A Hard Day's Night
Beatles

4.3 + This one's definitely the best of the pre-Revolver albums. I'm not sure whether these songs were part of their Munich rotation but they sound honed to razor-sharp perfection. Lots of snappy guitar and drum sounds, especially on the title track but also on deeper cuts like "Things We Said Today." Side B doesn't have quite the same shine but side A is filled with incredible moments - the Motown-inflected soul of "I Should Have Known Better", the intricate harmonies and chord structure of "If I Fell." But my absolute favorite is "And I Love Her", which is a neatly constructed love ballad with some gorgeous Latin-inspired elements.

4