Ranking all the albums of the Beatles from worst to best

3. The Beatles (1968)

I admit that there are times when I listen to all the nonsense that shows up on the Beatles’ self-titled album (known commonly as The White Album) and decide it doesn’t deserve a spot above albums like A Hard Day’s Night and Sgt. Pepper… Then I consider all the utterly sensational music that surrounds the occasional bouts of weirdness and flip back.

The White Album offers an amazing range of music, from rockers “Back in the USSR” and “Helter Skelter” to the cool moodiness of back-to-back “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Happiness is a Warm Gun.” From the utterly adorable “Martha My Dear” (a love song for Paul’s sheepdog) to the sweetness of “Dear Prudence” (written for Mia Farrow’s sister).

There are silly flirtations with country music that nonetheless remain great fun. There is some of the most heartfelt music the band ever wrote whether it is directed at John’s mother “Julia” or the disavowed Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, now rechristened as “Sexy Sadie.” There’s a hard rocker about eating too much candy and rotting away and another about fat bourgeoisie that puts a harpsichord front and center. There is the indescribable magic of “Cry Baby Cry,” a nursery rhyme conjoined to a rock song.

So even if you suffer through blather like “Revolution 9,” John’s lame “Yer Blues” or Paul’s bizarre minis “Wild Honey Pie” and “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road,” we still get so much to love. One “Blackbird” erases a lot of Paul’s mistakes. How you view this gets at your distinction between greatness and perfection. There is a lot on The White Album that is not perfect, but there is a lot more that is great.

Best Tracks: “Back in the USSR,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Blackbird”