The Peddlers

The White Album was meant to be the record that brought the Beatles back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their songwriting powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of music's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal cords at the end. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9"), this has it all. Some records have "legend" written all over them; this is one. --Chris Nickson

Review: Brilliance, and banality (4/5)
You can almost hear the wheels falling off at times. "Revolution no.9" is great as a period piece, dreadful as a sonic experience. "Ob la di ob la da" is almost self parody. There are needless excesses on the otherwise brilliant "Happiness is a warm gun", and Ringo's songwriting input is, well...everything you'd expect from Ringo's songwriting input. Even Harrison misses the mark more often than not.
But....
When it's good it's very good
Most of the first record is excellent, right from the mighty rock and roll of McCartney's "Back in the USSR", to the hauntingly beautiful folk of "Julia" from Lennon, this is a record which has everything.The playing is uneven throughout, but this merely adds to the interest for the listener.
The second record appears, bizarrely, to predict Monty Python. It is the Beatles at their most playful, but be prepared for oddities galore. The best moment is the first "Revolution" by Lennon; a genuine masterpiece.

This is no Sgt Pepper or Revolver. Those albums showcased the developing talents of Lennon, McCartney and (to a lesser extemt ) Harrison, whilst retaining the overall corporate unity of the foursome. Those albums are perfect perhaps, indeed, too perfect. Listen and admire.
The White Album is flawed, but unlike Revolver or Pepper, it has soul, and when it is good it is their best output on record. Simply be prepared to skip the poor bits, and forgive. After hearing this there was only one way the Beatles would move on, and that was as individual artists; the gap between "Glass Onion" and "Blackbird" too wide for one group to encompass stylistically.

Review: Charlie Manson really liked this one; One of several historic double sets (5/5)
Review I

This is personally one of my fav 60s albums. It is a sprawling hour and a half work that encompasses all sorts of music. It is very interesting what they did with it.
That's not the attention grabber though.

The first time I've ever heard of this album is from the book "Helter Skelter" which is about Charles Manson the serial killer. Someday look up Beatles in the index of that book. Manson took and contorted the album to say they were talking to him. It is fasinating. It created an aura about the White Album ... and when I finally bought it, it did not disappoint. I can't listen to it and not think of Manson when all his references come up (and there are plenty of those). I think Manson was screwy and he was a madman. And yet he made a theory and then the Beatles came out with this to go along iwth it (though not by the Beatles.) Poor deceived fools. The tie between Manson and this record alone makes it worth buying.

Originally issued July 30, 1998, on Amazon.com

Review II

Great double record. This has some of the most controversial Beatles tracks in their catalogue (especially "Revolution #9").
Most people that criticize this record go with the fact that there are quite a few knockabout tracks on this record. Most often cited on this filler list is "Wild Honey Pie," "...Bungalow Bill", "Rocky Racoon", "Why Don't We ...?" "...Me & My Monkey", and the (seemingly universal) most slammed track of them all, "Rev. #9".

But quite frankly, if we loose those tracks, then we lose to an extent the vision of this album. Listen to this, and listen to Sgt Pepper. Quite a contrast huh? While Sgt Pepper has more or less similar tracks (something of a concept album, though don't know if I'd go that far), this record goes all over the place. It's the Beatles trying new and different things, which is the most typical thing about The Beatles. Also, it's the aura about this record that makes this my personal favorite of The Beatles. There is just an atmosphere about this record that the others don't have. They have their own. Its amazing that the record they released before this was MMT (who spawned a tribute band entitled "Maxwell's Magical Mustard Band". They are so incredibly different its hilarious. Before I had heard this recording, I had read about it in the Manson book "Helter Skelter", written by Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Manson trial. It helped create this aura about it. Although Manson was very sick and demented, if you have a knowledge of how these tracks were supposed to be"messages" to him, it makes the listening experience all that more exceptional.

The three Beatles masterpieces, IMO, is Sgt Pepper, this, and Abbey Road. (All their other records, save for Beatles For Sale, are all excellent). But these are my desert island disks. The most historically important and the one I respect the most is Sgt Pepper. Very very innovative. Abbey Road is just a badd a-- record. Although I do think Pepper is the God record of all records, in terms of pure atmosphere and vibes and all that good jibes, this is my favorite sixties album. Yes, I do believe Sgt Pepper is the best thing to come out of the sixties, and yes, I do believe it's the best album in the Beatles' catalogue. But this has a thing that sets it apart from all others, even Sgt Pepper. If this was the only album in a band's discography, then it would be great. But the aura is emphasized even more emphatically by the brilliance of the previous years (especially '67, which is the most historically important movement and musical year of modern history. It's the watershed year to end all watershed years).

Now we get to the most controversial track The Beatles released in their fabulous seven year reign (almost impossible to believe they did so much in a mere seven years). "Revolution #9" is a sound collage, mostly "performed" (if you can say that) by John and his fellow adulterer Yoko Ono. Personally, I like this track. I seem to be one of the few. To me, its one of the few sound collages that actually works (italicize "works" in yr mind since I can't on the review ; )). Compare this to that insipid track on the end of Pearl Jam's Vitalogy. No comparison. It helps with the diversity of this track also. Or album I mean.

