When they recorded Please Please Me, George Martin said “Boys, you’ve just got your first No. 1 record”. For that reason alone, it should have been on The Beatles 1. Unforgivable missing that one out.
I think the real reason they missed PPM out is because of the dodgy sync and flubbed lyrics in the latter part of the song. They probably had loads of arguments as to how to fix it, or whether they should even try and fix it, or whether to just include it in mono and if so, how to explain why it's in mono if the other tracks are in stereo, and after all that said "to hell with it, let's just leave it out". That's just my theory 😉
Yes! The moment is depicted in Beatles biopics, let alone mentioned by George Martin himself in interviews. It was arguably also the very first time when The Beatles purposely took heed of Martin's production wisdom in order to create a chart-topping number: e.g. as in when asked to speed it up...
Ultimately it's a collection of the records that got to number one in the UK or US. The authors of The Guiness Book Of British Hit Singles in 1977 decided to use the Record Retailer chart as their source from 1960 onwards - mainly because it maintained a top 50 consistently beyond that point. That book essentially created a de facto "official" chart history for the UK, and resulted ultimately in an actual Official Chart. For credibility's sake the album had to pick one chart and stick to it - and that was the inevitable choice. It was certainly more sensible than using the George Martin Predicts chart.
What is interesting is that you can only hear the James Bond intro to the song help in the American version of the red and blue album so you can’t hear it in the UK release but I think that’s what so charming about it I love the unique mix of all the Beatles albums whether they be the UK releases or the US catalog I love all the Beatles compilations they’re great and I’m glad that I am I decided to put 27 songs because they probably would not have any more room on a CD to put in the Beatles one They probably could have a double CD set of the greatest hits greatest hits and I think every song will stand the test of time and I’m glad that I do have the song something written by George Harrison which was the AA side That was the very first time George Harrison ever got a sign on the single.
Quick note: "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" are on the 1+ Deluxe Blu-ray from 2015, which is really more worth your time than the 2000 release by this point, for 24/96 Stereo and Surround mixes and tonne of remastered videos.
It's interesting to me how children, even now, really like the early Beatles tunes. I would play my kids the early stuff and they would sing and dance about. Now grandchildren do the same. Good video by the way. Always enjoy your stuff.
I still think the Red and Blue albums, along with The Rolling Stones' "Hot Rocks 1964-1971", are the gold standard(s) for rock music compilations. As for "1", I remember listening to it on Christmas morning, 2000. I'm sure that CD was among the most common of Christmas gifts that year.
Yeah I started with the Blue Album and for me it was the perfect introduction to the Beatles and instantly got me interested. It became a life changing experience and today the track list is burned into my brain. I wonder what would have happened if I bought the Red one first. It probably wouldn't have grabbed me as hard. With the Blue Album, each song made an impact on me, and at one time or another, each song was my "favorite". Paul's voice in Sgt Pepper was one of my first " mind blown" moment, along with the entire "I am the Walrus". I was even obsessed with the recorder in "Fool on the Hill" at one point. I went thru every song untill eventually even "Old Brown Shoe" became my favorite for a while. The only song I didn't LOVE.was Balled Of John and Yoko.
@@antoniocamacho4769 I've never heard that opinion before. Its almost universally accepted that their songwriting only got better and better with time. The compositions on Blue are far more advanced and innovative. They matured so much in those few years.
I have the red and blue but I don’t listen to the blue because I prefer listening to the full albums. I listen to the red because I don’t have some of the earlier ones with songs I like. The red has them on it so I play it more often.
@@austinhiele570 eventually its crucial to move on to the actual albums, but as an entry point, the Blue Album is a great place to start and an attention getter. It got me hooked at age 12, before I was patient enough for, say, the White Album. Once I was hooked tho, each album was like a new revelation. Plus the Blue does have the non album songs Old Brown Shoe, Ballad of John and Yoko, and Across the Universe. Old Brown Shoe is great, with that bassline.
The big thing that 1 had in its favour among the public at large was the fact that it was a single CD - simple and inexpensive - and let’s face it, that would have been the format most people bought it on back in 2000. The average casual fan isn’t going to care that Strawberry Fields isn’t on there. Plus, including SFF and Please Please Me would have pushed the running time beyond the capacities of a CD, which I can only assume played a big part in their omission too.
I totally agree. The LPs at that time were an afterthought, so I don't think there ir a lot sense in comparing o analyzing the vinyl version (aside for the specialized collectors) of a product made for the the CD era (the reason why a lot of rock/pop albums became insufferable because they clocked past the hour just because the could). And yes, any new fan hooked on "1" will end up discovering SFF later on, 27 tracks on a single CD is a good way to start, at least in 2000.
Here's the thing about '1': I remember once borrowing the CD from a public library to rip an mp3 copy of it and I may have listened to the whole thing front to back only once or twice, and if I did, I don't have any real memory of it, that's how much it stuck with me. I do admit though that its packaging was pretty neat, with all those international single covers, which I'm all a sucker for, but that's probably the best thing it's got going for it and that alone wouldn't be reason enough for me to buy it. However, I do remember being quite puzzled by just how much it sold back in 2000/2001, since the trendy musical genres of the day were completely different. "Proper" Beatles-inspired alternative music such as Grunge and Brit Pop had pretty much died out by then and most young people seemed to be either into Nu Metal, boy groups or post Biggie/2Pac gangsta rap from the likes of Ruff Ryders and No Limit - awful times indeed. So I kept wondering who the hell would buy '1' by the truck loads. It couldn't have been the actual Beatle fans, because they already had it all, and they probably, like myself, already lapped up the '93 CD reissues of Red and Blue, which a) make for a much more satisfying and thorough listening experience (especially Blue, which is perfect imo) and b) still hold up sound-wise.
I'm guessing that, going into the project, everyone involved thought that including "Please Please Me" would be a no-brainer. They were forced to look at specific charts when they realized they couldn't squeeze any more time on a single CD. It is an interesting "coincidence" that the list of songs maxes out a single CD.
@@mondegreen9709 I was one of those people that bought one as a teenager. I simply bought because it was cheaper than red and blue. It was my formal introduction to the Beatles. It really was my generations formal introduction to the Beatles. The commercial was played to death on Nickelodeon, and I’m so thankful for that. With all that being said, I agree with you 100%. When I want to listen to the Beatles greatest hits, I will get out my Red or Blue vinyl, or listen to red or blue on my phone. Those are two albums I would take with me anywhere.
@@telliott But that is IN FACT just a coincidence, as it is pretty quickly and easily established and given reasons for what IS on it and what not, namely the group's #1s in the UK Record Retailer chart and the US Bill Board chart. There once was an LP named The Beatles' 20 Greatest Hits which went by all the #1s from Bill Board solely, which just so happened to be as many as exactly 20, perfectly suitable to compilation fashionabilities of way back when.
"Please Please Me" was no. 1 in every music mag at the time bar Record Retailer. The BBC did an average over all available charts for Pick Of The Pops and PPM was of course no.1 in that. But what's not well known is that Record Retailer ALSO had PPM at no. 1 in terms of returns. Like all charts, RR didn't add up the sales, but added up the positions of each record in each store, and put the lowest total on top (e.g. if a song was the best-seller in all 30 sample stores, it had 30 points; if no. 2 in all, then 60 points; if it was top or second in every store, it would have a total between 30 and 60). RR took a very small sample of around 30, whereas NME and Melody Maker took 200+, and had a lot of ties. And for one week (23 Feb) it had PPM tied with Frank Ifield. For some inane reason RR broke its tie in favour of Ifield - it's not clear why - and the Book of Hit Singles retcon wrongly has PPM at no. 2. The NME was honest when it came to ties; RR had to have some sort of tie break because, with so few sample stores, it had loads of tie breaks (at no. 1 alone, around five or six per year, even some three way ties). Likewise Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever topped the Melody Maker chart, albeit every other one had Englebert Humperdink on top, and old Bert was probably correct - not least he would have been selling bucketloads via Woolworths and WH Smiths, which did not send returns to any chart at the time. And Melody Maker uniquely put the Magical Mystery Tour at no. 1 for a week, possibly confusing returns with Hello Goodbye.
In the UK Magical Mystery Tour was released as a double EP set . Although there was a separate EP chart the top sellers would be include in the singles chart.
@@gavinreid5387 Only Record Retailer separated out EPs from 45s; the only substantial EP hit that would have gone top 10 was Twist And Shout (which made the top 3 of the other charts). The MMT EP came out just a month or so after RR dropped the EP chart.
This was the Beatles album my parents had when I was a kid. As casual fans who wanted a Beatles CD but didn’t want to collect all the individual albums, who felt fine with just the most recognisable songs, they were definitely 1’s target audience. Sure it might have its problems, but as a 6-year old sitting in the back of my dad’s car on long car journeys, I was too young to know of any missing songs or sound issues - to my ears back then it did the job wonderfully, and was a great introduction to the band. I did later borrow the Red & Blue albums from the library and rip them onto my iTunes, and 1 became rather redundant after that, so it’s not an album I’ve returned to, but I still have a little nostalgia over the track order.
You forgot “Hey Jude”, it was the first Beatles “Greatest Hits” compilation album in the US in 1970 which was after their breakup. It has 10 songs that were previous singles at the time.
Yes,there was also an unofficial Greatest Hits(gold cover w/moptop images) on the Greatest label in March of '64.It includes the original UK Red Parlophone of Love Me Do(copied from the imported Canadian Capitol 45,I would assume)Actually sounded good!!
@@sugarjoe50 It is,Joe,but it's pretty good sound in sound quality,probably taken from the recent singles that were issued,so it should sound good.Especially if the 45s were recorded onto reel tape and transferred.The Love Me Do is taken from the Canadian Capitol 45 and is the red Parlophone,Sept.4 mix,the softer one with Ringo on drums.
Technically not a compilation album, they put the singles on there because 1. They have never been on LP (More money) 2. Can’t Buy Me Love and I Should Have Known Better weren’t released on Capitol Records due to a contract not allowing them to make movie soundtracks 3. The album was made because they would release albums every couple months until 1966 (except magical mystery tour) and due to no new info on when a new Beatles album would come out, I supposed they decided that they made their own Beatles album.
Another excellent video! The Mono Masters album is my favourite 'compilation' as such, because it includes all of the singles that weren't already on their original studio albums. As much as I cherish my collection of original singles, it's much easier to put Mono Masters on, and not have to keep getting up to change record every two minutes! As for the best 'Greatest Hits' though, the one record you'd recommend to a friend new to The Beatles, well, it would have to be either the Red or Blue album, I'd say!
@@bombardier2011 That's a very strange comment. While I agree that Ballad of J & Y is a pedestrian composition in a pedestrian production (sorry, fans!), I can't see why Old Brown Shoe or Let it Be are 'unfortunate songs', let alone low quality productions. And, of course, the reason that they are not included on Mono Masters is the simple fact that they were never issued in mono.
