Yes, the albums have been put on cd format before, but this collection of Beatles reissues focuses on the American versions of the original lps, as well as delivering them (for the first time) in both mono and stereo versions on one single disc. We Yankees received the Fab Four in a different way than the Limeys did. Does it matter in the long run? Only if you’re nostalgic for how you remember your first exposure to John, Paul, George and Ringo. Basically, what you’ve got here is a paradigm shift in pop music, from rhythm and blues covers of Chuck Berry and Little Richard, to The British Invasion, to the influence of Bob Dylan to their own personal way of reflecting and essentially changing not only music, but also a culture, forever. Or at least “’till the real thing comes along.”
These albums can be categorized into a few different groups. The first one consists of Meet The Beatles!, The Beatles Second Album, The Early Beatles and Something New!. This is the Beatles that most people think about when they reflect on a) The British Invasion of the ’63 and b) when the Beatles were a touring and viable band of rockers. Yes, they invaded the shores of America with classic originals such as “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There,” but they were just as likely to go into their repertoire of American rockabilly and rhythm and blues with “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Long Tall Sally” “Twist and Shout” and “Matchbox.” People nowadays tend to forget that these Liverpool gents were once rough and ready rockers, and these first few albums mix the harder edge with their patented British charm like no other band from those days. That’s why they, and not Gerry and the Pacemakers, endured.
The next section consists of reaction to their initial fame, with albums from movies (A Hard Day’s Night and Help!) and the boys trying to find their artistic footing in light of their sudden superstardom. The two soundtracks include two classic title songs (“Help!” being one of Lennon’s best compositions ever) as well as original tunes that started showing their more creative mix. “Can’t Buy Me Love” was a joyful piece, but highly creative material such as “ You’ve Got to Hide Your Live Away” show their increasing debt to Robert Zimmerman. Rather than just sticking to the pop formula of the day, the band was experimenting with mixing deeper lyrics with more mature harmonies
and song patterns, with the apotheosis possibly being “Ticket to Ride.”
The last quartet of albums reflects that Beatles’ period when they were worn out from constant touring, and subsequently when they started pulling back from the shackles of popularity in order to get their creative juices back in shape. Yesterday and Today has a few tunes that were featured on the concert and TV trail, such as “Act Naturally” and “Day Tripper,” but the group takes a quantum leap forward with “Yesterday,” “Day Tripper” and “Nowhere Man” mixing poignant lyrics with sounds that teenagers had never heard before. Going even deeper and 
introspective with experimentation, the two albums Rubber Soul and Revolver changed the way we listened to pop music forever. The laid back nature of “Norwegian Wood,” (with it’s hip sitar sound), “Michelle” and “In My Life” from the former showed that popular music and harmonics can hold their own in a pop culture. When Revolver came out with its use of Indian instrumentation (“Love To You”), a string quartet (on ”Eleanor Rigby”) or electronic tape effects (on “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “He Said She Said”) a salvo was launched that has influenced subsequent bands ranging from Electric Light Orchestra to Coldplay. Pop music had its own Beethoven’s 9th, setting a tone that every artists afterwards would have to respond to in some way or another.
Lastly, Hey Jude was put together as a mix of singles that never made it onto a “regular” album, finding them mostly after Sgt Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour albums. Listening to this right after what’s come before is akin to taking in Wagner’s Ring Cycle after Mozart. Obviously, this is all essential music for developing your own musical ear, as well as understanding how we got to where we currently are. Where did we go wrong since?
