THE BEATLES '1'

This is the ultimate in Beatles compilations. Virtually every single one of the Beatles' #1 hits are included on this compilation, and for the first time in my life I think I have found a compilation that doesn't do a terrible job arranging the songs. Each song is placed in order of when it hit #1, and that creates a nice "trip through the decades" feel, while making it easier to pick out when they changed their sounds and why. Every Beatles fan should have this in their collection, and even if you aren't a Beatles fan (yet!), there is still something here for everyone. Some good rock (Get Back, Come Together, Paperback Writer), nice ballads (The Ballad of John and Yoko, We Can Work It Out), and those numerous classic Beatles hits (A Hard Day's Night, Day Tripper, Yellow Submarine).

The only gripe I have with this album, however, is the fact that due to dissimilarities between the US and UK charting processes, we miss out on the UK number one hit Please Please Me and the US number one hit Strawberry Fields Forever. Without those two songs, it cannot be a true #1 hits collection, although this certainly does come close. An excellent collection, highly recommended to anybody, fan or not.