Beatles track selection differences between UK & Capitol versions. & What about redoing them again ?

Speaking to all Beatles fans, but especially USA fans. I suppose it was in the 80's when "brutally" I learned half my Beatles collection was wrong ! I'd been misled.

Like most Americans until The Beatles were issued on CD in their original British versions, I had little idea how much Capitol had changed the album tracklists up through Revolver. Actually through Mystery Tour !! What do you mean there's no such thing as Yesterday & Today or The Beatles 2nd album !!!

Some albums like Revolver are much better in their original UK versions. Lennon & McCartney each had 5 songs & Harrison had 3, Ringo 1. But on the USA version Lennon only had 2 songs left !!! On the other hand Magical Mystery Tour added 4 songs on the USA version, changing it from an EP into a full fledged album. They even did "arguably" a good job in track selection. Making Mystery Tour song for song another very strong album.

It's a mixed bag, sometimes the USA version trumps the original UK version, like Mystery Tour, & sometimes the USA version utterly destroyed the album, such as Revolver. Which reduced Lennon to a paltry 2 songs.

The other good thing about the Capitol versions is it took an actual 12 Beatles studio albums & turned it into around 16 studio albums.

The actual number of Beatles "studio" albums is important why ?, In the context of this discussion ? Because after 50+ years of listening, it stays fresher if you have a few more to rotate & choose from.

16 good albums gets less boring than 12 over a lifetime of listening. Provided it's not duplicate material. We have zillions of Beatles compilation albums, but all they do is recycle the same songs, as hits, rock songs, love songs or whatever.

But now in 2017, having access to everything, the BBC tracks, The Anthology albums, the Past Masters, anybody can redo the idea of the Capitol alternate tracklists, but do a better job now, because we have a lot more tracks to utilize now.

Long story short, instead of 12 studio albums, by adding & rearranging, I get around 20-21 studio albums, depending how I do it.

Some of the changes in my personal collection are this.

1. I add an altered enhanced version of the Decca Audition, " the Pete Best" Beatles album.. I add the EMI version of Love Me Do & Besame Mucho, as well as Ain't She Sweet & Cry For A Shadow, & drop the 4 weakest cuts, giving me a much stronger album

2. Just like Capitol USA & Canada, I construct a faux Beatles "2nd album" by using early non LP singles like She Loves You & I'll Get You, & early outtakes like One after 909 & How Do You Do it.

3. I split Beatles For Sale into 2 separate albums. First I add the non LP single I Feel Fine/She's A Woman & the 4 song Long Tall Sally EP & Leave My Kitten Alone & an "enhanced" version of another outtake. Then original songs on one & the covers on a 2nd disc. About 11-12 songs each.

4. I take the 12-14 best BBC tracks the Beatles never did on a regular album. Judging them by fidelity-clarity & performance & get another "new" Beatles album. Some of the tracks like "I got a woman" "Honeymoon song" " Glad All Over" "Hippy Hippy Shake" "Some Other Guy" " Lend Me Your Comb" make a great quasi studio album, of stuff they never recorded otherwise.

5. There isin't quite enough using 65 outtakes & singles & B sides, That Means A Lot, I'm Down, Day Tripper.. so I just add those to Help & Rubber Soul.

6. Early 68 album... I call it Beatles 68 or Yellow Submarine or whatever. But I take the 4 new YS tracks, Hey Bulldog, All Together Now, etc. & Add the singles Lady Madonna, Inner Light & Across The Universe, that's 7 new tracks. Then I reach back for the Paperback Writer/Rain single, gives me 9. . I personally use Christmas Time is here again for 10. The recently discovered Harrison tune " Hello Mary Bee" will make 11, if I can ever find a copy.. there are a couple more tracks available from 67-early 68. " You know my name" & "Shirley's Wild accordian" & Jessie's Dream... Actually those 2 can be added to Mystery Tour, & I can lift " Baby You're A Rich Man" for Yellow Submarine ( as the Beatles originally intended, which would make 12 tracks

7 It's sacrilege I know, but adding a few very good outtakes, Sour Milk Sea, Not Guilty, New Mary Jane, Junk & Step Inside Love & Circles... Gives me a total of 38 White album songs, including Hey Jude/Revolution. This allows me to redo it as not 2, but 3 separate 1968 studio albums, + "early 68"- or Yellow Sub making 4 1968 studio albums.

8 And finally, it's a bit too raw, most of it, but with some Protools & editing.... A 2nd Let it Be album, or perhaps just a bonus 2nd disc.... Teddy Boy, Mailman Blues, a longer edited Dig It, I lost My Little Girl, All Things Must Pass...Shake Rattle & Roll.... There's clearly 15-20 tracks that can be assembled & edited, into something approaching a listenable, but raw album..

So that's 12 studio albums turned into 20. Clearly 2-3 of them get a bit weak, but after 5o years, it stays fresher rotating 20 albums instead of 12.

Finally OP note. My dream would be one last Beatles LP the Threetles reunion, but there just isn't enough... There are only 4 released studio reunion songs with at least 3 Beatles. If they ever release 1-2 more from the archives, it might become possible to Cobble an 8-10 song EP-Album, but not as of now. Unless it's just a fake comp with solo songs

So would you, or do you stretch you're Beatles collection ? How could you improve the Capitol tracklists ? Or what's a better way to stretch the available songs & albums ? Do you agree they hit a home run with the USA Mystery Tour ? Is there a way to Redo "Yesterday & Today" without totally gutting Revolver ?

