: Re: Re: Top 3 Beatles albums

Thanks for the info - happy to know I can still get them new

 

Re: Re: Re: Top 3 Beatles albums

Indeed! It did not even occur to me - must be one of those subconscious things

 

Nostalgia or objectivity?.......

Unfortunately, it is just not possible to be completely objective in my choices here.

For nostalgic reasons:

1) With The Beatles

-my parents had this LP and my earliest memory of listening to recorded music is listening to the magic in the grooves of this record. I still have the LP (a UK 1st pressing) and it still sounds magical to me .

2) A Collection Of Oldies But Goldies

-the first LP I ever bought. Imagine a little kid hearing "I want to Hold Your Hand", "I Feel Fine", "Paperback Writer" etc... for the first time. I must have worn out the grooves on that record!

3) Help!

- I got this for my 10th Birthday. Sadly, John Lennon was shot in the early hours (UK time) of that day. It made for a rather sad morning - sitting on my Mum & Dads bed hearing that news on the radio while opening my presents .

Despite nostalgia being a major factor in these choices, they are also great LPs in their own right.

My top three in terms of overall musical and technical (engineering) quality must be:

1) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (MONO)

- while the Stereo version has all the hallmarks of a work of genius, the MONO mix manages to improve on an already near-perfect piece of work. Particular improvements over the stereo version are the slower (more like the correct speed if you listen to John's vocal) "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (and I, for one, like the more promiment phasing on the vocals) and the faster "She's Leaving Home" - the stereo version really drags to my ears (and that was before I had even heard the mono mix).

Also, the mono mix clears up something I was confused about for many years. At the end of "Within You Without You" I had always thought it sounded like someone was weeping - making the song even heavier than it already was. I subsequently read that they had put laughter at the end of the track to lighten the mood?! Only after hearing the MONO mix did I hear the laughter that was referred to. This is just one example of many where the mono mix differs from the stereo mix. I feel that the only way to hear this LP as the Beatles intended it to be heard is to listen to the MONO mix (getting slightly off topic, I know, but....)

2) The Beatles (aka the white album)

- again, the mono is needed if you want to hear the "intended" version.

3) Revolver

- mono..........

I'll stop there before I get reported for rambling

 

Hmm, I think the European version of Rubber Soul is much better , why do you prefer the US version. IMO the first riff "DRIVE MY CAR" is the best part of the album.

 

Re: Nostalgia or objectivity?.......

Malc,

Do you find that listening to that album today reminds you of John's death? Many songs take me back to a time when I first heard them. I can't listen to Double Fantasy without being taken back over twenty years to that very sad time.

 

Ericpeters,

I grew up with the U.S. version. I know Capitol chopped the Beatles catalog up, however I always felt that Capitol did good job on the U.S. "Rubber Soul". The songs on the U.S. version seem to complement each other more. To this day I still can't get use to "Drive My Car" opening for "Rubber Soul" and not "Yesterday & Today". That's just me... What's odd, is I listen to the U.K. version more. Go figure!!

Joe

P.S. Check out the alternate stereo mix on the U.S. "Rubber Soul" of "The Word" and the alternate intro on "I'm Looking Through You".

 

1. Sgt. Pepper
2. White Album
3. Revolver/Rubber Soul - tied

But I love 'em all really....

 

Re: Re: Nostalgia or objectivity?.......

John,

you know, it doesn't really make me think of the assasination but when I dig out the LP it certainly takes me back (in a positive way). The CD, on the other hand, just doesn't do the same. When I see that photo of George in his Cowboy hat on the back cover of the LP I'm instantly transported to being 10 again. Also, I used to read the notes on who did what over and over again as I listened to those great songs. These are the things that bring the memories flooding back. Oh, and the little matter of the remix on the CD doesn't help in it's inability to transport me through time.

Afterthought:

I've just realised that the first time I heard most of the Help! tracks was when I saw the movie on TV a few years before I bought the LP. This is the time that I remember when I hear those songs - happy times too!

I remember I always wanted to be John or Ringo (either would do). One Christmas I got a big plastic ring in a Christmas cracker - having seen Ringo in the film, I played the drums (made from various cardboard boxes) wearing the ring. My favourite track to play along to at the time was "Please Mister Postman" - what better music to learn to drum to.

Thanks Ringo - you've made me truly happy .