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Beatles, The ?– A Collection Of Beatles Oldies

TracklistHide Credits

Credits

• Cover – David Christian (4)
• Photography By [Back Cover] – Robert Whitaker
• Producer – George Martin
• Written-By – Lennon-McCartney (tracks: A1 to B1, B3 to B8)

Notes

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Matrix / Runout (Side 1, stamped): XEX 619-1G
• Matrix / Runout (Side 2, stamped): XEX 620-1G
• Other (Tax Code on the label): KT

It was Christmas time, 1966. Though hard at work on the beginnings of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, the Beatles had nothing for EMI to put out during the holiday season (aside from the annual Christmas record for the fan club). Revolver had come out in the first week of August, too early to exploit. What to do? So EMI issued this stopgap collection of 16 older recordings for the European market, in effect creating the first "Beatles Greatest Hits" album. Actually, it's not a predictable hits anthology, for it omits obvious hit singles like "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do," and includes popular album cuts like "Yesterday" and "Michelle" that were not issued as singles in the U.K. But it doesn't skimp on quantity, offering 16 songs instead of the usual 14, taking the saga all the way up to Revolver, and collecting some British singles into album format for the first time. As for English fanatics who simply had to have everything but might balk at purchasing an album entirely composed of retreads, EMI thought of them too, slipping in the Larry Williams song "Bad Boy" for the first time in Britain (it was included on Beatles VI in America in 1965). The stereo edition features a few anomalies -- an electronic stereo "She Loves You" -- but mostly offers commonly available mixes. The front cover is a period piece of Carnaby Street kitsch, while the back features a casual Beatles photo circa 1966. Today the album seems like a decent summing up of the Beatles' achievement just before the plunge into "Strawberry Fields" and Sgt. Pepper, though obviously not taking in the whole story.

Strictly Graded - RECORD COLLECTOR Grading System.

Grading System: In order to assist everyone who buys and sells rare discs, Record Collector magazine has originated a set of standards for the condition of second-hand records, I have added a (+) or (-) to my gradings where applicable.

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint. 

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing. 

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump.

The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.