There are a few tracks of The Beatles that have never seen commercial release. Among them is "Carnival of Lights", which is a 15 minute (yes, you heard right, 15 minutes of unheard Beatles) companion piece to Rev #9 in the avant-garde genre. This piece was engineered most by Paul. Unfortunately, they did not release it on the Anthology series. D--- the luck. It would be interesting to see what the perceptions of "Rev #9" would be had "Carnival" been released back in the 60s.

Among other things, I would like to finally hear the famous 27 minute take of "Helter Skelter". They should finally release that sometime.

Some other little known Beatles tracks that are no longer in print is the Beatles fan album. This album contained Christmas singles that have never been released in other forms.

Those are just some of the tracks The Beatles still have locked up in their vaults. But I am glad to see the "What's the New, Mary Jane?" and "Not Guilty", both tracks intended for the White Album, released on Anthology III. That would have helped this masterpiece. (The comma doesn't go there, but I've always read it like that).

So, if you want a great double-record set, this is the one to buy. Of all the great double albums, this and Fink Ployd ; ) "The Wall" are the best. "Electric Ladyland" is overated, "Exile On Main Street" haven't heard it, "Physical Graffiti" is pretty good. The only record that compares to this is "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness", the latest addition to the grand double LP sets. This is still better though.

So, in the end, buy it. You won't regret it! (The same can be said of almost any Beatles record)

Don't pass this baby by!

Originally released on January 30, 2000 on Amazon.com

Review: Good and Bad.... (3/5)
Not so long ago, I remember seeing the White album priced at a preposterous £27 in a local record store. At around ½ that on Amazon nowadays, it's lot more reasonably priced now.
Having read a few of the reviews on here, I see the Beatles nuts are again waxing lyrical about how good they think this album is, as is their wont...
The reality is that this album is a patchy affair, and maybe should've been put out as a very good single LP rather than a patchy double LP.
There are some truly excellent songs on here, notably While my Guitar gently Weeps(featuring Eric Clapton), Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence and Birthday, as well as more reflective songs such as McCartney's Mother Nature's Son. But there's also stuff that's less good, such as Ob La Di Ob La Da, which is almost as bad as Yellow Submarine(if that's possible), and Don't Pass Me By(with Ringo) is pretty dire too, along with Revolution#9 and Savoy Truffle.
So basically we have an album that's pretty good in parts but also pretty bad in others, and could do with a decent remaster to modern standards.

Even as the Beatles began heading toward an inevitable break-up, their prolific ways continued; this two-disc look back only skims the surface of their later achievements. Excerpts from Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, the white album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be compete for space with classic singles that do as much or more to prove their eclecticism: the epic ballad "Hey Jude", the plaintive "Strawberry Fields Forever", straight rock & roll of all stripes from the plainspoken "Revolution" and "Get Back" to the surreal "Come Together". Decades after the split, this (and its companion set of 1962-1966 cuts) remains a favoured introduction for young listeners and a key sampler for veteran fans. --Rickey Wright

Review: The music is great, but... (4/5)
This was the 2d album I ever bought (see my 1962-66 review), and I loved playing both sets. However, as I collected the original albums, these became somewhat superfluous: the Beatles albums are so good they outrank virtually any other band's 'best of', and you can get the singles on Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters 2.
The band were producing their most ambitious music and the selection represents a lot of this, although why Don't Let Me Down and Old Brown Shoe are here I don't know; they were released as B sides, so it gave them to 1973 collectors on album, but (on the same principle) you can get them on Past Masters 2 (and plenty of 1963-6 single / EP tracks weren't on the companion 'Red' album..).
So it's a good introduction, but once you've moved on to the original albums and the fuller compilations you may want to pass this one to others to spread the Beatle gospel!

Review: Fantastic - Beatles Best Shown On This Album (5/5)
This collection of Beatles' greats is probably the best record in my vast sea of old vinyl. I own the re-issue with blue vinyl which i think is fantastic. If you are planning to buy this album on vinyl, get it with blue vinyl.

Review: Twelve stars (5/5)
Some of the best songs ever written - and that ever may be written - are on this album. If you want to listen to the best, this album is it. So many good tracks are left off though that if you love this you should buy all of their albums from Revolver onwards.