@@bombardier2011 It really depends how you define stereo. Many of the instruments were mono recorded so you can pan them anywhere and get a stereo 'mix' but you're still hearing them in mono...Ironically, the early albums have better stereo imaging because they tended to have less overdubs and so some instruments were recorded on two mics (due to mic leakage).
Andrew, I just have to say that I absolutely love your videos on all the Beatles music. The amount of research and knowledge involved is superb. I've been a huge Beatle fan since I was about 3 or 4 years old (despite being born 5 years after they split up) and I, like you, had the blue album as my first LP. Having grown up to be a musician, I've immersed myself in so many aspects of Beatle music but I still end up learning something from your videos. Thank for your excellent endeavours and keep up the fantastic work you do. Steve
This was THE big album out when I got my first portable CD player for Christmas 2000. There were a lot of kids at my middle school that had it. I almost purchased it, but wound up getting Nevermind and the two albums Everclear put out that year. I wonder how my musical tastes would've evolved had I got this instead.
I was eight when 1 came out. I was already in the middle of a big Beatles binge, so I was really excited when I saw the TV ads. I do remember I loved to look at the picture sleeves from around the world in the booklet (albeit a CD-sized booklet). Interestingly, my first big exposure to the Beatles came a few years earlier on my mom's cassette copy of 1962-1966, which had been your own introduction decades earlier. Because of this, I was also disappointed that Please, Please Me was omitted.
Great video again! There’s also the Love Songs compilation and the Hey Jude LP as well. Strangely, the 1999 Yellow Submarine Songbook is surprisingly good. We’ll have to see what the new Red and Blue compilations bring...maybe Twist and Shout will make the list!
Interesting video as always! I have a very nicely packaged version called '1+' consisting of 2 Blu Ray discs and a CD which contains all songs on the vinyl album, plus a number of others including Please Please Me, Strawberry Fields, Twist and Shout, Free as A Bird and Real Love. The set is in the form of a book, contains an 'appreciation' essay by Mark Ellen and printed notes and supporting photos for each song. Some video material is also included on the Blu Rays - a very nicely presented set - sounds great too.
Fantastic energetic performances but a totally shitty sound, that's what you get from one microphone and nothing else. The only way the 'Star Club' album can be brought to life is for aliens to come down to Earth with their best sound recording equipment and go back in time. Shitty Shitty Shake indeed.
I’ve always been partial to Past Masters Vol. 2. It was my first Beatles CD I purchased after I discovered their music in the ‘90’s. I listened to that, and my parents cassette copies of the Blue Album and Abby Road over and over and over. A lot of the same songs on those, but they are what solidified me as a Beatles fan. I still get warm fuzzies whenever I play Past Masters 2 with that opening of Day Tripper.
Great stuff Andrew. The one over your right shoulder was my introduction to the Beatles all those years ago. I purposely did not buy the Beatles 1 out of protest. No strawberry fields, no please please me and was yesterday a single? I'm sure John would of put that track selection straight in the bin!
@@BigSky1 I should of said yesterday was not a single in the UK and Ireland but was clearly put on the 1 album to boost sales in both country's and the USA.
@@BigSky1 At the end of the day it's a personnel choice and as Andrew said John would not have chosen yesterday over Strawberry Fields. Yesterday is an over hyped song and really nothing special! Personal choice .
@@seamussmith7310 Yesterday is the most covered song in musical history. A lot of talented music artists would disagree with you about it being nothing special.
@@themoviedealers I'm am sure all the those talented artists have sung "Happy birthday to you" at least once in their live in one firm or another buy it still doesn't make it a great song!! Everyone has choice......
In the early eighties I spent a lot of my pocket money on records. I bought the Australian version of the greatest hits album in 1983 for $10.99. It was called "The Number Ones" and it came with a three track EP. Before that I had bought an album called the "Essential Beatles", a 1972 greatest hits album only released in Australia and New Zealand. I think it cost me $8.99. Even though the sound quality wasn't great, these albums were a great way to listen to my favourite tracks on a school boy budget.
"1" was my first real exposure to the Beatles outside of buying the songtrack and DVD of Yellow Submarine on their release date in 1999. All of my Beatles compilations come from my father, Anthology, Red&Blue and 1.
I turned 12 in 1982, and that's when I became an avid Beatles fan. I decided to buy all their albums (this was a few years before CDs) on vinyl. When I was done buying all 18 United States albums, I realized there were two songs that slipped through the cracks. And it annoyed me no end! In 1963, Vee Jay Records released the very first American Beatles LP Introducing...The Beatles. It was basically the Please Please Me album retitled. It didn't do anything when it was released in July of 1963. Then Capitol released Meet the Beatles! in 1964, and Introducing The Beatles shot up the charts. Capitol took over the rights to the album in 1965, and released it as The Early Beatles, with Vee Jay going out of business, and Introducing The Beatles going out of print. The songs Misery and There's a Place were both left off off The Early Beatles. So, as a Beatle fan in 1982, I was ANNOYED there those two songs were no where to be found on ANY American Beatles album! They didn't even put them on the 1978 Rarities compilation! In December of 1983, my friend told me he was visiting London with his family over Christmas. I asked for a favor. He brought back with him the UK Please Please Me album! I finally had EVERY officially released Beatles track! Whew. Those two songs remained unavailable in America until the release of Please Please Me on CD in 1987. ****EDIT***** And sitting here, I just remembered a third song I couldn't get in America in 1982. From Me to You wasn't on any American Beatles album at all. At some point, I was able to get my hands on the original Vee Jay single backed with Thank You Girl. That one remained unavailable in America until it was released on Past Masters Volume 1 in 1987.
"Misery" and "There's a Place" were issued in the U.S. in 1980 on the Capitol LP "The Beatles' Rarities." Not to be confused with the 1978 British "Rarities" (which was essentially the LP version of the two later "Past Masters" CD's, filled with songs released in the U.K. only as singles), this was a rarity (no pun intended): a Beatles compilation that was intelligently curated and filled with genuine rarities, including the early single version of "Love Me Do" with Ringo on drums, the German-language "Sie Liebt Dich," an alternate mix of "I'm Only Sleeping," a longer version of "I Am the Walrus," the beautiful alternate of "Penny Lane" with an extra seven trumpet notes at the end, the original all-star LP version of "Across the Universe" and "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)." Also there were plenty of bootleg copies of "Introducing the Beatles" around in cut-out stores in the late 1970's (albeit in rather tinny sound). You should have looked harder in 1982.
Actually John originally when Vijay released the introducing the Beatles the first thousand pressings had those two songs on itWhich was love me doing PS I love you but capital records had some injunctions against DJ and one of those intentions was that they could not put out the Beatles first single because they did not have a license for it so even if DJ wanted to release those two songs they knew they couldn’t win that argument so they replaced let me do and PS I love you with please please me and ask me why on later pressings I learned all this information from Brewskys or some bug which he talks about the Beatles on the J records and he asked some books and looks on capital records as well I listen to the Beatles brunch when I heard all this information. If you’re able to find the very first pressing of introducing the Beatles you can hear the songs that you’re looking for.
The 1982 compilation and “The Compleat Beatles” VHS were my gateway to the band, although my mum was a fan from 1962 and we had the records in the house. We had the 20 greatest hits on cassette and I adopted it, then made mixtapes from some of the 60s vinyl. The Compleat Beatles is still really good I think, albeit short.
Wow, I wasn't expecting this video to cover the 20 Greatest Hits. I received that cassette for Christmas when I was 6 years old, and it changed my life. I will never forget the exhileration of experiencing that cassette through my headphones on Christmas morning from "She Loves You" to "The Long and Winding Road." It's very interesting to learn more about it.
i am a 70 year old white guy in america....i grew up with the beatles....i have always loved them....the 1 album is such a treasure....if i am in a down mood it lifts me up....if i am in an up mood it takes me higher....from 1962 to 1982 some really cosmic occurences happened that probably never be replicated.....the beatles started it....1 exemplifies such
For me, 1 was the catalyst album that got me into the Beatles. My step-father got it for Christmas 2009 and after we all listened to it during a family fun night, he let me save the album on my iPod so I could listen to it more myself. For me it was the right start to set me down the trail of my own Beatlemania, because it was a small playlist of greatest hits. And I'm kind of glad I got into the Beatles when I did too. Just after the 2009 remasters released, I researched them finding mostly their albums in the British releases, which are in my opinion, as they were intended by the artists themselves. I used to think aside from those, the movies, and numerous documentaries, that's all that there were. But after finding this channel and watching so many of these videos, it really is fascinating to see how many different versions among EMI and Capitol compilations there are, not to mention the numerous mixes. It really shows that there's much more to look into with The Beatles.
I had been introduced to the Boys by my Mum, who quick-trolleyed the recent single waiting at the till of the local supermarket. Among my favourites were "Eight Days A Week", "No Reply" and "Yes It Is". She stopped that after "All You Need Is Love", but had also made a clever contribution to my musical education with "Revolver". Gamechangers, each one of them. In 1973 a tsunami of hitherto unheard songs came my way on schoolclass-class organized parties and I finally got hold of the Red and the Blue Album while in Amsterdam in 1974. That was the foundation for me never to be outclassed by any other compilation.
i come from a slightly later time, so i mostly collect Beatles merchandise through CD, that made the Giles Martin Sgt. Peppers album my first Beatles album altogether. my first compilation album was, like yours, The Blue Album on CD.
here is something you all might find interesting The Essential Beatles is a greatest hits compilation album by The Beatles which was exclusive to Australia and New Zealand on the Apple Records label. All of the songs featured on the album (with the exception of "With a Little Help from My Friends") reached the top 3 in the Australian charts as singles and EP tracks.[2] Most of the songs on the album are presented in true stereo, while "Love Me Do", "P.S. I Love You" and "Baby You're A Rich Man" are in "fake stereo". Two notable mastering glitches appear on the album: "Penny Lane" running slow with a noticeable "warble" and "Long Tall Sally" on this album, has the stereo channels reversed. The album was reissued twice in the 1980s. The first time as part of the Superstars of the '70s box set, released by the Australian branch of World Record Club in August 1980. The second being in December 1982, where it was paired with the Barry Miles book The Beatles In Their Own Words in a box set titled: The Beatles Sight & Sound. The album was issued on cassette in 1972, but has never seen a compact disc release (as was the case with non-canon Beatles albums at the time). It remained in print until 1991, when all the Australian Beatles vinyl was deleted from EMI Music Australia catalogue and replaced with imported vinyl from the UK
I'd like to see a compilation of all UK A & B sides with original mono mixes (essential) including singles that were on LPs like PPM and HDN etc...a bit like Past Masters I suppose but filling in all the gaps! Think I'll be waiting a while...time to make a playlist! Great video and info as always 👍
The Beatles "Mono Masters" was released as part of the mono box wasn't it...? (basically the mono single versions plus the unreleased mono mix of what was going to be the 1968 EP tracks Hey Bulldog, Only a Northern Song, All Together Now, and It's all too Much...) - was it not released as a standalone album as well...?
