1967-1970 : The Blue Album

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Even as the Beatles began heading toward an inevitable break-up, their prolific ways continued; this two-disc look back only skims the surface of their later achievements. Excerpts from Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, the white album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be compete for space with classic singles that do as much or more to prove their eclecticism: the epic ballad "Hey Jude", the plaintive "Strawberry Fields Forever", straight rock & roll of all stripes from the plainspoken "Revolution" and "Get Back" to the surreal "Come Together". Decades after the split, this (and its companion set of 1962-1966 cuts) remains a favoured introduction for young listeners and a key sampler for veteran fans. --Rickey Wright

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Customer reviews

review by: musicman date: 2008-09-18 rating:
wow this is my fave out of the two blue album fab!!
2nd box along with the red this one is the best amazeing exsperimental too the beatles were very creative thats why i think there better then the rolling stones more creative beatles rule john lennon R.I.P Goerge harrison R.I.P BUY IT WHAT YOU WAITING FOR!!

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review by: jembateman date: 2008-03-08 rating:
The music is great, but...
This was the 2d album I ever bought (see my 1962-66 review), and I loved playing both sets. However, as I collected the original albums, these became somewhat superfluous: the Beatles albums are so good they outrank virtually any other band's 'best of', and you can get the singles on Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters 2.
The band were producing their most ambitious music and the selection represents a lot of this, although why Don't Let Me Down and Old Brown Shoe are here I don't know; they were released as B sides, so it gave them to 1973 collectors on album, but (on the same principle) you can get them on Past Masters 2 (and plenty of 1963-6 single / EP tracks weren't on the companion 'Red' album..).
So it's a good introduction, but once you've moved on to the original albums and the fuller compilations you may want to pass this one to others to spread the Beatle gospel!

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review by: Matt date: 2007-09-03 rating:
Fantastic - Beatles Best Shown On This Album
This collection of Beatles' greats is probably the best record in my vast sea of old vinyl. I own the re-issue with blue vinyl which i think is fantastic. If you are planning to buy this album on vinyl, get it with blue vinyl.

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review by: date: 2007-08-29 rating:
Twelve stars
Some of the best songs ever written - and that ever may be written - are on this album. If you want to listen to the best, this album is it. So many good tracks are left off though that if you love this you should buy all of their albums from Revolver onwards.


review by: Magic Rat date: 2007-08-15 rating:
An education for the i pod generation
This compilation, per se, does not need "reviewing". Many, many people are familar with every note and nuance of every song. However, it struck me recently that there is a young generation today who don't actually know much about The Beatles at all. If you are over forty and reading this, you will have most of these songs anyway. If you are under twenty and wondering about that strange old household name, The Beatles, maybe this is where you should start. Forget the current trend for "cherry picking" instantly commercial stand-out tracks only. You should cherry pick the whole damn lot !

The "red album" (1962-66), a compliation of mostly two minute 60s pop classics will now sound quite dated to the young ear. This album, the "blue" one, contains some of The Beatles most adventurous and creative work and, thank Heavens, actually sees them performing as a rock outfit, something they never really did, if you think about it. The Beatles' great "rock" cuts are here - "Get Back" which needs no introduction; "Revolution" with its remarkable buzz-saw guitar effect; the monumental anthem "Hey Jude"; the upbeat country bluesy "The Ballad Of John And Yoko"; the guitar and rocking piano-driven "Back In The USSR"; the rumbling, slightly menacing "Come Together" and the Eric Clapton-enhanced "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". There is also, importantly, the ground-breaking, experimental, endlessly sampled stuff - the iconic "Strawberry Fields Forever"; the druggy "I Am The Walrus" and the mesmerising "A Day In The Life". Why, you will even find yourself understanding the meaning of the phrase "the album's Ringo song" when you hear "Octopus's Garden". For me, it is those tracks at the end of disc one and through disc two that show just what a great rock band The Beatles could have been if they'd bothered to seriously rock for more than just a few years. Unfortunately they pandered too much to Paul McCartney's love of whimsy (thankfully none of those cuts are included here).

If you are looking to get into The Beatles, possibly for the first time (yes, it is something people have to do these days), you couldn't chose a better place to start. Beware - you may be surprised at the "ground-breaking" (at the time) 60s stereo effects - drums from one speaker, voice from another. Although they were completely innovative at the time, they sound tinny and lumpen today, if we are all totally honest. Compare this sound with much contemporary output from the time though, and it is streets ahead. The closer to 1970 you get, the better the sound becomes, however. Pity they had to split.......

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