The closest the Beatles came to a greatest hits package, this document of the early part of their career features hit singles (in chronological order) and selected album tracks, running from "Love Me Do" through the groundbreaking Rubber Soul and Revolver albums. While this may be an excellent intro for beginners, real fans will never be content with only selections, especially when you're dealing with those aforementioned albums. Capitol packages the collection on two discs, copying the original vinyl version--but, of course, CDs hold more music than records did. Still, you do get 26 bona fide classics, so there's no real need to complain. --Bill Holdship

Review: now superfluous? (4/5)
In 1980, I bought my first album, and this was it - followed by its twin blue album as soon as I had another £5.49! No one could fault its songs and strengths, but I hereby contest that this selection does NOT represent the Beatles as it could have done.
Why? Well, it's entirely written by Lennon and McCartney (only their 2nd such album, after A Hard Day's Night). Their 1962-6 output was about 20% covers, and Twist and Shout is surely one of the 28 tracks which should represent the group for this period (a huge hit US single and UK EP). Again, Till There Was You could have exemplified McCartney's 'respectable pop balladeer' aspirations (which I do respect).
Interestingly, there are 6 songs from the now neglected Rubber Soul vice just the 2 singles from Revolver. The latter is now hallowed in 'greatest album' lists, but its psychedelia is ignored on this compilation. Was Rubber Soul really rated higher than Revolver in 1973? I love 'Drive My Car', but I'd drop it and add 'Tomorrow Never Knows' - maybe to close the set and lead into the '1967-' collection.
I'm dissing the selectors rather than the band, and the Red and Blue vinyl albums were a great buy in 1973 (and, more personally, 1980). But glancing thru my Beatles collection, I'd recommend 1 for the basic hits, and the Past Masters CDs for the big hits and a fuller range of covers & others. (Also, the 'red' and 'blue' albums could have been single boxes with 2 discs in each - or even 1 disc? - saving on packaging and disc-changing effort).

Review: It Certainly Pleased Me (5/5)
Many words have been written about the phenomenon that was The Beatles. This album simply puts together some of my best musical memories of the era. Those Lennon/McCartney compositions were just superb, and the chord structures and harmonies gave just that extra touch of musical class - head and shoulders above the competition. They were also capable of producing memorable cover versions of hits by other artists.

At the time the Beatles first broke through, British record artists were generally playing second fiddle to American acts. The sounds were becoming rather predictable, dominated as they were by those irritating tinkly piano bits, and one vocalist after another named Bobby! We had lost a great talent in Buddy Holly, who I think was a great influence on the Beatles. Holly wasn't a hard rocker like Presley, but the sheer quality and freshness of his music was irresistible.

In my humble opinion, Presley's initial wave of success was lessening by 1962/3 - certainly, I think his films, at least, were becoming increasingly mediocre. So it was when The Beatles first filled the void. Undeniably they had felt Presley's influence,("Before Elvis, there was nothing") but it was a refreshing change to hear a British band with such originality. Let's face it, in the late 1950's/early 60's, almost all that British acts could do was just produce a pale imitation of the great American Rock 'N' Roll exponents like Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Fats Domino, etc.

The individual tracks on this CD need no introduction or further coverage - it's all been said already.

So, whether you're an ageing aficionado like myself, or a younger listener curious to know what The Beatles were all about, go out and get this album and listen to a slice of musical history in the making.

Review: good buy (5/5)
Songs are obviously great. Together with the Blue double album, which covers later songs, the albums cover most of the songs that old fan, like me or a new admirer, ought to have.

Before Sgt. Pepper's, no one seriously thought of rock music as actual art. That all changed in 1967, though, when John, Paul, George and Ringo (with "A Little Help" from their friend, producer George Martin) created an undeniable work of art which remains, after 3-plus decades, one of the most influential albums of all time. From Lennon's evocative word/sound pictures (the trippy "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", the carnival-like "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite") and McCartney's music hall-styled "When I'm 64", to Harrison's Eastern-leaning "Within You Without You", and the avant-garde mini-suite, "A Day in the Life", Sgt. Pepper's was a milestone for both 1960s music and popular culture in general. --Billy Altman

