Navigating one’s way through the catalog of compilations and side-projects can be a tall task for any significant recording artist, but that challenge reaches new heights when your subject is the best-selling and most revered act of all time.
There have been countless iterations of Beatles collections released throughout the five-plus decades since the band called it quits in 1970. How do you possibly identify what’s essential and what is merely another record label cash-grab? And how much does it really matter in the era of digital streaming?
Well for avid record-collectors like myself, it still matters a lot. Here is a list that I’ve compiled based upon my personal taste and opinion, as to what collections supplement and complete the collection of studio releases that we’ve revisited during this past year’s Artist In Residence series.
The Beatles- 1962-1966, 1973
Of course, no thorough band collection is complete without an act’s official Greatest Hits releases, and that’s exactly what “The Red Album” and its companion piece, “The Blue Album” provided upon their releases three years after the Fab Four’s demise. The chronology of these albums astutely share each side of the 1967 coin, with this set documenting the dizzying early years of the British Invasion through the Revolver album, the critical point where they officially evolved from a mere pop phenomenon into sophisticated art-rock wizards. In many cases, this was the first LP appearance for some of their biggest singles, and the sheer euphoria of hearing all of these energetic earworms and breakthroughs back-to-back is endlessly exhilarating. Meanwhile, masterworks like “Yesterday”, “Nowhere Man”, “In My Life”, and “Eleanor Rigby” demonstrate just how quickly and gracefully they evolved and matured as artists. This half of their career alone could serve as any other artist’s definitive body of work, and the fact that it covers a mere four years is mind-blowing. These four sides serve as the official soundtrack to the Beatlemania years, and consequently also the soundtrack to an entire era of popular culture.
The Beatles, 1967-1970, 1973
Covering the period of Beatles discography from “Strawberry Fields Forever” and the Sgt. Peppers era forward, you could almost forgive someone for mistaking this as a completely different band from the one on the preceding set…if it wasn’t the most famous band in history. Simply put, the period covered here gathers many of the most pivotal and revolutionary rock records ever crafted, and the influential reverberations from them will continue to be felt throughout the history of popular music. And again, it’s mind-blowing that it was all contained to a brief three-year period, speaking to the staggering talent of these four men, and the magical musical connection between them. Originally intended for the aborted Get Back album, the cover photo is a nostalgic call-back to the youthful cover of their debut album, Please Please Me, as well as this set’s companion album.
The Beatles, At the Hollywood Bowl, 1977, 2016
Originally recorded in 1964, released in 1977, and then re-released in 2016, At the Hollywood Bowl is sadly, the closest thing we’ll ever get to a formal live record from the group, though its mere existence is indeed something to be grateful for. The bootleg-leaning sound quality is lacking and the cacophony of teenaged girls screaming is overly distracting and constant to the point of feeling canned, but underneath is an energetic capturing of raw musical talent and showmanship, as well as one of the greatest pop culture happenings of all time. We’ll always be left wishing the group had toured longer, not to mention stayed together, so that we could have scored a higher-quality live piece, not to mention live renderings of so many classics that were released after they finished touring. Nevertheless, this is a special piece of nostalgia and history that would be a glaring hole in the Beatles’ recorded story if it didn’t exist.
The Beatles- Past Masters, 1988
Released in the late 80s as vinyl records were beginning to fade as the premier vessel for recorded popular music, Past Masters accomplished a long overdue task of collecting all studio singles and B-sides that were never included on the band’s proper studio albums, including both those that were included and excluded from the Red and Blue Albums. In doing so, it closed a pivotal gap by ensuring that all Beatles tracks would now be available in an album setting, whether it be LP or cassette, and later compact disc. Such a completist endeavor, the collection even included German-language versions of “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.
The Beatles- Live at the BBC, 1994
Unearthed in 1994, this collection marked the first release of unheard Beatles material since the first incarnation of the Hollywood Bowl album seventeen years earlier. In addition to fulfilling the void of live music in their canon, this series of radio broadcast recordings dates as far back as the months leading up to the release of their debut album. In addition to songs that appear on their first two albums, there’s a treasure trove of the early rock & roll classics that the group covered while honing their repertoire during their early Cavern Club days. Covers of everyone from Ray Charles and Chuck Berry to Buddy Holly to Lieber & Stoller are featured, and offer a fascinating glimpse into the formative days of history’s most famous band.
