Customer Reviews

Past Masters

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the sixties, singles were far more important than albums and it was common practice for the best tracks to be released on singles or EP's and not to appear on album until there were enough tracks for a Greatest hits. Album sales were modest compared to singles sales so the idea of using a single to promote an album had not yet been born. When it was decided to release all the original Beatles albums on CD, there were enough of these tracks to fill two CD's of their own. Past masters volumes 1 and 2 contain these tracks. In a few cases, different versions of the songs appeared on original albums. Volume 2 (the other one) is the stronger of the two, but both are excellent.

Love me do began it all for the Beatles, becoming their first UK - it reached the top 20 then but became a much bigger hit later on. From me to you, She loves you, I want to hold your hand and I feel fine are the other major hits on this collection. The Beatles also recorded German versions of She loves you and I want to hold your hand and those versions are included here. Among the other great tracks here are covers Long tall Sally (Little Richard) and Matchbox (Carl Perkins) that clearly demonstrate their musical roots in rock'n'roll.

Since this CD was originally released, all the hits were released on the red album, 1962 to 1966, so if you're just looking for hits, you might be better to buy that and its companion blue album, 1966 to 1970, or the more recent Beatles 1. But if you are a serious Beatles fan, this album is just as important as the original albums.

When I first put this CD into my CD player, it was like WOW. I cn't believe how good the songs were in this CD. Most of the songs had really good lyrics with the exception of "That Boy" and "Matchbox," which had horrible lyrics. Another good thing about the songs, was that just about all of them had a great melody that went along perfectly with the lyrics. I had never heard most of the songs, and when I heard them, I liked them a lot. Even if you haven't heard any Beatles songs, this is still the CD for you. Buy this CD!!
1. Love Me Do-8/10
2. From Me To You-9/10
3. Thank You Girl-9/10
4. She Loves You-10/10
5. I'll Get You-7/10
6. I Want To Hold Your Hand-9/10
7. That Boy-3/10
8. Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand- -9/10
9. She Liebt Dich-10/10
10. Long Tall Sally-6/10
11. I Call Your Name-8/10
12. Slow Down-9/10
13. Matchbox-1/10
14. I Feel Fine- 7/10
15. She's A Woman-6/10
16. Bad Boy-5/10
17. Yes It Is-7/10
18. I'm Down-9/10

This features rare Beatles classics, mostly pre 1965. I remember this was released in the UK and called Rarities, because most of the songs are not on any other Beatles albums, and were either B sides or EP tracks.
This is early Beatles at their rocking best. Almost all these songs are uptempo, with the exception of Yes It is and This Boy which are slower and feature excellent harmonies.

I can listen to this album without even thinking about pressing the skip button.

There are too many highlights on this album to number, but here goes:

1. Paul McCartney doing his Little Richard impersonation on Long Tall Sally.

2. The German versions of She Loves You and I want to hold your hand.

3. Lennon and the beautiful 12/8 rhythm on This Boy.

4. Lennon on I Call Your Name

5. McCartney singin She's A Woman.

6. The cover version of Bad Boy

7. The Little Richard style screamer I'm Down

8. Those B side rockers Thank you girl, I'll get You

9. From Me To You.

If I couldn't take the White Album to a desert island this would be a good second choice.

Too often, the Beatles early period is forgotton. Everyone focuses on their later albums. Sure, all of those albums are masterpieces, but what doesn't anyone ever talk about the music of 1962-1964? When people talk about this period, more often than not, they talk about Beatlemania and screaming girls. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC? Listen to this album! Look how good the music was, even back then. The Beatles didn't get famous for the studio experimentation. They got famous for making catchy rock n roll. They did it better than anyone.

Every song on this album (with the exception of the unnecessary German versions of 'She Loves You' and 'I Want to Hold Your Hand') is absolutely wonderful. All of the huge hits are included here, and you'll see why they were so big. 'Love Me Do', 'From Me to You', 'She Loves You', 'I Want to Hold Your Hand', and 'I Feel Fine' all went to #1 on the charts. And rightfully so! The songs are catchy and fun and completely BEATLES.

But the crazy thing about this collection of non-album songs is that the B-sides are just as good as the singles. 'Thank You Girl', 'I'll Get You', 'This Boy', and 'She's a Woman' are all great songs! Also included on the album are songs that were recorded, but pushed aside to EPs of the time. 'Long Tall Sally', 'Slow Down', 'Matchbox', 'I Call Your Name', 'Bad Boy', 'Yes It Is' and 'I'm Down' all fall into this category and they too are fantastic. They have this indescibable energy to them.

You have to get this CD to have every song by the Beatles and it's well worth it!

This is beautifully pressed and packaged and sounds terrific. I am lucky to have British first pressings of each 60s Beatles album. This fills in the blanks of missing 45 and EP-only tracks. Sound-wise, it rivals those coveted pressings. Highly recommended.