Review: Not the greatest of all time but still a five star album (5/5)
Sgt Pepper,s Lonely Hearts Club Band is ,arguably , the one album in musical history that has achieved a cultural significance that transcends just the music. The album has been assimilated into popular culture whether it be the music, cover art , recording techniques or the concept. Whether you agree that it is ,as is so often cited, the greatest album of all time ( I personally prefer the "White Album", "Revolver" and "Abbey Road" just amongst the Beatles albums) there is no doubt that it is a tremendous piece of work and probably the final time that the band actually collaborated in the song writing process together.
Recorded over a 129 day period starting in December 1966 Sgt Pepper saw the band embrace not only their new found familiarity with more exotic instrumentation but also new studio technology both in the recording and production processes . The band had decided to quit touring and Beatlemania was on the wane . Several artists were stretching the limits of what was possible within the parameters of rock and pop music and it was with all this in mind that The Beatles wanted to make an album that would in effect tour for them.
Technically Sgt Pepper saw huge advances in recording techniques and of course the process was aided considerably by having George Martin at the helm- a man who could always be relied upon to formulate a solution should the recording process run into problems. Without over indulging in boring techno -babble McCartney,s discovery of direct input (which meant he could record plugging directly into the recording console) as well as the use of ADT(automatic double tracking pioneered especially for The Beatles by engineer Ken Townsend) and the recording of tracks at different speeds(varispeeding) including the vocals( tweaking) gave the band far more options for their effusive arrangements and visionary pop ideals.
The album has achieved such status and is so culturally all pervasive that it seems almost patronising and pointless to review individual tracks. Can anything i say change anyone's mind( not that i can on any issue mind) about what they already think about this album and the individual songs on it? None the less i feel that for every brilliant track- "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds " there is something like "Good Morning Good Morning". Though it must also be said that a Beatles -comparatively second rate track like "Good Morning Good Morning" is still better than most bands strongest material. A song like "When I,m Sixty Four" has become so familiar it has lost it,s limited magic ."She,s Leaving Home" though is still a magnificently powerful ballad "Fixing A Hole" is an underrated pop gem , "Within You Without You " is exotically hypnotic while "A Day In The Life",(A true Lennon -McCartney collaboration) is the albums greatest triumph still has audacious impact.
How anyone with their cerebral synapses still firing can dismiss this album with derisory one star reviews not so much beggars belief but violently mugs it and leaves it battered on the pavement.It,s not the greatest album of all time . I imagine that virtually everybody has albums that mean far more to them on a subjective basis . Hell i could name over a hundred . But that does.nt mean Sgt Pepper is,nt a great album either. It is. As far as albums with ascending cultural clout go this is probably the most significant( Some smartarse will now point out that The Velvet Underground were far more influential ) The Beatles did,nt so bad albums, though i admit "Let It Be" comes pretty close, Sgt Pepper is a great album but lets not get carried away like critic Kenneth Tynan who called it "a decisive moment in the history of Western civilisation".

Review: Still an amazing sonic experience (5/5)
Sgt. Pepper used to win most polls for the best album of all time till the early 90s after which it was usually surpassed by The Beatles previous LP Revolver. Which album you prefer is up to you though there's no doubt whatsoever that Pepper is a monumental recording and listening experience.

Revisiting Sgt Pepper what astounds me more than the songs themselves is the clarity of the sound and arrangements. George Martin's production and Geoff Emerick's engineering are brilliant as are the complex yet intimate arrangements which often use unusual instrumentation. Indeed the kaleidoscopic, sonic experience which is Sgt. Pepper is more similar to the key influence of Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys rather than any previous recordings by the Fab Four themselves.

Although Martin and Emerick deserve a lot of credit, just as much praise should be attributed to the band themselves - especially Paul McCartney who is on brilliant form throughout the album. McCartney's melodic bass-lines, usually recorded after the other instruments, are superb whereas George Harrison and John Lennon's electric guitars are used more sparingly, though all the more effective when they are deployed. Indeed, several tracks have virtually no guitar at all but other unusual instruments such as the clarinets on When I'm Sixty-Four, harp and strings on She's Leaving Home and wonderful fairground organ on Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite. Other highlights include the rocking opening title track, spiritual Within You Without You and immense closer A Day In The Life though virtually ever track is a highpoint on this brilliant album.

It is now 40 years ago today yet Sgt Pepper is still an incredible musical experience with brilliant playing, arrangements and production. A landmark pinnacle in the history of popular music.

Review: I wish the Beatles would go away (1/5)
Having been born in 1959 The Beatles have plagued my entire life and seem set to do so for the foreseeable future. I hate this album. It's twee, banal and incredibly dated. I hate the lack of imagination of anyone who puts this anywhere in a " greatest album of all time" list. The Beatles sounded feeble even at the time compared to say The Kinks or The Small Faces and this has not worn well.

There are only three stories worth knowing from the last 2,000 years of history: the life of Mohammed, the life of Jesus and the career of The Beatles. They invented all music ever. John was the best one; but Paul is--despite the knighthood and everything--still the most under-rated songwriter of the 20th century. This is the album with "Eleanor Rigby", "Here, There and Everywhere", "For No One", "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" on it--but then, you knew that anyway. We presume you have this album already and you're just getting a second copy in case you lose the first. --Caitlan Moran

Review: If only... (5/5)
If only modern music were to have any of the substance of this, my favourite and the favourite of most people who enjoy a good, human experience of music.
Historically Sgt Pepper's creates the "concept album" and begins the creation of the 1970's good stuff but Revolver has the better songs both musically and lyrically.

I can listen to revolver whenever I want and in its entirety. With Sgt Peppers I always feel the want to skip some tracks (although this would never materialise!).

Modern music suffers at the hands of the surplus extracting record company, the creators of the mass markets interests. Paradoxically the Beatles touch some of the mass charateristics of humanity (or maybe just the intelligent ones). The Beatles began the capitalisation of music leading to the state of affairs we have before us today, the "indie rock" or "R'n'b"; but atleast they had the style, intelligence and fantasic George Harrison and could see both the drudgery and celebratory elements of the human condition, all of which can be interpreted from Revolver, album of the 20th Century.

