Review:

on 2011-02-22 CharlesMartel Said:

The second of the 1973-issued Beatles compilations, covering the latter half of their existence, the album commonly known as The Blue Album remains an essential album. Together with its companion in red, this is a must have for anyone who wants the best of the Beatles without committing themselves to purchasing the entire back catalogue. That is not the same as saying that this is a five star album - far from it - but given the choice between thirteen or so albums and two doubles, it ought to be a no brainer unless you are Beatles' completist.

All the band's later classics are here and it is hard not to like this album. There are always tracks which individuals will claim should not have been left out, or not have been included, but this is about as good as the Beatles get in terms of their later career. Compilations may come and go but I will always maintain that the blue and red albums, conceived at the same time, pretty much issued at the same time and separated only by a marketing belief that a quadruple album wouldn't sell, are all you need to know about the Beatles.

However, for my part, this is the album which I find is less liked by myself, even though many of my favourite Beatles' songs are on it. I make that statement because I found 1967 and a part of the period thereafter, namely around the time they brought out "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" to be the nadir of their career. I found that particular album to be highly over-rated and yet, because it is too often seen as a classic, too many of the songs on it are represented on this album, and too many others which would have been more worthy of inclusion have been left off. For that reason it gets less time on the turntable (or the iPod these days) than the red album and consequently I give it a lower rating as well.

The Beatles are a band I will pick and choose from rather than dive into and immerse myself in their entire catalogue. Their work contains a wide variety of styles, some of which I like, some I loathe, some I can tolerate in small doses. It is indeed a long time since I sat down and listened to an extended period of Beatles' music. To be truthful, I do not think I could any more. After a while it would just bore me. I am not one for sitting in awe and listening to a reputation play itself at me, especially if I remain unconvinced about the longevity of that particular reputation.

While the band later recovered from the mess that was "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band", and produced some of their best tracks when taken individually, overall the period lacks the coherence of their earlier poppy phase. That itself perhaps reflects the fact that the band members were beginning to drift apart, musically and personally. That lack of coherence is reflected in this compilation.

The truth is, I would never go out and buy up the entire Beatles back catalogue - they don't rattle my cage that much - but a compilation is something I can deal with. And if you want a solid compilation, assume that the blue and the red double vinyls are a single whopper-quadruple mega compilation and go out and get it.
Rating: 6/10