Love songs (1977) is one of the greatest beatles compilations out there no questions asked also "1" is a compilation of all their songs that reached #1 in UK/USA
The Beatles love would have to be probably my number one compilation CD because of all the mash ups my other favorite compilation CDs would have to be the Beatles one number two in the red and blue Adams number three and four and the Beatles anthology CD series because of all the outtakes and different versions of songs. One of the things I love about the Beatles love album it’s not only is the songs remix but you get mashup‘s of different songs like within you without you with the bass and drums on tomorrow never knows the whole album is so fantastic wow I love it love it love it.
The Red and Blue. I always wanted them as a kid but too expensive. When 20 Greatest Hits came out I think it was less than £5 in Boots and this was their first ever post career single lp greatest hits. A big record in my life. The memory of hearing some of these for the first time ever on Christmas morning will stay with me forever. Still have it and still sounds good considering there's ten tracks on each side!
Despite what's missing out, it's still my favourite compilation, as it is the very first album I bought. Well, not with my own money... My grandma's money as Xmas gift. I had it on repeat for a long time! I remember being frustrated when I realised the vinyl version had this awsome poster, while the CD version, only had this tiny booklet hahaha
Super cool video! I bought an import copy of "Beatles 1" and the CD when they were first released. Suffice to say, the LP was pressed by EMI. I didn't know that it was their last pressings.
Great video Andrew! It’s interesting to see how the Beatles have been anthologized over the years and even more fascinating to see how many have not been as successful as anticipated. The red and blue albums remain the gold standard for me as they were my introduction in 1981. I own several copies of these and they never cease to amaze me. The 20 Greatest Hits compilation was a nice idea but not a very good sounding record. I owned both the cassette and vinyl of that and the cassette was the one to have as it had better sound quality (in my opinion) and the complete version of Hey Jude as opposed to the truncated version on the LP. I remember hearing about the news of the 1 compilation and thinking who will want this? The answer was simple…everybody!! Thanks for sharing!
In my opinion the red and blue 1985 German DMM LP pressings sound the best. Including the white album DMM pressing as well. I got those as my first Beatle compilations with paper route money back I earned in ‘85! Glad you have this channel here. It’s very informative for the newer fans who might waste their money on reissues that are inferior to others. Thanks Parlogram
1 was the very first Beatles album I have listened to back when it was new and I was little. I still have the CD I listened on that time. Great memories of listening to The Beatles songs on car trips
Hello Parlogram, I used to work for a distribution company called Entertainment UK Ltd who’s headquarters were situated at Blyth Road and well remember the EMI pressing plant, I became aware of EMI in Hayes back in 1974, when on the car radio rang out See Emily Play by Pink Floyd, to cut to the chase I have been an avid Beatles admirer as well as Pink Floyd who both recorded at Abbey Road’s studios side by side in 1967, my time at EUK gave me a great insight into the record industry from the distribution angle as well of course being able to take advantage of staff reductions of CD’s in the on-site shop, unfortunately during the financial crisis of 2008, EUK was swept away like other companies, but I remain steadfast in my music appreciation, I’m especially looking forward to the imminent streaming of the Get Back 3 part documentary of the Beatles Let It Be recording sessions, keep up the good work. 👍
Great video as always. My go to sets are always the Red and Blue Greatest hits. But if I were to nitpick, the Red was lacking great songs from Revolver like Here, There, Everywhere, For No One and Got to Get You into My Life.
But that’s not a big trouble, you know. The Red Album came earlier in my life and I was stunned by it. But then I heard Revolver and was happy to find another 12 fantastic "unheard" songs 😊.
Ahhh...so now if you bought your first Beatles at age 10 and it was the Red & Blue Lp’s... well let’s just say I’m a tad (!) older than thee! I collected everything....good bad or indifferent 😜...loved them all...Love Songs (US & Uk) was always a stretch for me but has since become faves. Your stories on EMI brought a tear to my eye. Great job overall, tackling the “hits” issue! Being 69 yrs old I’m not as finicky anymore. I still love the music no matter how it’s compiled. I look forward to these shows and you never fail to surprise me with great anecdotes! Keep up the great work. It’s a blast!
Was not expecting a video on a newer release! I think out of all the compilation albums out there my favorite is either down to the anthology series, past masters, or, hate on me all you want, reel music. But out of those 3 the anthology series has gotta be my favorite since they cover a decent spread of The Beatles' career. The packaging especially on the vinyl releases is another thing that wins me over. I was wondering too if that whole project could be covered by you in a future video?
I was born in 91 and honestly the commercials for this album played on tv quite often in the states. It’s the small segments in the commercials that were like my first experience for the band. Very strange but it works lol
An interesting & fascinating Video. Ive got the original 2000 version of 1 on CD & the 2015 1+ 2 DVD & CD set and they're different sounding in places. My main reason for buying 1+ was the 5.1 surround mixes by Giles & Sam (Jeff Lynne is also mentioned which i think may be for free as a bird and real love). They're wonderful and subtly done, rather than OTT, which i suspect is due to many of the original tracks (up to 1968's white album) only having being recorded on 4 track or even 2 track.
Always so well executed and informative, thanks once again 🙂 The 2015 Giles Martin mix was the first vinyl album I bought, from the HMV in Chester on the 27th of December 2016.
Great compilation and video. In terms of digital versions, the 2000 CD of '1' is too heavily processed for my liking - the NoNoise treatment and harsh EQ takes the life out of the songs. Luckily, the 2011 remaster sounds FAR better and is an excellent single disc comp.
@@Zholobov1 I don't think so. They're fresh remixes, not remasters, executed by George Martin's son. It was mentioned in this video. That's the version I bought, actually.
Made me play the 2015 version of "1" on vinyl just now. Pretty clean sound. Heavy discs. Can't be too tough on the older recordings. Also have the blue and red vinyl pressings of the red and blue hits albums, with the white vinyl of the White Album. Maybe the best band for collecting. Thanks for your excellent vids.
Fantastic as always, Andrew. I've owned four copes of 1 on vinyl - three on the Capitol label and the other a 2015 Apple release - and it's worth noting the pressing quality. Or lack thereof with the Capitol releases. Every single one of my Capitol label albums had pressing issues. Two had horrific warps, one had a huge scratch on side 3. And we're talking about records that were sealed brand new. I finally gave up on Capitol and got the 2015 UK version and it's great. Vinyl flat as a pancake, sounds really nice. But...is it as good as the red and blue albums? Not for me. And that's largely because the red and blue contain a lot of album tracks...tracks not released as singles. Of course, the Beatles were notorious (at least in the UK) for not releasing tracks on their studio albums as singles so they could have never ended up in 1 given the stated aim of 1 was to include all the UK and US number one singles. I do want to offer a brief defense of 20 Greatest Hits. I have a Japanese pressing and it sounds pretty good. I even like the shortened version of Hey Jude. It's also one of my earliest childhood memories, giving the cassette of 20 Greatest Hits to my dad for Christmas. I admit that does make me a bit biased, though. :)
The Red and Blue Albums were reissued in 1993 , with a press launch with George Martin appearing, and what looked to be a very reluctant George Harrison, that can be found on here. Also would Please Please Me and Strawberry Fields Forever, fitted on to a format that it was being primarily released for in 2000, Maybe Apple Corps could have taken a cue from Oasis/Creation Records by adding those two songs onto the Vinyl version of 1, as on the first two Oasis Albums, there was a bonus track on the vinyl versions of Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory. More than likely is that Apple Corps looked at Billboard for their US Number Ones and The Guinness Book of Hit Singles for their UK Number Ones.
Very cool show. I watched several of your videos and enjoyed all of them. I will continue to hunt down your videos to learn a lot of cool info I did not know before. I was 13 in 1973 when the Red and Blue came out and those albums changed my life. Up to then I only had an 8 track of Hey Jude and only heard the majority of Beatles songs at random on the radio. Since getting the 1973 albums on 8 track and then later on vinyl I have been a Beatles nut. Keep these great videos coming.
I always thought that Love Me Do only got to Number 14 anyway. I mean, unless they included the 82 re release. I'd love for you to do an episode or two on bootlegs as well, especially the Forthlin Road tapes, as well as the different versions of the Star Club and Decca recordings. These videos are the highlight of my weekend!
*Absolutely gorgeous video man, well done ! And what's more : I've had exactly the same personal encounter with the Beatles musically speaking : through the Blue Album and then the Red Album a few weeks later just like you, in exactly the same year 1977, but only : in July for the Blue one and a few months later for the Red one !... And I was 6 years old ! We're almost like twins man ! You're my cosmic brother for God sakes !... Anyway, for your next summer holiday or something, be aware you've got a friend for life in South of France, Avignon in Provence to be more exact!... Avignon which of course Paul and Linda in the early Wings days were raving about, and Provence which David Gilmour and Roger Waters and Eric Clapton and Elton John and Keith Richards and Mick Jagger have loooooooooved for years and have been owning houses in for years too !... Anyway cheers mate, and keep up the good work !*
The Beatles Ballads is a compilation album featuring a selection of ballad songs by the English rock band the Beatles. The album was not released in the United States, but in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, South Korea and Australia. In Australia, the album was a big success, spending seven weeks at number one. It reached number 17 in the UK. The cover art by "Patrick" (John Byrne) had been created in 1968 as a possible cover for what would become The Beatles ("The White Album"). Its style and concept appears to support the White Album's original working title of A Doll's House. The album was released in 1985 on LP and cassette under the EMI-ODEON label in Brazil using identical front and back cover art. It has never been officially released on compact disc.
There's almost no need for me to comment on this as I completely agree about the exclusion of 'Please Please Me' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' from 1. There wasn't really an 'official' chart in the 1960s, whatever Record Retailer/Music Week might want us to believe (the BBC, I think, used an average from the various charts to create their chart). Anyway, 'Please Please Me' was an indisputable No. 1, at least until the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles appeared - and I think I'm right in saying that 'Strawberry Fields' made No. 1 in one of the music papers (but only one, making it somewhat disputable). For me, the Red and Blue albums remain the closest there is to a definitive hits collection - and they were also the first Beatles albums I owned, acquiring them in mid and late 1980 respectively (I only had a couple of singles previously). Of course, 'greatest' hits don't all have to be No. 1s - anything that made the Top 10 would be a greater hit than something that didn't, so maybe it's about time 'Free as a Bird' and 'Real Love' were properly acknowledged on a standard hits comp (I say 'standard' as I know they get a look in on the 1 Blu-ray).
Strawberry Fields was a double A side single. Penny Lane was on the same disc and the chosen song for the 1 compilation. I was disappointed as I prefer Strawberry Fields.
