It’s amazing how deadlines have changed over the years within the music industry . Nowadays, it is very common for an artist to take up to six eternal years to release a new album (Rihanna, dear, we mean you), or even for their recording debut to be delayed to the point that an artist of the level already, for example, Bad Gyal has yet to release his own after several mixtapes and hundreds of singles. The current way of consuming (and producing) music is completely different from that of the 20th century , something that has become radicalized especially in the last decade, in which playlistsfull of loose songs are the order of the day. Although there are still some who continue to work on the long format, it is a fact that the single has eaten up the album . But it has not always been this way.
The decade of the 60s was very effervescent at a cultural and musical level , with the hippie movement occupying the streets of a large part of the planet as a result of the political tensions and war conflicts that occurred at that time. In that sense, it is impossible to talk about that time without highlighting the Beatles . They are an example of how to know how to make profitable ten years of experience as a band: The Beatles published thirteen studio albums between 1963 and 1970 . The accounts do not come out unless, as it happened, they published up to two albums in the same year. An unusual average that has rarely been repeated in the world of music.
For all these reasons, it is not surprising that in those years only the four horsemen of the Apocalypse were talked about: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Beatlemania fever reached every house, wherever you were, sneaking through the radio, television or the written press. A true mass phenomenon that sold tickets and records like hotcakes outside and inside the United Kingdom , the group’s place of origin. The Beatles marked a before and after in the history of music, defining the rules of rock and creating a school when it came to composing and creating melodies. His songs will always be part of the soundtrack of our lives., born when you are born.
So, in honor of his musical legacy, at Esquire we’ve wanted to mess things up by ordering, from worst to best, all of The Beatles’ albums . A very complicated task, given the high level of practically all his recording works, and completely subjective. But we like challenges, that’s how we are. Liverpool fans, don’t kill us after this. At least we are not comparing them with Rosalia.
13
‘With The Beatles’ – The Beatles (1963)
Just four months after the release of their debut, the Beatles got down to business with their second album, ‘With The Beatles’ . In fact, it was the album that knocked ‘Please Please Me’ off the top of the charts, reaching one million copies sold . It is clear that they only competed against themselves.
12
‘Help!’ – The Beatles (1965)
Seven of the fourteen songs that make up ‘Help!’ They were included in the soundtrack of the Beatles film of the same name. On this fifth album by the British band is one of the jewels of their discography: ‘Yesterday’ , one of the best songs in history that has been covered the most.
11
‘Beatles For Sale’ – The Beatles (1964)
‘Beatles For Sale’ is the group’s fourth album, a more mature work in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney began to compose in a more autobiographical way . In it they flirt with country and folk rock , drawing inspiration for the first time from the work of their contemporary Bob Dylan .
10
‘Magical Mystery Tour’ – The Beatles (1967)
Another album that was also the soundtrack for a movie with the same name is ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ . As curious data for the first time in the Beatles discography, on this album there is an instrumental song without a voice, ‘Flying’ ; and was released in stereo as well as mono , revolutionizing the way sound was understood in the 1960s.
9
‘Please, Please Me’ – The Beatles (1963)
On March 22, 1963, the Beatles released their debut album. ‘Please Please Me’ will always be remembered as the beginning of that beatlemania , a work that impressed the music industry for being one of the first in which the same rock band composes, sings and plays instruments , with no one else around. Something that today would seem obvious but back then it was not so obvious.
8
‘Rubber Soul’ – The Beatles (1965)
Recording themselves in record time to take advantage of the Christmas rush, the Beatles released ‘Rubber Soul’ in December 1965. After a good tute of world tours, the four beatles were finally able to compose and record an album more calmly, without interruptions. The result is this magnificent album in which soul is more present.
7
‘Yellow Submarine’ – The Beatles (1969)
Despite the fact that ‘Yellow Submarine’ was the result of a contractual obligation of the Beatles for which they had to release an album accompanying the animated film, the truth is that it is difficult to imagine the legacy of the band without the presence of songs as iconic songs like ‘All You Need Is Love’ .
6
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ – The Beatles (1964)
The Beatles’ third album, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ , had to arrive so that all the songs were originally composed by them and signed by the Lennon-McCartney duo , despite the fact that John’s handwriting was more present than Paul’s. It’s not easy to maintain the level after two albums, but they passed the exam with flying colors.
5
‘White Album’ – The Beatles (1968)
After the ornate cover of ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club’, his previous album, it was time to be more sober. The boys took it to the letter and published what is known as the ‘White Album’ , with a cover like a blank page. A more experimental work than usual, with genres such as music hall, folk, British blues, ska, avant-garde and proto-metal.
4
‘Let it Be’ – The Beatles (1970)
The release of ‘Let It Be‘ will always be remembered for the context that surrounded it: it was the last album released by the Beatles before Paul McCartney announced his departure from the group. The song that gives the album its title is one of the best known by the band and, moreover, in the history of music. For all these reasons, it is a very special album that marked the end of an era.
3
‘Abbey Road’ – The Beatles (1969)
It is perhaps the most iconic cover of the Beatles (and, consequently, the street in London most visited by tourists each year). ‘Abbey Road’ includes the good vibes ‘Here Comes The Sun’ , a luminous and optimistic song that put aside the bad vibes that the band was beginning to suffer. A great album to listen to from start to finish.
2
‘Revolver’ – The Beatles (1966)
Before deciding to take a little break from touring so they could experiment more in the studio, the Beatles gave us the fantastic ‘Revolver’. With this album, the group from Liverpool perfected their compositions and began to play new styles in terms of sound. For this reason, this album was considered his masterpiece in terms of psychedelic rock.
1
‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ – The Beatles (1967)
Psychedelia continued in crescendo in the Beatles’ work with ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ , a record in which experimentation was more present than ever. Thanks to the multiple trips that the band made to get inspired, in this work we even find influences from Indian music , moving away from the conventional pop rock of the time and taking its avant-garde character to the extreme . The peculiar and risky sound of this album, mixed with that ornate and showy cover, make ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ the best Beatles album.
