PAST MASTERS (REMASTERED)

As you probably know, there are a lot of Beatles songs that didn't appear on any of their studio LPs. Many of the popular hits like She Loves You, Paperback Writer and Hey Jude do not appear on any of the Beatles 13 studio records, but released instead as singles or on EPs. However, nearly 50 years on, we require a different way to have these songs on CD. This is where YOU have to make a decision! Are you just a person slightly interested in the Beatles who wants to hear just the classics like the ones mentioned above, or are you a more in-depth fan who would fancy hearing a bit of Rain every now and again? In the former case, I recommend looking at the 'Greatest Hits' collection(s) as those will have everything you need, and they are a great way to start listening to The Beatles. In the latter case, however, this is the item for you. This double-disc album is a great way of rounding up all the non-album tracks into one tidy set, so that the completionist inside you will feel happy. Of course, with 33 non-album tracks spanning the entire Beatles career makes this a wildly inconsistent listen, but a very entertaining and rewarding one too!

I can't possibly go through the entire tracklist, but I'll say that there are some very interesting songs on here. Unless you absolutely know The Beatles inside-out, there will be something here to fascinate you, eg the alternate version of Across The Universe, or the mystical eastern The Inner Light. Of course there are many classic songs on here - the sort to get put on the 'Greatest Hit' collection - and these brighten up this compilation no end. The B-sides are sometimes just as good, e.g. the rock'n'roll I'm Down, the psychedelic Rain featuring the first ever backwards music, Harrison's astonishing Old Brown Shoe with an amazing guitar solo, and one of my personal favourites You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) which is a comical piece where the group play the same short song in several different styles! This compilation even includes a special German single titled Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand / Sie Liebt Dich, which sound hilarious in my opinion.

With everything including the kitchen sink thrown in here, this is a wonderful eclectic cross-section of The Beatles entire career. There are some prominent hits, and some rare obscurities all remastered with perfect sound quality. Before 2009, this set used to be split in half, with a 'Vol 1' and 'Vol 2' seperating the early years and the later years. This would make both sets seem less attractive, and was also a much messier way of completing ones collection. To be honest, comparing this to the 'Greatest Hits' collection, I think 'Past Masters' is the better compilation. For one, rather than the 'greatest' songs, you get a much more rounded view of The Beatles, and also, once purchasing this, you could buy the rest of the albums without having to double up on any tracks! If you're contemplating buying some Beatles albums, you should make this album one of the first you buy, rather than waiting until the end! There are just so many wonderful tracks here, and really, this album is essential to any Beatles collection.

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