The Beatles: Best/Worst/Favorite/Overrated/Underrated - Album by Album

Hey I'm bored during a pandemic and I got idea for a new blog series.

 I am happy I'm not dying (yet), and I hope you're staying safe as well! We're in a new world and frankly, I want the old one back.

Anyway, with this series, I will be exploring my favorite artist's discography with quick lists off the album. The good news is, if you think my opinions stink, the blog itself will be a pretty quick read. Suffice to say, this was pretty hard to do. There were some amazing Beatles songs that didn't make the cut and singles like "Rain" that aren't on a proper "album". That said, the challenges made it more fun too.

As always, here's my overly-detailed definitions of terms:

Best - this is obvious, what I think is the best track on the album in terms of composition and what it sets out to do.

Worst - also obvious, although, this definitely has more bias in it than "Best".

Overrated/Underrated - As I typically don't talk to people about the Beatles nor am I reading much about them either, this is just a general, what I think others think. Also, the Underrated category acts as another way for me to shoe horn one my favorites into the list.  Finally, if I place a song in the overrated category, it doesn't mean it's a bad song, it just means it's overrated. No more, no less.

Favorite - My personal favorite, not always the best track but the one I connected with the most or have a special memory associated with.


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 Please Please Me & With The Beatles 

Given the lack of original songs, I am just combining these and adding another category. Already with the first two albums and I am already breaking my own rules, I am god of this blog and I do as I like.


Best: "All My Loving"
Worst: "Little Child"
Favorite: "All My Loving"
Overrated: "I Saw Her Standing There" (ducks tomatoes being thrown...something had to go here)
Underrated: "Love Me Do"

Best Cover: "Twist & Shout" (Overplayed? Overrated? Maybe - but still an amazing performance)

 
A Hard Day's Night 


Best: "If I Fell"
Worst:"I'll Cry Instead"/"You Can't Do That"  annoying and "You Can't..." is gross lyrically)
Favorite: "If I Fell"/"I Should Have Known Better" (look, it's my blog, there's two, get over it)
Overrated: "And I Love Her"
Underrated:"Things We Said Today"


Beatles for Sale 
 
Look, I never really listen to this album...so, I'm skipping it, although I am partial to "I'm a Loser" and "I'll Follow the Sun".


Help! 

Best: "Ticket to Ride" (it's just such an amazing pop song, I can't deny its placement here)
Worst: eh, I dunno,"The Night Before" ? That kinda sucks.
Favorite: "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (another vocal home run- I'm in love with this song)
Overrated: "Yesterday" (duh)
Underrated:"You're Gonna Lose That Girl"/"I've Just Seen A Face"


Rubber Soul

Best: "In My Life"
Worst: "Run for Your Life" (it's just so gross lyrically but I admit it's an ear-worm)
Favorite: "I'm Looking Through You" (one of my all time fave post break-up songs)
Overrated: "In My Life"
Underrated: "Michelle" (Just a perfect twinge of sweetness and wistfulness that makes me feel warm and fuzzy)

Revolver 

Best: "Here There And Everywhere"
Worst: "Doctor Roberts" (it's good but goofy)
Favorite: "I'm Only Sleeping"/"And Your Bird Can Sing"/"She Said She Said" (also like three other songs, I had to stop somewhere).
Overrated: "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine"
Underrated: "Good Day Sunshine" (pure cheese by Paul, but damn, it's good cheese)

Sgt Pepper's 

Best: "A Day in the Life" (someone might track me down and hurt me if I didn't place this here)
Worst: "Within You Without You" (I'm the kinda Beatles fan that gets bummed by a Indian-inspired tune - just too drone-y and boring).
Favorite: "When I'm Sixty-Four" (What can I say? I'm a romantic)
Overrated: "A Day in the Life" (it's true)
Underrated: "Fixing a Hole"

Magical Mystery Tour (I know, I know this barely counts as an album)

Best: "Strawberry Fields Forever" (one of the best songs in the history of pop music)
Worst: "Blue Jay Way" (one of the worst songs in the history of pop music - just kidding but it's bad).
Favorite:"Strawberry Fields Forever"
Overrated: "All You Need is Love" (it hurts me to write this but it's true)
Underrated: "Hello/Goodbye" (not sure if this is even possible, but I'm putting it here)

White Album (I'm cheating, so sue me)

Sides 1 & 2

Best:"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Worst: "Rocky Racoon"
Favorite: "I'm So Tired"/"Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
Overrated: "Glass Onion" (fun but ya know, a little too cheeky)
Underrated: "I'm So Tired"/"I Will"

Sides 3 & 4

Best: "Long Long Long"
Worst: "Revolution 9"  (Should I apologize for this? It was a great choice for the time though)
Favorite: "Long Long Long"/"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey"
Overrated: "Birthday" (for lack of a better selection...?)
Underrated: "Honey Pie"/"Helter Skelter"

I refuse to do Yellow Submarine. 

Abbey Road

Best: "Here Comes the Sun"
Worst: "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" (this song should not exist and it's everyone who has a brain's least favorite Beatles song)
Favorite: The Melody the ends the album/"Here Comes the Sun"
Overrated: "Something"/"Come Together" (Have you heard the Elvis cover of "Something"? - Don't do it, just don't, it might make you hate it)
Underrated: "Oh! Darling!"

Let It Be

Best: "Two of Us"/"Across the Universe"
Worst: "Dig a Pony"
Favorite: "Two of Us"
Overrated: "Let it Be" (duh)
Underrated: "Two of Us"

Well, there ya have it folks, next up I'm going for Nirvana.

Late Night Fragments

I don't know why I am posting I have actual work to do - and it's late.


Is there a holiday more removed from its original intent than Labor Day? (if you celebrate too much or even mention its real reason you might be deemed a socialist, so be careful out there).

Why do restaurants still think its funny to place the "Alcoholic Drinking Can Be Harmful If Pregnant" warning on the backs of doors in men's rooms? Does this ever trick anyone anymore? I think this was probabley funny the first time someone did it. It's not anymore. We know the trick okay? It's just stupid now.

British English: I love the use of "brilliant" hate the pronunciation of "schedule".

Started a team in a fantasy football league. This could be trouble if I am actually good.

I have a student in my class who has had an Anne Coulter and Michelle Malkin book proudly displayed on the desk during different class days. I will do my best to turn him to the dark side. It's not impossible - I voted for Dole in 96 as a sophomore and for Nader as a fifth year senior. How's that for a change?

In case you were wondering, my favorite Beatles albums (in order, and subject to change)

Revolver

White Album (sheer number of songs wins me over)

Sgt. Pepper's (just barely over Abbey)

Abbey Road

Rubber Soul

Let It Be

(All the early stuff sounds the same to me, so it goes down here)

(and no, I don't count Magical Mystery Tour as a proper album)