Review: TODO UN DISCAZO!!!!! (5/5)
Este es el padre de todos los ritmos modernos; pueden encontrar aqui las raices del alternative, el acid rock, el Heavy metal, la balada rock, y ¡hasta la pura Psicodelia! con este disco los Beatles cambiaron el curso de la musica moderna, convirtiendo los Lp's en ENTIDADES COMPLETAS y dandoles identidad propia; asimismo fue el "verdadero primer album de estudio", puesto que fue el primer album en el cual casi todos los efectos de las canciones fueron elaborados electronicamente...¡¡¡Indispensable en cualquier coleccion de musica contemporanea!!!!

Review: Beatles Seminal Album (5/5)
REVOLVER, the 7th new album by the Beatles and released in August 1966 proved to be their seminal work. Unlike any other band recording up to that point, the Beatles produced a masterpiece that breached musical barriers, and in retrospect it changed the course of popular music forever. REVOLVER was a huge leap forward from its predecessor, RUBBER SOUL, although some (notably American) fans mistakenly feel it is similar in style to REVOLVER, although I see no similarity between the 2 albums whatsoever.

For the first time the Beatles decided to experiment musically in the studio with song and sound. A defining example of this was the final track 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. It's likely that this extraordinary track for its time spawned the psychedelic movement, which was to emerge during 1967. With Lennon's voice given an electronic edge and a swirling backward guitar solo by George Harrison, the whole track was underpinned by a hypnotic unbroken drum rhythm throughout by Ringo Starr. Never before had anything like this been done by any 'pop band'. Furthermore this track as well as 2 other Lennon tracks 'I'm only sleeping' and 'She said, she said' contained lyrics suggesting altered states of mind. Again this was completely novel at the time, and probably had a lot to do with Lennon's experience with the drug LSD, which he had begun to take in 1966.

The album opens with 'Taxman' 1 of 3 George Harrison compositions. The lyrics took a swipe at the then very penal British tax system. The song was not only highly original, but again showed how well Harrison had developed as a songwriter over the years. The guitar solo in the middle is an enigma. Although its Eastern influence sounds a lot like Harrison's work it was actually credited to Paul McCartney. On another Harrison composition 'Love You To' Harrison makes full use of sitar and a tabla sideman to produce a very Indian influenced track. Again, a totally new sound by any band around then, but not to everyone's taste.

Paul McCartney also had an important input. His famous 'Eleanor Rigby' was released as a single in the UK (before the album). A song about loneliness, it featured only a chamber orchestra, without the other Beatles playing. Although this was the second time McCartney had recorded under such a musical arrangement ('Yesterday' being the first), this song was far better and not cloying. It is arguably McCartney's greatest composition. Another melodic ballad, 'Here, There & Everywhere' and 'Got to get you in to my life', a great soul number featuring a brass line-up, were also attributed to McCartney. The Beatles had never sounded like this previously, either. 'Yellow Submarine' was a humorous nursery rhyme, complete with sound effects and Ringo on vocals. You either liked or hated it.

There were 2 possible fillers on the album. 'Dr. Robert' by Lennon, and Harrison's 'I want to tell you' seemed somewhat indifferent tracks. But that's only because the others were of such a high standard, or were unusual by expectations then.

REVOLVER paved the way for what was soon to be referred to as 'rock music', or 'progressive rock'. Kenneth Tynan, the serious former arts critc of The Times newspaper, posed the question in 1966 after hearing REVOLVER, "can the Beatles music be considered to be art"? A year earlier to have raised this matter in a then very sober newspaper would have been considered akin to heresy by its staid readership. The times were certainly changing.

The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, official close ("Golden Slumbers" / "Carry That Weight" / "The End") is nicely undercut, in typical Beatles fashion, by Paul McCartney's cheeky "Her Majesty", which follows. --Rickey Wright

Review: The Medley... (5/5)
It's hard for me to decide which Beatles album is my favourite. It's impossible really... Rather than being a fixed thing, it's something that's constantly changing, but Abbey Road is always hovering around the top. The medley alone, from You Never Give Me Your Money to the end of the record, makes this one of their best.

It's pure genius! Wonderful songs, wonderfully performed, perfectly and (for the most part) seamlessly welded together. It's infallible. Just listen to the medley...

And what's more, the rest of the album's pretty much top-notch too. I must admit I have to be in the mood for Maxwell's Silver Hammer, and I actually prefer Octopus's Garden. I think people have been a bit harsh on Ringo's contribution - I actually like it. Because tends to fade into the background too - not that it's bad; it just tends to be overshadowed by the better stuff on here (Come Together, Something, Oh! Darling, Here Comes The Sun, I Want You), and the more obvious tracks like Maxwell and Octopus...

Even though I bought this on CD, I tend to think of it as very much a two-sided affair, with the whole of side 2 being the Medley. It's great to listen to it that way. The individual songs of side 1 are all good, and mostly great, and side 2 is pure, epic, symphonic, rocking ecstasy!

Review: Inspirational (5/5)
A remarkable achievement given that the Fab Four were essentially a disfunctional family by this stage.

