1967-1970 : The Blue Album (Audio CD)

The music is great, but... This was the 2d album I ever bought (see my 1962-66 review), and I loved playing both sets. However, as I collected the original albums, these became somewhat superfluous: the Beatles albums are so good they outrank virtually any other band's 'best of', and you can get the singles on Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters 2. The band were producing their most ambitious music and the selection represents a lot of this, although why Don't Let Me Down and Old Brown Shoe are here I don't know; they were released as B sides, so it gave them to 1973 collectors on album, but (on the same principle) you can get them on Past Masters 2 (and plenty of 1963-6 single / EP tracks weren't on the companion 'Red' album..). So it's a good introduction, but once you've moved on to the original albums and the fuller compilations you may want to pass this one to others to spread the Beatle gospel!

Twelve stars Some of the best songs ever written - and that ever may be written - are on this album. If you want to listen to the best, this album is it. So many good tracks are left off though that if you love this you should buy all of their albums from Revolver onwards.

The best collection ever? Firstly; it's very cheeky to release a double-album on cd (that was a bit of a cash-in in the seventies in the first place) without adding anything extra. On the other hand; if you want to get to know the Beatles from Sgt. Peppers onwards, this is the place to start! At least; I started here in '78 and this album is still the Old Testament for me! There's psychedelic John in Strawberry Fields and the Walrus, breezy Paul in Hello Goodbye and Penny Lane. The Funny Beatles were there in Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da and Lady Madonna. For first-timers this might be an ongoing feast of recognition and the funny thing is: over half of the tracks weren't even released as a single at the time! Someone put "digitally remastered" somewhere in the booklet, but I don't believe it. This collection sounds better than the overblown '1'-album, so if a decent remix/remastering-campaign isn't underway; buy this!

Definitive Beatles The Blue Album 1967-70 is an essential in any collector's repertoire. Where as the Red Album 1962-66 covers the Beatles pop classics during the early Sixties these latter songs encompass the most creative years by the Beatles encapsulating the more serious side of their musical talents. From the poetic `Across the Universe' to the Pepper classic `A Day in the Life' to their anthem, `Hey Jude' this album never fails to satisfy discerning listeners due to its great diversity.

The Beatles, 1967-1970 The red (1962-1966) and blue (1967-1970) albums, as they have collectively become known (possibly after the white album), may not be perfect, but I believe that they are more representative of The Beatles' back catalogue than any other collection that is currently available. That said, I would also recommend the `Rock and Roll music' collections (Volumes one and two), which have sadly become rarities. The blue album covers the period when The Beatles really became creative and is possibly more representative of their output than is the red album. However, it also omits some good songs (e.g. `Baby you're a rich man', `Because', `Dear Prudence', `Helter skelter', `Hey Bulldog', `Maxwell's silver hammer', `When I'm sixty-four' and `Your mother should know').