HEY JUDE

This is a compilation L.P. released initially in the U.S. and in some countries, like Mexico. It was also released in the U.K. as an import, and curiously, it also was manufactured in the U.K. to be distributed as an Import in some countries in the early 70s. I also think that in the late 70s this album was finally released in the U.K. This album has not been re-issued in the C.D. format.

I never considered their U.S. L.P.s as in the same level as their U.K. L.P.s, because most of their U.S. L.P.s until 1966 had combinations of songs which belonged to different L.P.s released in the U.K. They also had different mixes in a lot of songs done by their U.S. label, Capitol Records. Obviously, my preference is for the "real mixes approved by The Beatles" . But this L.P. and the "Magical Mystery Tour" L.P. are the only two L.P.s of their U.S. discography that deserve my attention.

This "Hey Jude" L.P. was originally titled "The Beatles Again" in the first pressing, but the title was changed after that (the Mexican L.P. had the "Hey Jude" title in the spine of the cover, but in the label it said "The Beatles Again"). As a compilation it is good. It includes some songs released as singles and their B-sides, with the exception of "The Inner Light",which was not included, it was the B-side of the "Lady Madonna" single released in 1968, and "Get Back", a single released in 1969, is also not included, but "Don`t Let Me Down", its B-side, it`s included. Capitol also included two older songs which were not released before on a Stereo L.P. in the U.S. : "Can`t Buy Me Love" and "I Should Have Known Better", both from their "A Hard Day`s Night" U.K. album.

This album has "Paperback Writer" in "Reversed Stereo" in comparison to the original U.K. version: the channels are reversed! Another curiosity is that the final seconds of "The Ballad of John and Yoko" were edited out. Apparently all other songs have the same mixings as the original versions released in the U.K.

Another important thing to comment about this L.P. is that it has in the cover some of the photos of the last photo session of The Beatles as a band, which were taken in John`s house in August 1969, a few days after they finished the recording and mixing of their "Abbey Road" album.

All the songs included in this L.P. are available in the "Past Masters Volume 2" C.D., with the exception of "Can`t Buy Me Love" and "I Should Have Known Better".

This a very unusual compilation, as those types of collections go. There are songs representing each period of The Beatles. Most of them are from the last part of their career. With each period having a distict flavor, it doesn't seem like this idea would work. The Beatles, however, could always be counted on for exceeding expectations.

Somehow, this seemingly random set of singles, and b-sides, fits together. Who knew that "Lady Madonna," "Can't Buy Me Love," and "Don't Let Me Down," would be a good grouping? Okay, it's not perfect, but it is enjoyable. There are a lot of great tracks here. Before the release of "1962-1966," and especially "1967-1970" (and countless subsequent compilations), many of these songs were only available on 45rpm vinyl.

It's not an actual album, and there is definitely no concept, but it is a good collection of songs. It goes without saying that it doesn't qualify as prog. If I was rating solely on it's merits as an album, I would only give it three stars. Since it is The Beatles, and I believe these songs are an excellent addition to a collection, it gets four.

H.T. Riekels

This is a passible Beatles compilation for it's time. At very least, it spans the group's entire career, and not just obvious pop hits. I have no clue as to why each of these songs are here (I assume George Martin selected them), but they do seem to have a certain flow to them. And it contains some (not all) of my favorite songs from each era.

I especially like Paperback Writer, Rain and Revolution

I don't think this was ever released on CD, so good luck finding an LP copy. By the way, mine has the original album title, The Beatles Again on the label. I have no idea how many were printed this way.

In the Beatles catalog, I'd give this 3 stars.

Since the Beatles catalog was finally reissued on vinyl in 2012, a dated collection like this may seem like it has no worth...but nothing could be further from the truth. Though the majority of these songs are available on Past Masters, Hey Jude is a relatively cheap and easy way to grab a 100% analog Beatles compilation domestically. Some of the selections are a bit puzzling, but keep in mind many of these tracks were unavailable on LP at the time, either being singles or omitted from Capitol's US versions of the Beatles' early albums. For a compilation, the album sequence flows surprisingly well. As an added bonus, the cover features one of the last known photographs of the Fab Four ever taken, and it looks great in a frame or on the shelf.

My copy of Hey Jude is titled "The Beatles Again" on the label, but the runout area is machine- stamped Bell Sound, telling me this is a second pressing. Regardless, the sound is fantastic, much better than the majority of my domestic Beatles vinyl collection, and in exceptional condition considering the age. For $10-15 you really can't go wrong with this LP. Of course we all know the songs, but some highlights include the title track, "Rain" and "Lady Madonna." The lively sound practically jumps off the turntable and fills the room with Beatles goodness. The album length is just right too, the final songs on each side not suffering from the fidelity problems of many longer LPs. Given the well-documented pressing issues with some of the new Beatles vinyl, you could certainly do a lot worse than Hey Jude.

Here is a nice compilation from The Beatles worth finding on vinyl no doubt though I could never locate such a treasure. The tracks on this span the various eras of The Beatles so it is a good snapshot of their material. My personal favourites on side one are the jumping, jolly I Should Have Known Better, brilliant guitar riffing on Paperback Writer, here in reversed stereo, and the raucous Revolution. On side two are the indispensable Hey Jude and Don't Let Me Down, among others. Overall it is definitely a good start for those elite who have not heard much of the Fab Four outside of their singles.