 

Please.... Not.... Again.....

 

Quite satisfied with my original vinyl collection

 

For me it's the British sequencing, which is what was released in my land. It's what's burned into my brain, and I've never had much attraction for the US albums. I didn't mind how the Magical Mystery Tour LP was done - the EP on one side and reasonably contemporary tracks on the other (in comparison to the Hey Jude LP which mixed early period songs with the latter). But they are, strictly speaking, compilations.

So I don't see any need to mess with the US albums, when the UK sets are what were intended by the band. But have fun anyway!

 

Some things are better left alone.

 

...

 

Both versions exist on CD, plus there's the Japanese box for their unique versions. I think that's enough. If you really want you can find the US albums on vinyl without too much difficulty.
I listen to the US track listings now and then for a change but I'm used to the British albums. The only downside is that the Past Masters collections don't flow that well - I like that most of the singles and b-sides were integrated into Beatles albums stateside. I like how some care was taken over the pacing of tracks in the US, so that the Second Album for example is a great rock record and Yesterday & Today is well, just fantastic.

 

Well said. I have most of the US releases but it's the UK sequencing for me as well. I bought MMT on it's initial release - as a double EP - and that's the way I will always view it.

 

I have US copy of Rubber Soul that doesn't even contain Drive My Car. Who decided that and why!?

 

Someone has too much time on their hands. Go out. Take the dog for a walk. Put all the songs on your phone, put on your headphones and hit shuffle. Relax and don’t forget to breathe. You’ll feel better

 

I, for one, would like to know which 12-14 tracks you selected for your BBC compilation, as I’ve been trying to do just that!

Oh, and don’t worry about getting hold of a copy of Hello Mary Bee, as it’s a cover of a Donovan song (Peregrine) with lyrics rewritten by George for Mary Bee. Not a major (or even minor) work, for George anyway.

 

16 Capitol studio albums vs. 12 for Parlophone and Capitol still managed to miss From Me To You, Misery and There's A Place.

 

For the love of God, no,please no.

 

Any of us can do what we like with the catalogue, creating playlists to represent the band's career as we see fit. The assumption is that we, the fans, know better than, on the one hand, Capitol (quite likely), and on the other hand, EMI, The Beatles and George Martin (maybe not quite as likely). In the end, The Beatles' catalogue is not neat and tidy, it is not consistent in structure (some singles on albums, some not, non-album EP tracks, tracks for Germany or for charity etc.) It's not really possible to force a new appealing and consistant structure on the catalogue - but I understand the desire to try.

 

I think the back of my head just exploded.

 

Somewhere, someplace, some Apple execs are intrigued...

 

And you still managed to miss I'm Down and The Inner Light.

 

As an American, I consider the UK releases to be Canon, the US releases to be Capitol playing catch up. Which of course they eventually did, but when I listen to The Beatles, I play the UKs. Of course, if you grew up in the 60s with the American versions (I didn't) I can certainly see why those would be your go to's.

Thankfully, all versions are available to whomever wants them so...problem solved...?

 

The only thing I ever did in this regard was use Misery and There's A Place to throw out the two German language songs which I even hated as a kid.

 

They were on 45s on Capitol. From Me To You, There's A Place, and Misery were not on any Capitol releases until The Rarities Album. I'm Down and The Inner Light were on 45s only on Parlophone as well until the UK Rarities album.

 

Or you can listen to the Japanese versions of the first two albums.

Meet The Beatles
1-1 I Want To Hold Your Hand
1-2 She Loves You
1-3 From Me To You
1-4 Twist And Shout
1-5 Love Me Do
1-6 Baby It's You
1-7 Don't Bother Me
1-8 Please Please Me
1-9 I Saw Her Standing There
1-10 P. S. I Love You
1-11 Little Child
1-12 All My Loving
1-13 Hold Me Tight
1-14 Please Mister Postman

The Beatles' Second Album
2-1 Can't Buy Me Love
2-2 Do You Want To Know A Secret
2-3 Thank You Girl
2-4 A Taste Of Honey
2-5 It Won't Be Long
2-6 I Wanna Be Your Man
2-7 There's A Place
2-8 Roll Over Beethoven
2-9 Misery
2-10 Boys
2-11 Devil In Her Heart
2-12 Not A Second Time
2-13 Money
2-14 Till There Was You

 

Why so many snarky remarks? This man is passionate about the Beatles and having fun with sequencing their songs. Nothing wrong with that.

 

I admit to getting a kick out of debates about the US v. UK releases. But on any going forward basis each of us is free to make our own combos or compilations.

 

I'm having commenting on that as well. Not my intention to be snarky towards the OP. Capitol, maybe.

 

I don't know if problem is the right word. Maybe opportunity is better.

I agree generally the UK versions are the "go-to" versions. But there are exceptions to that. Magical Mystery Tour for example. As an American the EP format never grabbed me, the opportunity to hear Mystery Tour as a whole album is much better. The idea of Yesterday & Today & The Beatles 2nd album is nice, but perhaps poorly excecuted.

The Past Masters collects all the non LP songs in one place, but makes a crappy listen. Because it spans nearly a decade & isin't cohesive sounding at all.

The missed early 68-Yelow Submarine "entire album" of fresh material is a real lost opportunity. Instead of the lousy just 4 new songs & random songs from the film & Martin's orchestra.

None of it's a problem though, the Beatles catalogue is what it is, but it could be better. No question being able to spin 19-20 non duplicate albums gets less boring that 12. Over long periods of time.