The album has everything you expect from the Beatles and then some. Melody, harmony, excitement and humour.

It is a cliche, but it DOES sound as fresh today as when I first heard it nearly 40 years ago.

If you haven't got this get it. If you do then PLAY it.

Review: So sad it was their last hurrah (5/5)
Abbey Road is arguably the tightest Beatles collection of all their albums. Along with the White album, it has aged the best of all their offerings. With Here Comes the Sun, Something, Come Together and the entire second side medley, you have some of the most creative and musically perfect songs written by the Beatles. In many ways, it is a rock album that pointed the way ahead to the 1970s. The sad aspect is that, as we all know, it proved to be their last recording - by the end of this album, you aare screaming out for more. I remember discovering this album in the early 1970s and after listening to it, asked "what's next". The true quality of the Beatles is captured by this album - right until the end their output rarely went below top notch. If you buy one Beatles album, said the salesman, this is it...

Rank 'em how you like, Rubber Soul is an undeniable pivot point in the Fab Four's varied discography no matter where, or how, you first heard it. So many classics: "Drive My Car" and "Nowhere Man" merge the early combustible Beatifics to a burgeoning studio consciousness; "The Word" can be read as a pre-psych warning shot; the sitar-laden "Norwegian Wood" and the evocative "Girl" (the latter written on the last night of the sessions) stand as turning points in John Lennon's oeuvre. George finally emerges too, with the McGuinn-ish "If I Needed Someone". --Don Harrison

Review: TODA UNA ENTIDAD DISCOGRÁFICA (5/5)
Rubber soul es el mas claro ejemplo de como los discos larga duracion se convirtieron en obras de arte puro musical; antaño, los llamados lp's eran puramente un recurso para sacar provecho de artistas de un par de hits, haciendoles cantar canciones "de relleno" que eran intercaladas entre sus exitos; los beatles rompieron este esquema, puesto que ¡NUNCA TUVIERON TEMAS DE RELLENO!!; su obsesion por la excelencia les llevaron a cuidar y elaborar cada cancion de sus discos hasta darse el lujo de descartar y regalar aquellas piezas que no les parecian; el resultado lo podemos ver aqui, en un album que NUNCA PASARA DE MODA y sera el reflejo de que los discos larga duracion son PIEZAS MAESTRAS COMPLETAS; se puede ver la inclusion de instrumentos nuevos como la citara (Nowegian Wood), el Fuzz Bass (Think for Yourself), las armonías vocales (Nowhere Man) y la profundidad de sus mensajes (The Word); fue incluso su primer album con "viajes" o "trips" (uso de marijuana, LSD para inspirarse)... en total, un album que llego para quedarse.

Review: A Must Have Classic (5/5)
This is quite simply one of the greatest albums of all time. In my opinion, it is the Beatles at their songwriting best. It may not be as polished as Abbey Road or as revolutionary as Sgt Pepper, but song for song on pure likability alone, Rubber Soul is my favourite. The highlights from my point of view are Run For Your Life and Girl, but this is a classic album, and anyone would enjoy it.

Review: I'm not going to buck tradition (5/5)
But I sneaked here to Amazon UK to see if the American release (if a CD of the version *was* released, which now looks unlikely) might be here, since Amazon US has only the British release.

Sorry! I was born in 1954 and grew up on new Beatles recordings as they first came out. And the Rubber Soul I grew to love starts with "I've Just Seen a Face."

Oh, well. I guess I'll find the missing songs and burn a CD that sounds like the one I memorized back in the 60s.

Goodbye all!

Proving yet again their willingness to dice 'n' slice their burgeoning legacy into new--if not exactly fresh--product, the Fab Four Minus One released this single disc compendium of their No. 1 hits. Though obviously superfluous to long-time Fabs faithful (who may also find themselves quibbling over the precise definition of "No. 1 hit" and the exclusion of seeming contenders like "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields"), newly arrived visitors from the Pleiades star cluster and other neophytes will find it a concise and generous (nearly 80 minutes) single-disc introduction to the band's career-spanning, unparalleled dominance of pop music in the 1960s and beyond. But more than merely a trophy case of commercial success (and it won't be hard to find people to argue that these singles aren't even the band's best work), 1 is also a quick sketch of a remarkable seven-year musical evolution, one that stretches from the neo-skiffle of "Love Me Do" through a remarkable synthesis of R&B, rockabilly, Tin Pan Alley, gospel, country and classical that still defies efforts to effectively deconstruct it. --Jerry McCulley