This great CD collects non LP material that was origianlly only relesed as singles(Love Me Do,From Me To You,She Loves You,I want To Hold Your Hand,This Boy,Slow Down,Matchbox,I feel Fine,She's A Woman,I'm Down,and more!!!)Also includes German versions of She Loves You and I Want To Hold Your Hand!!!. Lots of great tracks!!! Great booklet has nice photos and info on all the songs on the CD!!!Two thumbs up!!! Five stars!!! A+

The Beatles Past Masters series was released a dozen years or so ago with the intent of gathering together the Fab Four's singles material which had not been released in album form in the UK. As such, these songs often make strange bedfellows; tunes like "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which were heard by virtually every human being in the free world (and then some) to numbers like "I'll Get You" and "Yes It Is," which were relatively obscure B-sides. With most bands, such juxtaposition would make for a giant leap in terms of quality; however, since the Beatles made very few outright unlistenable songs, the range of quality (very good to superb) is much smaller. Repeated listenings will probably tax some listeners patience with certain songs; I mean, how many times can you listen to the German language versions of "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" before the novelty aspect wears off? (Unless you speak German, of course!) Luckily, the highlights are well worth purchasing the CD. "This Boy" may be the pre-1965 Beatles best and most sophisticated song, a beat ballad with an unusual time signature, fabulous harmonies, and lyrics that displayed a growing finesse with words. Sumptuous! "I Feel Fine" features a fab John Lennon vocal, memorable guitar figures by George Harrison, and that famous electric razor fuzz tone beginning. Sweet! "Long Tall Sally" is Paul McCartney at his rocking best, one of the finest Little Richard covers ever. "Matchbox," a Carl Perkins rewrite of the old Blind Lemon Jefferson tune, is fine Ringo Starr rockabilly, and he would get help from Eric Clapton and Perkins himself on a spirited remake nearly twenty years later. But, the album's real gems are two John covers of Larry Williams songs: "Bad Boy" and "Slow Down". "Bad Boy" tells the kind of Teddy Boy/juvenile delinquent story that John was so fond of, while "Slow Down" may be Mr. Lennon's finest vocal performance ever, with it's nonstop piano and ninety-miles-a-minute tempo (not to mention a real "Twist and Shout" style scream midsong!) Awesome, truly awesome!! So, if you have most of the Beatles albums, but still feel your collection is curiously incomplete, then get Past Masters Volumes I and II at once. I know ever since I bought my copies I feel fine!!!

This is what all the screaming was about! The band's early hits -- that is, those not included on the Beatles' original British albums. And you can hear how quickly the band progressed, which is the reason they remain fresh and vital even four decades later, unlike contemporaries such as The Dave Clark Five and Gerry & the Pacemakers. The Fab Four's very first Parlophone release, Love Me Do, is here. This is the version on which Ringo drums. The "LP" version found on the PLEASE PLEASE ME CD, which I think is a crisper sounding recording, has sessionman Andy White pounding the skins, while poor Ringo ended up with a tamborine. That's how you can tell which recording is which -- the Ringo version doesn't have tamborine. The drumming change reflected the fact that the band had just fired Pete Best, and replaced him with Ringo, so producer George Martin wanted to make sure he had a drummer he could count on. In just a few months, the Beatles went from recording this bouncy but unremarkable song, to the more complex "From Me To You", with its interesting chord change for the middle eight (the part that begins "I've got arms that long to hold you..."). "She Loves You" may be the song most associated with the Beatles' early sound -- the infectious "Yeah Yeah Yeah" chorus that allowed my parents to nod condescendingly and say "you won't be listening to THIS when you're old like me!" (Sorry, Mum, but I STILL love it!) "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the song that blasted them into the American consciousness. The vocal dymanics in this song -- especially the hushed delivery of "and when I touch you I feel happy", following the raucous harmonies of the song's title -- are great examples of a natural talent the Beatles, especially Lennon and McCartney, showed from the beginning. We don't hear any George Harrison lead vocals on this CD, which I regret -- George and John were always my favourite Beatles -- but his voice is heard on some of the harmonies. And there are a couple of beautiful 3-part harmony songs heard here. The better of the two is "This Boy" -- the B-side of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and one of the best songs the group ever recorded. The other song is "Yes It Is", with some pretty pedal guitar from George but overall, not as memorable a song as "This Boy". John's "I Feel Fine" again shows the band's progression, with a catchy, country-and-western sounding riff that stays in your head forever and of course that angry-hornet sounding feedback that starts the whole thing off. There are other excellent songs here too -- Paul is in terrific vocal form, first on Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally", and then on his own "I'm Down". "She's a Woman" is also a fine McCartney song. And Ringo sounds great on Carl Perkins' "Matchbox" -- showing that, while he didn't have the vocal range of his bandmates, the drummer could certainly put a lot of power into a song like this. As for the rest, the Lennon larynx is again front and centre on two Larry Williams oldies: "Slow Down" and "Bad Boy" -- and there's also one of John's earliest compositions, "I Call Your Name", which has a very unusual guitar middle. (I've always thought this song bears a strong resemblance to the even better "You Can't Do That", found on A HARD DAY'S NIGHT.) "Thank You Girl" and "I'll Get You" are a couple of pretty decent B-sides, although surprisingly, a vocal mistake made it to the final master on the latter song (I guess their gruelling tour schedule meant they didn't have a lot of time to record). The only disposable tracks for me are the two German language versions of "She Loves You" and "Hold Your Hand". As I said at the beginning, you can hear how quickly the band grew in a very short few years (1962-65), and that growth becomes even more obvious when you listen to Volume 2 of PAST MASTERS, which contains many Beatle masterpieces. While I don't think Volume 1 is quite as good as that second volume, it's still vital to any Beatles collection. We love them, yeah yeah yeah!

