"The Essential Beatles"

Let's say Apple reached a deal with Sony and The Beatles were to be distributed by Columbia. They would then release a two-CD Essential Beatles comp(like The Essential Kinks, Clash, etc)

What would you put on the two-disc CD set? I'll only say it would end with Free As A Bird and Real Love.

Give up your lists....and have some fun!

 

It's been done. One disc only. Australian release, I believe.



And here's the two disc version. This one is not Beatle recordings, however:

 

Forget those.....

 

01. Love Me Do - Ringo version
02. Please Please Me - 45 version
03. I Saw Her Standing There - stereo
04. Twist & Shout - stereo
05. From Me To You - 45 version
06. Thank You Girl - 45 version
07. All My Loving - stereo
08. Roll Over Beethoven - stereo
09. She Loves You - 45 version
10. I Want To Hold Your Hand - Oz A-8103 stereo
11. A Hard Day's Night - stereo
12. I Should Have Known Better - stereo
13. Can't Buy Me Love - stereo
14. Long Tall Sally - stereo
15. Rock And Roll Music - stereo
16. I'll Follow The Sun - stereo
16. Help - stereo original mix
17. The Night Before - stereo original mix
18. Yesterday - stereo original mix
19. Ticket To Ride - stereo original mix
20. I Feel Fine - stereo
21. Girl - stereo original mix
22. Michelle - stereo original mix
23. Norwegian Wood - stereo original mix
24. Day Tripper - stereo split channel guitar intro version
25. We Can Work It Out - stereo

01. Sgt Pepper - 5.1 remix + stereo
02. With A Little Help - 5.1 remix + stereo
03. Fixing A Hole - 5.1 remix + stereo
04. When I'm 64 - 5.1 remix + stereo
05. Paperback Writer - 5.1 remix + stereo
06. Penny Lane - 5.1 remix + stereo
07. Strawberry Fields Forever - 5.1 remix + stereo
08. I Am The Walrus - 5.1 remix + stereo
09. Hey Bulldog - 5.1 remix + stereo
10. Back In The USSR - 5.1 remix + stereo
11. Blackbird - simple 5.1 remix + stereo
12. Julia - simple 5.1 remix + stereo
13. Birthday - 5.1 remix + stereo
14. Helter Skelter - 5.1 remix + stereo
15. All You Need Is Love - 5.1 remix + stereo
16. Hello Goodbye - 5.1 remix + stereo
17. Hey Jude - 5.1 remix + stereo
18. Get Back - 45 version - 5.1 remix + stereo
19. The Ballad Of John & Yoko - 5.1 remix + stereo
20. Let It Be - 45 version - 5.1 remix + stereo
21. Free As A Bird - 5.1 remix + stereo
22. Real Love - 5.1 remix + stereo

 

OK, I'll bite, nice tracklisting, where do I buy that?

 

Nothing from "Revolver"?

 

Nothing from abbey Road??

 

That's what THESE are for:

 

You're right! Shoot me! Should be at least 4 tracks...

 

Oh dear! I didn't do very well, did I?!

And I managed to omit Rain!

 

I like the track list, but I would use the original MONO mixes for tracks released as singles.

 

Is that Type A MONO or TYPE B?

 

No "A Day In The Life" either....

 

1. "I Saw Her Standing There” – 2:55
2. “Love Me Do" – 2:23
3. "Please Please Me" – 2:03
4. "She Loves You" – 2:22
5. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" – 2:26
6. "All My Loving" – 2:08
7. "Can't Buy Me Love" – 2:13
8. "A Hard Day's Night" – 2:34
9. "And I Love Her" – 2:31
10. "Eight Days a Week" – 2:45
11. “Baby’s In Black” – 2:02
12. "I Feel Fine" – 2:19
13. "Ticket to Ride" – 3:10
14. "Yesterday" – 2:05
15. "Help!" – 2:19
16. "We Can Work It Out" – 2:16
17. "Day Tripper" – 2:49
18. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" – 2:05
19. "Nowhere Man" – 2:44
20. "Michelle" – 2:42
21. "In My Life" – 2:27
22. "Paperback Writer" – 2:31
23. “Taxman” – 2:39
24. "Eleanor Rigby" – 2:08
25. "Yellow Submarine" – 2:37
26. "Strawberry Fields Forever" – 4:10
27. "Penny Lane" – 3:03
28. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" – 2:02
29. "With a Little Help from My Friends" – 2:44
30. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" – 3:28
31. "A Day in the Life" – 5:06
32. "All You Need Is Love" – 3:48
33. "I Am the Walrus" – 4:37
34. "Hello, Goodbye" – 3:31
35. "The Fool on the Hill" – 3:00
36. "Lady Madonna" – 2:17
37. "Hey Jude" – 7:08
38. "Revolution" – 3:21
39. "Back in the U.S.S.." – 2:45
40. "While My GuitarGently Weeps" – 4:45
41. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" – 3:05
42. "Get Back" – 3:14
43. "Don't Let Me Down" – 3:33
44. "The Ballad of John and Yoko" – 2:59
45. "Here Comes the Sun"– 3:05
46. "Come Together" – 4:20
47. "Something"– 3:03
48. "Let It Be" – 3:52
49. "Across the Universe" – 3:48
50. "The Long and Winding Road" – 3:38

 

"The Essential Beatles" is the mono box plus Abbey Road and Let It Be.

 

I've wanted one of these 2-CD "instant record collections" of the Fabs for some time. Too bad that a) it'll never happen; and b) Ian MacDonald (Revolution In The Head) is no longer around to compile the tracks.

I've been considering doing my own Essential Beatles in iTunes for awhile, but it's daunting. I suppose starting with A-sides a là Beatles 1, adding "Please Please Me", "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Revolution", then a healthy smattering of other B-sides and deep album cuts like "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Within You, Without You".

The cover would be Patrick's painting which was used for Beatles Ballads, and is conveniently visible as my avatar.

 

Mine definitely would NOT end with Real Love and Free As a Bird. Those are non-essential given the amount of material to choose from.

 

If I were an unimaginative (but pragmatic) label exec, I'd simply get the entire Red Album on one CD, fill out the rest of the time on the CD with whatever would fit from the first disc of the Blue Album, with the remainder of the Blue Album on the second CD.

And I would at least try to sneak "Free As A Bird" on there if there was room. You can't have an "Essential" set without a more contemporary and inessential track to close it out.

 

Conclusion: with the Beatles (just like with Elvis and Dylan), you simply need way more than 2 CDs!

 

"Shoot me, shoot me".....

 

The Beatles are unique in that EVERYTHING they recorded in their official studios release catalogue is ESSENTIAL. There can be no cutting corners. (Well, maybe you can just leave out "Revoution 9" if you want ) .

 

No 5.1 remixes for disc 1?

 

This band is not served well by greatest hits, even though the Red and Blue and 1 made them a ****load of money.

 

Why not an original album collection of 5 albums lobbed in a box ....?

..... We are talking cheap compilations after all....

Bring back Music For Pleasure!!!!