The Beatles - Past Masters, Vol. 1
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Free Music Notes for Past Masters, Vol. 1
Free Music Review: Mono costs more, but can be had...
Hit: 4 Stars
Back when these songs were new, Beatles music was released by EMI/Parlophone in England and Capitol in the US. Until Revolver, the albums were substantially different. The British albums were in a sense the definitive collection, since they each contained groups of songs recorded during the same recording sessions. Capitol - on the other hand - released hodge-podge collections; for example the songs from the British "Hard Day's Night" were spread over four albums.
On the other hand, Capitol released far more albums, and managed to eventually release most of the Beatles singles on albums. So when Capital decided to release Beatles CD's in the British version only, a whole lot of songs were missing from the catalog. These are them.
The problem, as a reviewer noted below, is that they took fabulous mono mixes and made mediocre stereo mixes of many of these songs. Stereo must surely be better, you say! Ah, not always. For Pink Floyd's Dark Side - most certainly. But stereo in early 60's rock was often an artificial and poorly engineered separation - with drums in one speaker and guitar in the other. The music often sounds better with everything front and center in MONO.
The other reviewer suggested that if you're ready to drop some bucks (about $200) you can get the "Singles Collection Box Set," which has the mono versions. But there is a way to get them for about $65. "The Capitol Collection Volume 1" is a CD release of the first four US Beatles albums. Better yet, each CD has the entire album in stereo and then in MONO. If you get "The Capitol Collection" and "Past Masters Volume 2" you will have all the missing singles except "From Me To You" "Bad Boy" and "Yes It Is". If you then get this album, "Past Masters Volume 1," these three songs appear as they should (one mono - two stereo) and you've spent under a hunded bucks.
Of course 30 bucks is better than a hundred, so depending on how much the Mono thing interests you (if you haven't heard it, you may be shocked!), this album is worth owning, as is Volume 2.
By the way, the first four Beatles album incuded in the Capitol box set, do not actually include the first Beatles album. "Please Please Me" was released in 1963 in England after having been turned down by Capitol in the US. "Meet The Beatles" was mostly taken from the Beatles 2nd British release "With The Beatles." So for a complete set of early Beatles in Mono you need the Capitol Box Set ($63), Please Please Me ($16) and the three extra songs found in this album ($16). Add in Past Masters Volume 2 and you've got all the singles for a whole lot less than 200 bucks.
Free Music Review: Brilliant Beatles
Hit: 5 Stars
Here is another collection of the brilliant Beatles.
There is alot of songs here that did not appear on their albums.
Most were singles or on the "B" side of singles.
The 2 german releases of She Loves you and I Want To Hold Your Hand were interesting but i never liked them,and neither did The Beatles themselves.
But this is a great collection anyway,if you are a Beatles fan you should have this in your collection.
Free Music Review: The Beatles: Past Masters Volume One (1988)
Hit: 5 Stars
In May of 1977, The Beatles released their 22nd album entitled, THE BEATLES LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL, featuring their early hits performed live, while at The Hollywood Bowl. In October of 1977, The Beatles released their 23rd album entitled, LOVE SONGS, an album featuring 12 of their most cherished love songs. In March of 1980, The Beatles released their 24th album entitled, RARITIES. Sadly, and most shockingly, in December of 1980, ex-Beatles member, John Lennon, was shot in the back of the head five times in the head.
In March of 1982, The Beatles released their 25th album entitled, REEL MUSIC, featuring every song that was ever featured in their movies. In October of 1982, The Beatles released their 26th album entitled, 20 GREATEST HITS, featuring only 20 of their greatest hits from the early days down to the later days.
But in March of 1988, The Beatles released their 27th album entitled, PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE, an album that contains all of The Beatles' singles that were never included on any of the British releases of their albums. An album is most definitely a must-have album.
LOVE ME DO (Single Version)
Original version from the album PLEASE PLEASE ME (1963). Awesome song. It really does not sound as different as the album version.
FROM ME TO YOU
From the single release of FROM ME TO YOU (1963). Great.
THANK YOU GIRL
From the album THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM (1964). Not bad.
SHE LOVES YOU
From the album THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM (1964). Outstanding.
I'LL GET YOU
From the album THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM (1964). Not bad.
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
From the re-released album MEET THE BEATLES (1964). As I mentioned a few albums ago, the MEET THE BEATLES album was actually the American version of the WITH THE BEATLES album, only the WITH THE BEATLES album did not have this track. Great song.
THIS BOY
From the single release of THIS BOY (1964). Great song.
