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Past Masters, Vol. 1

The BeatlesAudio CD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)

Price: $32.49 & FREE Shipping. Details
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Past Masters, Vol. 1 + Past Masters, Volume Two + Magical Mystery Tour
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Product Details

  • Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Capitol
  • ASIN: B000002USY
  • In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,604 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. Love Me Do (Single Version)
2. From Me To You
3. Thank You Girl
4. She Loves You
5. I'll Get You
6. I Want To Hold Your Hand
7. This Boy
8. Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand (I Want To Hold Your Hand)
9. Sie Liebt Dich (She Loves You)
10. Long Tall Sally
11. I Call Your Name
12. Slow Down
13. Matchbox
14. I Feel Fine
15. She's a Woman
16. Bad Boy
17. Yes It Is
18. I'm Down

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Although they were probably the band that most transformed rock from a singles medium to an album-oriented form, the Beatles also released many singles and EP tracks that never made it onto albums. In the U.S., Capitol turned the group's early LPs, through Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, into compilations, more or less, throwing the hit singles onto the vinyl to augment the album tracks. When the label later released the U.K. albums on CD, it posed a problem: What to do with the non-LP singles? Past Masters, Volume 1 compiles 18 of those singles, including some of their best-known tracks, running from "Love Me Do," "She Love You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "This Boy" to "I Feel Fine" and Paul's homage to Little Richard, "I'm Down." Essential stuff. --Bill Holdship

Product Description

Audio CD.

Customer Reviews

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This disc is highly recommended for any Beatles fan. Johnny Boy  |  29 reviewers made a similar statement
In my opinion they sound very good to great. Music lover  |  13 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
223 of 254 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Companion to the British albums through HELP! September 8, 2004
Format:Audio CD
When EMI decided to release The Beatles' output on CD in the late 80s, they chose to issue the albums in their British formats and supplement them with two discs of non-album material called PAST MASTERS.

PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE gives us a mix of things, mostly singles--some A-sides, some B-sides--including "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" sung in German. But there is a serious downside to this release: We are given the stereo versions of 11 of the 18 selections, and this is sad because, with the exception of "Bad Boy," they were originally issued on vinyl (and sounded fantastic!) in mono.

Mono was the standard for years, but in the late 60s there was a major push within the record industry to make stereo the standard. And the industry did its best to brainwash the public into thinking that stereo was better than mono in all cases. Though the industry was surprisingly successful with its marketing tactics, the truth remains that much pre-1969 stereo rock 'n' roll sounds gimmicky at best, presenting severe and perverse channel separation that often saps the music of its power and realism. It is well documented that until 1969, George Martin spent the majority of time working on the mono mixes and comparatively little time on the stereo; stereo was just not deemed as important. Sadly, today the term "mono" is associated with inferior sound in the minds of most people. This myth is so ingrained in consumers' thinking that the word "mono" does not even appear on the outside packaging of PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE (lest it deter anyone from a purchase), even though the mono tracks are marked with an asterisk. The four-letter word appears only in fine print and somewhat hidden within the booklet.

"Love Me Do" differs from the well-known version found on the PLEASE PLEASE ME album. This is the recording that was the original British single in 1962.

"From Me To You," "Thank You Girl," "She Loves You," and "I'll Get You" are in mono and can be found on other compilations. (But this British version of "Thank You Girl" differs from the one we got on the American LP of THE BEATLES SECOND ALBUM. The American version had harmonica in spots where this one doesn't.)

These stereo versions of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "This Boy" are not the versions that were released as the single, as the notes deceptively imply. The single was in mono and did not have the ridiculous left/right channel separations that we have here. The original versions--in glorious-sounding mono--can be found in THE BEATLES SINGLES COLLECTION boxed set.

"Long Tall Sally," "I Call Your Name," "Slow Down," and "Matchbox" were released together as an EP in England but were scattered across three different albums in the U.S. "Slow Down" and "Matchbox" were also released together as a single in America. In particular, the stereo mix of "Slow Down" sounds mutilated and severely saps the performance of its delirious intensity and power. It's plain and simple: Whereas the stereo versions found here sound disjointed and undernourished, the mono versions found in the BEATLES EP COLLECTION boxed set sound full, focused, and realistic.

"I Feel Fine" is another song that sounds far more realistic in mono. We are given the stereo version here, which has the drums and bass far left, the guitars far right, and the vocals--sounding abnormally detached and somewhat cavernous--in the middle. "She's A Woman" doesn't sound as bad. The mono versions of both, however, can be found in the BEATLES SINGLES COLLECTION boxed set.

During the HELP! sessions, they recorded two songs by Larry Williams, "Bad Boy" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," specifically for Capitol in the U.S. Both songs appeared on BEATLES VI (and, for some reason, "Lizzy" was spelled "Lizzie" on that album.) Though "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" was included on the British release of HELP!, "Bad Boy" was not released in the U.K. until the December 1966 compilation A COLLECTION OF BEATLES OLDIES. I have always thought that both songs sound lackluster compared with the white-hot "Slow Down" (another Williams tune), recorded the previous year. In the spring of 1965, the band was beyond that style of music anyway.

"Yes It Is" was the B-side to the "Ticket To Ride" single and also appeared on BEATLES VI. Many Beatles fans who owned the stereo version of that album are used to the version we get here. But many of us infinitely prefer the richer and more focused sound of the mono version.