Great video, thank you so much. Though not as unpleasant as the new mix of Plastic Ono Band in the deluxe edition, I find most of Giles Martin's work on the Beatles unlistenable to. It's not just the forward bass, which you mentioned, but the increased loudness, which destroys much of the beauty of the original. I was greatly heartened to hear The Who Sell Out remastering, which seems much more respectful of the original analogue sound.
I bought A Collection of Beatles Oldies brand new in HMV Oxford Circus, around the summer of 89. A Fame cassette that was very keenly priced. It was my first Beatles album and it blew me away (though I didn't like Bad Boy, very much out of place on the album). So if it was phased out in the early 80s they still had plenty of new old stock. Then I bought Rock and Roll Volume 2, another banger (though again I wasn't keen on the cover versions). On my pocket money these budget albums were a Godsend and their existence was fully justified.
I remember when 1 came out . I thought it had the worst cover I’ve ever seen. It’s awful. I also thought they were pandering to the most casual of Beatles fans .The number one hits don’t begin to scratch the surface of the Beatles genius. Many of their best songs were not released as singles. If I were to suggest a compilation album to new or potential Beatles fans I would suggest the red and blue albums
So true! 1 is not even 1/4 as good as the Red and Blue Collection! I remember the Blue made #1 and the Red came in at #3! That was in the United States. They were the album’s that got me interested in the Beatles!
You’re right about the cover. For a Beatles compilation it’s pretty dreadful. Probably more for the casual buyer though I would have thought than real die hard Beatles fans. It did it’s job I suppose as it sold multi millions of copies.
I don't have these albums (which I plan to rectify), so perhaps you could tell me if the red and blue albums contain all the Beatles songs that were hit singles? I searched for it on Google but without luck. If they do then you are correct about the red and blue albums being preferable. If they do not, then wouldn't 1 be a worthwhile addition to the red and blue because many of their singles were great.
Agreed. More like a cash grab or for the most casual of Beatles fans, much like Rock & Roll music or Reel Music. But then again, it introduced the Beatles to a new generation.
@@jhboob It did the job. I'm a large fan now because of this album. My parents and uncle saw my interest and took me down many paths of bootlegs and solo work. None of that would have happened without this album for me. I was 20 in 2000 when it came out.
'For You Blue', the B-side to 'The Long and Winding Road', was also a number one hit, at least according to Billboard. The rules which prevented 'Strawberry Fields Forever' from charting at #1 (even though 'Penny Lane' did chart at #1) no longer applied by 1969. From my understanding, if a B-side made its way on to the chart at all, then it was given the same chart position as its A-side (something like that).
@@videogemsproductions The Billboard chart rules changed in 1969. Under the old chart rules, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever charted separately in 1967. However, when the rules changed in 1969, the A-side and B-side of singles would get combined for charting purposes (if the B-side was getting sufficient airplay). Actually, the rules changed soon after Something/Come Together was released as a single in 1969. In fact, Something and Come Together, for their first few weeks on the chart, charted separately. Then the new rules went into effect, the Something/Come Together went to #1, and the two songs were listed together.
1 was actually my introduction to the Beatles. I remember one summer when I was a kid, my dad would take me and my mom on his trips around near towns for his work. He drove a van and his boss had 1... on cassette! So we listened to that album back to back that entire summer. I didn't know much about the Beatles and the music kinda sounded funny for a little kid born in 93, but the songs grew on me more and more. Needless to say, I would grow up to become a Beatles fan, and 1 is probably the "one" to thanks
the red and blue albums were exciting releases back in 1973; 20 Greatest Hits was an interesting curiosity back in 1982; the Past Masters albums were an important release in 1988 to fill in the gaps with the remainder of the UK albums; no doubt that 1 was everywhere back in 2000. interestingly enough, the date that 1 was first released here in the U.S.A. was also my wife's 40th birthday - she was just my girlfriend at the time
I had the Beatles 1967-1970.... album in Grade School in the 1970s....I recently bought a new copy on vinyl....it was a fantastic album....it sounds far better than the original!!!....it is cool to have it in my hands again 45 years later!!!...The Beatles are still the Greatest!!!!
Great feature as usual. I only bought ‘1’ when it came out with the DVD of The Beatles promo videos and it’s price was also discounted ‘in store’. I noticed an expanded edition with ‘Hey Bulldog’ on the DVD. I presume it was from the Yellow Submarine film? A full DVD set with all the promo’s plus new mix and match syncing up, the likes of ‘’Old Brown Shoe’ and the Let It Be/Get Back masters/ keepers would be appreciated. I wish owned the ‘Strawberry Fields’ promo.. . Okay, I do have it on my Anthology DVD set, but I cannot ‘click & play’. I wasn’t aware that Giles Martin remixed the 2015 ‘1’ set. It’s noticeable that Giles reigned back the reverb wash on ‘Get Back’ and sounds all the best for that.
Another fantastic video. Packed with important information. I'll be sure to search out the 2015 copy of Beatles "1". I have to agree..even though I do own a CD copy of 1 ..my favorite compilation album will always be 1966 to 1969 (blue album)...it's just perfect to me...i own a Canadian blue vinyl pressing of it. Anyways I'm looking forward to what you come up with next. Take care Mark Anthony K Projekt Gemineye
Oh man, that brings memories! That compilation is the first album I ever received as a gift - my mum gave it to me on a CD sometime around 2001-2002. I loved it! If it had been an LP, it would have been worn flat by now from the amount of playing it got. Andrew, would you consider making a video about the 2006 "Love" album? I recently discovered it and quite like it. I'd love to hear your take on it.
Found your opinion on the remixes. 😂 I love the 2015 version in particular, perked up when I noticed they were completely remixed. But I completely understand your view.
Excellent video. I didn't know about the issues with the various compilations. "1" is the only Beatles compilation I have. I think one of the issues with "1" is that the name indicates that it only contains songs that reached #1, and that theme caused important songs to be left off. It is the same with a compilation named "Greatest Hits" which should only contain actual hits. BTW, one of my irritants is a Greatest Hits collection that contains new songs, a Greatest Hits album should only contain previously released hits. I wonder if a chronological compilation named "The Hits" which contains every song that reached the Top 40 in the U. S. and/or U. K. might be a good compilation. The issue with them leaving off "Strawberry Fields Forever" is the reason that when the Carpenters released their first compilation they named it "Singles 1969 - 1973." Their first charting song was a cover of The Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" which (per Wikipedia) only reached #54 on the Billboard Chart. That song wouldn't be considered a hit and would have been left off of an album named "1" or "Greatest Hits", but it was a very important song in the history of the Carpenters. The one slight negative of the album is that some of the songs were re-recorded.
I appreciate that PPM (and less so, because not a no. 1, SFF) would make a more 'complete' compilation, but I think the real reason they're not on there is because 1 is primarily a CD, and its 79:10 long. To have them on the vinyl (much more niche in 2000) and not on the CD would bring the entire concept tumbling down, which just wouldn't do for the modern BeatlesTM brand who I can't imagine would be so liberal in those decisions (For You Blue is arguably/pedantically another absence, although it would have been an astronomically out of place closer, again Apple would be too self-conscious under any circumstance). But yes, excellent video! This was a formative album in my life - it was released when I was 3 and in those early years of my life I played it endlessly. I always feel its quite critically undiscussed given what a blockbuster it was. It's one of the most influential albums of the era - that is, not musically but on other big money drawers (ELV1S, the Stones' Forty Licks et al. Even Nirvana's compilation was modelled in part after it), which I don't think can be so easily said or clearly defined for most compilations
In 2000 when my friends were listening to the pop acts such as Brittany Spears and The Backstreet boys, I was listening to The Beatles. #1 was the first CD I ever bought. I was 11. I have since purchased the 2015 LP copy. It sounds fantastic. If you were to play #1 for a Beatles fan in the 1960s, it would blow their mind.
When they recorded Please Please Me, George Martin said “Boys, you’ve just got your first No. 1 record”. For that reason alone, it should have been on The Beatles 1. Unforgivable missing that one out.
I think the real reason they missed PPM out is because of the dodgy sync and flubbed lyrics in the latter part of the song. They probably had loads of arguments as to how to fix it, or whether they should even try and fix it, or whether to just include it in mono and if so, how to explain why it's in mono if the other tracks are in stereo, and after all that said "to hell with it, let's just leave it out".
That's just my theory 😉
Yes! The moment is depicted in Beatles biopics, let alone mentioned by George Martin himself in interviews. It was arguably also the very first time when The Beatles purposely took heed of Martin's production wisdom in order to create a chart-topping number: e.g. as in when asked to speed it up...
@@Beatgeneration2010 And with respect I don't think I am!
Ultimately it's a collection of the records that got to number one in the UK or US. The authors of The Guiness Book Of British Hit Singles in 1977 decided to use the Record Retailer chart as their source from 1960 onwards - mainly because it maintained a top 50 consistently beyond that point. That book essentially created a de facto "official" chart history for the UK, and resulted ultimately in an actual Official Chart. For credibility's sake the album had to pick one chart and stick to it - and that was the inevitable choice. It was certainly more sensible than using the George Martin Predicts chart.
@@mbvideoselection Thats true, but From Me To You is in mono and there's a perfectly good stereo mix of it? PPM coulda worked in that sense in mono.
I'm a Red and Blue man myself. The flow of those records are my childhood. Worth it for the James Bond style intro to Help!
What is interesting is that you can only hear the James Bond intro to the song help in the American version of the red and blue album so you can’t hear it in the UK release but I think that’s what so charming about it I love the unique mix of all the Beatles albums whether they be the UK releases or the US catalog I love all the Beatles compilations they’re great and I’m glad that I am I decided to put 27 songs because they probably would not have any more room on a CD to put in the Beatles one
They probably could have a double CD set of the greatest hits greatest hits and I think every song will stand the test of time and I’m glad that I do have the song something written by George Harrison which was the AA side
That was the very first time George Harrison ever got a sign on the single.
I bought it yesterday, and this morning making breakfast I put it on and was like WHAT WAS THAT!?
Quick note: "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" are on the 1+ Deluxe Blu-ray from 2015, which is really more worth your time than the 2000 release by this point, for 24/96 Stereo and Surround mixes and tonne of remastered videos.
1 of course is a great introduction for a person to the Beatles, but the red and blue are the essential albums, mainly the blue.
Wrong, many of there best songs were not released as singles.
I'm 100% with you. Red and Blue albums are a better introduction to the Beatles than 1
mainly the red i say
@@peterolbrisch1653 their* stay in school, kid.
@@austins.2495 oops!
1962-1966 & 1967-1970 will always be the ultimate greatest hits package, it was my introduction to the Beatles when I was 4
It's interesting to me how children, even now, really like the early Beatles tunes. I would play my kids the early stuff and they would sing and dance about. Now grandchildren do the same. Good video by the way. Always enjoy your stuff.
Thanks for watching, Mary.