Review: A CLASSIC BAND (5/5)
Apparently, there was a gap in the Beatles' catalog, after all -- all the big hits weren't on one tidy, single-disc compilation. It's not the kind of gap you'd necessarily notice -- it's kind of like realizing you don't have a pair of navy blue dress socks -- but it was a gap all the same, so the group released The Beatles 1 late in 2000, coinciding with the publication of their official autobiography, the puzzlingly titled Anthology. The idea behind this compilation is to have all the number one singles the Beatles had, either in the U.K. or U.S., on one disc, and that's pretty much what this generous 27-track collection is. It's easy, nay, necessary, to quibble with a couple of the judgment calls -- look, "Please Please Me" should be here instead of "From Me to You," and it's unforgivable to bypass "Strawberry Fields Forever" (kick out "Yellow Submarine" or "Eleanor Rigby") -- but there's still no question that this is all great music, and there is a bit of a rush hearing all these dazzling songs follow one after another. If there's any complaint, it's that even if it's nice to have something like this, it's not really essential. There's really no reason for anyone who owns all the records to get this too -- if you've lived happily without the red or blue albums, you'll live without this. But, if you give this to any six or seven year old, they'll be a pop fan, even fanatic, for life. And that's reason enough for it to exist.

Review: The ultimate Beatles compilation still does not exist (4/5)
Ask any serious Beatles fan about "1" and he/she will tell you that this album is not a good, balanced summary of the amazing Fab Four discography. Of course, the songs are still great, but "1" only shows one side of the band. I mean, "1" is very good about showing the Beatles as "hit-makers", but it fails when it's about showing their revolutionary side. Maybe that's why Paul got much more songs than John here, while George is represented by only one track. So, as a compilation, I consider that "1" loses at least one star.

The early-Beatles (from late-1962 to mid-1965) are quite well represented since at the begining they put more energy on the production of distilled singles than on the albums, even though "1" omits an essential track like "Please Please Me". But from Rubber Soul (late-1965) to Abbey Road (late-1969) the Beatles included much of their best material just on LPs. Perhaps some great songs like "Tomorrow Never Knows", "A Day In The Life" or "Helter Skelter" belong too much to their corresponding albums and would not fit to what a coherent compilation should be. But then we have classic folk rock pieces like "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man", "Michelle" and "In My Life"; psychedelic landscapes in "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "I Am The Walrus"; marvelous loud rockers such as "Revolution"; George's classic gems "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Here Comes The Sun". Note that all these tracks are not merely personal favorites, they're all instant standards and I understand that they should be part of any serious Beatles collection.

I guess the original idea was releasing a collection of hit singles in one full CD, but then I think that for historical reasons (beyond chart reasons) it would have been wiser to include "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" instead of "Eight Days A Week" and "The Long And Winding Road", since the last two songs weren't released as singles in UK and, in my opinion, are far from the Beatles best. Anyway, I think that the Red and Blue Albums together make the most complete Beatles collection of songs released until these days (and they were originally published in 1973!), but they involve four disks and exceed what a concise compilation should be. Compiling is about both selecting and excluding: "1" fails about selection while the Red and Blue Albums fail about exclusion. I think that the ideal Beatles collection should be at a mid-way: 40 songs spread on two CDs. Thus, I believe that the ultimate Beatles compilation still does not exist; and maybe will never do.

Review: If you only buy one Beatles album, it must be this one. (5/5)
Much better sleeve notes, and better sound clarity. No duff tracks. The Beatles were essentially a singles band. Enough said.

Their first-ever album, Please Please Me is raw and rough and still very rock & roll. Having already scored two hits when this appeared, Lennon and McCartney were only just beginning to flex their writing muscles and so relied heavily on the cover material to see them through. Their insecurity about their own abilities seems curious in hindsight since they'd pulled the title song and "I Saw Her Standing There" (with thanks to Little Richard) out of their hats. But they were an unknown quantity, still to launch a million bands and take pop music to places it had never dreamed off. A small step for four men, a giant leap for music. --Chris Nickson

Review: Generally ok debut album (3/5)
Recorded in a marathon session in a single day during february 1963 and reputed to have cost EMI just £400 to record, EMI have recovered their investment many times over during the 45 years since its release.
It has been available on CD since 1987 and 21 years later the same CD issue is still on sale having never been remastered or had bonus tracks added, so it's high time this and most of the rest of the Beatles catalogue was properly overhauled sonically and given better packaging.
The standout track is the opening I saw her standing there without a doubt, with its classic 1-2-3-4 intro. Other good tracks include the cover of Twist and Shout, with Lennon's raspy vocal and the title track itself is pretty good too. However Love me do and PS I love you are pretty weak tracks, and Ask Me Why is pretty average.
I freely admit that I'm not the greatest Beatles fan, but nevertheless this is still a pretty reasonable debut and worth owning.

Review: AND ... THE DREAM STARTED (5/5)
Welcome to the birth of Beatlemania!!! this was the first shock that the most popular musical group made to the world! their first example with very powerful and magnificent songs, from the "1,2,3,4" in I SAW HER STANDING THERE (wonderful rock'n'roll song) to the romanticism of DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET; this disc has the great hit LOVE ME DO, The very strong rock of TWIST AND SHOUT, many excellent covers like ANNA GO TO HIM and BABY IT'S YOU, the Ringo's debut as a singer in BOYS, the beautiful ballad P.S. I LOVE YOU and their first No.1 hit in UK charts PLEASE PLEASE ME; if you don't have beatles records or you are beginning to meet this group, you have to buy this cd first. ¡Enjoy the birth of the Modern Music!