I would have been much happier had Paul's delightfully raucous "I'm Down" ended the HELP! album instead of "Dizzy Miss Lizzy." Oh well. This stereo version of "I'm Down" is no match for the exhilarating mono mix issued as the flip side of the "Help!" single. Furthermore, the version of "Help!" released as the single differs significantly from the album version. One wonders why the single version did not turn up here. But it is available, along with the mono "I'm Down," in the SINGLES COLLECTION boxed set.

For those looking for a compilation to serve as an overview, THE BEATLES/1962-1966 (Red Album), THE BEATLES/1967-1970 (Blue Album), or BEATLES 1 will do much better than the PAST MASTERS discs, which were not designed for that purpose. Because the boxed set collections mentioned above are priced beyond reason, I will not recommend them to the more casual or more recent Beatles fans (though--by far!--they best represent this material). I can recommend PAST MASTERS VOLUME ONE without reservation to those fans who are unfamiliar with the mono and, therefore, do not share in my rather severe prejudices.
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86 of 101 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic desert island rock May 14, 2003
Format:Audio CD
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.

I hope this review was helpful.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection of Beatlemania tracks. August 29, 2000
Format:Audio CD
Past Masters 1 is a very helpful compilation that fills in the gaps for those Beatles fans that want all the official studio recordings. Because the Beatles from 1963-1965 (which is the span of this compilation) were putting stuff out in a singles era, some of these "stray" tracks are of exceptional quality and of the utmost importance to the band's history.

Love Me Do (a different version than the one on Please Please Me), From Me To You, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Long Tall Sally, I Feel Fine, Yes It Is, and I'm Down are key Beatles tracks. If you have an essentials-only policy, then the Red Album is sufficient for you. For those that own all the Beatles' regular albums, there's no reason not to have this too, it fills in a lot of gaps.

This CD was made to help the fans by cleaning up the band's catalogue, and it succeeded in doing so. So be aware that it is not a Greatest Hits of the early years, that there are tracks (for example the unneccessary inclusion of the German numbers) that keep this from getting a 5th star and making this album for Beatles fans (and not casual fans who'd be better served with the Red Album).

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Great Album.....exept the remix
The track selection is great. BUT the digital remix SUCKS, when compared to the the original analog mixes. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Brenda G McAlister
5.0 out of 5 stars Completed collection
After re-watching the Anthology, I needed one more song and found it here. Good service and timing and quality and price.
Published 1 month ago by Phillip Todd
5.0 out of 5 stars BEATLES
Start with their studio cds and then move onto the past masters volume 1&2.Both belong in your Beatles collection, but I believe the Past Masters vol. Read more
Published 2 months ago by JUDAS TREES
5.0 out of 5 stars Forget Obama; these.......
.....RnR messiahs are the true "annointed ones"!!!!!! For me they will always be special; they saved my life and sanity from my drunken/abusive father. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Eric Walton
5.0 out of 5 stars More songs than the original
This CD has 33 songs on it. I am a Beatles fan, grew up listening to the Beatles. This CD is Remastered, meaning its in Stereo and not mono. Read more
Published 2 months ago by JZ
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive!
So far, Ive purchased 7 of the new Beatles vinyl re-issues. "Past Masters" is among the best of what Ive heard so far. Read more
Published 3 months ago by John Beacham
4.0 out of 5 stars Gran vinilo
Gran disco de The Beatles, mantiene toda las características de los LP, la ceremonia de preparación hasta apoyar la púa en el vinilo es única. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Rodolfo D Salinas
5.0 out of 5 stars Why Past Masters? Read on...
Why BEATLES PAST MASTERS?

Not even looking at the "international" releases of The Beatles albums during their days together in the studio, just between the UK and USA,... Read more
Published 3 months ago by beatlenik49
5.0 out of 5 stars Why Past Masters? Read on...
Why BEATLES PAST MASTERS?

Not even looking at the "international" releases of The Beatles albums during their days together in the studio, just between the UK and USA,... Read more
Published 3 months ago by beatlenik49
5.0 out of 5 stars A Godsend for old Beatle fans like myself.
When I first heard the British Beatle LPs, I thought that Capitol Records did a hatchet job on The Beatles' music. Read more
Published 3 months ago by G. Flinn
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Past Masters vs. Mono Masters
You need Past Masters for the singles that were released in stereo only that aren't included: The Ballad of John and Yoko, Old Brown Shoe, Let It Be (single version).

If you want the four YS songs in stereo, you need Yellow Submarine. If you don't care, then skip it.

Mono Masters is similar to... Read more
Sep 16, 2009 by Chris McKenzie |  See all 7 posts
Past Masters-An Utterly Unnecessary Release
"Past Masters" makes no sense? What you're proposing is what makes no sense.

All of the songs on Past Masters were officially released as non-album singles (or as part of a compilation, e.g. the alternate version of "Across The Universe"). The Beatles regularly released... Read more
Sep 4, 2009 by C. Gadbois |  See all 13 posts
Volume Levels
i gotta fart!
Sep 27, 2010 by Phillip D. Blanchard |  See all 3 posts
"From Me To You"
The version on "1" is in mono, which was how the song was originally released, as a single in 1963. The version on Past masters is in stereo, but the edit for the harmonica was not inserted into the stereo mix when it was originally made. Although it would be possible to fix that today,... Read more
Sep 21, 2009 by N. Parkinson |  See all 4 posts
Past Masters (Remastered) [ENHANCED]
I believe it's an error, as there is no Past Masters mini doc.
Sep 22, 2009 by Parrot Monkey |  See all 4 posts
scratchy right channel on "She's A Woman"
Well, there is a tambourine shaking. But that's the only thing remotely like a scratch *I* can hear.
Dec 30, 2009 by Word Nerd |  See all 2 posts
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