I still think the Red and Blue albums, along with The Rolling Stones' "Hot Rocks 1964-1971", are the gold standard(s) for rock music compilations.
As for "1", I remember listening to it on Christmas morning, 2000. I'm sure that CD was among the most common of Christmas gifts that year.
Yeah I started with the Blue Album and for me it was the perfect introduction to the Beatles and instantly got me interested. It became a life changing experience and today the track list is burned into my brain. I wonder what would have happened if I bought the Red one first. It probably wouldn't have grabbed me as hard. With the Blue Album, each song made an impact on me, and at one time or another, each song was my "favorite".
Paul's voice in Sgt Pepper was one of my first " mind blown" moment, along with the entire "I am the Walrus". I was even obsessed with the recorder in "Fool on the Hill" at one point. I went thru every song untill eventually even "Old Brown Shoe" became my favorite for a while. The only song I didn't LOVE.was Balled Of John and Yoko.
The Red álbum is BETTER than the Blue.
@@antoniocamacho4769 I've never heard that opinion before. Its almost universally accepted that their songwriting only got better and better with time. The compositions on Blue are far more advanced and innovative. They matured so much in those few years.
I have the red and blue but I don’t listen to the blue because I prefer listening to the full albums. I listen to the red because I don’t have some of the earlier ones with songs I like. The red has them on it so I play it more often.
@@austinhiele570 eventually its crucial to move on to the actual albums, but as an entry point, the Blue Album is a great place to start and an attention getter. It got me hooked at age 12, before I was patient enough for, say, the White Album. Once I was hooked tho, each album was like a new revelation.
Plus the Blue does have the non album songs Old Brown Shoe, Ballad of John and Yoko, and Across the Universe.
Old Brown Shoe is great, with that bassline.
The big thing that 1 had in its favour among the public at large was the fact that it was a single CD - simple and inexpensive - and let’s face it, that would have been the format most people bought it on back in 2000. The average casual fan isn’t going to care that Strawberry Fields isn’t on there. Plus, including SFF and Please Please Me would have pushed the running time beyond the capacities of a CD, which I can only assume played a big part in their omission too.
I totally agree. The LPs at that time were an afterthought, so I don't think there ir a lot sense in comparing o analyzing the vinyl version (aside for the specialized collectors) of a product made for the the CD era (the reason why a lot of rock/pop albums became insufferable because they clocked past the hour just because the could). And yes, any new fan hooked on "1" will end up discovering SFF later on, 27 tracks on a single CD is a good way to start, at least in 2000.
Here's the thing about '1': I remember once borrowing the CD from a public library to rip an mp3 copy of it and I may have listened to the whole thing front to back only once or twice, and if I did, I don't have any real memory of it, that's how much it stuck with me. I do admit though that its packaging was pretty neat, with all those international single covers, which I'm all a sucker for, but that's probably the best thing it's got going for it and that alone wouldn't be reason enough for me to buy it. However, I do remember being quite puzzled by just how much it sold back in 2000/2001, since the trendy musical genres of the day were completely different. "Proper" Beatles-inspired alternative music such as Grunge and Brit Pop had pretty much died out by then and most young people seemed to be either into Nu Metal, boy groups or post Biggie/2Pac gangsta rap from the likes of Ruff Ryders and No Limit - awful times indeed. So I kept wondering who the hell would buy '1' by the truck loads. It couldn't have been the actual Beatle fans, because they already had it all, and they probably, like myself, already lapped up the '93 CD reissues of Red and Blue, which a) make for a much more satisfying and thorough listening experience (especially Blue, which is perfect imo) and b) still hold up sound-wise.
I'm guessing that, going into the project, everyone involved thought that including "Please Please Me" would be a no-brainer. They were forced to look at specific charts when they realized they couldn't squeeze any more time on a single CD. It is an interesting "coincidence" that the list of songs maxes out a single CD.
@@mondegreen9709 I was one of those people that bought one as a teenager. I simply bought because it was cheaper than red and blue. It was my formal introduction to the Beatles. It really was my generations formal introduction to the Beatles. The commercial was played to death on Nickelodeon, and I’m so thankful for that. With all that being said, I agree with you 100%. When I want to listen to the Beatles greatest hits, I will get out my Red or Blue vinyl, or listen to red or blue on my phone. Those are two albums I would take with me anywhere.
@@telliott But that is IN FACT just a coincidence, as it is pretty quickly and easily established and given reasons for what IS on it and what not, namely the group's #1s in the UK Record Retailer chart and the US Bill Board chart.
There once was an LP named The Beatles' 20 Greatest Hits which went by all the #1s from Bill Board solely, which just so happened to be as many as exactly 20, perfectly suitable to compilation fashionabilities of way back when.
honestly the blue album has so much content on it to a point where it’s the ultimate beatles compilation
"Please Please Me" was no. 1 in every music mag at the time bar Record Retailer. The BBC did an average over all available charts for Pick Of The Pops and PPM was of course no.1 in that. But what's not well known is that Record Retailer ALSO had PPM at no. 1 in terms of returns. Like all charts, RR didn't add up the sales, but added up the positions of each record in each store, and put the lowest total on top (e.g. if a song was the best-seller in all 30 sample stores, it had 30 points; if no. 2 in all, then 60 points; if it was top or second in every store, it would have a total between 30 and 60).
RR took a very small sample of around 30, whereas NME and Melody Maker took 200+, and had a lot of ties. And for one week (23 Feb) it had PPM tied with Frank Ifield. For some inane reason RR broke its tie in favour of Ifield - it's not clear why - and the Book of Hit Singles retcon wrongly has PPM at no. 2. The NME was honest when it came to ties; RR had to have some sort of tie break because, with so few sample stores, it had loads of tie breaks (at no. 1 alone, around five or six per year, even some three way ties).
Likewise Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever topped the Melody Maker chart, albeit every other one had Englebert Humperdink on top, and old Bert was probably correct - not least he would have been selling bucketloads via Woolworths and WH Smiths, which did not send returns to any chart at the time. And Melody Maker uniquely put the Magical Mystery Tour at no. 1 for a week, possibly confusing returns with Hello Goodbye.
Great info. Thanks!
In the UK Magical Mystery Tour was released as a double EP set . Although there was a separate EP chart the top sellers would be include in the singles chart.
@@gavinreid5387 Only Record Retailer separated out EPs from 45s; the only substantial EP hit that would have gone top 10 was Twist And Shout (which made the top 3 of the other charts). The MMT EP came out just a month or so after RR dropped the EP chart.
This was the Beatles album my parents had when I was a kid. As casual fans who wanted a Beatles CD but didn’t want to collect all the individual albums, who felt fine with just the most recognisable songs, they were definitely 1’s target audience. Sure it might have its problems, but as a 6-year old sitting in the back of my dad’s car on long car journeys, I was too young to know of any missing songs or sound issues - to my ears back then it did the job wonderfully, and was a great introduction to the band. I did later borrow the Red & Blue albums from the library and rip them onto my iTunes, and 1 became rather redundant after that, so it’s not an album I’ve returned to, but I still have a little nostalgia over the track order.
What is needed is a compilation of all the tracks available on The Beatles EPs.
You forgot “Hey Jude”, it was the first Beatles “Greatest Hits” compilation album in the US in 1970 which was after their breakup. It has 10 songs that were previous singles at the time.
There's a Beatles' "Greatest Hits"?!
Yes,there was also an unofficial Greatest Hits(gold cover w/moptop images) on the Greatest label in March of '64.It includes the original UK Red Parlophone of Love Me Do(copied from the imported Canadian Capitol 45,I would assume)Actually sounded good!!
Ron: l had that 'mop top' LP years ago. I always assumed it was a bootleg..?
@@sugarjoe50 It is,Joe,but it's pretty good sound in sound quality,probably taken from the recent singles that were issued,so it should sound good.Especially if the 45s were recorded onto reel tape and transferred.The Love Me Do is taken from the Canadian Capitol 45 and is the red Parlophone,Sept.4 mix,the softer one with Ringo on drums.
Technically not a compilation album, they put the singles on there because 1. They have never been on LP (More money) 2. Can’t Buy Me Love and I Should Have Known Better weren’t released on Capitol Records due to a contract not allowing them to make movie soundtracks
3. The album was made because they would release albums every couple months until 1966 (except magical mystery tour) and due to no new info on when a new Beatles album would come out, I supposed they decided that they made their own Beatles album.
Another excellent video! The Mono Masters album is my favourite 'compilation' as such, because it includes all of the singles that weren't already on their original studio albums. As much as I cherish my collection of original singles, it's much easier to put Mono Masters on, and not have to keep getting up to change record every two minutes! As for the best 'Greatest Hits' though, the one record you'd recommend to a friend new to The Beatles, well, it would have to be either the Red or Blue album, I'd say!
ABSOLUTELY agreed regarding the Mono Masters!
@@bombardier2011 That's a very strange comment. While I agree that Ballad of J & Y is a pedestrian composition in a pedestrian production (sorry, fans!), I can't see why Old Brown Shoe or Let it Be are 'unfortunate songs', let alone low quality productions. And, of course, the reason that they are not included on Mono Masters is the simple fact that they were never issued in mono.
@@bombardier2011 Let it be was not recorded mono,but stereo only,so " Get back," can be only stereo,so how it sounds bad!?
@@bombardier2011 It really depends how you define stereo. Many of the instruments were mono recorded so you can pan them anywhere and get a stereo 'mix' but you're still hearing them in mono...Ironically, the early albums have better stereo imaging because they tended to have less overdubs and so some instruments were recorded on two mics (due to mic leakage).
Andrew, I just have to say that I absolutely love your videos on all the Beatles music. The amount of research and knowledge involved is superb. I've been a huge Beatle fan since I was about 3 or 4 years old (despite being born 5 years after they split up) and I, like you, had the blue album as my first LP. Having grown up to be a musician, I've immersed myself in so many aspects of Beatle music but I still end up learning something from your videos. Thank for your excellent endeavours and keep up the fantastic work you do. Steve
Thank you, Steve.
This was THE big album out when I got my first portable CD player for Christmas 2000. There were a lot of kids at my middle school that had it. I almost purchased it, but wound up getting Nevermind and the two albums Everclear put out that year. I wonder how my musical tastes would've evolved had I got this instead.
I was eight when 1 came out. I was already in the middle of a big Beatles binge, so I was really excited when I saw the TV ads. I do remember I loved to look at the picture sleeves from around the world in the booklet (albeit a CD-sized booklet). Interestingly, my first big exposure to the Beatles came a few years earlier on my mom's cassette copy of 1962-1966, which had been your own introduction decades earlier. Because of this, I was also disappointed that Please, Please Me was omitted.
Great video again! There’s also the Love Songs compilation and the Hey Jude LP as well. Strangely, the 1999 Yellow Submarine Songbook is surprisingly good. We’ll have to see what the new Red and Blue compilations bring...maybe Twist and Shout will make the list!
