ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC

When the recording industry uses the phrase "rock 'n' roll" , they are almost always referring to the nineteen fifties based music. The energetic but simplistic form that spawned the whole rock movement, and all of it's sub-genres. And needless to say, the Beatles came from that generation.

This collection celebrates that area of the Beatles music. For what it is, the Beatles did it extremely well. Their music, while staying (in the early years) within the confines of the standard rock 'n' roll format, often transcended the style by sometimes adding an augmented of diminished chord, or an occasional (gasp!) relative minor.

So while this set of songs spanning their career as a band would by no means be called prog, it is still a good collection of the genre. I think the closest this gets to prog is Revolution or Helter Skelter.

As a rock 'n' roll record, I'd rate it three stars (I'd still recommend the original albums over a collection). But as a prog album, it gets just two stars.

I bought this one off the shelf to find out what all the fuss was about. It was my first Beatles vinyl album and I must have played it countlessly in my younger years. I was therefore introduced to some of the wildest Beatles material from the get go. My most beloved songs that were played till I wore out the groove were Rock 'n' Roll Music, Money (That's What I Want), Bad Boy, Roll Over Beethoven, Revolution, Back In The U.S.S.R., Get Back, Helter Skelter and Taxman. I was quite stunned at the ferocity of raucous classic Helter Skelter, but I learnt quickly that the Beatles were more than just She Loves You and I Saw Her Standing There, they could also be aggressive and zany. The phrase "I've got blisters on my fingers" was startling to my young ears but I really grew up with this album. It is only a compilation but it had an impact on a newcomer to the band. Most of these songs are fantastic selections and there are some weird choices such as Boys, Slow Down, Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey and Matchbox but they really grew on my impressionable music tastes. So this is where it all began for a Beatles addict and the songs are all terrific, not a bad track on it, so it deserves 4 stars.