Fanstastic Music But Horrible "Bang for the Buck"

Not counting the Anthology albums in the 90's (which are not hit compilations anyway), the Beatles have in the last 30 years been compiled only once, on 2000's "1", an excellent overview for what it is, their best known and biggest hits. The 1973 "Red" and "Blue" compilations remain in print, and I guess are still selling. While the "Blue" 1967-1970 compilation justifies its continued availibility on 2 CDs, one really has to question why the "Red" 1962-1966 compilation does.

"The Beatles 1962-1966" (26 tracks) clocks in at 62 min., way below the capacity of a single CD, yet remains on the shelf as 2 CDs (along with a heftly $31 retail price). This is nothing short of ripping off the buying public, in my opinion. The reason given by the label management is "to keep the integruity of the original vinyl issue", but is anyone really buying this? Shame on them!

The music on the "Red" album is of course stellar, that's not the point. Maybe it's too soon yet after the "1" compilation, but hasn't the time come for a definitve 2CD compilation of the Beatles, along the lines of, say, "The Essential Bob Dylan", maximising the capability of 80 min. of a CD?

Genius!

1962-1966 ("Red") covers the Beatles' Merseybeat era, a time when the Beatles were considered a singles "teenybopper" band. Among the best cuts on the first CD are "Please Please Me", "She Loves You", "Eight Days a Week", and "Ticket to Ride".

Their progression from teenyboppers to "serious band" begins to show in the songs from 1965's Rubber Soul, including "Norwegian Wood", featuring George Harrison on the sitar, and John Lennon's introspective "In My Life", which hints at the band's glorious and more complex studio work that was to follow.

The Red CD collection ends with two songs from 1966's Revolver, a record that placed the band on even higher creative ground: Paul McCartney's masterpiece "Eleanor Rigby" is the first time a string quartet accompanied a rock and roll record, and "Yellow Submarine" was one in a line of catchy, childlike songs written for resident jester and drummer extrodinaire Ringo Starr.

The first disc of 1967-1970 ("Blue") has the far more unenviable task of selecting four representative tracks from 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, still considered to be the most ground-breaking and influential album in the history of rock. "A Day in the Life" is the standout -- Sgt. Pepper's closer and emotional peak.

The CD closes with the two songs that best demonstrate the eventual clash in Lennon and McCartney's songwriting styles: McCartney's "Hey Jude" and Lennon's "Revolution" were sides A and B respectively of the Beatles' greatest-selling (and perhaps just "greatest") single. Where Lennon's song is a snarling, self-righteous rocker, McCartney's is a sing-song orchestral ballad. The one you like best probably depends on whether you're a "John" or "Paul" person -- truth is they're both great.

The final CD spans from 1968's The Beatles ("The White Album") to the end of the band's career. McCartney's best moments "Let it Be", "Get Back", and "The Long and Winding Road" (Despite that over-the-top Phil Spector production) are here, as are Lennon's "Don't Let Me Down" and "Come Together". The closer is "Long and Winding Road", though it's perhaps a weaker conclusion than "Two of Us" might have been.

The Red and Blue collections are awesome reminders of the Beatles' past accomplishments and their continued vitality even today.

Start With This and the Blue Album!

Aside from that, this includes a few pictures not included in the original in the CD booklet, making it more attractive. The sound quality is excellent, too! It begins with their 1st single "Love Me Do", has the essentials like "Yesterday" (the most covered Beatles tune in history), "A Hard Day's Night", "She Loves You", "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" (their 1st single in America), "Eleanor Rigby" (the beginning of their experimental phase), "Help!" (which was literally John's plea for help), and "In My Life". They feature the 1st ever "intentional" feedback on "I Feel Fine" and John once called the "Ticket to Ride" "1st heavy metal song" (Come on, John! It's a rocker but not the Yardbirds!). "Nowhere Man" is a song John wrote about himself, but really it's about all of us! Unfortunately, George doesn't get any songs of his on here but did a great job with the sitar on "Norweign Wood".

If you like the music of the Beatles but don't have any of their albums, this and 1967-70 (the "Blue" album) are the best place to start!