Sunday, February 06, 2005
COMMENTARY: A CAPITOL SUGGESTION (BEST BEATLE BOXSET BET)
FOUR MORE FOURS IN STORE FOR FUN GALORE?
by Don Rose
So the excellent Volume 1 of "The Beatles - The Capitol Albums" is now out (see my review elsewhere in this TRR:MUSIC section). This could've been called "The Beatles 1964 Boxset"; all 4 discs originally came out in '64:
by Don Rose
So the excellent Volume 1 of "The Beatles - The Capitol Albums" is now out (see my review elsewhere in this TRR:MUSIC section). This could've been called "The Beatles 1964 Boxset"; all 4 discs originally came out in '64:
VOL1: Meet The Beatles, The Beatles Second Album, Something New, Beatles '65.
VOL2: The Early Beatles, Beatles VI, Help!, Rubber Soul. (a.k.a. the '65 box).
VOL3: Yesterday... And Today, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour. ('66-'67).
VOL4: The White Album Boxset. ('68).
VOL5: Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road, Hey Jude, Let It Be. ('69-'70).
The White Album was the biggest selling album of the 60's decade, and deserves its own special box -- which could contain outtakes and demos galore, an art/photo booklet, perhaps interviews from that time, and so on. Two discs for the original album, plus two bonus discs.
These hypothetical five boxes -- 20 discs in all -- would give any music buff a comprehensive collection covering the Beatles career. However, there is one minor problem: there is one major smash hit that is not accounted for in the above five boxsets, as far as I can tell. Can you guess what it is? Write in your answers here, and we will post the answer in the coming weeks. To "Help!" you out, here is what the track listings of the above sets (IF my suggestion was actually used) would look like; each album is listed with the date it was originally released as well as what was on its A/B sides (A/B/C/D for the White Album):
VOL2:
1965-03-22 - The Early Beatles (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "Love Me Do"; "Twist And Shout"; "Anna (Go To Him)"; "Chains"; "Boys"; "Ask Me Why";
B: "Please Please Me"; "PS I Love You"; "Baby It's You"; "A Taste Of Honey"; "Do You Want To Know A Secret"
A: "Love Me Do"; "Twist And Shout"; "Anna (Go To Him)"; "Chains"; "Boys"; "Ask Me Why";
B: "Please Please Me"; "PS I Love You"; "Baby It's You"; "A Taste Of Honey"; "Do You Want To Know A Secret"
1965-06-14 - Beatles VI (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "Kansas City — Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!"; "Eight Days A Week"; "You Like Me Too Much"; "Bad Boy"; "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party"; "Words Of Love";
B: "What You're Doing"; "Yes It Is"; "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"; "Tell Me What You See"; "Every Little Thing"
1965-08-13 - Help! (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "James Bond Theme" (Soundtrack Instrumental); "Help!"; "The Night Before"; "From Me To You Fantasy" (Soundtrack Instrumental); "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"; "I Need You"; "In The Tyrol" (Soundtrack Instrumental);
B: "The Bitter End" / "You Can't Do That" (Soundtrack Instrumental); "You're Going To Lose That Girl"; "The Chase" (Soundtrack Instrumental); "Another Girl"; "Another Hard Day's Night" (Soundtrack Instrumental); "Ticket To Ride"
1965-12-06 - Rubber Soul (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "I've Just Seen A Face"; "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"; "You Won't See Me"; "Think For Yourself"; "The Word"; "Michelle";
B: "It's Only Love"; "Girl"; "I'm Looking Through You"; "In My Life"; "Wait"; "Run For Your Life"
VOL 3:
1966-06-20 - "Yesterday" ... And Today (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "Drive My Car"; "I'm Only Sleeping"; "Nowhere Man"; "Doctor Robert"; "Yesterday"; "Act Naturally";
B:"And Your Bird Can Sing"; "If I Needed Someone"; "We Can Work It Out"; "What Goes On"; "Day Tripper"
A: "Drive My Car"; "I'm Only Sleeping"; "Nowhere Man"; "Doctor Robert"; "Yesterday"; "Act Naturally";
B:"And Your Bird Can Sing"; "If I Needed Someone"; "We Can Work It Out"; "What Goes On"; "Day Tripper"
1966-08-08 - Revolver (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "Taxman"; "Eleanor Rigby"; "Love You To"; "Here, There And Everywhere"; "Yellow Submarine"; "She Said She Said";
B: "Good Day Sunshine"; "For No One"; "I Want To Tell You"; "Got To Get You Into My Life"; "Tomorrow Never Knows"
1967-06-02 - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"; "With A Little Help From My Friends"; "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"; "Getting Better"; "Fixing A Hole"; "She's Leaving Home"; "Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!";
