I read someplace (I don't remember where) that John and George selected the tracks. I don't know whether this is true, however.

This is what I've always heard as well.

From Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962–1966


Basically Klein compiled it to get the best royalty deal for the Beatles he represented. Would any "definitive" Beatles anthology include Octopus's Garden and Old Brown Show in favour of Twist and Shout?

Well, for starters, Twist and Shout would also have to pay royalties to Phil Medley and Bert Russell. If you notice, none of the Beatle cover tracks are on the Red and Blue albums.

That's my point. The entire Red and Blue project was a royalty gathering exercise rather than a definitive Beatles anthology. No Tomorrow Never Knows for starters. An a compilation it's close to worthless

The Red album worked as a fine greatest hits comp for me back in 1973. I didn't complete my collection of early Beatles albums until a number of years later.

Here be the front of said discs which will be triple fold card sleeves.



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After the great stereo and mono box sets, not sure if these are even necessary anymore.

Not for the hardcore collectors but for completists and the casual fan who didn't buy a basket full of remasters, maybe.

Casual fans have that Beatles One collection.



The reception of 1 surpassed all critical and commercial expectations, breaking a considerable number of sales and chart records. It reportedly sold 3.6 million units in its first week and more than 12 million in three weeks worldwide, reaching #1 in over 35 countries, achieving the record for the album debuting at the top of the most national charts ever. It became the fastest-selling album of all time and the highest-selling of 2000 and later, of the entire decade. This achievement made the Beatles the first and only artist to have the best-selling albums of two different decades. They also had the best-selling album of the 1960s, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Ironically, no tracks from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band appear on this album.


Do you guys think Red/Blue will sell like Beatles One?

I do not think so JohnG, only because of what's been already released BUT I will buy them (and I have the Mono & Stereo sets).

I may also be contradicting myself (again).
Rick A.

And unfortunately, cardboard packaging. But I guess it's to be expected, since they're modeled after the CD packaging from the box sets. About the only good thing I can say about them is that they're shinier and glossier.

And a step above the abysmal packaging from the Capitol Years boxes.

I know that collector gene I have says buy em, buy em all, but I try to ignore that little guy on my shoulder these days.

We shall see, if they have pretty packaging and sales at Target, it may hard to resist.

I can't think of a single reason to buy these.

That Capitol packaging is an all-time low.

The Capitol Years boxes should have been budget priced by virtue of the packaging alone.

I recently played a bit of the Capitol Years box to compare to the sound quality of the new boxes. The Capitol Years sets are awful. The new boxes are brighter then I'd like, but the CY boxes are screechy beyond belief. I'm almost tempted to sell mine.

I listened to those CDs a few times, but I don't have the attachment to the Capitol LPs that some here do, so they haven't been listened to in quite a while.

Though I did put "I Feel Fine" on a comp, because that was the first verison I heard on the 1962-1966 album and I did a custom edit, tacking on the James Bondish "Help" intro onto the British version.

Yeah, I'm kinda attached to that intro also!

That intro was also on my "Red" album as well.