Archive for the ‘The Beatles’ Category
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January 11th, 2010 | 
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The Beatles Worst Three Studio Albums
I’m a huge Beatles fan and I’ve written many articles about how great The Beatles are. I’ve written articles about their greatest albums (The White Album, Revolver, Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper, etc) but today I’ve decided to do something a little bit different. What about The Beatles worst albums! I’ve decided to only consider their official UK studio albums to make it more tough (otherwise I might choose some awful compilation made by the record company at some point or another.)
#1 Yellow Submarine
The Yellow Submarine album only included six actual Beatles songs (the rest was rather boring instrumentals created by their producer George Martin.) And two of those songs (“Yellow Submarine” and “All You Need Is Love”) had already been released. That means there were only four new songs on the album.
Two of those songs were by George Harrison (“It’s All Too Much” and “Only A Northern Song.”) One was by Paul McCartney (“All Together Now”) and one by John Lennon (“Hey Bulldog.”) I actually think “Hey Bulldog” and “It’s All Too Much” rescue the album from being a total waste of time. These are two of the coolest of the lesser known Beatles songs. “All Together Now” and “Only A Northern Song” are a bit subpar by Beatles standards I suppose but I like them well enough.
Mostly I rank this album so lowly because it has so little new material on it, not that the new material isn’t good (although it’s not quite as great as it normally was.) The cool thing is that even with The Beatles worst album there were some gems that make it worth listening to (at least before it gets to those instrumentals which are a bit of a snooze fest.)
#2 With The Beatles
The Beatles second album lacked the energy and the punch of their first album, Please Please Me. It’s way too heavy on the covers (and for the most part the covers aren’t done particularly well) and the new songs aren’t particularly fantastic (except for “All My Loving” of course.) That being said, I still enjoy the album well enough. I like their cover of “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” by Smokey Robinson. This album is actually ranked at #420 on Rolling Stone magazine’s ranking of the top 500 albums of all time which is either proof of how great The Beatles were even when they weren’t that great or proof that perhaps sometimes they are a little overrated.
#3 Please Please Me
The Beatles debut album was also among their worst in my opinion. Historically obviously it’s of great importance and I do enjoy listening to it for those reasons. It also includes a few great early songs like “Please Please Me” and “I Saw Her Standing There” along with one of their greatest covers “Twist & Shout.”
But Rolling Stone magazine ranks this album as the 39th best of all time and as huge of a Beatles fan as I am, I must say that that is ridiculous. They actually rank it above A Hard Day’s Night? They rank it above Let It Be? They rank it above Magical Mystery Tour? And Help!? I definitely disagree in a serious way. I’d much rather listen to any of those albums than Please Please Me. Yes it was their first album and yes it has a certain “energy” to it as 10 of the 14 songs were recorded in a single day (the other 4 had been previously released on singles) but it’s just not that good.
Dishonorable Mention: Beatles For Sale. You were probably expecting to see Beatles For Sale on this list as it’s probably the most maligned Beatles album this side of Yellow Submarine and if I had a 4th slot I would have included it there. But I do find it more enjoyable to listen to than any of these three albums. Songs like “I’ll Follow The Sun,” “I”m A Loser,” & “Every Little Thing” definitely do it for me and make up for the covers (I don’t care for about 75% of the Beatles early cover songs.)
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An Overview of the Beatles 13 Albums
The Beatles released 13 official studio albums from 1963 to 1970. What follows is a short “review” of each of these 13 albums. In my view as a true Beatles fanatic every single on of these albums should be a part of your collection eventually. But there are definitely some albums that are more essential than others.
Please Please Me (1963) – The Beatles very first album has some great songs on it including the title track, the opening track “I Her Standing There,” and the great cover “Twist & Shout” but it also has a much higher percentage of clunkers than most Beatles albums. In fact I’d say at least half of this album just isn’t that good. It’s interesting from an historical stand point and sometimes it can even be quite enjoyable to listen to, but I’d probably make it one of my last albums if I were just getting into The Beatles.
With The Beatles (1963) – The Beatles second album includes a few nice songs but it’s largely quite forgettable due to the large amount of covers.
A Hard Day’s Night (1964) – The Beatles third album is when they really started to come into their own. While their first two albums only included 8 originals each, A Hard Day’s Night is nothing but Lennon/McCartney originals. It includes some of The Beatles very best early pop & rock n roll music. If you find yourself more drawn to their early pop songs then this may be a great album to get started with.
Beatles For Sale (1964) – I do think this album is somewhat underrated but it is definitely a step backwards from A Hard Day’s Night. It includes 6 mostly forgettable covers. But the originals are quite nice. “I’m a Loser” & “Every Little Thing” are among the highlights.
Help! (1965) – This was another step forward. It included some of The Beatles biggest hit songs including the title track “Help!” and the legendary ballad “Yesterday.” “Ticket to Ride,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” are also among the album’s highlights. It’s a great album with a couple of miss steps (“Dizzy Miss Lizzy” and “Act Naturally” are both awful covers that shouldn’t have been included on the album.)
Rubber Soul (1965) – A huge step forward. Includes the first use of a sitar on a western pop record on “Norwegian Wood” which may be favorite song on the album. Rubber Soul includes many of The Beatles greatest songs like “Nowhere Man,” “In My Life,” “Girl,” “Michelle,” and “I’m Looking Through You.”
