Thirteen Albums, 26 Sparks of Magic

Please Please Me (1963) Hit: “Twist and Shout”. Lennon’s voice was shredded, and it was recorded in one take at the end of the session. Deep: “There’s a Place”. An early, introspective Lennon song driven by harmonica.

With the Beatles (1963) Hit: “All My Loving”. McCartney’s song is propelled by Lennon’s rapid triplet guitar. Deep: “Not a Second Time”. A Times critic famously praised its “Aeolian cadences”.

A Hard Day’s Night (1964) Hit: “A Hard Day’s Night”. That opening chord is still debated. Deep: “I’ll Be Back”. A wistful closer that slips between minor and major.

Beatles for Sale (1964) Hit: “Eight Days a Week”. It was a rare fade-in opening. Deep: “I’m a Loser”. It shows Dylan’s influence and Lennon’s first real self-doubt on record.

Help! (1965) Hit: “Help!”. It’s a cry for help disguised as a pop single. Deep: “I’ve Just Seen a Face”. Breathless acoustic folk-country.

Rubber Soul (1965) Hit: “In My Life”. It features a harpsichord-like piano solo, sped up. Deep: “Girl”. Its weary sighs and sharp intakes of breath…

Revolver (1966) Hit: “Eleanor Rigby”. A string octet and no Beatle instruments at all. Deep: “And Your Bird Can Sing”. Its twin harmonised guitar lines are glorious.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) Hit: “A Day in the Life”. The orchestral crescendo ends in the longest piano chord. Deep: “Good Morning Good Morning”. Shifting time signatures, a farmyard of animals, and a cereal advert origin.

Magical Mystery Tour (1967) Hit: “I Am the Walrus”. Surreal wordplay with a radio broadcast of King Lear mixed in. Deep: “Blue Jay Way”. Harrison waiting in a fog-bound Los Angeles house.

The Beatles (White Album, 1968) Hit: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. Clapton plays an uncredited solo. Deep: “Long, Long, Long”. A hushed Harrison hymn, and a wine bottle rattles on the Leslie speaker.

Yellow Submarine (1969) Hit: “Yellow Submarine”. Ringo’s singalong is full of sound effects. Deep: “Hey Bulldog”. A pounding piano riff, cut during a promo film shoot.

Abbey Road (1969) Hit: “Here Comes the Sun”. Harrison wrote it while in Clapton’s garden. Deep: “Because”. Three voices are triple-tracked into nine, inspired by Beethoven played backwards.

Let It Be (1970) Hit: “Let It Be”. McCartney’s hymn was prompted by a dream of his mother. Deep: “Two of Us”. A gentle acoustic duet with Lennon and McCartney sharing one microphone again.