The Beatles Albums, Ranked

The band's last recorded album (1969), celebrated for its side-two medley and 'Something'; a fixture in the top five of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums.

The 1966 leap into studio experimentation ('Tomorrow Never Knows,' 'Eleanor Rigby') that many critics now rank as their finest, topping numerous best-album polls.

Won the 1968 Grammy for Album of the Year and is routinely cited as the record that legitimized the album as an art form.

The 1965 album where their songwriting deepened into folk-rock and introspection ('Norwegian Wood'), widely seen as the pivot toward their mature era.

The 1968 self-titled double LP spans genres from 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' to 'Helter Skelter'; ambitious and hugely influential despite its uneven sprawl.

The only Beatles album written entirely by Lennon-McCartney, a 1964 high point of their pop craftsmanship and the soundtrack to their breakthrough film.

The 1965 album carrying 'Yesterday' and the title track, a strong transitional record just short of their canonical peak run.

Compiles 1967 psychedelic highs like 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'I Am the Walrus,' beloved despite its patchwork origins as a film-plus-singles release.

Released in 1970 amid the band's breakup, it holds classics like 'Let It Be' and 'Get Back' but is dogged by its troubled sessions and disputed Phil Spector production.

Recorded in a single day in 1963, this energetic debut mixes originals with covers and captures the band before its studio ambitions took hold.

The 1964 album reflects touring exhaustion and leans on covers, though it hints at the more personal writing to come on Rubber Soul.

The 1963 second album is a Merseybeat snapshot heavy on covers, historically important but slight next to their later masterworks.

Contains only four new Beatles songs alongside George Martin's orchestral film score, making it the least essential entry in the studio catalog.