Both red and blue albums are the way to go, beautiful compilations with all the songs we need...i think "1" works better in CD+2BluRay form.
Interesting video as always!
I have a very nicely packaged version called '1+' consisting of 2 Blu Ray discs and a CD which contains all songs on the vinyl album, plus a number of others including Please Please Me, Strawberry Fields, Twist and Shout, Free as A Bird and Real Love. The set is in the form of a book, contains an 'appreciation' essay by Mark Ellen and printed notes and supporting photos for each song. Some video material is also included on the Blu Rays - a very nicely presented set - sounds great too.
The history of the "Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg Germany 1962" is really interesting one.
You should cover it :)
The Star Club recording is The Beatles working at their best
Fantastic energetic performances but a totally shitty sound, that's what you get from one microphone and nothing else.
The only way the 'Star Club' album can be brought to life is for aliens to come down to Earth with their best sound recording equipment and go back in time.
Shitty Shitty Shake indeed.
@@terrythekittieful If only someone had brought some digital recording equipment or an iPhone 12 with them instead of a portable mono cassette player
I can listen to it over and over.
Yep... had that one as a kid too- best Hippy Hippy Shake ever😁
How am I only just discovering this channel?! Phenomenally well-produced. Hats off to all involved.
Thanks Chris. Welcome aboard!
I’ve always been partial to Past Masters Vol. 2. It was my first Beatles CD I purchased after I discovered their music in the ‘90’s. I listened to that, and my parents cassette copies of the Blue Album and Abby Road over and over and over. A lot of the same songs on those, but they are what solidified me as a Beatles fan. I still get warm fuzzies whenever I play Past Masters 2 with that opening of Day Tripper.
Same!
The Yellow Submarine soundtrack released in 1999 has the best remastered versions of many of their hits.
They should have really did Yellow Submarine like that back in 1969! They were actually held out of the #1 position by their own White Album!
The Yellow Submarine Songtrack was remixed, not just remastered. I think later remixes are better for most of the tracks.
Great stuff Andrew. The one over your right shoulder was my introduction to the Beatles all those years ago. I purposely did not buy the Beatles 1 out of protest. No strawberry fields, no please please me and was yesterday a single? I'm sure John would of put that track selection straight in the bin!
@@BigSky1 I should of said yesterday was not a single in the UK and Ireland but was clearly put on the 1 album to boost sales in both country's and the USA.
@@BigSky1 At the end of the day it's a personnel choice and as Andrew said John would not have chosen yesterday over Strawberry Fields. Yesterday is an over hyped song and really nothing special! Personal choice .
@@seamussmith7310 Yesterday is the most covered song in musical history. A lot of talented music artists would disagree with you about it being nothing special.
@@themoviedealers I'm am sure all the those talented artists have sung "Happy birthday to you" at least once in their live in one firm or another buy it still doesn't make it a great song!! Everyone has choice......
@@seamussmith7310 Yesterday the most covered song in history not too shabby i suggest.!! one of the most perfect songs ive ever heard.in my opinion.
Very interesting. Thank you very much Andrew! Red and Blue for sure. Dont forget the video on Japanese Pressings! ;)
Great wrap off all the compilation albums. Always enjoy these reviews..
In the early eighties I spent a lot of my pocket money on records. I bought the Australian version of the greatest hits album in 1983 for $10.99. It was called "The Number Ones" and it came with a three track EP. Before that I had bought an album called the "Essential Beatles", a 1972 greatest hits album only released in Australia and New Zealand. I think it cost me $8.99. Even though the sound quality wasn't great, these albums were a great way to listen to my favourite tracks on a school boy budget.
"1" was my first real exposure to the Beatles outside of buying the songtrack and DVD of Yellow Submarine on their release date in 1999. All of my Beatles compilations come from my father, Anthology, Red&Blue and 1.
The red and blue albums are and always will be the kings of Beatles compilations
I turned 12 in 1982, and that's when I became an avid Beatles fan. I decided to buy all their albums (this was a few years before CDs) on vinyl. When I was done buying all 18 United States albums, I realized there were two songs that slipped through the cracks. And it annoyed me no end! In 1963, Vee Jay Records released the very first American Beatles LP Introducing...The Beatles. It was basically the Please Please Me album retitled. It didn't do anything when it was released in July of 1963. Then Capitol released Meet the Beatles! in 1964, and Introducing The Beatles shot up the charts. Capitol took over the rights to the album in 1965, and released it as The Early Beatles, with Vee Jay going out of business, and Introducing The Beatles going out of print. The songs Misery and There's a Place were both left off off The Early Beatles. So, as a Beatle fan in 1982, I was ANNOYED there those two songs were no where to be found on ANY American Beatles album! They didn't even put them on the 1978 Rarities compilation! In December of 1983, my friend told me he was visiting London with his family over Christmas. I asked for a favor. He brought back with him the UK Please Please Me album! I finally had EVERY officially released Beatles track! Whew. Those two songs remained unavailable in America until the release of Please Please Me on CD in 1987. ****EDIT***** And sitting here, I just remembered a third song I couldn't get in America in 1982. From Me to You wasn't on any American Beatles album at all. At some point, I was able to get my hands on the original Vee Jay single backed with Thank You Girl. That one remained unavailable in America until it was released on Past Masters Volume 1 in 1987.
"Misery" and "There's a Place" were issued in the U.S. in 1980 on the Capitol LP "The Beatles' Rarities." Not to be confused with the 1978 British "Rarities" (which was essentially the LP version of the two later "Past Masters" CD's, filled with songs released in the U.K. only as singles), this was a rarity (no pun intended): a Beatles compilation that was intelligently curated and filled with genuine rarities, including the early single version of "Love Me Do" with Ringo on drums, the German-language "Sie Liebt Dich," an alternate mix of "I'm Only Sleeping," a longer version of "I Am the Walrus," the beautiful alternate of "Penny Lane" with an extra seven trumpet notes at the end, the original all-star LP version of "Across the Universe" and "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)." Also there were plenty of bootleg copies of "Introducing the Beatles" around in cut-out stores in the late 1970's (albeit in rather tinny sound). You should have looked harder in 1982.
Actually John originally when Vijay released the introducing the Beatles the first thousand pressings had those two songs on itWhich was love me doing PS I love you but capital records had some injunctions against DJ and one of those intentions was that they could not put out the Beatles first single because they did not have a license for it so even if DJ wanted to release those two songs they knew they couldn’t win that argument so they replaced let me do and PS I love you with please please me and ask me why on later pressings
I learned all this information from Brewskys or some bug which he talks about the Beatles on the J records and he asked some books and looks on capital records as well I listen to the Beatles brunch when I heard all this information. If you’re able to find the very first pressing of introducing the Beatles you can hear the songs that you’re looking for.
The 1982 compilation and “The Compleat Beatles” VHS were my gateway to the band, although my mum was a fan from 1962 and we had the records in the house. We had the 20 greatest hits on cassette and I adopted it, then made mixtapes from some of the 60s vinyl. The Compleat Beatles is still really good I think, albeit short.
The Beatles Greatest Hits was issued in australia as The Number Ones
Same. We borrowed that tape from a friend. I watched it over and over until I saved for the blue and red album, then all the others
The Beatles complete is a great video which is really hard to find anywhere it might be because Apple tried to squash it I’m not sure?
Wow, I wasn't expecting this video to cover the 20 Greatest Hits. I received that cassette for Christmas when I was 6 years old, and it changed my life. I will never forget the exhileration of experiencing that cassette through my headphones on Christmas morning from "She Loves You" to "The Long and Winding Road." It's very interesting to learn more about it.
Glad you enjoyed it, James!
i am a 70 year old white guy in america....i grew up with the beatles....i have always loved them....the 1 album is such a treasure....if i am in a down mood it lifts me up....if i am in an up mood it takes me higher....from 1962 to 1982 some really cosmic occurences happened that probably never be replicated.....the beatles started it....1 exemplifies such
For me, 1 was the catalyst album that got me into the Beatles. My step-father got it for Christmas 2009 and after we all listened to it during a family fun night, he let me save the album on my iPod so I could listen to it more myself. For me it was the right start to set me down the trail of my own Beatlemania, because it was a small playlist of greatest hits. And I'm kind of glad I got into the Beatles when I did too. Just after the 2009 remasters released, I researched them finding mostly their albums in the British releases, which are in my opinion, as they were intended by the artists themselves. I used to think aside from those, the movies, and numerous documentaries, that's all that there were. But after finding this channel and watching so many of these videos, it really is fascinating to see how many different versions among EMI and Capitol compilations there are, not to mention the numerous mixes. It really shows that there's much more to look into with The Beatles.
I always felt that '1' was the replacement for 20 Greatest Hits
“1” was my first Beatles album, my dad bought it for me back november 2020 in CD.
I had been introduced to the Boys by my Mum, who quick-trolleyed the recent single waiting at the till of the local supermarket. Among my favourites were "Eight Days A Week", "No Reply" and "Yes It Is". She stopped that after "All You Need Is Love", but had also made a clever contribution to my musical education with "Revolver". Gamechangers, each one of them. In 1973 a tsunami of hitherto unheard songs came my way on schoolclass-class organized parties and I finally got hold of the Red and the Blue Album while in Amsterdam in 1974. That was the foundation for me never to be outclassed by any other compilation.
i come from a slightly later time,
so i mostly collect Beatles merchandise through CD, that made the Giles Martin Sgt. Peppers album my first Beatles album altogether.
my first compilation album was, like yours, The Blue Album on CD.
here is something you all might find interesting The Essential Beatles is a greatest hits compilation album by The Beatles which was exclusive to Australia and New Zealand on the Apple Records label. All of the songs featured on the album (with the exception of "With a Little Help from My Friends") reached the top 3 in the Australian charts as singles and EP tracks.[2]
Most of the songs on the album are presented in true stereo, while "Love Me Do", "P.S. I Love You" and "Baby You're A Rich Man" are in "fake stereo". Two notable mastering glitches appear on the album: "Penny Lane" running slow with a noticeable "warble" and "Long Tall Sally" on this album, has the stereo channels reversed.
The album was reissued twice in the 1980s. The first time as part of the Superstars of the '70s box set, released by the Australian branch of World Record Club in August 1980. The second being in December 1982, where it was paired with the Barry Miles book The Beatles In Their Own Words in a box set titled: The Beatles Sight & Sound.
The album was issued on cassette in 1972, but has never seen a compact disc release (as was the case with non-canon Beatles albums at the time). It remained in print until 1991, when all the Australian Beatles vinyl was deleted from EMI Music Australia catalogue and replaced with imported vinyl from the UK
I'd like to see a compilation of all UK A & B sides with original mono mixes (essential) including singles that were on LPs like PPM and HDN etc...a bit like Past Masters I suppose but filling in all the gaps! Think I'll be waiting a while...time to make a playlist! Great video and info as always 👍
The Beatles "Mono Masters" was released as part of the mono box wasn't it...? (basically the mono single versions plus the unreleased mono mix of what was going to be the 1968 EP tracks Hey Bulldog, Only a Northern Song, All Together Now, and It's all too Much...) - was it not released as a standalone album as well...?