The Beatles- Anthology 1 1995, Anthology 2 1996, Anthology 3 1996
This trilogy of collections emerged in the mid-90s to accompany a documentary on the band’s career released to mark a quarter-century since their break-up. The discs proceed chronologically from the primitive origins of the group in the late 50s through outtakes and rarities from their final sessions recording both Let It Be and Abbey Road. The centerpiece of the project would prove to be a new pair of singles in “Free as a Bird”, which reached the top ten of the Hot 100 in late 1995, and “Real Love”, which had top twenty success the following year. Both of these tracks were late 70s demos recorded by John Lennon individually, and then completed by the three surviving members at the time of the Anthology releases. Outside of those tracks, the bulk of this material is certainly intended for the most rabid Beatles completist, but there’s no denying the fascinating aura and historical relevance afforded by the opportunity to hear this music. This is particularly true of the material on the first disc, which chronicles rarities and live performances from their days as The Quarrymen, including those with original drummer Pete Best and bassist Stuart Sutcliffe.
The Beatles- 1, 2000
This compilation of all No. 1 hits scored by The Fab Four on either the Billboard Hot 100 or the UK’s Record Retailer ensured that The Beatles would remain a chart force in the new millennium, and served as an introduction of their music to a whole new audience of CD collectors…and bubbling MP3 aficionados. It ultimately became the biggest selling album in America for the entire 2000s decade, and today stands as the fourth best-selling release of the post-1991 Soundscan era.
The Beatles- Let It Be…Naked, 2003
After three-plus decades spent bemoaning the fact that producer Phil Spector had egregiously bastardized the group’s final studio release with excessive post-production, 1970’s Let It Be was finally reissued without such sonic dressing and was able to live in all of its intended grit and glory. At the guidance of both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr themselves, the project is given new life and these newly stripped performances, “The Long and Winding Road” in particular, undoubtedly soar thanks to their newly gifted breathing room.
The Beatles- Love, 2006
Some may argue how essential this soundtrack of remixes to the acclaimed Cirque du Soleil show is, but for me personally it’s such a wondrous sonic joy that I couldn’t imagine not including it on this list. It’s a creatively colorful and fresh invitation to experience one of history’s most acclaimed–and consequently overexposed–musical catalogs in new and exciting ways.
The Beatles- On Air- Live at the BBC, Volume 2, 2013
This sequel of BBC recordings arrived nearly two decades after the first, and offered more of the same as its predecessor: live renditions of their earliest single and album material, as well as classic rock & roll covers. In doing so, it further balanced out the greatest deficiency in the band’s catalog: live performance.
The Beatles- Happy Christmas, Beatle People!, 2017
The Beatles never formally released any Christmas recordings for mass consumption, rather reserving such performances as annual gifts for their official fan club members every December from 1963 to 1969. After decades of bootlegged and unauthorized releases of these recordings, an official (and limited edition) collection saw release for Christmas 2017. In addition to offering the songs themselves, the release also rightfully retained all of the spoken greetings from the band, ensuring that the original charm and intimacy of these offerings lived on.
The Beatles- Get Back: The Rooftop Performance, 2022
This performance has been a long-standing turning point in the story of the Beatles, and of course not for the reasons originally intended. At the time, it was an effort by the band to return to their basic rock roots and to the delight of many at the time, seemed to signal a revitalization of their live performance career. Unfortunately, it proved to be their swan song in that regard, and served as the first chapter of the group’s finale arc. Its 2022 release in conjunction with an expansive Disney+ documentary provided listeners with their first official way to add the event to their music collection. It may only offer nine full performances, with a third of them being takes of the title tune, but its status as an essential entry in their lexicon is undeniable, both musically and historically. Paul’s guttural delivery of “I’ve Got A Feeling” is worth the price of admission alone.
The 706 