B: "Within You Without You"; "When I'm Sixty-Four"; "Lovely Rita"; "Good Morning Good Morning"; "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"; "A Day In The Life"
A: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"; "With A Little Help From My Friends"; "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"; "Getting Better"; "Fixing A Hole"; "She's Leaving Home"; "Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!";
B: "Within You Without You"; "When I'm Sixty-Four"; "Lovely Rita"; "Good Morning Good Morning"; "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"; "A Day In The Life"
1967-11-27 - Magical Mystery Tour (US LP Release, Capitol)
A: "Magical Mystery Tour"; "The Fool On The Hill"; "Flying"; "Blue Jay Way"; "Your Mother Should Know"; "I Am The Walrus";
B: "Hello Goodbye"; "Strawberry Fields Forever"; "Penny Lane"; "Baby, You're A Rich Man"; "All You Need Is Love"
A: "Magical Mystery Tour"; "The Fool On The Hill"; "Flying"; "Blue Jay Way"; "Your Mother Should Know"; "I Am The Walrus";
B: "Hello Goodbye"; "Strawberry Fields Forever"; "Penny Lane"; "Baby, You're A Rich Man"; "All You Need Is Love"
VOL 4:
1968-11-25 - The Beatles ("White Album") (US LP Release, Apple [Capitol])
A: "Back In The USSR"; "Dear Prudence"; "Glass Onion"; "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"; "Wild Honey Pie"; "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill"; "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"; "Happiness Is A Warm Gun";
B: "Martha My Dear"; "I'm So Tired"; "Blackbird"; "Piggies"; "Rocky Raccoon"; "Don't Pass Me By"; "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"; "I Will"; "Julia";
C: "Birthday"; "Yer Blues"; "Mother Nature's Son"; "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey"; "Sexy Sadie"; "Helter Skelter"; "Long Long Long";
D: "Revolution 1"; "Honey Pie"; "Savoy Truffle"; "Cry Baby Cry"; "Can You Take Me Back" (Untitled Song Fragment); "Revolution 9"; "Good Night"
1968-11-25 - The Beatles ("White Album") (US LP Release, Apple [Capitol])
A: "Back In The USSR"; "Dear Prudence"; "Glass Onion"; "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"; "Wild Honey Pie"; "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill"; "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"; "Happiness Is A Warm Gun";
B: "Martha My Dear"; "I'm So Tired"; "Blackbird"; "Piggies"; "Rocky Raccoon"; "Don't Pass Me By"; "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"; "I Will"; "Julia";
C: "Birthday"; "Yer Blues"; "Mother Nature's Son"; "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey"; "Sexy Sadie"; "Helter Skelter"; "Long Long Long";
D: "Revolution 1"; "Honey Pie"; "Savoy Truffle"; "Cry Baby Cry"; "Can You Take Me Back" (Untitled Song Fragment); "Revolution 9"; "Good Night"
...plus two bonus discs
VOL 5:
1969-01-13 - Yellow Submarine (US LP Release, Apple [Capitol])
A: "Yellow Submarine"; "Only A Northern Song"; "All Together Now"; "Hey Bulldog"; "It's All Too Much"; "All You Need Is Love";
B: Soundtrack Instrumentals: "Pepperland"; "Sea Of Time" / "Sea Of Holes"; "Sea Of Monsters"; "March Of The Meanies"; "Pepperland Laid Waste"; "Yellow Submarine In Pepperland"
A: "Yellow Submarine"; "Only A Northern Song"; "All Together Now"; "Hey Bulldog"; "It's All Too Much"; "All You Need Is Love";
B: Soundtrack Instrumentals: "Pepperland"; "Sea Of Time" / "Sea Of Holes"; "Sea Of Monsters"; "March Of The Meanies"; "Pepperland Laid Waste"; "Yellow Submarine In Pepperland"
1969-10-01 - Abbey Road (Apple [Capitol])
A: "Come Together"; "Something"; "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"; "Oh! Darling"; "Octopus's Garden"; "I Want You (She's So Heavy)";
B: "Here Comes The Sun"; "Because"; "You Never Give Me Your Money"; "Sun King" / "Mean Mr Mustard"; "Polythene Pam" / "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"; "Golden Slumbers" / "Carry That Weight"; "The End"; "Her Majesty"
1970-02-26 - Hey Jude (US LP Release, Apple [Capitol])
A: "Can't Buy Me Love"; "I Should Have Known Better"; "Paperback Writer"; "Rain"; "Lady Madonna"; "Revolution";
B: "Hey Jude"; "Old Brown Shoe"; "Don't Let Me Down"; "The Ballad Of John And Yoko"
1970-05-18 - Let It Be (US LP Release, Apple [Capitol])
A: "Two Of Us"; "Dig A Pony"; "Across The Universe"; "I Me Mine"; "Dig It"; "Let It Be"; "Maggie Mae";
B: "I've Got A Feeling"; "The One After 909"; "The Long And Winding Road"; "For You Blue"; "Get Back"
Note: the above track listings were compiled by Yrjö Heinonen, based on data in Mark Lewisohn's book on the Beatles' recording sessions. To see Heinonen's complete Beatles discography, listing all singles and albums officially released by the Fabs in the US and UK between 1962 and 1970, go to: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME03/Songwriting_recording_Appendix1.html .
