Which music period was the Beatles’ best?

68-70 as I love The White Album and Abbey Road. Saying that though I do also love the initial Beatlemania era with the sub-three minute pop songs with each of them having their defined roles just playing their primary instruments.

 

These guys were fantastic the whole ride. Amazing.

 

I voted 1967, because of Magical Mystery Tour LP. I'm not really that much a fan of Sgt. Pepper anymore. I still love the songs 'Fixing a Hole' and 'A Day In The Life' , but the rest I have pretty much burnt out on. I was rather thinking the poll would have allowed a fairly representative choice thusly :

• 1963-1965: PPM, WTB, HDN, BFS,Help & RS

• 1966- May 1967 : Revolver & Sgt.Pepper
• Nov 1967- Jan 1969 MMT, WA, & YS
• Sept 1969- May 1970: , AR, Hey Jude & LIB

.. whereby my choice would have been #3,
Nov 1968 to Jan 1969 including Mystery, White, and Submarine.

 

1968-1970 IMO

 

I don't really have a favourite period...
I like it all but have a special fondness for hard days night
Revolver
Pepper
Magical mystery tour
White album
Abbey road

 

Late 65-67

For everything they did later, it was more like what songwriter had the best songs - the band compositions felt few and far between.

The White Album/Let It Be in particular are really bad with this, Abbey Road has a bit of synergy going on but in the context of 1969, maybe there was too much else going on for it to feel more than it was.

 

1966 was good. I pass on the rest.

 

Had to go with 68-70 given the choices, especially because that includes the White Album.

My top eight ranking for Beatles albums is actually:

White Album
Magical Mystery Tour (US)
Hey Jude
Let It Be
Sgt. Pepper
Abbey Road
Revolver
Rubber Soul

. . . so that's kind of a mixture of 68-70 and 67 at the top, but 68-70 would make the most sense for me given the divisions.

 

All of them!

 

In general I'm going to prefer "overproduced" and "not simple" to "simple and rocking" ("rocking" I don't care about either way.) All things being equal, I'd usually prefer listening to things that can't be easily played live.

 

1) 1965-1966
2) 1967
3) 1968-1970
4) 1963-1964

In order to do this comprehensively, you need to include the singles not on albums.

 

Tough call. To me, they are the only band that split up at their peak (it couldn't have been scripted any better)

 

All of them, to be honest!

However, if I could customize a "3 album period" it would be:

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles

Something about the band peaking into technicolor and leading pop music into areas never ventured, followed by the sudden retreat back to the clashing and organic sounds that would result into "The White Album" is my favorite precise window for the Fab Four.

 

1963/64
1967/1968

 

1967, genius creativity.

 

My favourite lps are Hard Days Night,
Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine*, and The Beatles Again* a.k.a - Hey Jude, covering '63-'64 & '67-'68 in the poll for my song selections :

*Yellow Submarine lp for 'It's all too Much', recorded in '67, and 'Hey Bulldog' ,recorded in '68.
The Beatles Again lp for 'Lady Madonna', recorded in '68.

 

63-68.

 

I'll go 61-70.

 

Don't agree with grouping Rubber with Revolver. Revolver was the watershed.

So : Revolver, Sgt.Pepper, MMT

 

Revolver doesn't belong with Rubber Soul and Help!
I can't vote for this: for me their best period is from Revolver to Magical Mystery Tour

 

While Rubber Soul is one of my personal favorite albums ever, I really do believe the Beatles did their best work at the end of their career, so a 68'-70' vote here. The White Album and Abbey Road are creative masterpieces too enormous to ignore.

 

I would have voted all of the above

 

I would say between 1962 and 1970

 

*
1968-1970: WA, YS, AR & LIB

 

Fourth period, right after phys Ed and before lunch