Review: The first Beatles album. No need to say more, really... (5/5)
...the tone and quality of the harmonies, the energy and the musicianship ushered in a new way of playing music.

The pentatonic risings of the title track of the album incite excitement and you can understand why all the girls screamed and why Brian Epstein was so enamoured with them. 'Love me do' only got to no.17 in the charts in October 1962, but 'Please please me' went to no.1, the first of many no.1s.

As a slice of history, fleshed out with some well-made covers, this is worth buying, especially in vinyl. It just, somehow, sounds better...

Strummmmm! That dramatic guitar chord that kicks of A Hard Day's Night (album, song, movie) still jumps right out at you, slaps you in the face, and jump-starts your heart. And you know what? Both the music and the film are still as crisp and lively as they were in 1964. Of course, only the first seven songs are actually in the movie (and they are the strongest of the bunch, from the rousing rock & roll of title track and the hit single "Can't Buy Me Love", to the beautiful ballads "If I Fell" and "And I Love Her"). But nobody's going to complain about having songs like "I'll Cry Instead" and "Things We Said Today" in the second half of the record; they certainly don't feel like leftovers. Yet another high-point for John, Paul, George, and Ringo--four fab fellows who hit the highest heights imaginable. --Jim Emerson

Review: PURE BEATLES'SOUND!!!!!! (5/5)
This is the biggest example of the "beatlemania" fever; this album was so original (the only one album composed entirely of Lennon-McCartney songs) this was also their third album recorded and all the material are excellent and fresh, the fab four doing one of their best efforts; very rock'n'roll songs like A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, I'M HAPPY JUST TO DANCE WITH YOU and TELL ME WHY, great acoustic ballads like AND I LOVE HER, IF I FELL and I'LL BE BACK, excellent pop songs like THINGS WE SAID TODAY and I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER, including the country song I'LL CRY INSTEAD, and the greatest No. 1 hit song CAN'T BUY ME LOVE! this album is essential in every beatles and rock and roll collection!!

Review: Unbelievable (5/5)
This album is absolutely one of their best. It really hits the peak of Beatlemania in 1964 and does the boys justice as THE band in the world back then (and possibly now).

'And I Love Her' is a much overlooked, beautiful love song.
'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'Hard Day's Night' are two of the best rock songs ever made. The blindingly upbeat 'Can't Buy Me Love' which speeds along to its conclusion, superbly sung and tightly played until that final hung chord is simply brilliant. And as for HDN: that first suspensive chord gives you warning you're going to have your senses assaulted by something special, which is what you get, the film giving it even more 'oomph.' John's voice on this is magnificent, as of course is Paul's more rounded, tonal delivery on 'Can't Buy Me Love'.

Buy this!

Things We Said Today

Review: The second masterpiece. (5/5)
After the promising debut of Please Please Me and the excellent R'n'B of With The Beatles, the band returned with their third album in the space of a year; the soundtrack to a film (that was far better than it should've been) and without doubt their finest work up to that point, or even up to Rubber Soul. With the group having discovered the work of Bob Dylan early that year, a whole new layer of acoustic music was added to their work, resulting in a textured, rich sound for this record; add to this the fact that it's the first entirely Lennon/McCartney-penned album and you have several new beginnings on this LP.

The album is really a Lennon LP more than a Beatles LP, seeing as 10 of the 13 songs are mostly Lennon pieces. This means that since Lennon wrote many of them in a short period while on the road - and many of them were written for, as he puts it, 'the meat market' - there is not as great a degree of quality control as the more group-oriented LPs. For example, 'When I Get Home' is excellent melodically, but lyrically is garbage and worryingly close to the title track.

However, aside from a couple of minor dips, this is the band's most accomplished LP up to this point. The layered, deep sound on this album is surmised by the title track, most importantly it's massive, famous opening chord and the guitar solo - played on twelve string and doubled by a piano. The Dylan influence is also obvious in excellent acoustic-based tracks like Paul's 'Things We Said Today' or the slightly eerie 'I'll Be Back,' and in the harmonica used on the bawling 'Tell Me Why.'

George Harrison gets a look in on a vocalist on 'I'm Happy Just To Dance With You,' a song with surprisingly dissonant chords, Lennon shows his more vulnerable side on the beautiful harmonies of 'If I Fell,' and Paul created one of his most enduring standbys in 'Can't Buy Me Love.' Perhaps best of all is 'You Can't Do That,' a hint of the future written by Lennon, led by a nasty, sneering piano and guitar line with a snake-hipped groove, boosted by John's bitter, suspicious lyrics. It's one of their best early songs and is sorely overlooked.

A Hard Day's Night is just one of the many early Beatles records that is all but ignored in the face of say, Sgt. Pepper. But it deserves accolades almost as high as that record, and if you're not into the psychedelic era then you may even prefer it. I know I do.