OK, so apart from the official British studio albums, what other way was there to take all the non-album singles and their B-sides but put them into a single disk? Hence Past Masters Volume I, which gathers eighteen songs from 1963 to 1965. Here are the highlights.

I'm flummoxed if I can tell the difference between the version of "Love Me Do" here from the one on Please Please Me. I still love the song, though.

With the harmonica and harmony vocals, the sweet, good-natured and upbeat "From Me To You" is another well-loved single: "Just call on me and I'll send it along, with love from me to you." It's B-side, the equally vivacious "Thank You Girl" also uses the harmonica in parts.

Then comes the raucous "She Loves You", the song that popularized the "yeah-yeah-yeah!" chorus for better or worse. This has the air of a guy's best friend giving him some good advice on the girl he's hurt. Despite what he's down, "she loves you/and you know that can't be bad/yeah she loves you/and you know you should be glad. "With a love like that, you know you should be glad." "Pride can hurt you too/apologize to her."

Aww yeah, "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the song that broke them into the U.S., was the spearhead for the British Invasion, and was their first 4-track recording, is one of my favourite Beatles song. There is an interesting story behind this. Bob Dylan heard the lyrics "I can't hide" in "It's such a feeling that my love, I can't hide" as "I get high" and when they came over to the States, gave them pot at the Del Monico Hotel in Manhattan, and the rest is history (q.v. Revolver, Sgt Peppers). Well, when I hear this song, I can't hide AND I get high, so there!

Along with "She Loves You", there are the only German language versions of any songs, "Sie Liebt Dich" and "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand," which given the difficulty of coming up with alternate language versions of their songs.

Their cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" outdoes the original in sheer energy. Little Richard was one of Paul McCartney's idols, and he pays more than ample tribute to his influence, down to the raucous screams and piano. This was done in one take! Perfect! Another song here with the same energy and 1950's style R&B and also done by Paul in homage to Little Richard is "I'm Down." I also mention this in the same breath because Heart does a live medley of both songs on their first greatest hits album.

Another #1 hit is "I Feel Fine," as in "I'm in love with her and I feel fine" sung in harmony by all four. And what can be more joyous than "I'm so glad that's she's my little girl/she's so glad, she's telling all the world." It's B-side, the McCartney- sung"She's A Woman," also received a lot of attention. The guitar riffs have some noticeable chord changes. The girl in this song "is no peasant," "will never make me jealous" and is "a woman who understands" Anyone like that out there?

Speaking of influences, they do two Larry Williams songs here, the classic 50's rock of "Slow Down" and "Bad Boy." The latter about a delinquent who'd rather play rock and roll instead of going to school- "puts tacks in the teacher's chair"- seems to mirror John's own bad behaviour at school. Ringo sings Carl Perkins's rockabilly "Matchbox" which is one of the better songs here.

As well as filling in some much needed gaps for those who have all the studio albums, Past Masters Volume I illustrates their early period, when they were still dipping into their early influences, as well as demonstrating their three essential early singles, "From Me To You", "She Loves You", and "I Want To Hold Your Hand." And you know that can't be bad, yeah yeah yeah!

Others have described how the two-volume Past Masters series was put together. I'm here only to advocate that you get this album because it has some of the most essential performances of the Beatlemania era of 1963-64, including "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," two singles that could not be more important to rock music history. It also includes the classic "I Feel Fine," which was probably one of the first singles they did that shows a sense of innovation in the studio, with the feedback guitar and Spector-like chorus. It also includes a relatively obscure number that I love, "Yes It Is," which is one of the few, but most wonderful, examples of the Beatles executing three-part vocal harmony (a better-known example, "This Boy," is also on this album.)

But, to me, the tastiest treat on Vol. I is the inclusion of a famous four-song EP, with three classic rock and roll covers and one original: "Long Tall Sally," sung in an outrageous imitation of Little Richard by Paul, "I Call Your Name," an original sung by Lennon, "Slow Down," with great drumming by Ringo behind a showy vocal by Lennon, and "Matchbox" a boogeying rocker sung by Ringo. These are simply four of the greatest performances the Beatles ever put on wax. They show why the Beatles ascended to the heights they did--they could play rock music better than anybody.