brendan2's Full Review: Past Masters, Vol. 1 by The Beatles
Collecting every song The Beatles ever commercially released is quite a daunting task, for during their seven years as recording artists, the group managed to release thirteen albums and an impressive collection of singles. The British versions of the albums usually did not contain the singles, as the group did not want to make fans buy an album full of singles they already owned. In the U.S., however, Capitol cut many tracks off of the albums and added whatever they wished, thus some Beatles singles were available on the U.S. versions of the albums. But unless you wanted to hunt down old vinyl versions of songs, you would never have all the Beatles songs. And even if you did find all the U.S. albums, you would still be missing some singles and B-sides of the singles.
Fortunately, in 1988, this problem was fixed with the release of Past Masters Volume One and Past Masters Volume Two. Each volume is a collection of the Beatles songs that were previously unavailable on CD, comprising A and B sides, EP tracks, alternate versions of songs, and even some German language tracks. Volume One covers the years 1962 to 1965, and Volume Two starts at late 1965 and continues to 1970. This review is of Volume One.
Love Me Do was the group's first single, and it also appeared on the Please Please Me album. But did you know the version that most people have heard does not feature Ringo on drums? Instead, a session drummer named Andy White played the drums, while poor Ringo had to stand by and shake a tambourine. The version heard here was originally released as a single, but was later replaced and was hard to find for years. Now that I'm done with my history lesson, it's time for some info about how the song actually sounds. As usual, Paul McCartney plays bass guitar and Ringo Starr is on drums. George Harrison uses an acoustic guitar for this one, and John Lennon is the real star, with a cool harmonica solo. Paul and John share lead vocals on this one, and though the lyrics are simple, this is still a great song and was a number one hit in the U.S.
From Me To You was the Beatles' third single, following "Please Please Me," which did not reach number one. Like most of the group's early stuff, this song is very short - less than two minutes - but I like it better when you are left wanting more, rather than praying the stupid song would just end already. John and Paul wrote this song together while traveling on a bus, and it reached number one in the U.K. Once again, John plays the harmonica, but it has less of a blues feel than it did on "Love Me Do." This song is an upbeat pop number, which probably made it appealing to the teenage girls who made up the majority of the Beatles' fanbase at the time. Of course, the Beatles' pop tunes still hold up today, while the same can't be said for groups like New Kids on the Block.
Thank You Girl was the B side of "From Me To You," and, like that song, was never available on an album (in the U.K. at least). You may have noticed a pattern in these early songs: they all feature words like "me" and "you" in the titles. This was to give the girls who were listening to the songs the feeling that John or Paul or whoever was singing was speaking right to them. The harmonica makes another appearance on this song, making me wonder why it was used so infrequently on the group's later works. John sings lead on this song, with Paul providing nice harmony vocals.
She Loves You was the Beatles' fourth single and remains one of their most widely-known songs today. Paul and John began experimenting with songwriting on this song, telling the song like a story - "I saw her yesterday... She loves you," as opposed to the standard "I love you girl." This song made "yeah yeah yeah" a catchphrase, and became a number one hit in both the U.S. and the U.K. This is just a fun little song, with energetic drumming from Ringo, a cool guitar lick from George, and the infectious "yeah yeah yeah" chorus. I don't know much about music, but with this song, the Beatles ended with the sixth chord, which apparently, you’re never supposed to do.
I’ll Get You was the B side of "She Loves You" and was recorded on the same day as that hit (July 1, 1963). The song begins with some rather unenthusiastic-sounding "oh yeah"s that might be a play on the energetic shouting in "She Loves You." John brings out the harmonica yet again, but this time, it is there mainly for rhythm. Ringo pounds away at the drums, and George's and Paul's guitars give the music a full feel. The lyrics are a little on the frightening side, as they could sound stalker-like to strange minds (like my own) - "I think about you night and day... You might as well resign yourself to me... So I'm telling you my friend, that I'll get you, I'll get you in the end." This song was written by John, whose songs were often relegated to the B side of Paul's compositions, but this is a catchy tune featuring some nice harmonies.
I really hope there is no one out there who hasn't heard I Want To Hold Your Hand. This is the one that made the Beatles a hit in America, earning them their first number one hit (the other songs I previously mentioned reached number one when they were reissued) and setting Beatlemania in motion. The music and vocals are perfect, with George doing some great work on his electric guitar. The handclaps are a nice touch, too. This was one of the small number of Lennon-McCartney tunes that was written by both Paul and John, and of course they share lead vocal duties. Oh, and incidentally, this is the first stereo track on Past Masters Volume One; the five preceding tracks are all mono.
This Boy was the B side of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and was recorded on the same day - October 17, 1963. John wrote this one to sound like a 1950s doo-wop song, and it is a shame it was just a B side because it is such a great song. The three-part harmonies by John, Paul and George were rarely better, and John's emotional solo during the bridge is breathtaking. The guitars on this song are outstanding, and Ringo... well, I guess he was there too. The song was recorded in seventeen takes, but the one used was actually the fifteenth. Takes 12 and 13 can be heard on the Free As A Bird single (because I know you're just dying to hear them).
Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand is a German version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." I guess since the Beatles started out performing in clubs in Hamburg, they had to record some songs for their German fanbase too. This was recorded in Paris, France, in January 1964, along with another German track and "Can’t Buy Me Love." The instruments on this German version sound suspiciously like the English version; I guess because the new vocals and handclaps were overdubbed onto the original recording. This is a nice song to have, but you probably won’t be singing along to it unless you are insane like me. Next up is Sie Liebt Dich, a.k.a. "She Loves You" in German. The Beatles completely redid this one, instruments and all. Again, it’s nice to have, but I don't listen to it often.
Long Tall Sally was originally a hit for Little Richard (who cowrote it), but the Beatles later did an amazing version of it in only one take! Paul's lead vocals on this one are some of his best, and the piano is a real highlight of the song. This is just a straight-up rock 'n' roll song that is, in my opinion, better than the original. The Beatles often performed this song in concert (almost always sounding inferior to the one-take version heard here), and it was the only song not written by the Beatles themselves to be the title track of one of their British EPs. And did I mention it was recorded in only one take?
I Call Your Name was written principally by John for the group Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Unfortunately, the Dakotas' performance of it was nothing spectacular, and it was issued as a B side (of "Bad To Me," which was also written by Lennon and McCartney), so the Beatles decided to show them how it was done. In addition to the Beatles' usual instruments, this song features something that sounds like a cowbell. I'm not really sure what it is, but it can get annoying. John's vocal delivery more than makes up for it, though. This song was issued on the Long Tall Sally EP.
Slow Down is a cover of a Larry Williams song, the first of two on this CD. John handles the lead vocals here and does a marvelous job. This uptempo song also features some great guitar work along with Beatles producer George Martin on piano. "Slow Down" was recorded on June 1, 1964, and was also released on the Long Tall Sally EP.
Matchbox is another cover, this time of a number by Carl Perkins, one of the Beatles' idols. Ringo finally gets his chance to sing lead here, and personalizes the song with lines like "If you don't want Ringo's peaches honey, please don’t mess around my tree." The song has kind of a country feel to it, and was the first of quite a few Perkins works the Beatles would record. Again, this song features George Martin on piano, was recorded on June 1, 1964, and was released on Long Tall Sally.
I Feel Fine begins with some guitar feedback, and this is said to be the first time feedback showed up in a recording (it had been used in concerts but never on a record). This was recorded on October 18, 1964, and released as a single on November 27, just in time for the Christmas season. John's lead vocal, Paul and George's harmony vocals, George's guitar solo, and Ringo's drumming all work perfectly and are a part of what helped make this song number one in the U.S. and the U.K.
She’s A Woman was the B side of "I Feel Fine" and was written primarily by Paul. I love the choppy guitar riff on this one, and the piano and George's guitar solo are other highlights. Paul's vocals sound great, and for a time, I liked this song better than it's A side (that has changed, though). This song was actually recorded ten days before "I Feel Fine." Interestingly, the lyrics contain the line "Turn me on when I get lonely," which nobody seemed to care about, but when "A Day In The Life" was released years later, the song was banned because of the line, "I'd love to turn you on." Maybe people didn't know what it meant back in 1964.
Bad Boy is the second (and last) Larry Williams cover on this disc, and it is just a great rock 'n' roll song. John's lead vocal is perfect, and the song, about a kid who just wants to listen to his rock 'n' roll music, has an appropriately hard rocking feel to it. This song was aimed primarily at the American market and so did not appear on a British release until A Collection of Beatles Oldies was released.
Yes It Is is another of the Beatles' three-part harmony songs and was the B side of "Ticket To Ride." The melody for this song is beautiful, and George really makes the most of the wah-wah pedal on his guitar. John's solo vocal during the bridge is the highlight for me, and I love the way he spits out the line "It’s my pride." The song is about how John could be happy with his current girlfriend if he could only forget his old love. Really a great song, though the vocals can sound sort of flat.
I’m Down is the last song on the CD and a great way to end things. This is an upbeat rocker written by Paul in the tradition of Little Richard songs. Paul screams the lead vocals, with John and George backing him up. George's guitar solo and John's work on the electric organ are amazing, and this is one of my favorites of the Beatles' rock songs. It was originally released as the B side of the "Help!" single. The Beatles often used "I'm Down" to end their shows, with John playing the organ with his elbows!
Because Past Masters Volume One is basically a collection of singles, most of the songs on here have a pop feel to them. This is not a bad thing at all (I mean, it is the Beatles), but if you are looking for songs with more meaning, this is not the CD for you. That being said, there is not one bad track on here, and even the B sides are fantastic. Like all Beatles CDs, highly recommended.
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