Love songs (1977) is one of the greatest beatles compilations out there no questions asked also "1" is a compilation of all their songs that reached #1 in UK/USA
The Beatles love would have to be probably my number one compilation CD because of all the mash ups my other favorite compilation CDs would have to be the Beatles one number two in the red and blue Adams number three and four and the Beatles anthology CD series because of all the outtakes and different versions of songs. One of the things I love about the Beatles love album it’s not only is the songs remix but you get mashup‘s of different songs like within you without you with the bass and drums on tomorrow never knows the whole album is so fantastic wow I love it love it love it.
Recently subscribed...don't recall you mentioning the Rarities compilation. I had that as well, on the American side growing up,the 1980 version 🙂
Welcome aboard, Randal. I didn't mention Rarities because it was not really a hits package.
@@Parlogram indeed... it's very esoteric, you should do a segment on it 🙂
This video was certainly a greatest hit for me! These videos are always so well put together, love this channel.
The Red and Blue. I always wanted them as a kid but too expensive. When 20 Greatest Hits came out I think it was less than £5 in Boots and this was their first ever post career single lp greatest hits. A big record in my life. The memory of hearing some of these for the first time ever on Christmas morning will stay with me forever. Still have it and still sounds good considering there's ten tracks on each side!
Despite what's missing out, it's still my favourite compilation, as it is the very first album I bought. Well, not with my own money... My grandma's money as Xmas gift. I had it on repeat for a long time! I remember being frustrated when I realised the vinyl version had this awsome poster, while the CD version, only had this tiny booklet hahaha
Super cool video! I bought an import copy of "Beatles 1" and the CD when they were first released. Suffice to say, the LP was pressed by EMI. I didn't know that it was their last pressings.
Great video Andrew! It’s interesting to see how the Beatles have been anthologized over the years and even more fascinating to see how many have not been as successful as anticipated. The red and blue albums remain the gold standard for me as they were my introduction in 1981. I own several copies of these and they never cease to amaze me. The 20 Greatest Hits compilation was a nice idea but not a very good sounding record. I owned both the cassette and vinyl of that and the cassette was the one to have as it had better sound quality (in my opinion) and the complete version of Hey Jude as opposed to the truncated version on the LP. I remember hearing about the news of the 1 compilation and thinking who will want this? The answer was simple…everybody!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your memories, Bill.
These two albums got me into the Beatles when I was 13 back in 2018
In my opinion the red and blue 1985 German DMM LP pressings sound the best. Including the white album DMM pressing as well. I got those as my first Beatle compilations with paper route money back I earned in ‘85! Glad you have this channel here. It’s very informative for the newer fans who might waste their money on reissues that are inferior to others. Thanks Parlogram
1 was the very first Beatles album I have listened to back when it was new and I was little. I still have the CD I listened on that time. Great memories of listening to The Beatles songs on car trips
Hello Parlogram, I used to work for a distribution company called Entertainment UK Ltd who’s headquarters were situated at Blyth Road and well remember the EMI pressing plant, I became aware of EMI in Hayes back in 1974, when on the car radio rang out See Emily Play by Pink Floyd, to cut to the chase I have been an avid Beatles admirer as well as Pink Floyd who both recorded at Abbey Road’s studios side by side in 1967, my time at EUK gave me a great insight into the record industry from the distribution angle as well of course being able to take advantage of staff reductions of CD’s in the on-site shop, unfortunately during the financial crisis of 2008, EUK was swept away like other companies, but I remain steadfast in my music appreciation, I’m especially looking forward to the imminent streaming of the Get Back 3 part documentary of the Beatles Let It Be recording sessions, keep up the good work. 👍
Most interesting, John. What an incredible operation EMI had back then. Thanks for posting.
My favorites have always been the Red and Blue albums ... They are a great listen ....
Great video as always. My go to sets are always the Red and Blue Greatest hits. But if I were to nitpick, the Red was lacking great songs from Revolver like Here, There, Everywhere, For No One and Got to Get You into My Life.
Agreed 100%
But that’s not a big trouble, you know. The Red Album came earlier in my life and I was stunned by it. But then I heard Revolver and was happy to find another 12 fantastic "unheard" songs 😊.
Those 2 songs are on the Beatles Love Songs album.
Can you imagine if the Red Album ended with Tomorrow never knows... 😍 perfect segue into the Blue Album!
Ahhh...so now if you bought your first Beatles at age 10 and it was the Red & Blue Lp’s... well let’s just say I’m a tad (!) older than thee!
I collected everything....good bad or indifferent 😜...loved them all...Love Songs (US & Uk) was always a stretch for me but has since become faves.
Your stories on EMI brought a tear to my eye.
Great job overall, tackling the “hits” issue! Being 69 yrs old I’m not as finicky anymore. I still love the music no matter how it’s compiled.
I look forward to these shows and you never fail to surprise me with great anecdotes! Keep up the great work. It’s a blast!
Was not expecting a video on a newer release!
I think out of all the compilation albums out there my favorite is either down to the anthology series, past masters, or, hate on me all you want, reel music. But out of those 3 the anthology series has gotta be my favorite since they cover a decent spread of The Beatles' career. The packaging especially on the vinyl releases is another thing that wins me over. I was wondering too if that whole project could be covered by you in a future video?
Part of the old plant is going to become a cinema called “The Gramophone”.’
I was born in 91 and honestly the commercials for this album played on tv quite often in the states. It’s the small segments in the commercials that were like my first experience for the band. Very strange but it works lol
An interesting & fascinating Video. Ive got the original 2000 version of 1 on CD & the 2015 1+ 2 DVD & CD set and they're different sounding in places.
My main reason for buying 1+ was the 5.1 surround mixes by Giles & Sam (Jeff Lynne is also mentioned which i think may be for free as a bird and real love). They're wonderful and subtly done, rather than OTT, which i suspect is due to many of the original tracks (up to 1968's white album) only having being recorded on 4 track or even 2 track.
Always so well executed and informative, thanks once again 🙂 The 2015 Giles Martin mix was the first vinyl album I bought, from the HMV in Chester on the 27th of December 2016.
Great compilation and video. In terms of digital versions, the 2000 CD of '1' is too heavily processed for my liking - the NoNoise treatment and harsh EQ takes the life out of the songs. Luckily, the 2011 remaster sounds FAR better and is an excellent single disc comp.
Doesn't 2011 remaster consist of 2009 remasters, made for the Black CD Box?
@@Zholobov1 I don't think so. They're fresh remixes, not remasters, executed by George Martin's son. It was mentioned in this video. That's the version I bought, actually.
@@Zholobov1 Sorry, my bad. That was the 2015 re-release.
Made me play the 2015 version of "1" on vinyl just now. Pretty clean sound. Heavy discs. Can't be too tough on the older recordings. Also have the blue and red vinyl pressings of the red and blue hits albums, with the white vinyl of the White Album. Maybe the best band for collecting. Thanks for your excellent vids.
Really interesting. The 'Red' and 'Blue' were my introduction (even though I was born way back in the 60s!)
Fantastic as always, Andrew. I've owned four copes of 1 on vinyl - three on the Capitol label and the other a 2015 Apple release - and it's worth noting the pressing quality. Or lack thereof with the Capitol releases. Every single one of my Capitol label albums had pressing issues. Two had horrific warps, one had a huge scratch on side 3. And we're talking about records that were sealed brand new. I finally gave up on Capitol and got the 2015 UK version and it's great. Vinyl flat as a pancake, sounds really nice.
But...is it as good as the red and blue albums? Not for me. And that's largely because the red and blue contain a lot of album tracks...tracks not released as singles. Of course, the Beatles were notorious (at least in the UK) for not releasing tracks on their studio albums as singles so they could have never ended up in 1 given the stated aim of 1 was to include all the UK and US number one singles.
I do want to offer a brief defense of 20 Greatest Hits. I have a Japanese pressing and it sounds pretty good. I even like the shortened version of Hey Jude. It's also one of my earliest childhood memories, giving the cassette of 20 Greatest Hits to my dad for Christmas. I admit that does make me a bit biased, though. :)
The Red and Blue Albums were reissued in 1993 , with a press launch with George Martin appearing, and what looked to be a very reluctant George Harrison, that can be found on here. Also would Please Please Me and Strawberry Fields Forever, fitted on to a format that it was being primarily released for in 2000, Maybe Apple Corps could have taken a cue from Oasis/Creation Records by adding those two songs onto the Vinyl version of 1, as on the first two Oasis Albums, there was a bonus track on the vinyl versions of Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory.
More than likely is that Apple Corps looked at Billboard for their US Number Ones and The Guinness Book of Hit Singles for their UK Number Ones.
Very cool show. I watched several of your videos and enjoyed all of them. I will continue to hunt down your videos to learn a lot of cool info I did not know before. I was 13 in 1973 when the Red and Blue came out and those albums changed my life. Up to then I only had an 8 track of Hey Jude and only heard the majority of Beatles songs at random on the radio. Since getting the 1973 albums on 8 track and then later on vinyl I have been a Beatles nut. Keep these great videos coming.
Glad you like the videos, James. We have a video on the red and blue albums coming up this weekend - hope you'll enjoy like that too.
I always thought that Love Me Do only got to Number 14 anyway. I mean, unless they included the 82 re release. I'd love for you to do an episode or two on bootlegs as well, especially the Forthlin Road tapes, as well as the different versions of the Star Club and Decca recordings. These videos are the highlight of my weekend!
Given that Now and Then became a UK Number 1 hit , I wonder if they will do a re-release with Now and Then at the end?
Thanks Andrew, great vídeo as usual. Red and blue for personal reasons Will always be My favourite compilation.
The amount of research you put in these videos is mind blowing. Excellent content and great fun to watch as always!
Glad you like them. Thanks for watching!
*Absolutely gorgeous video man, well done ! And what's more : I've had exactly the same personal encounter with the Beatles musically speaking : through the Blue Album and then the Red Album a few weeks later just like you, in exactly the same year 1977, but only : in July for the Blue one and a few months later for the Red one !... And I was 6 years old ! We're almost like twins man ! You're my cosmic brother for God sakes !... Anyway, for your next summer holiday or something, be aware you've got a friend for life in South of France, Avignon in Provence to be more exact!... Avignon which of course Paul and Linda in the early Wings days were raving about, and Provence which David Gilmour and Roger Waters and Eric Clapton and Elton John and Keith Richards and Mick Jagger have loooooooooved for years and have been owning houses in for years too !... Anyway cheers mate, and keep up the good work !*
Thanks for watching and for the invitation, brother ;) Glad you enjoyed it.