Revolver (1966) – Again with the step forward. The Beatles were progressing at an unbelievable rate during these years. From “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to “Tomorrow Never Knows” in 2 years? Are you kidding me? Absolutely mind blowing. One of The Beatles greatest albums. There are no weak songs. Many consider it to be The Beatles very best album.
Sgt. Pepper (1967) – It’s become somewhat hip to say that Sgt. Pepper is overrated. But it’s not. It’s a truly incredible album. I find every single song on this album to be a thoroughly enjoyable listen. They are all essential in my view. Includes the absolute greatest album closer of all time, “A Day in the Life.”
Magical Mystery Tour (1967) – This was The Beatles at their most purposefully “psychedelic.” To me that’s a good thing. It includes some of The Beatles most incredible psychedelic masterpieces “I Am The Walrus” & “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
The White Album (1968) – My favorite Beatles album. That being said, it’s probably not a good one to get started with. It’s probably too sprawling for a first time listener. It’s not as consistent as Sgt. Pepper or Revolver but for me it’s even more endlessly interesting. There’s so many different styles of music on this album and to my ears they are all done perfectly.
Yellow Submarine (1969) – Probably The Beatles least essential album as it includes only four songs that are not heard elsewhere. But of those four songs two are really great “Hey Bulldog” and particularly the very underrated “It’s All Too Much.” I actually recommend getting the 1999 Yellow Submarine Songtrack instead as it replaces the rather boring incidental “film music” that makes up much of the Yellow Submarine album with remixed, remastered versions of many of The Beatles greatest hits.
Abbey Road (1969) – Possibly The Beatles most “modern” sounding album as it was actually the final album they recorded and the only one they recorded on the then new 8 track recording machine at Abbey Road studios. Includes the amazing second side suite and some of their most well known songs like “Here Comes The Sun,” “Something,” and “Come Together.” Probably a pretty good first album to get if you are new to The Beatles.
Let It Be (1970) – Let It Be was actually recorded prior to Abbey Road but had been shelved do to The Beatles being unhappy with the recordings. While it’s often seen as somewhat of a disappointment compared to The Beatles other incredible albums that’s really quite ridiculous when you look at the track listing and see that it includes absolutely killer songs like “Let It Be,” “Get Back,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “Across The Universe,” & “Two of Us.” Let It Be has a more funky laid back feeling than any other Beatles album. Let It Be… Naked probably has a better track listing but I think they “cleaned up” the sound too much, the original’s “fuzzy” sound was part of it’s charm and fit the songs better.
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The Beatles – Help!
Amazon.co.uk Review
After the world-wide success of A Hard Day’s Night, the Beatles and director Richard Lester reunited for a follow-up film, Eight Arms to Hold You. Well, that wasn’t the final title; a pleading Lennon-McCartney tune provided the catchier handle: Help! A loose semi-spoof of the globe-trotting James Bond pictures, Help! has always been considered a somewhat disorganised comedown from its predecessor; but it presents “the famous Beatles” even more clearly as the English… More >>
Rubber Soul
Amazon.co.uk Review
Rank ‘em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four’s varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. So many classics: “Drive My Car” and “Nowhere Man” merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; “The Word” can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden “Norwegian Wood” and the evocative “Girl” (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in John … More >>
1962-1966 : The Red Album
Amazon.co.uk Review
The closest the Beatles came to a greatest hits package, this document of the early part of their career features hit singles (in chronological order) and selected album tracks, running from “Love Me Do” through the groundbreaking Rubber Soul and Revolver albums. While this may be an excellent intro for beginners, real fans will never be content with only selections, especially when you’re dealing with those aforementioned albums. Capitol packages the collection (more…)
With The Beatles [Original recording remastered]
Amazon.co.uk Review
They still had plenty of covers to fill out the running time, but the Lennon-McCartney writing team was gathering steam and beginning to knock out pop classics as if they were pulling them out of thin air. “All My Loving” and “I Wanna Be your Man” come from this record, issued hurriedly to capitalise on Beatlemania. But even when they were laying into some classic Chuck Berry, by this time the Beatles had acquired a unique sound in the blend of John’s and Paul’s (more…)
A Hard Day’s Night [Original recording remastered]
Amazon.co.uk Review
Strummmmm! That dramatic guitar chord that kicks of A Hard Day’s Night (album, song, movie) still jumps right out at you, slaps you in the face, and jump-starts your heart. And you know what? Both the music and the film are still as crisp and lively as they were in 1964. Of course, only the first seven songs are actually in the movie (and they are the strongest of the bunch, from the rousing rock & roll of title track and the hit single “Can’t Buy Me Love”, to th (more…)
1967-1970 : The Blue Album
Amazon.co.uk Review
Even as the Beatles began heading toward an inevitable break-up, their prolific ways continued; this two-disc look back only skims the surface of their later achievements. Excerpts from Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, the white album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be compete for space with classic singles that do as much or more to prove their eclecticism: the epic ballad “Hey Jude”, the plaintive “Strawberry Fields Forever”, straight rock & roll of all stripes from (more…)
The Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There (1964)
“I Saw Her Standing There” is the opening song by The Beatles on their album Please Please Me. It was also the B-side of single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” when it was released in the US by Capitol Records; the single topped the US charts for seven weeks from January 18, 1964.