KOMM, GIB MIR DEINE HAND
From the album THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM (1964). Just "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in another language.
SIE LIEBT DICH
From the single release of SHE LOVES YOU (1964). Just "She Loves You" in another language.
LONG TALL SALLY
From the album THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM (1964). Not bad.
I CALL YOUR NAME
From the album THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM (1964). Great song. This song would later be covered by the infamous Mama Cass, who would be part of the infamous 60s band, The Mamas & The Papas.
SLOW DOWN
From the album THE BEATLES' SECOND ALBUM (1964). Great.
MATCHBOX
From the album SOMETHING NEW (1964). Not bad.
I FEEL FINE
From the single release of I FEEL FINE (1965). Great.
SHE'S A WOMAN
From the re-released album BEATLES '65 (1965). Just like WITH THE BEATLES, the album BEATLES FOR SALE had an American release, which turned out to be BEATLES '65. Both albums are the same with two different album covers, titles, and different tracklistings, including this song. This song was featured on the American version entitled, BEATLES '65.
BAD BOY
From the album BEATLES VI (1965). Great song. I do not know why nobody likes this one.
YES IT IS
From the album BEATLES VI (1965). Not bad.
I'M DOWN
From the single release of I'M DOWN (1965). Not bad.
Only 18 years since The Beatles broke up, as well as eight years since John Lennon's untimely death, but their music still captures the hearts of millions, as it does here on this incredible album. PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE can be yours if you would only take a moment of your time to buy a copy now and listen to the album in its entirety.
Free Music Review: Excellent Album of Rare Singles and B-Sides...
Hit: 4 Stars
Although some people may look at this album and think it's just another attempt to get thier money, they're dead wrong. It's essential stuff for any music fan. In fact, it's essential stuff for anyone who loves 60's rock. It includes all the singles that we didn't see on The Beatles albums that were released. The singles are hardly throw-aways, however, because it gives you I Wanna Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, I Feel Fine, and much more.
Although I'm more a fan of the later Beatles stuff myself, there are some absolute gems on this release. This Boy, the excellent B-side to She Loves You, is wonderfully sung by John, and we also get a chance to hear the German language versions of I Wanna Hold Your Hand and She Loves You, which are very funny to hear. We also get some great lesser known Beatles songs, such as Long Tall Sally and I'm Down, which both show Paul pushing his voice box as far as it can go.
So, if you want to hear some great early Beatles, this is a very good way to go.
Free Music Review: Helps complete the "Beatlemania" picture for Americans
Hit: 3 Stars
When the Beatles albums were released in the U.S., they had different tracks than the British versions. Once EMI went about the task of issuing the Beatles albums on CD, the decision was made to use the British versions as these were the song lineups the Fabs themselves had originally intended. This left a problem: What to do with the songs that were issued on EPs and singles that never appeared on any of the U.K. albums? The answer: Past Masters, Volume 1 and 2...which collect all these together.
Having these songs help fill in the gaps on the early CDs which otherwise look a bit weak to Americans accustomed to having classics like "I Want to Hold Your Hand","She Loves You", and "I Feel Fine" as part of the albums. Another plus is the liners here are pretty good, detailing dates and take numbers for the sessions that produced these songs.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Some of the most fondly remembered early Lennon-McCartney compositions are here: "I Want to Hold Your Hand","From Me to You","I Feel Fine" and "She Loves You". Much of the weakest material on the first 4 Beatles CDs (in the U.K. versions) are the cover songs, but some of their more well-done covers appear here: A charged Paul vocal on Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally", John tearing up Larry Williams' "Slow Down" and "Bad Boy". A couple B sides turn out to be gems,too: "I'm Down", a great rocker that was "Help!"'s B side in the States and later was covered by fellow Brits YES and "She's a Woman" is another nice rocker.
You also get the rare "Ringo" version of "Love me Do". (The version on the "Please Please Me" CD instead has session man Andy White because George Martin was worried that Ringo's drumming wasn't solid enough. Starr only plays tambourine on that cut.)
LOWS:
On the downside, you get rarities like "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" and "Sie Liebt Dich", German language versions of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" respectively, that really are only curiousities for most listeners.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you don't have this one and you're American, it's harder to see why Beatlemania happened as fast as it did in the U.S. (It had time to build in the U.K.). With this CD "filling in the cracks", it's easier to see why the Liverpudlians were able to accomplish feats like owning the entire Top 5 of the pop charts at once...and it points the way to the rock revolution they would cause.
3 1/2 stars