The Beatles Ballads is a compilation album featuring a selection of ballad songs by the English rock band the Beatles. The album was not released in the United States, but in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, South Korea and Australia. In Australia, the album was a big success, spending seven weeks at number one. It reached number 17 in the UK.
The cover art by "Patrick" (John Byrne) had been created in 1968 as a possible cover for what would become The Beatles ("The White Album"). Its style and concept appears to support the White Album's original working title of A Doll's House.
The album was released in 1985 on LP and cassette under the EMI-ODEON label in Brazil using identical front and back cover art. It has never been officially released on compact disc.
'I'd have to say the best of The Beatles.'
There's almost no need for me to comment on this as I completely agree about the exclusion of 'Please Please Me' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' from 1. There wasn't really an 'official' chart in the 1960s, whatever Record Retailer/Music Week might want us to believe (the BBC, I think, used an average from the various charts to create their chart). Anyway, 'Please Please Me' was an indisputable No. 1, at least until the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles appeared - and I think I'm right in saying that 'Strawberry Fields' made No. 1 in one of the music papers (but only one, making it somewhat disputable). For me, the Red and Blue albums remain the closest there is to a definitive hits collection - and they were also the first Beatles albums I owned, acquiring them in mid and late 1980 respectively (I only had a couple of singles previously). Of course, 'greatest' hits don't all have to be No. 1s - anything that made the Top 10 would be a greater hit than something that didn't, so maybe it's about time 'Free as a Bird' and 'Real Love' were properly acknowledged on a standard hits comp (I say 'standard' as I know they get a look in on the 1 Blu-ray).
Strawberry Fields was a double A side single. Penny Lane was on the same disc and the chosen song for the 1 compilation. I was disappointed as I prefer Strawberry Fields.
100% correct about the G.Martin bass heavy mixes!
Another great video Andrew. Made me realise I now need to get myself a copy of 1 on LP!
Go for it, Pete!
Great video, thank you so much. Though not as unpleasant as the new mix of Plastic Ono Band in the deluxe edition, I find most of Giles Martin's work on the Beatles unlistenable to. It's not just the forward bass, which you mentioned, but the increased loudness, which destroys much of the beauty of the original. I was greatly heartened to hear The Who Sell Out remastering, which seems much more respectful of the original analogue sound.
I bought A Collection of Beatles Oldies brand new in HMV Oxford Circus, around the summer of 89. A Fame cassette that was very keenly priced. It was my first Beatles album and it blew me away (though I didn't like Bad Boy, very much out of place on the album). So if it was phased out in the early 80s they still had plenty of new old stock. Then I bought Rock and Roll Volume 2, another banger (though again I wasn't keen on the cover versions). On my pocket money these budget albums were a Godsend and their existence was fully justified.
I remember when 1 came out . I thought it had the worst cover I’ve ever seen. It’s awful. I also thought they were pandering to the most casual of Beatles fans .The number one hits don’t begin to scratch the surface of the Beatles genius. Many of their best songs were not released as singles. If I were to suggest a compilation album to new or potential Beatles fans I would suggest the red and blue albums
So true! 1 is not even 1/4 as good as the Red and Blue Collection! I remember the Blue made #1 and the Red came in at #3! That was in the United States. They were the album’s that got me interested in the Beatles!
You’re right about the cover. For a Beatles compilation it’s pretty dreadful. Probably more for the casual buyer though I would have thought than real die hard Beatles fans. It did it’s job I suppose as it sold multi millions of copies.
I don't have these albums (which I plan to rectify), so perhaps you could tell me if the red and blue albums contain all the Beatles songs that were hit singles? I searched for it on Google but without luck. If they do then you are correct about the red and blue albums being preferable. If they do not, then wouldn't 1 be a worthwhile addition to the red and blue because many of their singles were great.
Agreed. More like a cash grab or for the most casual of Beatles fans, much like Rock & Roll music or Reel Music. But then again, it introduced the Beatles to a new generation.
@@jhboob It did the job. I'm a large fan now because of this album. My parents and uncle saw my interest and took me down many paths of bootlegs and solo work. None of that would have happened without this album for me. I was 20 in 2000 when it came out.
I still love my 1 CD. It was my first Beatles CD and for an then 11 year old boy a great introduction to The Beatles.
I picked up the Douple LP last week. 👍😎
'For You Blue', the B-side to 'The Long and Winding Road', was also a number one hit, at least according to Billboard. The rules which prevented 'Strawberry Fields Forever' from charting at #1 (even though 'Penny Lane' did chart at #1) no longer applied by 1969. From my understanding, if a B-side made its way on to the chart at all, then it was given the same chart position as its A-side (something like that).
Just so you know
Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields was released in 1967 not 1969
@@videogemsproductions The Billboard chart rules changed in 1969. Under the old chart rules, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever charted separately in 1967. However, when the rules changed in 1969, the A-side and B-side of singles would get combined for charting purposes (if the B-side was getting sufficient airplay). Actually, the rules changed soon after Something/Come Together was released as a single in 1969. In fact, Something and Come Together, for their first few weeks on the chart, charted separately. Then the new rules went into effect, the Something/Come Together went to #1, and the two songs were listed together.
Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields was a double A side single.
@@gavinreid5387 True. In this case, I should have used the term "flip-side". Still, SFF only made it to #8.
@@gavinreid5387 I"m POSITIVE that the record was a double A
Wonderful video 😊
Thank you 🤗
1 was actually my introduction to the Beatles. I remember one summer when I was a kid, my dad would take me and my mom on his trips around near towns for his work. He drove a van and his boss had 1... on cassette! So we listened to that album back to back that entire summer. I didn't know much about the Beatles and the music kinda sounded funny for a little kid born in 93, but the songs grew on me more and more. Needless to say, I would grow up to become a Beatles fan, and 1 is probably the "one" to thanks
Good times! Thanks for watching.
@@Parlogram Thank you for your channel. I've been watching your videos on a binge
the red and blue albums were exciting releases back in 1973; 20 Greatest Hits was an interesting curiosity back in 1982; the Past Masters albums were an important release in 1988 to fill in the gaps with the remainder of the UK albums; no doubt that 1 was everywhere back in 2000. interestingly enough, the date that 1 was first released here in the U.S.A. was also my wife's 40th birthday - she was just my girlfriend at the time
I like the version of 1 which includes the bonus DVD featuring the promo films from 1965 and 1966.
Excellent film, well researched, interesting and informative.
I had the Beatles 1967-1970.... album in Grade School in the 1970s....I recently bought a new copy on vinyl....it was a fantastic album....it sounds far better than the original!!!....it is cool to have it in my hands again 45 years later!!!...The Beatles are still the Greatest!!!!
1 was my introduction to the Beatles, so to me it’ll always be the best ❤️
Great feature as usual. I only bought ‘1’ when it came out with the DVD of The Beatles promo videos and it’s price was also discounted ‘in store’. I noticed an expanded edition with ‘Hey Bulldog’ on the DVD. I presume it was from the Yellow Submarine film? A full DVD set with all the promo’s plus new mix and match syncing up, the likes of ‘’Old Brown Shoe’ and the Let It Be/Get Back masters/ keepers would be appreciated. I wish owned the ‘Strawberry Fields’ promo.. . Okay, I do have it on my Anthology DVD set, but I cannot ‘click & play’. I wasn’t aware that Giles Martin remixed the 2015 ‘1’ set. It’s noticeable that Giles reigned back the reverb wash on ‘Get Back’ and sounds all the best for that.
It gives you a letterbox like glimpse of the greatness of The Beatles
I agree.
The best compilations are the red and blue albums, especially the blue.
1 is a good effort, considering the need to fit it all onto one cd.
Another fantastic video. Packed with important information. I'll be sure to search out the 2015 copy of Beatles "1".
I have to agree..even though I do own a CD copy of 1 ..my favorite compilation album will always be 1966 to 1969 (blue album)...it's just perfect to me...i own a Canadian blue vinyl pressing of it.
Anyways I'm looking forward to what you come up with next.
Take care
Mark Anthony K
Projekt Gemineye
Oh man, that brings memories! That compilation is the first album I ever received as a gift - my mum gave it to me on a CD sometime around 2001-2002. I loved it! If it had been an LP, it would have been worn flat by now from the amount of playing it got.
Andrew, would you consider making a video about the 2006 "Love" album? I recently discovered it and quite like it. I'd love to hear your take on it.
great video about my favourite album it's still my nos 1..
Found your opinion on the remixes. 😂 I love the 2015 version in particular, perked up when I noticed they were completely remixed. But I completely understand your view.
Excellent video. I didn't know about the issues with the various compilations. "1" is the only Beatles compilation I have. I think one of the issues with "1" is that the name indicates that it only contains songs that reached #1, and that theme caused important songs to be left off. It is the same with a compilation named "Greatest Hits" which should only contain actual hits. BTW, one of my irritants is a Greatest Hits collection that contains new songs, a Greatest Hits album should only contain previously released hits. I wonder if a chronological compilation named "The Hits" which contains every song that reached the Top 40 in the U. S. and/or U. K. might be a good compilation.
The issue with them leaving off "Strawberry Fields Forever" is the reason that when the Carpenters released their first compilation they named it "Singles 1969 - 1973." Their first charting song was a cover of The Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" which (per Wikipedia) only reached #54 on the Billboard Chart. That song wouldn't be considered a hit and would have been left off of an album named "1" or "Greatest Hits", but it was a very important song in the history of the Carpenters. The one slight negative of the album is that some of the songs were re-recorded.
I appreciate that PPM (and less so, because not a no. 1, SFF) would make a more 'complete' compilation, but I think the real reason they're not on there is because 1 is primarily a CD, and its 79:10 long. To have them on the vinyl (much more niche in 2000) and not on the CD would bring the entire concept tumbling down, which just wouldn't do for the modern BeatlesTM brand who I can't imagine would be so liberal in those decisions (For You Blue is arguably/pedantically another absence, although it would have been an astronomically out of place closer, again Apple would be too self-conscious under any circumstance).
But yes, excellent video! This was a formative album in my life - it was released when I was 3 and in those early years of my life I played it endlessly. I always feel its quite critically undiscussed given what a blockbuster it was. It's one of the most influential albums of the era - that is, not musically but on other big money drawers (ELV1S, the Stones' Forty Licks et al. Even Nirvana's compilation was modelled in part after it), which I don't think can be so easily said or clearly defined for most compilations
I’ve aged pretty well surprisingly I must say, but this cat looks great for 56. Cheers to the old boy. Great work!
In 2000 when my friends were listening to the pop acts such as Brittany Spears and The Backstreet boys, I was listening to The Beatles.
#1 was the first CD I ever bought. I was 11. I have since purchased the 2015 LP copy. It sounds fantastic. If you were to play #1 for a Beatles fan in the 1960s, it would blow their mind.
Hi.i have your new ! Channel I like this song I will put this in my library so Keep the songs coming your new no.1 fan