No, I'm not trying to imply everyone has the same favorite Beatles album. I'm saying that you have to be a particular type of person to pick a given Beatles album as your favorite, and I think I've figured out each album's "type."To avoid redundancy, I'm only working with the albums in the so-called core catalog. Because surely, no one's favorite album of all time is "Past Masters"?
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
This is the cliche favorite album. If it's your favorite, you care deeply what the critics say and it's possible that you haven't even listened to all of the Beatles' albums. Shame on you for going along with the masses. (Though I must admit, this incredibly overrated album actually is very good.)
Yellow Submarine
This is no one's favorite album. Either it's the only Beatles album you've ever heard, you're under the age of ten, or "Hey Bulldog" and "It's All Too Much" are your favorite songs of all time.
Revolver
This is the album sneaking up on Sgt. Pepper to take its (his?) hallowed place as the G.O.A.T. of the Beatles' discography. If it's your favorite, you fancy yourself an intellectual and enjoy the sense of being ahead of the curve.
The Beatles
This is the hipster favorite album. You probably get into a lot of arguments with people in which you take a firm stand that no, it would not be improved by the removal of any of its magnificent tracks. Except for Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da. Surely no one tries to defend that one.
Please Please Me
This is the really hipster favorite album. But it's also shockingly good. If it's your favorite, you just can't comprehend why so many Beatles fans listen to only the first and final tracks and rob themselves of the riches in between.
Help!
This is the unapologetic favorite album. It's basically comfort food for Beatles fans. Maybe not a ton of people share your opinion that it's the greatest of their albums, but they won't give you a hard time for loving it, because who doesn't?
Magical Mystery Tour
This is a mixed bag, even more so than the white album. It has treasured Beatles classics like "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "All You Need is Love" mixed in with oddities like "Flying" and "I Am the Walrus." (Although, come to think of it, "I Am the Walrus" is a treasured classic oddity.) If MMT is your favorite album, you probably enjoy anything that can be described with the adjective "psychedelic."
Beatles for Sale
This is a great favorite album to have. Most fans don't seem to like it very much, and it's constantly snubbed by the critics. That means fans of "Beatles for Sale" get to feel sorry for themselves all the time and think of themselves as misunderstood outcasts. As Ringo Starr would say, life is good.
Rubber Soul
This is the "compromise" favorite album, resting as it does directly between the Beatles' "early" and "late" periods. If it's your favorite, you delight in being able to have your cake and eat it too. "Rubber Soul" features more mature song writing than the albums that preceded it, especially since it's the first album made after the Beatles discovered Dylan. However, it doesn't really feature any psychedelic weirdness, and is closer to straightforward rock than any of the albums that would follow. It has all the benefits of early Beatles and late Beatles.
Let It Be
This is the politically incorrect favorite album. If it's your favorite, you probably avoid bringing it up because you're inevitably forced to defend it by hordes of fans who can't see past the rough edges and unfortunate production decisions. But you enjoy it for what it is-- a glimpse into the Beatles' creative process that comes very close to putting you in the studio with them. Not to mention the majority of the songs on it are absolutely wonderful.
With the Beatles
This is the nostalgic favorite album. If "Magical Mystery Tour" encapsulates the Beatles' psychedelic era, "With the Beatles" is distilled essence of the Beatlemania era. It's the perfect album to put on while you fantasize about a sentimental idea of the early '60s that in no way resembles the actual time period.
Abbey Road
This is the even more nostalgic favorite album. If you're anything like me, you love listening to "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" and making yourself all emotional about the breakup not only of the world's greatest band, but of the brotherly friendships among its members. Did I mention that this entire album is pure magic and truly transcends music to become a symbol of something far greater than itself?
A Hard Day's Night
If you love this album, maybe you also love the epically ridiculous movie that bears its name. Or maybe you love it for its own sake. It's the Beatles at the top of their game in the early days, before drugs came into the mix and they became experimental artists and the critics started really paying attention. It's just John, Paul, George, and Ringo doing what they did best in those days-- rock 'n' roll. And it's amazing.
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