A couple of thoughts: The Magical Mystery Tour album became canon in 1976. It probably made sense at the time since: - EPs were not really a thing anymore in the UK (compared to what they were in the 1960s). - It plays & runs like a coherent album. All the songs are from the same era, and the sequencing works. Perhaps a number of retailers were importing that particular record. Maybe it just made sense to make it canon to fill that need. Now, looking at Hey Jude: - The track listing runs from 1964 all the way to 1969. Perhaps it's just a little too eclectic. - Allen Klein. Allen Klein. Allen Klein. It was one of his pet projects. That would probably be enough for them to want to distance themselves from it. There were a number of compilations released over the years. 1962-1966 & 1967-1970 are the officially sanctioned ones. With the exception of Rain, all the other tracks from Hey Jude are available on those albums or A Hard Day's Night. I think if the Hey Jude album had contained more b-sides (The Inner Light, I'm Down), a stronger case could be made for it being a canon album. Given the choices of all the other compilation albums, it just didn't make the grade in someone's eyes.
MMT is all about 1967. Hey Jude is a mixed bag featuring tracks from 64, 66, 68, and 69 while omitting 65 and 67. Past Masters II corrects that.
BTW, I agree that Magical Mystery Tour works perfectly as an "album" - especially considering Capitol's "MO" during those days. (Pepper being the exception.) The single & album were released for Christmas. It contained all the new Beatles songs from their new "film". It contained both sides of their new single. And it contained the two singles from 1967 - almost all in stereo - that we only had on 45s All in one 12" collection, ready to be gift-wrapped and placed under the tree! I thought then - and still believe today - it was perfect! As far as Hey Jude is concerned. I got what they were doing right from the start. I bought it, played it quite a lot - but it just seemed weird to me. (Like, "OK, you're putting in some old songs that have never been on a Capitol album. Well then....where's "Misery"? where's "There's A Place"? what about "A Hard Day's Night", "I'm Down" & "The Inner Light"? Why wasn't "Get Back" included but "Don't Let Me Down" was. It always felt "wrong" to me - but maybe that's because I'm a 1st gen Beatles fan and had been hanging on every note since Feb 64. But like I said, I listened it. I just don't think it is or ever should be "canon".
Maybe they should have done an early side and a later side Side 1 (early, mid) A Hard Days Night I'm Down Can't Buy Me Love I Should've Known Better Paperback Writer Rain Side 2 Hey Jude Revolution Old Brown Shoe Don't Let Me Down Ballad of John and Yoko Get Back
They hired Allen Klein because he promised he would earn them more money, get them a better deal with EMI, higher royalties. Don't make it seem like Greedy Klein did this behind those altruistic, money-can't-buy-me-love-Beatles' backs....they all wanted this.
I've always loved Hey Jude, myself. Paperback Writer, Rain, Revolution, The Ballad of John and Yoko. Some of my favorites.
1962-1966, 1967-1970 superceded it..but it sold well in its initial release. MMT had a side of new material and it pulled together the 67 singles which had a similar vibe.
Personally since the Mono Masters was issued it fits the bill for me as far as what the BC-13 and the Mono Box don't cover. Well those and the German pressing of MMT. I realize Ballad of John and Yoko isn't covered, but I'm not a huge fan of that song anyway, it's Old Brown Shoe I'd miss more. And if I do get the hankering for Hey Jude I've got a Japanese pressing, AP-8940, from the Beatles Forever series I can spin on the turntable. On the liner notes they have the backmasking John did for Rain as "Stare it down and nourish what comes near, Ra-in" and that's how I hear it now. Anyway, I'm not holding my breath for a reissue.
It's kind of unusual for me to listen to a Beatles record these days -- I heard them a million times for years. Very occasionally, if I haven't heard them for a while, I might play one and it'll still sound good. Between these two albums, I'd say that I'd be far more likely to put on Hey Jude than Magical Mystery Tour. There's much more interesting stuff on Hey Jude.
Hey Jude was one of The Beatles albums I first listened to as a kid, right along with Meet the Beatles, Sgt. Pepper, etc. I have always thought of it as canonical. I am kind of disappointed that it has not had an updated new vinyl release, although I did get the CD when it came out. Yes the songs are quite a few years apart, but sound-wise it still flows very well.
I was thinking the same for side 1, but in a different order.... I'm Down Rain Paperback Writer The Inner Light Lady Madonna Revolution
I really the mascots disguises, and also the color on the cover art bring me memories from my childhood, you remember those kid activity book, when you use water to paint the page, it has the same rainbow letter on it. Since im living in America, im more familiar with the version with the singles, it helps im sure the selling. For me Im a Walrus is on my top 5 from the fab4. The title song is cool too, and fool on the hill.
I don't know why anyone is complaining. I think the idea was to be career spanning. Except for the first two, those were the Beatles most popular and newest songs that were NOT on an album. Unless you like flipping those 45's, this was the only way to have those songs on LP. And that was reason enough to own it.
I'm sure the packaging of MMT was a consideration. Capitol basically just blew up the EP package to LP size and altered the front cover to include the track listing. Now that they were releasing CDs in jewel cases, it would seem a shame to have the one release that contains an actual booklet not to be released that way. So, they could either release the EP on CD and have the other five songs relegated to Past Masters, Vol.2 or they could release it as a full album with the Capitol track listing. Obviously, they chose to do the latter.
The three worst Beatles-comp album covers (no particular order...they all pretty much stink equally): -Rock and Roll (if anything, they should have just went with the actual photo the drawing came from..and the coca-cola/50's thing just didn't go with Beatles..they could have went with a 60's motif...Rock and Roll was still around them, last I checked). -Reel Music-very cheap looking. -20 Greatest Hits-What could they possibly have been thinking..?
The "theme" of the Hey Jude album was to collect tracks that never appeared on Capitol albums. It could have been even more comprehensive had they included Misery, There's a Place, I'm Down and The Inner Light. All are pretty short songs so they certainly had room for them...but as things turned out, that would have left the Capitol Rarities three songs short.
