When you look at it objectively, The Beatles’ catalog is on the small side. They only recorded together for a span of about seven years or so, and there are fewer than 200 songs on their studio albums.
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The band and their handlers have done a stellar job of milking as much as they could out of that very finite amount of music. Here are five releases, running the media gamut, that helped in that regard.
‘1962-1966’ and ‘1967-1970’
Who knows how long it might have been before the Fab Four released a greatest hits package if their hands hadn’t been forced? A bootleg collection caused the band to quickly respond and throw together a package that was arranged chronologically. The ”Red” and the “Blue” albums were sensations. Fans didn’t worry too much about the erratic song selection. Instead, they just reveled in the nostalgia of it all. Not long after, other bands realized the value in such all-encompassing compilations and made a trend out of it.
‘The Beatles Anthology’
George Harrison held out as long as he could from taking part in a comprehensive retrospective of The Beatles years. When some financial problems beset him in the 90s, he caved. Anthology launched a multimedia Fab 4 offensive. A doorstop of a book and a multi-part documentary allowed the four men (and their close associates) to tell their own story. And three collections of unreleased music opened their vaults up to the world. The kickers were two new songs consisting of old John Lennon demos that were embellished by the three living members in the studio. Look for more Anthology goodness later this year.
‘1’
There were some unique greatest hits packages of the Fab Four over the years, including ones focused on Rarities and Love Songs. 1 kept it simple. Only songs that hit the top of the charts made the grade. It doesn’t represent the group all that well, since it negates most of their brilliant album work in the second half of the decade. But this collection certainly found a home with the public. As a sampler for those who were brand new to the group, 1 delivered the goods.
‘Let It Be… Naked’
The Beatles couldn’t really deal with Let It Be way back when, as their union was dissolving at the time. They kicked the can to Phil Spector, who made some curious choices with the material. More than three decades later, Paul McCartney, who felt wronged by Spector’s production, decided to take matters into his own hands. He removed most of the excess gloss from songs like “The Long And Winding Road”. The result still feels a bit ramshackle. But it at least sounds more cohesive from song to song.
‘The Beatles: Get Back’
Once again, they went back to Let It Be, only this time revisiting the documentary. The original film kind of throws you in medias res without much context from scene to scene. Director Peter Jackson was given access to the original reels of footage. Aside from sprucing it up via the technology of the era, he simply lets it all unfold. We certainly witnessed some of the tension that eventually festered into a breakup. But we also catch glimpses of the wondrous chemistry that sustained these four men.
Photo by Roy Cummings/THA/Shutterstock
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